Recommended Q&As

I have a 9 month old Hovawart female, spayed, we have been through basic puppy class. I want to know what class to pick for her. She is extremely smart, very food and toy oriented (tennis balls). I have just enrolled her in agility. I don't need the basic sit, wait, down course I would like something at the next level, I also want to do some tracking with her in the spring. Thanks for your advice.

From playing tug to attacking another dog: I have 1.8 border collie who hardly ever shows any aggression towards other dogs. I've been working on playing tug with him outside, with distractions, and this morning we had a great start to the session, with him running after me from sit-stay and grabbing the tug with energy. But then a dog passed on the road near our yard (whose door was open to let in more distractions) and when I told him to 'get it' he ran past me and to the dog (who by this t...

Hello, Ed and Cindy. I have a question about my 6 months old GSD puppy and his behavior around other dogs. I watched several of your DVDs, also your basic obedience and engagement online classes, but still have a problem with my pup. He gets very excited when he sees other dogs. I guess he feels insecure around them. I do not let him interact with them at all. All I do is go to our local pet store and just let him be in sight of them. He engages fine at home but no matter the distance from...

Hello, I have a year old while German shepherd dog. I got him as a 9 week old pup. We also have an adult Beagle, and 2 cats. Sax GSD gets along with everyone in the home. He is extremely loving and playful and has lots of energy. He has not been neutered yet but we do plan to do that this month. He has always been fearful of strangers out side the home. If someone comes into the home he is better after he gets to know them. However, when we are walking it is hard to go a block before ...

I recently bought Michael's DVD on teaching the retrieve. She's all about retrieving, but she chews on the dumbbell. I switched to the pvc pipe like Michael suggested in the DVD. I've been working with her for two weeks using the pvc pipe and I'm not seeing any change in the chewing. I've tried reinforcing the hold by giving the command again and using my hand under her chin to hold her head up. She still continues to move it around in her mouth. Also, she's a maniac when she runs out to...

I have a 15 pound terrier mix (probably Cairn/Lassa) who is really hard to train, especially to come when called. I've tried treats, toys (he likes tugs), long lines, etc. Even the Chihuahua is more consistent at coming when called. What kind of toy would hold his interest longer than a rope tug? It lasts about 3 minutes.

We have just purchased an Educator 400TS remote trainer from you. We have a 10 month old Belgian Malinois. We are using the 3/4" points. Are those the best size or do we need to get the extra long ones? We have just begun to test the collar on the dog. Thanks for your input.

I began feeding my skinny boxer a raw diet about 3 months ago. Within 3 weeks, he was looking better. Now, he's at a perfect weight. He does get raw chicken parts with bones, but I also grind some of his food. Instead of trying to remember to feed liver and muscle meat a certain number of times weekly, I grind everything together. I might have 1 pound of liver and heart mixed with 10-15 pounds of chicken quarters, plus 10-15 pounds of beef. Those amounts are approximate, as I'm not a stickler...

Dear Cindy (and you too Ed), I have a 10 month old Bulldog/boxer puppy who I got at 8 weeks. I have been home day and night with him for the last 6 months and I am returning to full time work in the next few weeks. He is never allowed to roam freely unattended as he is the equivalent of a drunk toddler; as I have always been home usually its a drag line or ex-pen. He sleeps like the righteous in his crate all night - no accidents. However when I do crate him for a few hours during the day ...

My question concerns my rescued Malinois. I have no info regarding his breeding or origins. He came into rescue after being treated for a broken leg (right femur shattered - his previous owner did not treat, and it healed on its own). He was crated continuously for 24 hours and given one walk per day. He was not fed properly, and was wormy when rescued. He has been neutered within the past month. He is approximately 1 year old. Given what he has been through, he is a good boy. He has some ...

Hi there, I want to use a prong collar on my dog but I am worried I will never be able to switch him off of it. I see it all the time, owners slap on a prong collar (even fitting it correctly) but the dog spends its whole life time using the prong collar because it won't walk appropriately on a flat buckle. I, personally, would be more satisfied with my dog's training if he did not require the use of one his whole life. So is it possible to easily transition? How would you switch to a f...

Hi, We just rescued a dog and are trying to crate train her and are in your "foundation phase" of training (in a crate or on lead at all times). The first few times she went into the crate no problems. Now, even treats can't get her inside. She doesn't seem to have a strong den instinct. I started giving her all her food and treats in the crate, but she won't go in when she realizes that I am going to crate her. My question is, how do I get her in the crate? I don't want to physically push...

If we are feeding Natural and Raw diet, we would like to know if we feed chicken and our pup/dog should happen to get his teeth into one of our free range chickens on the same day, would he associate what he ate in the bowl to what he just tasted that was alive. We understand that he needs to be trained to ignore them and plan on doing that, just curious if he would associate the food bowl chicken with the live chicken if he tastes both during the same day. The pup is a GSD.

Hi there Cindy/Ed. Big fan of your work. I know you do not advocate dog parks. I will admit I do frequent them from time to time. Anyways I was witness to what I believed was another horror story. An individual at the dog park was trying to water his dog. A 3 month old husky puppy belonging to another owner took over his water bowl. He kept trying to push it away, and when the puppy nipped at him he lost his cool and gripped the pup by the scruff of the neck, lifted it, shook it and to...

I am writing to you rather spur of the moment here. I have not looked too much at your website as I don't have a ton of time to do much more research on this matter. I've read a lot of Cesar Milan books/online articles and I've watched some of his DVDs. I know the basics on how to be a pack leader but I am finding it harder to put into practice with a 3 month old puppy than I thought... I got my dog at 12 weeks of age, he is a small shepard/husky mix (13 lbs at 3.5 months). This is the fir...

Hi, My almost 2 year old dog is very friendly. We are working on competition obedience and I plan on doing our first competition soon. The problem with her being too friendly is that she wants to say hi to everybody she sees. I have been watching "The Power of Training Dogs with Food" and "Focused Heeling." She is doing great when it's just me or when we are working with our trainer, but as soon as there are more people and dogs she looses focus. How many times a day should I be workin...

Dear Ed & Cindy, Today I went to choose the puppy we want out of a litter that I put a deposit on (GSDs). The website was detailed, reviews and references were all good. After my visit, I am not sure about them. 1) They live in a trailer in the middle of nowhere with the dogs in outside kennels (We live in SC). 2) I asked to go see the puppies and she said she would bring them to me because I would upset the moms and other dogs. 3) She said I would have second pick out of a litter of ...

I am working my GSD in tracking right now and had a question on corners, I was wondering what your thoughts are. I went out with an RCMP handler and watched him do some tracking practice. When his dog would overshoot a corner he would start circling the dog. I started to use this in my own training with my dog when she would give me a negative. I then went out with my local club and after they watched this I was told not to do this as the dog should find the track again on her own so I should...

I have a 130lb Great Dane who is dog aggressive after being attacked. It is not with every dog, but everyday he does do it. I have tried every option but he is intent on getting to the other side. He doesn't listen and it is very quick before he's in red zone. It's a battle to restrain him, nothing will snap him out of it. Could an electric collar work? If so, which one do you suggest? Also, have you ever known a dog not to respond to an electric collar? I am worried if this does not work tha...

Would you recommend Honest Kitchen Preference + meat for a 10 month old German Shepherd weighing in at 80lbs? Would this be balanced for a growing puppy? Or is it best to feed one of their "balanced formulas" until he reaches full maturity? If so, is it OK to just add a variety of cooked meats with it and that is all? I would also supplement with fish oil/vitamin E, as usual. Thank you!