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February 27, 2012

Recommended I have an idea for people who need a dog/people free area to walk their dogs without distractions.

Cindy, After reading an article about walking a new dog in an area without distraction, I wanted to give a recommendation. I take my 4-yr old GSD for a one to two mile walk each night through an industrial park near my house (too many stupid owners whose dogs 'just want to say hi' in my neighborhood). Yes, we have to get in the car and drive a couple of minutes, but we NEVER see people or dogs. Occasionally a police car will pass by and they might stop and chat for a few minutes, but...
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February 23, 2012

Recommended When I try to touch or interact with my dog, she gets extremely wiggly and tries to lick me constantly. Should I just take her to the vet or groomer to get her nails trimmed? Or will marker training go faster than I think?

I adopted a German Shepherd from the local humane society. She is friendly, gets along with my other dogs, loves and trusts people and loves to fetch a ball. She is about two years old. When I try to touch her or interact she gets extremely wiggly and tries to lick me constantly. It seems very submissive but it is hard to deal with a dog that I can't even brush because she tries to lay down and lick my hand. Of course I don't want to yell at her. I need to treat her like a puppy, albeit a ver...
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February 23, 2012

Recommended I am planning on switching my dog over to natural food soon. Can I really trust a grocery store to sell me chicken that is safe for my dog before cooking it? Aren't there dangerous pathogens that are destroyed with heat?

I am planning on switching my 5 year old Shih Tzu over to natural food soon. I know that dogs eat raw food in the wild, but I'm worried about buying him raw food at the grocery store. I have heard that raw food for humans does not have as strict regulations on it, because we cook our food. Some natural, raw food companies claim that they have higher regulations than food in our grocery stores because it is meant to be safe before cooking. Can I really trust a grocery store to sell me chicken ...
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February 23, 2012

Recommended My dog needs a prong collar to walk nice on a leash, but I can't get it fitted correctly. Would a collar with smaller links fit better?

My 10 month old dobie needs a prong collar to walk nice on a leash. Nothing else works. My problem is I was putting it too loose and he now has bumps on the front of his neck down low where the collar should not be. After finding tour website and reading how to fit a prong collar I removed a link and set it up behind his ears over his and now it just seems too tight. The skin looks pinched and he gulps at times. Would a collar with smaller links fit better? This is my fifth doberman and I nev...
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February 23, 2012

Recommended I just got a new puppy and after a few days and switching to raw, she has started to itch a lot. What do you think this could be? How long do you think I should keep her on this food to see if it is the problem?

Hello, I recently got a french bulldog puppy. She was picked up from the airport on Sunday night, she was perfectly healthy and went to the vet the next day, he also said she was perfect. She did not itch or have any skin issues other than a little dander. I fed her the last of her food they sent Monday and Tuesday I started her on raw. She has eaten mainly chicken necks and meat from leg quarter with a little yogurt, just enough to get her to eat her digestive enzymes and probiotics. She...
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February 15, 2012

Recommended Our small dog is very aggressive and has bitten several family members. He runs after family members with teeth bared and acts like a wild animal. A trainer came to our home and when the dog attacked him, he held him up off the ground by the leash until he passed out. Our dog was really aggressive and did bite him but was this extreme in your opinion?

I have a small dog, who has become very aggressive. He has bitten several family members and recently, in the last 6 months, has ran after several family members with teeth showing and acting like a wild animal. I had a trainer come to my home to help us with him. The dog did go for him very aggressively and he leashed him and held him head up in a choking (hanging) manner and the dog was fighting until (to me) he passed out with lack of oxygen. At his time the dog did defecate and urinate on...
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February 9, 2012

Recommended Our dog was crate trained at the foster house he lived in before. However, we've been having trouble getting him into the crate. Can we reverse his reaction to his crate?

I've been trying to crate train my 9 month old collie mix. We've had him for 8 days. He was crate trained at the foster house he lived in before we adopted him, and would willingly go into the crate with or without being told. However, when we say, "Go to bed," he tries to get away, will roll over and play dead, or do anything that it takes to not go into his crate. I'm thinking about moving his crate into the family room and luring him in with treats to get him to start liking it again. We d...
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February 6, 2012

Recommended Have any of your momma's continued to nest after having her babies?

Hi Cindy, My miniature schnauzer delivered 9 puppies on Monday. She was very large before giving birth, so we anticipated a large litter and purchased puppy formula from our Vet. After delivery we were very concerned about this being such a large litter, and wondering if she would be able to care for each puppy. So on Tuesday we got involved and started helping her, by feeding the puppies the formula/supplement advised by our Vet. The puppies hated it, and just whined as we were feeding th...
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January 25, 2012

Recommended We have an outdoor dog that loves to dig. Nothing we've tried has worked. Do you have other recommendations as to what can be done to save our yard from being destroyed but also allow her more freedom?

Hello, We have an outdoor dog (beagle, cocker spaniel mix) that loves to dig. She digs anywhere and all the time. We have tried a lot of different things to get her to stop but because she is outdoor it is hard to catch her in the act. We have had to fence her in a paved portion of the yard in order for her to not dig while we are gone and can only let her out to play when someone is watching her. We have even hidden to where she didn't know we were there and used a shock collar to get her...
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January 19, 2012

Recommended We don't expect my small dog to live long. I want to spoil him but I also want him to be a good dog. How should we train him?

Hello, I found your website while searching for a holistic vet. I adopted a Chihuahua Yorkie mix, but he is a biter. We started crate training him, but inconsistently. He had trouble getting house broken, and we discovered he had a bladder stone. Next came surgery, then the diagnosis of liver shunt. We searched for nutrition answers and found your site. We spoil the dog now, because we expect him to have a short life span, but he does have aggressive tendencies. My concern- after reading t...
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January 16, 2012

Recommended My dog can sit for hours constantly mouthing a stuffed animal toy. Can you shine some light on what we might be seeing? Is this a nervous tic or a precursor to guarding?

Hello Cindy, I am hoping you can help shed some light on a particular chewing behavior our dog has. He's a 7-month-old male Malinois who has grown up the Leerburg way and he's a great dog with no real problems. However, he can sit for hours constantly mouthing a stuffed animal toy. If there's no stuffed animal, he will do this with his dog bed. By mouthing, I mean he chews on the toys. He's not tearing it or trying to destroy it, just repetitively "mouthing" it and he looks like he's zoned...
82% (105 out of 128)
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January 11, 2012

Recommended How much equipment is necessary for Nosework? Can you give me an idea of what I will need in order to get started before I commit to buying the DVD?

Hello, I've been watching your videos with Andrew Ramsey on the upcoming nosework DVDs. One question I have is how much equipment is necessary to do this sport? I see on the short video clips that you have the dogs learning to search many plastic type containers. Can you give me an idea of what I will need in order to get started before I commit to buying the DVD? Thanks! Mari
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January 9, 2012

Recommended Why do some dogs show all the potential to become working dogs, go through training and pass the evaluation for working dogs, but when you deploy the handler and dog, some will report back that the dog doesn't want to work during operational deployment?

I have been a dog trainer since 1984 in law enforcement environments in SA. Why do some dogs show all the potential to become working dogs, go through training and pass the evaluation for working dogs (patrol and/ or sniffer), but when you deploy the handler and dog, some (a very small%) will report back that the dog doesn't want to work during operational deployment? Is this a mystery of dog training?
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January 5, 2012

Recommended During the isolation phase of pack structure, is it still ok to still have the dog walker come take care of the dog? Am I going to be able to effectively run my dog through groundwork with out being able to walk in an area without distractions?

Hi Ed, I just finished watching your DVD "Establishing Pack Structure... and as eager as I am to start the program with my dog Ziva I have 2 questions/issues. The first is I work full-time, like most people, and in order to give my dog a little break from her crate and a mid-day potty break I have been using a dog walker. She visits for about 1/2 hour, takes her for a walk and bathroom break and returns Ziva to her crate when they're done. So I guess my question is that if during the gro...
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January 3, 2012

Recommended I rescued a dog who was never leash trained. I am fearful that I will try the wrong technique and cause her to develop an even worse habit. What should I do?

We recently rescued a starved emaciated female pitbull from the side of the road. I have been watching her closely to pinpoint any aggression issues; but so far she has shown no aggression to our dogs that she has seen but not closely encountered or people. She is very submissive and shy although hasn't even really thought about biting anyone even when poked and prodded by the vets. Evidently she was never trained on a leash. This is fundamental stuff she needs to know ASAP. I have tried to b...
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January 2, 2012

Recommended How do I break my dog's habit of chasing my one stupid cat around the house? Would a pinch or ecollar be helpful?

Cindy, My 4 year old GSD does not bother with two of my three cats. They are smart enough to know that he's a big goof ball, so they let him lick them a few times until he gets bored and walks away. He likes all the cats, BUT the third cat is too damn stupid to realize the dog is just being playful. He's not afraid of the dog, he just doesn't want to be bothered. Of course, the dog's natural prey drive kicks in when the cat runs from him. The dog would NEVER harm any of the cats, but how d...
95% (20 out of 21)
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December 27, 2011

Recommended My dog has recently been having stomach problems. Is there anything I can give him to settle his stomach down?

We have a 8 1/2 year old Kangal from Turkey. His name is Yurek. We have, since he was 10 weeks old, fed him a raw food diet. He weighs 136 lbs. We boil Chickens, have raw meat cut into 1? stew size and he eats around 3 lbs per day. He recently has been having some stomach problems. Is there anything I can give him to settle his stomach down? Robert
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December 27, 2011

Recommended Can you maybe give me some advice about how I can teach my pup that playing with other people (me, my boyfriend and so on) is fun?

Dear Ed and Cindy, 14 days ago we picked up a GSD puppy (12 weeks). The dog is playing and playing... He runs around the house with his ball and his Kong but as soon you start to play with him he freeze and just stared at you. He is also not willing to play outside (walking is fine, meeting new people and new dogs is also not a problem and he is not scared for cars, buses, trains or whatever). Can you maybe give me some advice about how I can teach him that playing with other people (me...
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December 22, 2011

Recommended My dog was barreled over from behind by a strange dog off leash, since then he has become aggressive towards other dogs. What's the best way to approach the socializing of him to help him gain some confidence?

Hey, Firstly let me say "thank you" for the your website. I have found it very valuable and great info. I am interested in some of your DVDs, as I have a 10 month old shep, but don't know which ones would best suit. We currently attend obedience training at our GSD club every week, my problem isn't the obedience side, it is my dog's reaction to other dogs. When he was approximately 4/5 months old he was barreled over from behind by a strange dog off leash and he got sent flying, since the...
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December 19, 2011

Recommended My dog sees my husband as the pack leader and listens to him, but she doesn't with me. What can I do to get her to listen to me?

I have a question, I have a 11 month old pyr/berner mix and generally she's an all around great dog. She has had training since 10 weeks, finished 2 sessions, and knows all her basic commands. She views my husband as the Pack Leader and he just needs to point and ask her to do something and she does it. Not with me. I try to do all the same things he does, but she will only listen when she "feels" like it. I know she can do it because she only needs to hear his feet walking to the room and sh...
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