Recommended Q&As

I have a pretty well-trained Belgian Malinois. He does explosive detection and tracking very well. He is also very obedient. He has no aggression toward dogs, territory, toys, people, etc. But for some reason when my dog has any sort of pain whatsoever, he becomes highly aggressive only toward me. I have been reading and have been familiarized with a lot of your training methods at Leerburg since I left K-9 handler school. But even in your literature or the schools, I can’t find anything th...

Hi Cindy, Trying to work on a stay with my 7 month old Australian Shepard. When I get out the long line, my puppy seems to think it’s time for her to go crazy and she starts grabbing the long line and biting it. I have been having no success stopping this behavior and just end the training session. Looking for any advice you might have on how to stop this behavior. I’m starting to think I’m expecting too much to fast with this puppy. I’ve owned golden retrievers in the past a...

Hi Cindy, I have an almost 5 month old female golden retriever puppy. We got her 3 weeks ago. She pulls on the leash when we walk outside and I just started training her to walk on a loose leash this week. We started in doors and progressed to the backyard. She’s making some progress. My question is, at this stage can I still take her for longer walks before she masters loose leash walking? E.g. a walk in the park or in the neighborhood? If she can’t manage to walk properly with the di...

Hi Cindy, I'm a veterinary technician and have a solid foundation of canine behavior but I happen to be out of town right now and have a puppy coming in ~3 weeks. I would consider myself skilled in Fear Free and balanced approaches to training...but my question is regarding the quantity of food rewards for a puppy. The back of my brain says their metabolism is so high at that age that you can use treats without discretion (for the most part) and it is only when they reach adulthood that you m...

I have a 8 month old Plotthound which is trained quite well for a hound breed I think, meaning she can focus well on me when I demand it. I do however rely heavily on treats during dog training - my dog gets all her meals during training. Some "friends" have told me, my dog should work for me even without treats (to which I usually answer, that they should work for their employer without pay), and while I do sometimes demand small "rows" of commands before giving the reward, I still pretty mu...

Good morning, Cyndi. First, thank you for the wealth of knowledge you share! We have an 8 year old male GSD and will be getting a female GSD puppy in the spring from the same breeder. We have purchased an extra crate, ex pens, and other items necessary to keep the dogs separate in the house until they can get along (with the knowledge it may never happen). Almost everything I have read online at other websites states that it is necessary to introduce the dogs on 'neutral' ground...

Hi, my dog is fearful around strangers and will become aggressive when they get too close. What training program would work best for him? I'm stuck between two types 1. Board and Train (4 weeks at facility with field trips and at home follow up session) 2. Hybrid (9 week home self-study, coaching at a facility, Group Classes). My concern for option 1 is that he he may not listen to me or will revert back to his over protective habits because I wasn't the one training him while he was away. M...

Good day Thank you for all the excellent training content. I have been training my pup since eight weeks old to do footstep tracking and he does it accurately and at a good pace. Not quite a tracking thru drive pace, but the dog is focused. I have been doing tracks in the country about 4-5 days per week. I was told that is too much tracking and should back off to 2 per week. However, my dog loves to track and I don’t think he’s being overworked physically by any means. ...

Hi Cindy, In the Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 12 Months video, it is described to use the exercise pen for the puppy. At what age is too old for the pen? We used ours up until 4 months of age and then stopped but started again 2 days ago. What age is it recommended for while in the house? We are having considerable issues with hierarchy struggles with our puppy and lunging/biting. (Puppy is 18 weeks old now). Thanks!

If I have two dogs and separately they know their names and respond to commands, how do I get them to respond to commands when together depending on whose name I called out? For example, if they're in a sit and I say "Lexi, come" I only want Lexi to come and Roxy to stay seated. They're getting confused when I attempt this. I want to keep the motivation high and not use "no" every time the wrong dog responds.

Cindy, I've made great strides with my dog, thanks to your advice. She displays only brief, calm interest or indifference towards the chicken coop and defers to the cats in the home if they growl, hiss, or run away - no chasing, fixating, etc. Thank you! A new issue has cropped up: yesterday she began to guard high value treats from me (bison or beef bones), growling if I approach, and even snapping to deter me. These treats are new, but 1 week ago I could approach or pet her when she wa...

Do you have a recommendation for protective boots THAT STAY ON the dog. I have a 78 lb, 12 year old GSD female who is "toeing under" and needs protection for her right back foot. I know several other owners that have had this problem and have had trouble finding a comfortable boot that will reliably stay on the dog. Any help you can give will be much appreciated. (I own a boarding and grooming operation and would love to be able to recommend a product you may carry that works...preferably ava...

Hi Cindy, Which puppy harness is recommended in Leerburg's puppy training videos, and which size should be purchased for an 8 week old German Shepherd puppy?

Hi Cindy, my 1st DDR sable GSD: She’s now 16 mo, is undergoing her 3rd heat and seems to be blowing her coat in stages. My earlier 3 working line shepherds were West German & all were b & t with stock coats. This little female has had a very thick undercoat. Now it’s all gone & the outer guard hairs are being shed. Please can you give me some idea of how the coat comes back … how long it takes? She currently looks like a coyote! Thanks so much as always!

Hi Cindy, are there any videos about training pet terriers?

Hi Cindy, I hope you are well. I cannot find anything that specifically addresses this question, so I am reaching out. Puppy socialization classes: specifically, a local trainer has classes where puppies, grouped roughly by age, are placed together to "socialize." Do you/Leerburg recommend this sort of class? Thank you!

Hi, how much socialization with other dogs does my almost 5 year old gsd need? He interacts with son's golden daily in short increments and is with me pretty much 24/7.

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. ...

Hi Cindi- what is the best food for puppy & adult malinois? Thank you

What are the magnetic effects from the magnet and ball on phones, credit cards, and dog microchips? I know to keep magnets away from the cards and electronic devices but how close can you be without effects? What about the dog microchip? Any problems with that?