Most Recent Q&As

My local trainer is requesting I get a 6-foot leather leash. What width of a leash do you recommend for a male Shiba Inu? Thank you!

First of all, I want to express how thankful and grateful I am with the content that I've purchased. It really improved my game and the bond with my dog. I have a question about luring; my dog keeps licking my hand extensively while luring him (trying to get the reward, or at least taste it, I think). How can I stop this behaviour without damaging the lure work? I would like my dog to just touch my hand with its nose during the lure without licking my hand. Many thanks in advance.

I have had my rotty male puppy for 1 week now. He is 9 weeks old. His puppy biting is getting more vigorous and when you try and calm him down he comes back even harder. To me he is showing a lot of prey drive but how do you think I should control this biting. Will most probably do Schutzhund with him. Over the years I have purchased dog tugs, etc from Leerburg which I still have. At night around 6 pm is when he gets out of hand. I redirect which works but then he gets fixated on bare hands a...

Hey Cindy! I’m sure this question was asked but I don’t know where it is. I’m trying to find a way to make my own dog treats that are high value but affordable. Do you have any ideas on what I could do or a recipe?

Hi Cindy, I have a 4 month Rhodesian Ridgeback (45 lb) who wants to sniff everything on leash walks, on public sidewalks and on my own acreage. I walk him 3x per day (10 min) before meals, in addition to various potty breaks. He eliminates on his own property (not on walks) and I would like walks to be steady. I try to redirect him to me, mark and move, followed by a high value reward. Often times he is not pushing for the reward and prefers his nose to the ground but will otherwise redire...

Hi Cindy, we have spoken before. We are getting a Malinois puppy probably the first part of March. I am interested in ring sports, mainly mondioring. What characteristics should I look for when being first introduced to this or all puppies? Not all dogs are suited for this type of sport, thus my question.

Hi Cindy, I don't mean to keep bothering you but I am having some problem with my pup. 1) I use a comfort flex collar and British slip lead at night when I take him to the bathroom. He pulls so hard on the leash that he chokes himself, I can't get him to stop pulling. He's 11 weeks should I use a pinch collar now or wait? This dog is very head strong and determined to go and get whatever wants. 2) I have problems with him peeing in his pen. He's great at night and no issues in the...

Cindy, I am watching your video on nose work and am getting ready to start training my dog in it. My dog is a house pet and usually is allowed in all of the rooms in the house. When she is home alone, she is either outside in the kennel or inside a closed room in the basement (when the weather is bad). The issue is that the only room I have where I can set up a training space is that room where we keep her. Will that be a problem if she is in the training area with the drawers all set up bu...

Hi, I would like to order a ball on string. Just had a few questions. I saw Michael Ellis's video on ball play and he said the ball should be right in size and squishier for inexperienced dogs so they can get a good grip. I have an 8 month belgian malinois. Which one of your balls on string would you recommend (he isn't good at gripping my hard rubber ball) and which size? Thanks in advance

Hello! My 6 month old cockapoo is nervous when walking the trails in the park. He also does not like to walk in the neighborhood unless someone else is with us! I have tried to use treats and praise him when he gets to a certain point with no luck! He is VERY smart and loves people and other dogs... no matter the size. He has a big space in the back yard to run and chase the balls and gets plenty of exercise without the walks. What can I do to help him be more comfortable on walks and i...

I am now working through the Michael Ellis puppy development courses but I would like to know where I can learn more specifically on socialization with other dogs. We are taking our puppy out for walks and a lot of dogs on leashes seem aggressive. He is supposed to meet other dogs but I don’t trust them. Is there a course on how to safely introduce him to other dogs and how to deal with neighbors who want their dogs to say hi to my puppy? I want him to socialize with dogs but I also don’t...

I am rehabbing a 10 month old Mal. She is doing great but after we go for a serious romp in the forest and she returns to her kennel, she pees and poos in it. We are out many times per day so she has plenty of opportunity to potty in the right spot but she seems to think the kennel is THE spot. How do I undo this?

Hi Cindy, Our family is waiting for our German Shepherd puppy to come to our home in March. We are first time dog owner, and we are serious about properly training our dog. I am amazed by the amount of training material and courses you have made available on your website, but at the same time feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. What would you recommend as we start our preparation and plan our training for the dog in the next 12 months? Looking forward to hearing from you. ...

Isn't there a video where Michael Ellis explains the best order for progressing a puppy/dog through his system? I can't seen to find it. Can you send me the link?

We just started putting our our 8 1/2 week GSD in the ex pen under supervision with toys and Kong to work on. Both times he eliminated (pee and poop one of the times) right on front of us and without asking to get out. We had taken him out to potty right before. Also we made the ex pen smaller by folding some of the slats, hoping to avoid this. Is it making him anxious, or is he too young or too small to expect potty success? Not sure why he would go in a fairly small place when he had just b...

I just wanted to send a quick note thanking you for the dog park article. I was beginning to think that I was crazy or over nervous about it, but I absolutely hate the idea of dog parks. I get super anxious every time I drive past one and there's several dogs running around. I'm an RVT in CA, I worked an ER for almost 10 years. Probably that lead to my paranoia, but never in a million years would I ever take my dogs to a dog park. Another thing that is equally as stressful? When clients...

I want to be sure I understand Michael Ellis and Ed correctly and that is puppy bite training is used as an engagement tool or activity and that it is a precursor to obedience training. Once you have the dog/puppy really engaged then teaching the dog obedience is easier. I have an 18wk old Golden Doodle and I'm new to dog training. Right now he is very food driven and I have been using a combination of verbal and clicker training with food rewards. My goal is to have a happy well behaved w...

I have an 8 week old Malinois who I plan on doing IGP with. I introduced a ball today to see his retrieving behavior in a small space with a small throw. He loved the ball but he immediately grabbed it, lay down facing away from me and started chewing it. It looks to me he is very possessive over it (you could see it in the eyes and him facing away). No amount of encouraging would make him move or come near me (I've never taken things away from him only redirected to not encourage guarding). ...

Hi, I am having trouble finding a good tug toy for my 8 month old whippet terrier mix. I purchased the Nylon Tug with Handles which is too fat and hard for him and the Suede Leather Flat Tug which is better but he still doesn't bite well on it so we just use a kong toy... I'm wondering which toy you would recommend for him? I think it needs to be very thin. Thanks!

Dear Cindy, About a year ago we rescued a beagle/lab that had been shot with a shotgun and rifle. "Freight Train" had been passed through a couple of homes because he would run away through an open door or gate. We contacted you online for advice for dealing with him. You instructed us to keep him on leash for a long period of time to build a good relationship with him around food. He stopped running away and built up enough trust that we allow him supervised yard time with us. Yesterday a...