Obedience Q&As

I have a 130lb Great Dane who is dog aggressive after being attacked. It is not with every dog, but everyday he does do it. I have tried every option but he is intent on getting to the other side. He doesn't listen and it is very quick before he's in red zone. It's a battle to restrain him, nothing will snap him out of it. Could an electric collar work? If so, which one do you suggest? Also, have you ever known a dog not to respond to an electric collar? I am worried if this does not work tha...

Hi Cindy, I've a few questions regarding the training my 2 1/2 year old Sheltie. I've recently started agility classes despite not having attended any other formal dog training. We have been following your 8 Weeks to 8 Months, Food, and Tug DVD since she was a puppy. We hardly train outdoors, we have very few dog friendly places to go to. The only time we go outdoors are for walks around the neighborhood. Recalls Whenever we arrive at the agility field, my Sheltie gets super excite...

Hi. When I order your Nosework Scent Kit and I run out of the pre-prepared swabs, how do I prepare new ones? I've heard to put a drop of the scent directly on each swab or put a drop on a cotton ball and put the cotton ball and new swabs in a container for 24 hours. Which method do you think is best? Thanks.

Hello, I have a two year old Belgian Malinois that I'm currently in the process of training. My only problem is that I literally can't keep him unsupervised without him getting into trouble. My yard is fenced in and I have to make sure there is nothing he can destroy when he goes outside. A table, chairs, etc. Because of this, I have to keep him in a crate when I'm not home or even when I leave the house just for a few minutes which makes me feel like a bad pet owner. So far, nothi...

I have a 9 week old male Belgian Malinois and have had him for 10 days. We have purchased the Leerburg DVD Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months. That DVD recommends that young puppies are on lead with a harness (not a no pull) instead of a control collar. We are having a problem with this. The puppy, Eli, has learned to lie down in order to avoid following the lead and given the chance, he will grab the leash in his mouth without ever getting up. As a result, we are having a difficult time co...

I have purchased the "The Foundation of Nosework with Andrew Ramsey DVD" and have been working my 5 month Malinois on it for a few weeks now. He has been doing great on the first few steps. 1.Using 3 drawers open using nose to find food. 2.Then using the second step of letting him self reward after the drawers are closed and the scent has been added. *Note: He will quickly find the target drawer and begin to scratch, usually only one time then I pop it open for him to self reward. *no...

Ed, Almost a year ago you provide some suggestions on me dealing with my leash reactive dog while on walks showing signs of whining/stress when seeing other dogs. I watched your "Dealing with Dominant & Aggressive Dogs" DVD, and could say that my dog is dominant and aggressive to some degree. Yet very trainable, and good at obedient skills. In your DVD, you have a session in which you provided strong corrections to a dog you are walking near a fence with other dogs (high distraction). T...

I have a two year old Havanese. I have a few titles on him, but have problems with him staying with me off lead in the ring. Suggestions and when we are out side, he will not come to me. I need to put a leash on him at all times. Help!!! Thank you

I recently bought Michael's DVD on teaching the retrieve. She's all about retrieving, but she chews on the dumbbell. I switched to the PVC pipe like Michael suggested in the DVD. I've been working with her for two weeks using the PVC pipe and I'm not seeing any change in the chewing. I've tried reinforcing the hold by giving the command again and using my hand under her chin to hold her head up. She still continues to move it around in her mouth. Also, she's a maniac when she runs out to retr...

Hello, I have a question regarding marker training and feral dogs. Do you think marker training can be used in rehabilitating extremely afraid feral dogs? Thank you!?

Hi, I am looking for a video on how to teach a dog to fetch (retrieve an object, bring it back to me and drop it in my hand). I hope to be able to teach that dog to retrieve all kinds of objects, even a set of keys. Would you have that?? Thanks

Hi Cindy, When I throw the dumbbell and she runs out to get it but doesn't pick it up, I either will race out there with her and give it a little kick and repeat bringand "usually" she will pick it up or sometimes. I may go pick the dumbbell up and put it in her mouth then I run backwards a few yards and tell her to bring and she will normally do this with a front sit (she doesn't hold the dumbbell tight, which is another whole different topic). She likes to retrieve but she is just a ...

Hi, I have just recently discovered your training techniques for my 7 month old husky female. We got a prong collar on her a couple months ago, as per suggestion of our trainer to correct her pulling, but made a huge mistake in not correcting when she would not come when called. We thought that if she didn't listen, but then eventually came to us, we should not correct her because she is after all coming to us. Writing it now, I know that was the WRONG choice. So now we have a pup that ...

I am interested in purchasing the Training the Retrieve with Michael Ellis DVD. Particularly to get my dog to be better at delivering to hand. I am not a fan of "force fetching" and a trainer recommended this web site to me. My question is: If I am not familiar with "marker" training, will I need to to buy 2 DVDs? Or is there another way to learn "marker" training without paying another 65 dollars? Also, how much time would I need to dedicate to marker training before I could start th...

Hello from Australia, I have recently purchased the Send Away DVD and am currently teaching my 17 month old dobe the send away. I have trained her to work from a touch pad and the touch pad was gradually replaced with a disc (water frisbee), which virtually sits flat on the ground. The cue to go to the touch pad/or disc is "step." My sendaway pre-cue is "where is it," then the actual send away cue is "go" followed by "step" - she is progressing well. Only still doing short distance...

First I would like to commend you and thank you for sharing your great knowledge and experience in in such a easily accessible medium. We have tried local training classes only to leave feeling frustrated with the lack of structure and the inability to engage with our pup during the lesson. One question we have had as we have going through the Basic Dog Obedience course is whether we should use "Yes" or the clicker to mark. I know the answer to this depends somewhat on the dog, but I am wo...

I have 2 year old high drive female GSD. Her favorite toy is a ball on a rope. I used this to train her and also for many hours of tug. She will do anything for that ball. The problem is she will not out the ball without a struggle when we play/train. When we walk back into the house she will drop it immediately at the door on command. I have tried freezing up, but she just pulls and pulls. She will out a tug or a sleeve, but not the ball. I'm assuming I need to start over somewhere with the ...

Hello, First off, I would like to tell you: You have a great site.I have been utilizing your website and products for over 10 years (when your website was blue). My question pertains to electronic collars (new dog).?I heard, when first using an electric collar, I should put the collar on and take it off many times a day for two weeks. Recently, I have encounter other established trainers state to me that this is unnecessary. I was told, I could use the collar the day I got it. Just make...

Good morning, I have an 8 month old Doberman pincher who excels in his formal training classroom environment but becomes anxious or excited in the park. He seems to loose all cognitive thought when he sees a runner, another dog, or a person walking near or past us. In the classroom the behavior is just the opposite. Can you suggest one of your training modules that will assist me with his training? Thank you.

We have 3 male dogs. We have purchased your DVDs and learned SO much information on those and through your website. (Apparently we did a lot wrong in the past but we are moving forward thanks to you.) We feel your information isn't mainstream enough and that everyone who gets a dog should watch your DVDs. We would like to get a prong and then e-collar for our 10-month lab/coon dog mix, Duke (he's one of two we recently rescued). We don't feel clear on if we should get a prong collar, and how ...