Recommended Q&As

I'm working on building drive and focus with 1 year old German Shepherd. She has trememdous intensity. When we work with the tug toys we are at the stage where she will wait (sit) until I give a release command to try and grab the tug, and she will also out-it when requested. She will also stay seated as I walk away, and come to get it only when released. As I ratchet up intensity (by darting the tug in front of her so she has to work really hard to grab it) there have been one or two times w...

We have an 8 month old Golden Retriever that is training with a prong collar. We are happy with the training results, but hate the dark ring and the broken hair that results from this collar. I have been on your site and wanted to know if you think the curogan collar might be the answer for us. Thank you.

Hi Ed, I have a three and a half month old Newfoundland pup and have recently ran into some problems while training her on the down command. Up until this point she has been very easy to train, learning sit in just a few minutes and generally being a very well mannered dog. I'm using a 12' training line and a prong type collar as well. She understands the down command but simply does not want to perform it and even bit me a couple of times while I have administered corrections. I have been...

I do not understand why the chain choke collar can cause neck injuries and the dominant dog collar doesn't. I have seen the DVD on the dominant dog collar, and I understand about the value of keeping the collar right behind the ears, but it still seems to me that it is a "jerk and release" action, just like the chain choke collar. Is it the placement on the dog's neck the difference? Or the fact that it will give "softer" jerks? I'm not getting the mechanics of the difference. Thank you.

If I am feeding a raw diet, how much bone should I be feeding my female during pregnancy and after she has her litter?

Hi Cindy, I'm sure with all the emails that you get, you might not remember me, but you and Ed have been a great help to our family. Your advice, videos, products, and web site helped us to raise a beautiful, well behaved Lab. Jake is now six years old and has been on a raw diet (your exact weekly menu) and the vitamins you recommend since he was about four months old. I know that as cats and dogs get older, they need - and should have - less protein in their diets. As dogs fed a raw d...

We have a 5 month old Doberman, and a 6 year old Doberman. Both are house dogs, but we're also raising the puppy for protection work. Our breeder made us aware of your website, and I must say, it is wonderful!! I've had many dogs, and felt I knew how to train them. But your system of marker training is incredible! It has opened my eyes. Thank you for such a complete and thorough training system and website. We're following your DVD on raising a working puppy, and incorporating the advice y...

Cindy, My one year old male has been trained with markers since 8 weeks and has always had an excellent response to the "come' command. As summer has arrived, we have been spending a lot of time in the yard (off leash). Suddenly, when I give him the come command he will start to sprint in circles around the yard. He knows it means time to go inside and he doesn't want too. The stronger my voice gets the faster he runs. I remember in one of the videos it said not to correct a dog for ref...

I have a pure bred beagle that got an english bulldog pregnant, which belongs to someone else. I would like to have one of the puppies since they are also my beagle's puppies. The owner of the bulldogs has told me that they are going to sell the puppies and will not be giving me one. Do I have any rights to the puppies?

Hi. My family is having a problem with two of our dogs being aggressive. My mother and father have four dogs in total. One is a female we've rescued from a shelter. We have an older male dog who is very gentle, then we have two younger males (they're about two years old). Recently the two younger males have become very aggressive. They've attacked the older male dog about three times, nothing too serious but it was enough that we took Drake (the older one) to my sister's for a little wh...

Ed and Cindy, Having just read your Dumb & Dumber Q&As I can see that you are not particularly tolerant of stupid questions, but I hope you will treat this seriously since it was a very upsetting event. I have a 5 year old Amer. Staffordshire Terrier (almost 80 pounds) that is very loving and gentle and we were spending a weekend at my daughter's in-laws cabin where several families and their dogs were present. In addition to my dog there were two Maltese and a Black Lab. All of them ge...

Hi! We have a 1 1/2 year old beagle and his breath just starting smelling really bad like rotting meat. He is on an all raw meat diet, do you know what may be causing this smell? Thanks! Britni

Hello Leerburg Staff. My question is about what seems to be crate aggression. I have read many articles on your site and now I am trying to find one about crate aggression but have been unlucky. I can't be the first person with this issue, maybe I am looking under the wrong article headings. Anyway, I have bought a GS puppy and have not let the puppy interact physically with my other dogs, just through the crates. My 4 year old Lab tries to attack the puppy when she is in the crate if he goes...

Hello Ed and Cindy, In your experience, how effective is pepper spray in breaking up a dog fight? Occasionally (say once a year) my 2 rescue boxers will fight with each other. My alpha female goes after my (much larger and younger) male. The male then has to defend himself as the female will repeatedly go after him, and he has hurt the female before. We eventually are able to break them up, but I know how foolish it is to try to break up a dog fight, especially if you are by yourself. ...

Hi, I have bought a number of products from you recently and was very happy with my e collar, etc. Now I need an advice on another issue- whining. My 8 months Doberman female has long whining sessions, that sometimes are difficult to ignore. We try to ignore her everytime when she is whining, but sometimes it is really hard especially when you are trying to work or talk on the phone, etc. She finds it hard to be left alone behind closed doors, I heard it is one of Dobermans' features, but ...

Hi guys, What can you advise me to use for tick control that is safe and effective. I used to spray a chemical on my lawn until I lost a 6 year old GSD to cancer. I tried a topical but my female GSD had a severe reaction to it. It didn't bother my male GSD. After giving it a lot of thought I felt it isn't safe to put a poison on the dogs. I started using a spray I believe I purchased from your kennel called organic neem spray with pretty good success. This year after all the spring rain w...

Can a dog be reconditioned to enjoy working through marker training if its previous owner used compulsion training? I have an adopted dog who I believe was trained using compulsion and is very timid or cautious when training, I can tell she is afraid to make a mistake. I adopted her at about 1 year old, she looked pretty neglected, but is smart as a whip. Thanks, Sharon

I just got home from a dog show where I saw the most awesome German Shorthair Pointer. I asked him where he trained and he gave me your web site. I have a 3 year old Sheltie that has an obedience CDX and am working towards a Utility Title and maybe an OTCH. I hope this doesn't sound silly, but does your method of training help a breed of dog like mine achieve the type of results. I have seen on your web site? Obviously she does not need to learn bite work (or does she?). I believe we could...

I am in serious need of your advice, I emailed you a few days ago about the blisters on my dog's face due to his muzzle, the muzzle itself isn't causing the blisters, it's the fact that he rubs his face on everything from the couch to my legs. Any who, I am considering removing all his teeth as a last option, but before you judge this decision let me give you a little background on my dog. Like I said in previous email about the muzzle my step mom contacted you at the first of the year regard...

Hi Cindy, I would really appreciate your input on a concern we have about our 4 month old GSD puppy. We purchased her from a breeder who breeds working line GSDs. She is crated every night, exercised twice a day and I have been working with her on basic dog obedience. We have a 6 year old lab that she plays with. We have tried to socialize her but she has started to snap at people at the park and new people coming into our home. We have a 3 year old son and we are very concerned that she w...