Obedience Q&As

Hi Ed: I have a 20 month old german shepherd. I emailed you about a year ago when we bought a Dogtra electric collar from your site, which we've been very happy with. Anyway, last week he was laying on the floor and I told him to get up so we could take him outside to pee before we put him in the crate for the night. Kazan ignored my command so I went to reach down to lead him by the collar, which I've done several times before and without contest from Kazan, but this time he bit...

Dear Mr. Frawley, I am writing as I have a growling problem with our five and a half month old pet Ridgeback. I know you have a lot of mail so I will brief as I can. I have followed your philosophy closely. I have 8weeks to 8mths, Basic Obedience and E-collar training and read much more from your website. He lives in a wire crate in our family room, most of the time and can go into the rest of the house with a person. I think he knows his order in the pack, he eats ...

Hi, I was bitten by my dog, Chili this morning. He is a 4 year old, 1/2 Rottweiler and 1/2 greyhound. I have had him since he was about 8 weeks old. He has never been beaten or abused. We have 2 other dogs also. Popeye, a 8 year old Chihuahua and Toby, a 4 year old pit/basset mix. All 3 are spoiled. Chili has really gotten aggressive since he went to the pound a couple of years ago, for a 10 day quarantine for biting a man that came on our property and kicked him. He has shown aggr...

Dear Ed, I have a 18 mo. old GSD. I'm so attached to him It would just kill me to have to put him down. Before him I had a pair of Dalmatians that lived for 14 yrs. Before that I had a beagle who lived for 9 yrs. All of my dogs were very well behaved dogs. However I didn't do enough research on German-Shepherds before I bought one. The one that I have has been very hyper from the very start, We thought this was cute. He has always been a little crazy. But he is also the most loyal,...

Here's my problem... I have 9 year old 1/2 lab, 1/2 german shepard mix that is a sweet heart! I put him through training school when he was a pup and I've had NO problems with him what so ever. About a year ago i got a Rhodesian ridge-back pup at 7 weeks old! There was no problem getting them to get along. the lab has treated the pup like his own. Now that that the pup is no longer a pup but now a 17 month old that weighs 120lbs, he has a territorial problem with EVERYTHING!! The lab cannot e...

Good morning. My name is Erika and I share a place with my cousin who owns two Westys (West Highland Terriers). He adopted them both from a shelter in Oklahoma. He wanted to adopt the female, but the shelter said he had to take both the female and a male. Well, the female is precious. The male is adorable, but he's always growled if he's asleep and you try to wake or move him. He's been scolded, placed in the laundry room or outside, and ignored for this behavior. Well, just this w...

Dear Ed, You probably hear sad stories like this all the time; moreover, don't like to personally respond to repeat questions. Well, I'm desperate for some guidance as I'm stuck in a major dilemma. Duggan is a 3.5 year old male (fixed), shar pei/springer spaniel mix, adopted at 8wks from humane society. Affectionate, loving, and wonderful to have around. Loves stranger's too much,(live in large town-home that has inspectors come monthly and the first time they came-in when w...

Ed, Hey I love your Leerburg site. It's one of the best information tools online, hands down. I need some information. I have a 5 month old American Bulldog in the house along with a 3yr old & 8yr old. My problem is the dog is constantly challenging my 3yr old. How do I stop it ? He does not do it with anyone else in the house. Other than that he's a perfect dog. I would appreciate any info pertaining to this. Thanks, Jon

Dear Ed, I have a question regarding our German Shepherd. He's 2 years old now and weighs 108 pounds. He wasn't socialized as a puppy, so we are taking him to a trainer because of fear biting and aggression with people in the yard and house (he hadn't been aggressive toward my husband, our children, or myself.) The trainer has been helpful, and we've seen a lot of improvement. The last time we went for a session, she told us that our dog sees my husband as a leader, but doesn't see me as o...

Hi, I am Heather, and I have a German Shepherd. I live with my mom and 2 sisters and I am starting to see some signs of aggression. My German Shepherd is a male and is 6 years old. I e-mailed you before about him adjusting to the apartment I moved into. He had adjusted well but he has been growling at me lately and tonight he snapped at me like a bite but he did not puncture the skin. This started a few months ago when I lived in a house. He started to growl at me when I was trying...

I live with my sister who has a three year old mix breed (half long haired Chihuahua, half Poodle). He weighs about 12 pounds and has been fixed. Anyway, he's always been fairly protective and aggressive, but in the last year or so he has become progressively worse. My sister and her boyfriend are the only ones that are spared his biting. He's drawn blood on me half a dozen times and has done the same to others. It used to be that he only bit me when I tried to touch or pet him while he w...

Ed, A have just acquired a dominant dog, it followed me home on a walk, someone had dumped her. She's approximately a year old, I've had her 3 weeks. I will soon be getting her spayed, she's had a litter recently. She's had a hard life with a lot of scars from fights. I have a Innotek econo-trainer shock collar and was wondering if you could tell me if there are any others out there that are stronger in shock than this. I have looked in a Cabelas book, but they don't say to use on ...

Hi, I am contacting you as a last resort before we have our German Shepard, Thor, put to sleep. We purchased Thor at a pet store for $300.00. Thor is 17 months old and a male. Thor's birth date is 9/9/02. We bought Thor at 3 weeks old 11/5/02. We moved from California to Florida December 2003. In California we lived on a fenced acre and Thor was able to run freely at all times and had numerous sheltered areas such as the carport and front and back porch. Thor often laid on t...

I am sure you are a very busy man but I am so frustrated and have no where else to turn for answers. If you could please give me a bit of advice I would greatly appreciate it because no one in my area has yet been able to help. Last June, my husband was given a puppy that had been handed down from owner to owner. We were not told much about her history so I took her to the vet the next day who said she was a Beagle-Pincher mix. She had many health problems when we first got her but...

Mr. Frawley, Recently our 9 month old GSD has started to nip at us for no reason. We can be sitting on the couch and she'll come and nudge with her head to be pet and once I start to pet her she begins to nip at my hand. Lately her nipping has become a lot harder and more with me then with my boyfriend. She was crate trained from when we first got her but now when we put her in she begins to bark. She also barks if I'm in another room with the door closed. I'm not sure where we wen...

Hi Ed, My name is Niamh and my husband, Glen, and I own a 70 pound neutered bitch named Sena. To explain our situation I will give you a little background on us. I had a previous dog, Grady a male neutered black lab/rottie cross. Grady was a huge dog and at age 12 and at 120 pounds he had to be put down. Grady was put down quite suddenly due to failing organs. He was a gentle giant who in his senior years didn't want to do anything but lay at your feet. My husband and I went out tw...

Hi, My 4 yr. old German Shepherd and constant loving companion, bit me. I had placed a bag of garbage containing a turkey bone on the floor. I heard him chewing the bone from the garbage and went over to him. He growled at me, which surprised me greatly. I then spoke firmly to him and reached for his collar to pull him away from the bone. He growled again and bit my wrist. It was one quick bite and I pulled away and ran. He has been quite humble ever since. I was shocked. I thought...

I was searching the internet this evening and came across your site that had many questions and answers regarding fear biters and the like. I am struggling with a decision that I fear I know the answer to and would like to ask your opinion. My wife and I adopted a dog at the local shelter about three years ago. He is a Norfolk Terrier Mix we believe. The dog was days away from being put down and we took him home and have loved him extravagantly ever since. He was in the pound for biting an...

Mr. Frawley, I am hoping you can help us today! We adopted George from a local shelter 15 months ago, he is a German Shepherd mix, about 3 or 4 years old. From the beginning he has showed dominance towards me when he found food outside, going after me with a strong, viscous bark, but has always let me take away his food if I have given it to him. Since then my husband and I have given birth to a beautiful daughter who is now four months old. We have tried some training and met with...

I am writing to you about our 11 yr. old Lhasa Apso, Max. I have had him since he was 8-9wks old. As a puppy, he seemed to be afraid of strangers or anyone who tried to pet or touch him. He would scream and back away. I tried to socialize him, when people would come in that would play with him & he finally started coming out of his shell. However, about a year later he started biting the groomer & they informed me they wouldn't have him back. I had a dog trainer come into our home & work with...