Recommended Q&As

Hi Cindy! Wondering if there are any videos or instructions on how to wean a dog from a raised target to a flat target? I am using raised target for an easily aroused dog in agility with good success, however am struggling with the transition to a more flat target. Maybe I am just transitioning too quickly to a lower target?? Thank you for your valuable information. Take care.

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...

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!!

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...

I am having tons of fun training our Vizsla with your Marker training video. He responds very well to it. I am concerned though about the "end-game." Will he be as responsive if we're out and about, and I don't happen to have a treat with me, and his hunger drive is low? I am wondering if we're building in an expectation for him, to always have food, which is logistically difficult. Thanks for your opinion.

My pitt bull is 6 years old, we got him right before my daughter was born, he was raised along side her. He has been an amazing family dog, never ever has shown signs of aggression towards us in any way. But for everyone else, he hates everyone, he wants to kill. and I mean KILL. We can't even take him for walks anymore because now he wants to kill everyone/dog we see and also cars??.... Its painful walking this terror on a lead. What do you do with a red zoned dog? We can't have him around a...

My 5 year old GSD had a seizure a month ago and was fine but had 3 today. I called our breeder who feels this in environmental since he has never had one before. We are remodeling our bedroom there is drywall dust, old paint. It has been quite a long process since our house is so old. The men working here today were doing some demo and kicked up a lot of old dust from our walls. Could this be the problem? They only lasted about a minute each one and he snapped out of it and was fine. They hap...

I have 2 huskies, one is 10 months old and the other is 2 months. I started feeding them raw chicken necks and backs about a month ago and they took to it well, but they eat it too fast. They're eating the necks whole without chewing and they can down 3 necks in matter of seconds. Any way to get them to slow down?

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...

Hello, I'm really hoping you can help me. I am a cat lover and have a 6 month old kitten/cat, we are about to move in with my partner who is a dog lover, he has 2 french pointers, mother and daughter. The mother is highly aggressive toward smaller animals, she is a rescued dog who has never fulfilled her hunting nature (we guess because of whatever was done to her when she was small, he got her when she was just 1 year old, she is now 4). She has killed and eaten/torn apart 3 cats tha...

My 2 y.o. German shepherd female is getting bored when at home alone... even if just for a few minutes. She gets plenty of exercise and eats well. She is a very high drive working dog. Any thoughts on things I can do to curb this undesirable behavior? I have taken video while I'm gone and some of the things she does : she dumps the laundry, chews on a brush, takes a kids permission slip, and chews a couple foam ornaments.

Cindy, I recently switched my 2 GSDs (a male, 3 years old & a female, 10 months) to a raw diet. It's been 3 weeks now. I have no issues w/poop, etc. Both love it. My 3 year old's teeth are already white again! And his coat is softer & shinier. I feel pretty confident in my meal prep, but I do have a question? Have you heard of dogs being allergic to chicken? I ask, because both are scratching like crazy, especially at night. Today I remembered that when I got the male, the breeder had ...

I have a Doberman puppy that came from a litter of 6. He was born by C-section, as mom was having problems getting the first puppy out on her own. All the pups were pretty uniform in size for the most part at birth. This one particular male has not grown much at all in comparison to the rest. At 4 weeks of age the others' average weight was 10 to 11 pounds and this little guy only weighed 4 pounds! I took him to our vet and had a full blood panel done and nothing looked abnormal, not even...

Cindy, I recently switched my 2 GSDs (a male, 3 years old & a female, 10 months) to a raw diet. It's been 3 weeks now. I have no issues w/poop, etc. Both love it. My 3 year old's teeth are already white again! And his coat is softer & shinier. I feel pretty confident in my meal prep, but I do have a question? Have you heard of dogs being allergic to chicken? I ask, because both are scratching like crazy, especially at night. Today I remembered that when I got the male, the breeder had him...

I just recently adopted a 5 year old basset hound from a lady that is getting married and moving in September. She had a special request when I picked up the dog. She wants to let me have the dog but she wants to see the dog from time to time because she is very attached to the dog and she wants to transition away from the dog slowly. To give you a little background, the lady went through a divorce 6 years ago and she was awarded custody of her daughter, but her ex-husband took the dog. That ...

Two weeks from now, my 6 week old Dobe, is scheduled for ear cropping. The Doctor who will perform the surgery, is well known for his skill, but following the procedure, they plan to send us home with Rimadyl, for pain control. I know that you do not approve of Rimadyl, so do you have an alternative, or other advice for pain control; if necessary at all! Thank you in advance

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 ...

Hi, I have received the 2 DVD from your site (train with food and play with tug). I just need some quick advice. I was doing the "out" command with my dog, but he was chewing the tug toy. I narrowed and clamped closer to the muzzle, I said no. But he continue to chew, I was holding it really still. Then, he start to chew on my knuckle (hand), I said no and he continue. This happened a few times and finally today (my hand got cut and bled), the chewing got so painful and I grabbed the...

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 ...

Hi, I am having a small problem with my Obedience dog that, I don't want to become a big problem. During sit stays he is moving his front feet to the point that he "ooches" sideways. This is my Novice A dog... presently we are working toward our CDX title. This started after a dog went for him. I have been working with "safe dogs," but still moves. I have been to two seminars with Michael Ellis and bought all of his DVDs and numerous other products from Leerburg. Any suggestions you have w...