Recommended Q&As

Hi Cindy, Just wondering if you could help me out with a quick question? I am bringing home my new Malinois pup next week, she will be trained in schutzhund. I have read through your all of the eBooks on your website and also have quite a few of the DVDs. I understand that I should not allow strangers interact with or pet my pup, also that she should learn to hold a neutral value towards them. One thing I am confused about though is if (and how) the puppy should be allowed to in...

Dear Cindy, I feel hopeless. I have a 5 year old Dobe that is completely disengaged in me when we show/match and most of the time when I train if he can help it. I'm willing to do the time to retrain but there is so much information out there, I just don't know where to start. Where would you suggest. I'll try anything. I'm tired of him avoiding me. I know it's due to my stress in the ring partially but no more excuses. If I want to be a great trainer, I need solutions. Thank you so much f...

Hi, Today my son, daughter in law, and I went to a German Shepherd Rescue by appointment after the application had been accepted. We were there no more than ten minutes when we were literally told to leave and that they would not adopt a dog to my son and his wife. She notice that my son's poodle mix had on a prong collar (which for their dog seems to calm him when he is around other dogs). She said that prong collars have been banned from being use with the AKC and if they ever showed up ...

Hello, I have used 3 of your videos, and they have been of tremendous help to me with my puppy (he is now 11 months old). But there is something I haven't seen addressed, or perhaps I'm not using the right terminology. We got Finley at 6 months of age from a shelter, and he has bouts of what I found on the internet to be called the zoomies. He will all of a sudden just change his demeanor... it used to start with a stare at me with a different look in his eye and you'd know it's coming, an...

Good afternoon Cindy, Looking for any tips on quicker sits and downs. I have a shepherd and he was doing great but has come to be more sluggish and don't know why. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Ted

I need help. I recently lost my German Shepherd to cancer, she was only 5 years old. We also have a 3 year old Malamute that is very depressed because of it. Everyone we know told us to get another dog for our Malamute so we did, but she has become very aggressive towards the puppy and I am afraid she is going to hurt her. How can I help my older dog get over the loss of her best friend and accept the new puppy.

Cindy, I have read the article about introducing new dogs into the home. At the current time, my girlfriend and I have two adult cats, and an 18 month old male collie. The collie is playful and energetic and not dog aggressive. I am considering getting a male GSD puppy around 8 weeks old to add to the mix. Would you anticipate the same rank structure problems with this age difference between the two dogs, or am I going to have to get a female? Thanks, Jeff

Cindy, Thanks so much for what you and Ed produce. We've got a 9 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback that has been a great dog (so far). We (him and I) have been through the basic obedience and pack structure work and it has made him a great little dog (though he's 85lbs now). We got your e collar video and that has really helped me work with him (he now knows the difference between corrections and rough play). Last month he ate some Sago Palm seeds (highly toxic) which of course sent him ...

Hello, Love your web site? I have order many products and in the process of getting my 3 Akitas trained, eating better and exercising more. I love your web site and you have amazing helpful tips. One of my female Akitas, when anyone sneezes coughs of clears their throat, she cowers and tries to sit in your lap?? Even if I ignore her so I don't make it seems like a big deal. She has done this since she was a puppy, I have no idea why? I assume she is very sensitive to noise? But thunder ...

The info on your site is very helpful. I have been with my boyfriend and we have been together for 2 years. He has a 4 year old German shepherd that is 100 pounds. In the past year, the dog has bitten 2 different people. Ever since he bit those people, he has become more aggressive towards me. He hasn't bit me (yet) but he growls and shows his teeth at me everyday. My boyfriend does not discipline him at all and he constantly yells at him all night long to lay down because he paces around the...

I have a registered walker. She is currently in her first week of her second or third heat. I left her in a pen at my dad's when I left for a few days. Somehow his pit and lab mix got to her. I was wondering if my purebred (female) breeds with a non-purebred (male), will I ever be able to breed her with a purebred male and the puppies be purebred also?

3 years ago my husband and I rescued a terrier mix from a southern rescue. Having had such good luck with our first rescue, we figured we couldn't go wrong. We were told Charlie was 6 months old, house and crate trained. The day we got Charlie he was covered in scratches, bites and feces. He was also clearly younger than 6 months old. His teeth had just started to poke through. Either way we brought him home and started to work with him. It was a nightmare. He was anxious and dog aggressi...

I have a 4 year old Great Dane that had a litter of puppies and none of them made it so she didn't go through the feeding process. She is now healthier than she was before she had the puppies and should be going into heat again very soon. Would it be bad for her to breed again so soon? How many litters should I let her have before it starts to affect her health?

Hi Cindy, I've been somewhat disappointed by the relatively narrow perspective being presented about the use of Rimadyl in the Newsletter. While I don't doubt that there will always be a downside to the use of any prescription medication, there are also upsides as well. For example, I presently have a 10 year old Border Collie that LOVES to train, compete, etc. and has since day one. Unfortunately, after a long career in dog agility, she's arthritic. Should she "be put out to pasture" and ...

I was reading your page on Vaccinosis. This sounds like the answer behind my 7 year old GSD's death. On a friday he was brought into the vet for a leg injury, and we went ahead had his shots done. We were given anti-inflamitories, and sent on our way. Saturday & Sunday he became lethagic, and refused to eat. Monday morning he could barley walk and he'd dropped 5 lbs in 4 days. And he had a fever of 105. He never recovered. Saturday, July 23, 2011 he started vomiting blood, so we had him PTS. ...

Hi Ed and Cindy, I have a simple question that may sound silly, but I really would like your opinion. What would be a good time to focus train my dog in the day? I get home from work and usually go straight into exercise. That doesn't leave too much time before having to rest for a couple of hours before dinner. And I know you've said not to train after exercise, but train when they are hungry. I figure train before the exercise, but with food rewards, wouldn't that be the same as eating b...

We rescued a 2+ yearod abused lab/chow mix. He was not neutered or trained. After 3 years, he is both, and we've tried to make up for the lack of socialization. However, he still -- very rarely -- bites. He's fine and then something scares him and there he goes. I know we can't make up for his first two years of abuse. And I know the conventional wisdom is to put him to sleep. I wonder, though -- what if we removed some/all of his teeth? I imagine it's expensive, but I don't see why it's not ...

I have a male bull terrier I have been showing since he was 4 months old and conformation classes since he was 12 weeks. We go to conformation classes every Tuesday. We recently had been to a show as a 9 month old pup. He was being judge by a man that should have never been in the ring with a puppy. The judge was very rough with him and he got spooked by the male judge and is now fear aggressive towards all men (he will let youth males touch him with out problems). He growls barks and would s...

Hi, I need a little advice, I have a 12 year old border collie, who is quite disobedient. He will not go on his lead, so this means he can't have a walk. If we try to put him on his lead he gets aggressive and will try to bite us, this is making us afraid of him and he knows it. This is causing us a great problem as we both work all day and so when we want to sleep at night the dog gets bored and barks and want to go out to the toilet. When he is out at night he barks and won't come in. He...

So sorry to ask you to respond immediately, but I was hoping to get your opinion on a german shepherd puppy that I may be bringing home tomorrow. Her breeding seems excellent for temperament and health (including hips, etc.). She is 3 months old. The only concern that I have is that she swallowed a sock last week and had surgery to remove it. The vet, who is supposed to be very good, had to cut open her belly (6 inch cut) to remove the sock which she swallowed whole. The stitches are inside a...