Most Recent Q&As

Hi Cindy, I have a 5 mo. old German Shepard puppy I've had since he was 8 weeks old. I have an 8 lb Yorkipoo & a labradoodle. I haven't been able to introduce him to my Yorkipoo because all he wants to do is paw her and mouth her to play and she's too little so we keep them apart. My question is how do I introduce them? He really wants to get to know her but he's too rough. Thank you

Hello, I want to start off by saying I thank you all so much for all the training content you all give to dog enthusiasts like myself. I went to college at UW Eau Claire and heard about your website through the grapevine and have been hooked ever since. I have a quick question regarding raising a puppy. My wife and I are both teachers and work full days. We are getting a puppy mid July and will be starting school come September. I was wondering at what point (with diligent crate traini...

Hello, I purchased the Curogan collar as suggested so it wouldn't discolor my dogs fur, however it still does. Do you have any recommendations?

What's the best way to teach my adult dog not to jump on me or other people - looking for something that can be relatively fast learning for the dog?

I have a french bulldog puppy (6 mos. old) with a neck that measures 13". Can I still use the micro duo with extra links?

Is the No Slip Long Line all rubber or with something added to zigzag? Trying to compare with/against cotton 1” long lines. Thank you

Hello! I love your videos on youtube!! I had 10 years a Briard, now I want to get a doberman. I have 2 more years of university, and I have a lot of time. In 2 years I will have to work mo-fri for 8/9 hours each day. I want to jog or cycle with the dog in the morning before work. After work I want to excersize my dog, mentally/athletically and also do igp(especially in the weekend). Do you think I can get my dog to stay alone for the 8-9 hours per day at an age of 2 years if I train it fro...

Hello, I have a question regarding a 15-week-old female working line GSD. We are currently working on engagement on a leash, distraction-free. Although there is a slight glimmer of progress, shes got a ways to go concerning behavior on the leash, in public places. Next week she goes into Vet for her puppy shots. The last vet visit two weeks ago didn't go so well. She barked excessively at the receptionist as she kneeled to pet her. (let's see, the comment I got was, " what do your German ...

Hello -- I'm interested in the Michael Ellis Training the Retrieve course, can you tell me what type of equipment to buy to complete this video (other than dumbells) and the size of dumbells I should start with (my dog is a 55 pound mutt).

Hey! I am new to Leerburg and loving all the training resources, I am slightly addicted to following along and training. I am wondering how many new things it's okay to teach my girl at the same time in separate training sessions? She is a high drive working GSD and she loves to train as much as I do but I am wondering if I will confuse her if I teach her multiple tricks over the same time frame? Again thank you for all the resources you offer, I wish I could absorb it all at once, so exci...

In the Leash Reactivity video, Tyler talks about frustration as one of the sources of leash aggression, but never mentions how to fix it. The reviews on the paid course say that it is not addressed there either. Can you give me some suggestions on strategies to help a dog that is confident and secure, and just wants to play very badly with every dog he sees? Or point me to any resources?

Do you have any videos to teach the "out" or "give" command?

Hi Cindy, I have an 8month old female Belgian Malinois. When I take her out of her crate to go outside, as I go to put on her harness or lead she jumps around and sometimes mouths my hands. I would like your advice on how to best handle this situation and if I need to put a slip collar on before she gets out of her crate? Thank you in advance :)

We are having difficulty getting one of our dogs to stop counter surfing and going through gates which he has now learned how to open. In almost all cases he is doing these behaviors in search of food. We do a pretty good job of keeping food off the counters but this guy is relentless. What sorts of things can we do to address this nuisance behavior? I don't want him to eat something and poison himself. His appetite seems to have no limit. He has already eaten himself sick once when he broke ...

Hello again Cindy, Included in my order is the 2 snap Agitation Harness. However, it will be too big for my puppies right? (GSD and Malinois). What's the best solution from 8 weeks old till the time I can use the 2 snap harness? The Eezwalker Medium size? Thanks for your help!

Good Evening, I have a 10-week-old GSD that is a bit nervy with car rides. He has exhibited very solid nerves with most other things, so I am thinking it is because he experienced a traumatic experience when he got severely car sick on the two hour ride home (crated) from when I picked him up at 8-weeks. He will get in the car but it is with slight hesitation and he only starts to relax when he is laying on my someone's lap. I have not tried using a crate again as I felt it would makes ...

Hi Cindy, I am a new trainer looking for some planning/organizing help. I currently have 3 dogs I am training/sitting while owners are on vacation. I am having trouble keeping track in my head where each dog is at in terms of what they have learned, and what I need to teach them next. I have autism so I struggle with planning/memory so I think some sort of flashcard system like quizlet would help cue me if I get stuck training dogs... that's what I've come up with so far. I'm curious if you ...

Hi Cindy, Hope you are well. Our 11 month German shepherd has been doing great w/Schutzhund and practically every area of life. However, when we go to our family’s houses (my parents/my wife’s parents) he gets really whiney and excited, and kind of begs for petting from them. We don’t like this behavior, and want to discourage it. How can we work on this? We do not let anyone pet him except close family (i.e. parents/siblings), but are considering asking them to stop as well, and ig...

We live by a golf course and I let my 7 month old lab off leash a bit so he can run around. Problem I find is he will catch a ball but then stop and find grass or something else to start eating. Yelling, Yuck or No does nothing to get him to stop. As I approach he'll quickly swallow the stuff. I then say Yuck or No and put him back on lease. Any ideas for me to get him to stop this action??

I’m trying to get my 12-week-old Aussie puppy to focus on me using Michael Ellis’ methods. I want us to have a good relationship. The problem is, she is tepid about me but she ADORES my older Aussie. I started keeping them separate at all times (which is hard) but whenever she’s out of her crate, the puppy goes straight for the big one. And when they are together in person, they are relentless players. The puppy shows ten times the enthusiasm for the old dog and she does for me despite ...