Puppy Training Q&As

I recently started playing tug with my four month old BC. Outside of food it seems that's when I get the most focus out of her when training. It has helped me out tremendously in working on recalls, getting a solid out and building a retrieve (she does not like balls). The problem is now she is teething. Is there a soft enough tug that I can use if I lessen the intensity of the game or any other form of play that you think might be as useful? Thank You

I have a 5-month-old Aussie. Until last week, her experiences with adults & children were all positive. Then, while we were visiting my parents, my 5-yr-old nephew tried to ride his bike into her. He was scolded but made no amends, & she understandably avoided him the rest of the night. As an "antidote," the next day I invited my two nieces, 5 & 3, who were great with the pup a few days earlier, over to play w/her. The puppy greeted them the first time, but now shied away. She never shied awa...

We plan on getting a schnauzer puppy in April. I have received 3 of your DVDs to help prepare myself for house training, etc. the puppy. One breeder told us to get a belly band for the puppy in the house while house training--even in the crate. I haven't seen you mention anything like this. Is this a good idea or something to disregard? Thanks.

My new border collie puppy is just 10 weeks old; I've had for 1 week. In the last 2 days he has noticed cars and wants to chase them. Is it safe to use a prong collar on such a tiny puppy? If not, what do you recommend as a correction for such a young puppy? I have tried to distract him/hold his attention with a treat as soon as I detect a car approaching, but that is not working - he still looks away toward thee car and/or tries to start after it. I want to nip this in the bud. Thanks

Hey Cindy, I am contacting you because I am a dog trainer and I have recently stumbled across something that I have not encountered before and I am not exactly sure how to correct it. I have a 6 month American pit bull terrier that I am using for a demonstration dog. He is very smart, and attentive. I have taken him through the learning phase for basic obedience (come, sit, down, down stay), so he knows the difference between sit and down. But when entering the correction phase I have f...

I'm afraid this may be kind of a stupid question to seasoned veterans such as yourselves, but I've seen "dominant"/independent behavior from my 6 month old puppy ever since she came home with me at 10 weeks. She is a corgi so by breeding she's very stubborn and smart. She attempts to jump onto furniture all the time (I tell her OFF and enforce with body block if I have to), blows off my commands even in the house (or complies very slowly), bullies other puppies (not adults), used to be extrem...

Leerburg, Brief history: A majority of my dog training experience through the years has been the "old way" of thinking - and it is frustrating to think of all the mistakes I've made with some wonderful dogs - and how things could have been different. With that said, I'm committed to continually learning so that my future canine relationships will gain the maximum benefit. I appreciate the wonderful accessibility to information your site provides. I've bought several of your videos and have...

I didn't read your article to not get 2 puppies at one time. Now that it is too late, we have a female golden retriever and a male cavalier both about 4 months. We have had them for 1 month and potty training is pretty good. We do have the occasional accident. Our big problem is the golden is beating up on the cavalier. We have tried putting her in her crate when she starts, we have tried loud noises and spraying water but to no avail. we can't let either one go as they both have physical pro...

Hi, I have a question on our new puppy...his name is Toby and is 9 months old. We recently got him free from another family. He's a great dog, just having small issues with him. #1 and main issue, he hates all males (human). He can't stand my boyfriend (he lives with me) and this is from when we picked him up. He shakes uncontrollably with fear, barks, howls, growls and will even bite him when he goes to pet him, walks in from work, is anywhere around. We've tried giving him treats when he...

Hi Cindy, A prominent dog trainer recently said that if a male owner who had a male puppy he couldn't raise himself the first few months of the puppy's life, has the puppy raised by a female, this would cause later problems when the puppy comes back to live with the male owner He said that if she raised a female puppy for the male owner, there would be no such issue He said that if a male raised a puppy for the male owner, there would be no such issue regardless of whether the puppy is a m...

Hi Cindy, I am watching a 12 week old Rottweiler puppy and he is the cutest little guy. He loves to play and seems like a very nice puppy until you pick him up to try to cuddle him. He displays quite a little temper and becomes aggressive. He tried to bite my face. This does not come across as playing as his personality changes to a mean streak. He means business. If I didn't dodge the bite, there is no doubt he might have bit me hard. As much as I like him, I wonder if these are sig...

I didn't read your article to not get 2 puppies at one time. Now that it is to late we have a female Golden Retriever and a male Cavalier both about 4 months. we have had them for 1 month and potty training is pretty good we do have the occasional accident. Our big problem is the Golden is beating up on the Cavalier. We have tried putting her in her crate when she starts, we have tried loud noises and spraying water but to no avail. We can't let either one go as they both have physical proble...

Hi, I've just brought my 8 week old GSD home. He will be left alone for 4 hours each day. Just wanted advice on suitable, stimulating toys. I have stocked up on chews, etc. Thanx

Hello, My otherwise very sweet, well-behaved and house trained cavalier puppy (9 months) has started urinating on our bed frequently. Especially when I'm washing the sheets and the duvet and mattress are bare. She is crated during the night but is allowed in the bed for snuggles. I've ruled out medical issues as she seems fine the rest of the time. Is this a dominance issue? What should we do? Thanks

Hi, I have a female two year old Daschund that we rescued from another owner. She is a wonderful dog and gets along with my other two dogs. The problem is that she poops in the house. She will pee outside no problem but for some reason, as soon as she enters the house, she will poop on the carpet. We don't have a fenced yard so we take her out on a leash, many times a day. It has gotten to the point that we walk her straight from the door to her crate. That is no life for a dog. Please help!!

Hi Cindy! We are a young couple who will be getting a miniature poodle puppy and we are wondering if it is a good idea to let the puppy sleep in our bedroom in his crate for the first couple of nights so that his transition to his new home is easier. Would that be spoiling the puppy and making it want to sleep in our room for ever or would it be easy to move the crate to another area of the house after the puppy has settled in its new environment? If so, do you have any suggestions for th...

I have a 5 month old dutch shepherd. He is the second ds I have owned. He sleeps in his crate and does not get fed from the table. He is wonderful on a leash when we go for walks. I am working with him to come when called and releasing toys with food reward. The only problem I have is there are times that he becomes aggressive and bites at me. An example is when I am watering plants and he grabs and attacks the water hose. if I take the hose from him, he bites my hand. I was trying th...

Question if you would be so kind, I have a ten month pure bred West German show line German Shepherd from German lines. She is starting to rebel and a little difficult to control. On her walks she likes to bite her leash, jump and go after my ankles. I recently have started to tell her no bite, give a little more lead, and ignore her and she stops. But now on the walks she does this two or three times. Not sure if this is just a rebellious stage, play, or if she is challenging my leadersh...

I am a dog lover and dog owner for most of my life. I currently have a 12 year old bullmastiff who I trained myself, and has always been very well behaved. My training methods have come from personal experience (trial and error) and from just about everything I try to get my hands on to read or watch - and Leerburg has been invaluable. My question is regarding playing tug with your dog as a puppy vs. correcting your dog for being "mouthy" when you are not playing tug. Obviously, you don't ...

I have a question regarding my three and half year old Belgian Malinois. I got her when she was about two and a half years old wandering the streets. When I first brought her home over a year ago, she would urinate in my kids' bedrooms and my closet. I assumed house breaking issues so I purchased your eBook on housebreaking and followed the steps there several times, always having to start over. I recently got married and that has made the problem worse. My wife found that she had urinated ...