Most Recent Q&As

Hi Cindy, my puppy (4 months Rottweiler) is having some problems eating his meals (2/day). During our training he eats easily his kibble from my hands but when it's time to eat from the bowl he eats something and go away. It looks like he want to be feed by hands. Our meal routine is easy: - I prepare the food (kibble) - he waits in a sit position for a few seconds - I release him and he eats Am I doing something wrong? I can't understand the reason. He's eating less than he sh...

Hi Cindy, Our trainer recommended we use a prong collar on our 4-month-old German Shepherd puppy. In her assessment, she said the puppy did not respond to leash pressure with neither a flat collar or a martingale collar. So a prong collar will make sure we get her attention during our walk outside. We are concerned that it might be too early to introduce it to her that it would shut her down in her decision-making. We tried walking our puppy with a flat collar with some success when the...

Hey Cindy, hope you are doing well. I have a (almost) 11 week old GSD pup and wanted to know when to implement the recall training in Michael Ellis's "Raising Your Puppy" videos. We have house and crate training taken care of and I am playing tug with her, that she enjoys. I just wanted to get an idea of when we should start the recall training. Thanks Cindy!

Why is it that my pup will follow me willingly without a leash or long line? Once I attached a line or leash he’ll stop in his tracks. I’ve owned many dogs over the years, and this seems to be the case with all. At least until formal training begins Thank you in advance for your response.

I have a new puppy. She is approximately 3 months old, HavaPoo. I have noticed in the last few days, she is showing some food aggression tendencies. I have a 15-year-old Yorkie/Poo and both are fed separately. Puppy fed in expen on the opposite side of the ex-pen from where the older dog is fed, which is outside of the expen. I want to thwart this immediately.

Hi Cindy, we will be bringing an 8-week old Boxer puppy into our family (pet dog) in about a month. We’ve started ordering supplies-crates, toys, equipment-but have a question about the actual trip, which will be a 3-4-hour drive. My understanding is that the safest transport would be in an airline-style crate (which we will have) but it’s a full size-we just plan on putting a large box or something to prevent it from being a pee station until the puppy is bigger. What’s your advice for...

Hi Cindy - I'm rewatching Ed's DVD on your puppy 8 weeks to 12 months - and have a question on how far I should be walking our 10 week old German Shepherd puppy. She loves to walk but I see we shouldn't over do it. Just a general idea - a couple of blocks, 1/2 mile? Thanks in advance

Hi Cindy. In one of the videos, Ed suggests giving your dog a "time out" by putting your dog in his crate when he has done something wrong. He said that it doesn't have to be a long time-out period. It can be only a few minutes to be effective. Even so, won't the dog start generalizing being put in their crate with having done something wrong? Won't it cause confusion when you send your dog to his crate to "go to your bed" at night?

Hi, my 10-week old puppy, since we got him, has never really been into food. We got the food the trainer suggested... didn't like it. Got a new brand, liked it for a day, then didn't like it the next. The only way he'll eat ALL of his food is if I soak it in water and let it sit for 30 minutes... Any suggestions as to why this is happening? Is it just a puppy thing...? Thanks!

Two Questions: !). What do you do to keep your dog's teeth clean? 2). I have a 2 y/o Belgian Malinois. When should I have his teeth cleaned by my Vet? What age?

Hello Cindy, My question is concerning an 8 mons old working line GSD. She heels very well both on and off-leash. I have been using an E-collar with her for more than a month now. So far all E-collar training has been relatively Distraction free. One quirk that puzzles me is a few times now when she noses the ground during a heel command I will give her a low-level stim to correct her. When we walk back over this same area again which is usually grassy she will side step the spot she rece...

Hi Cindy! Thanks so much for all the helpful info you've shared. We have a 2.5-year-old male GSD, Jake, who has always been a major barker when he hears someone outside our house – especially other dogs. We and our trainer have been trying to train him out of it and thought we were seeing progress up until recently. He developed a scary habit where upon hearing someone outside, he not only barks but quickly goes after our other dog (a 3-year-old malinois) as if she were the threat, even...

I have pick of the litter male German Shepherd. Using your training techniques with streaming. Still having bad habits and getting worse. Daily training by me, leashed but free time, no responses to No, Come, and runs, bites, etc. Basically incorrigible and I’m pretty firm and had breed in the past. Is he too young for E-Collar? I’ve been watching your free videos on the collars. Advice?

Hi. Will the information in the Puppy bitework dvd apply to non-protection breed/sport puppies? I just want to learn how to properly start playing tug with puppies.

If a dog is known to chase cats, and the behavior is worked out with corrections (I'm thinking e-collar), can they ever be trusted with them when you're not there to correct them? The question kind of relates to the theme in the Dealing With Dominant and Aggressive Dogs video about how a dominant dog will respect family members while the pack leader is around but not necessarily when the pack leader isn't around. I've owned two other dogs that had strong prey drive with rabbits and squirrels ...

Hi Leerburg. I have watched Leerburg videos on Youtube and also bought the DVD Raising your puppy with Michael Ellis. I get my German Shepherd puppy home in about 4 weeks. I have a question about when Michael talks about not letting the puppy be too focused on something that happens in the surroundings, Like other dogs, or a cat, or people. But the puppy must be allowed to be curious and at the same time be allowed to look. Where should you set the limit? I understand that I should not le...

I have a question which I think could be interesting for various dog owners. My dog loves to be chased. It's by far her favourite game. It seems counter productive to play chase if one try to have a dog who loves to be near you, and hope to build a strong recall. Is there a way to use the chase game in our advantage? Can we transfer chase to a different game? Thank you

Which Michael Ellis DVD deals with dogs that are possessive with toys? My 8-month-old GSD won't play a two-ball game. He is quite happy to just possess one ball and isn't interested in the second ball.

Hi, I have a 13-month-old German shepherd and I purchased the: Roni Ball with Leather Strap Handle Option1: 2.25 inch. I think the ball might be too hard and/or small for her right now, so is there a different one you would recommend? I recall seeing a video that mentioned getting the appropriate toy, so I want to make sure I get the right one, so I don't lose engagement with this type of toy.

Hey Cindy, Ed advises not to give dogs sugar, but condones giving blueberries as treats. Is he referring to refined sugar like table sugar? Are the natural sugars in blueberries carcinogenic? Thanks