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I try and answer every question I receive on dog training. I may often come across as a little on the blunt side, (some may call it brash). That is because I consider myself an advocate for dogs and not dog handlers. I am an advocate for common sense dog training and not the latest fad that appears on the horizon. Good dog training is not rocket science. It's common sense.
PRONG COLLAR WARNING: When you use your Prong Collar, we strongly
suggest you use a Leerburg
Dominant Dog Collar as a safety backup.
Question about Dog Chasing Kids: Hello Ed: I have a 50 lb English terrier mix (6 yrs), very sweet and loving when around people/strangers while in my house, backyard or on leash. Off leash, he chases anything that moves, typically ankles of people that are running, biking, skateboarding, etc. He is aggressive with other dogs. The most nerve racking is he goes after children. I picked him up from an unknown family handing out puppies when he was 8 weeks old. He was shy as a puppy. I've had dogs all my life, and if I knew he was going to be this way I would have socialized him with children a lot more as a puppy. I never had to do that with my other dogs. I do not let him off leash ever unless it's a totally secluded area, which I feel bad about because he loves to run. He has been through three obedience training classes, and in addition I had a trainer come out to my home for a couple months. That was most effective, but costly! He does very well at training, although is sometimes quick to snap at another dog. A few weeks out of training, he goes right back into the same mode. I feel like I have to put him in training every six months or so. Do you have any other suggestions? I am very protective of him, and know I will always have to be careful with him, but at the same time nervous that he may get loose and possibly bite someone. Thanks, SM Answer: The problem with this dog is "it lives with someone who has not properly learned to train a dog." Your email just confirms what I am constantly telling people:
This dog needs some serious correction. This can be accomplished with a prong collar or an electric collar, but none of this will work unless you decide that you are tired of this dogs behavior. You need to develop the attitude of "I am tired of this shit and I am not going to take it anymore!!!" This means that you are going to learn to correct this dog hard enough that it respects the consequences of not minding - a VERY SIMPLE CONCEPT. Raising a well behaved dog is like raising a child. It requires consistency, praise and corrections when called for. Good dog training is not rocket science. If you cannot change your ways you will always have a terror for a pet and you deserve what you end up with. If you would like to learn something about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes.
Question about Excessive Barking: I just finished reading your articles on dog aggression. It sounds like my dog Meeka. She is a 2 year old Keeshond. We have great concern for her, (at least I do). My husband feels that she will change in time. We purchased her from a pet store back in Dec 1997. The first day was wonderful, she even slept in her crate peacefully that evening. But from there on she has never been the same. She started to show these signs as she got older. It is like she is terrified of other people. Her ears go down and her eyes bulge out showing fear then she'll start barking. Problems we are concerned about are excessively barking at everyone and everything, aggressive towards strangers, children anyone. EXCEPT our parents. They are the only ones that can visit and we can visit them with the dogs that she is fine with. But, she has now attempted to bite 3 times but I was there to catch her and stop it. My husband says he has never experienced this biting behavior from her. I find it particularly odd as she does display a slightly different behavior with him. But she still is aggressive towards people, children and barks excessively. We have had her in training 3 times now. And she is like a different dog in that atmosphere, but at home or on a walk she is this crazy dog. We have tried the different barking collars, training methods to stop the barking and the only slight success we get is using the Gentle Leader collar. But once it is taking off she returns to herself. She is not aggressive towards my husband or me and is actually very loving and does well with commands. But outside the home or if we have friends over or a stranger knocks at the door she goes crazy. I am at my wits end and I am seeking advice from you after reading your articles, in hopes that there is something that can be done to make her a more friendlier dog. We have thought of giving her up but I fear that if this behavior is concerning to us then if in the wrong hands, I am concerned that they will hurt her or beat her because of this behavior So, if you have any advice or suggestions to help us we would be very grateful. Meeka is part of our family and we love her dearly. Thanking you, Answer: This is not a difficult thing to correct. The question is if you and your husband have the mental strength and determination to fix it. Many people do not. There are a number of issues here:
These dogs need level 10 corrections, (explained in the tape.) They must fear the correction worse than the "demon." Also very important is the fact that strangers or people who come to your house do not interact with the dog. They ignore it. They don't try and pet it or warm up to it. They simply ignore it. Sometimes idiot guests need corrections too when they will not listen. Once this concept gets settled in the dogs head it will begin to learn that the rug and/or crate are safe places. They will learn to relax when sent there. They feel good because they are doing what their pack leader has told them to do and they get praised for minding. These kinds of dogs must be 100% compliant 100% of the time. This requires 100% consistency from both you and your husband. The dog can not get by with one instance of being stupid - not one! If you can't do these things, (especially correct hard enough), put the dog down, because its only a matter of time before it bites a child in the face.
Question about Territorial Aggression: If you have time I would appreciate your opinion on the following. This was about 15 years ago. Our son, Derek, was nine. We had a GSD I had trained in basic AKC obedience. I would have trusted her with the boy anywhere, anytime. When people came to the house she would stand between them and the rest of the house for about 30 seconds. When she walked away it was OK for the people to come into the house. If anyone tried to walk past her before she moved away the dog would act very uncomfortable. She never growled, showed her teeth or barked. But it was plain she did not want anyone coming into the house without her say-so. Friends were over to play cards. The man went into the kitchen where Derek was finishing his after-dinner chores. Norm walked up behind Derek and put his arms around him and acted as if he was going to wrestle Derek. The hair on the dog’s neck stood up and she showed her teeth. Norm very carefully let go of Derek and got the drink he had gone after. When he came back and sat down to play cards the dog came up and put her head in his lap to be petted. Even though the dog had never bitten before I knew that she would and had watched her very carefully. When the car drove in and Derek opened the door she slipped out like a greased pig. Two different times the dog had refused to let a man into the house. Both times they were salesmen who, when I opened the inside door had opened the screen and just started to come in. They didn’t stay long. The story has a sad ending. A couple of years later I was in the back of the house when I heard Derek calling the dog. All of a sudden I realized he had called her too many times, because she usually came for him on the second or third call. When I went out a friend and her son, who was Derek’s age, had come. Seeing Derek trying to get the dog, the son got out of the car to help. By the time I arrived the dog had put four neat holes in the calf of the boy’s leg. We had her put down. Sincerely, Answer: The dog you had could have been saved with today’s technology. You can now get an in-ground Innotek fence for very little money. This could have restricted your dog to the back yard. You do have a territorial aggression, but not a very serious one from the sound of it. It could have been controlled with proper obedience training. The details of your past problems are the most common questions that I get. These kind of dogs need serious training, with a prong collar. They must be trained to do a Down Stay under the most severe distraction. When people come to the house the dog is allowed to see that you accept them into the home, (it does not need to be a situation where you see that the dog allows the visitor, like you had, but the opposite). Then the dog is sent to a specific rug or to its dog crate, (which every dog owner should have). There are no acceptable reasons for the dog to leave the down stay until you give the all clear sign (OK!) and release the dog. This is a simple issue to train, I explain it in my Q&A on more than one answer. The basics are that the exercise is taught motivationally with food to go to the run, then once it understands the command it’s corrected for not doing it. Then it’s taught to stay on the rug (with corrections). The dog wears a prong collar and short 2-foot leash, he learns that if it gets up before being released he gets corrected. The correction needs to be strong enough to be effective. Then distractions are added, a ball being tossed when the dog is on the rug, if it gets up it gets very strong correction. If the dog continues to get up as you add distractions you need to increase the level of correction until the dog fears the correction more than he wants to investigate the distraction. Throughout this training the stay needs to be praised. This is a critical part of the training as long as the praise does not become a distraction for the dog to get up, (which leads to a correction). As I explain in my tape, you must praise but not to the point of distractions. Some people can not train dogs because their temperament does not allow them to properly correct their dog. These people should get cats.
I have an 11 month GSD female who I am trying to stop jumping. I try and reinforce her to sit before she gets anything and to be petted, which is getting better. I have seen No Jump Harnesses in the store, but the one I got was nylon and very hard to put on and was very tangled. It would take me a 1/2 hour just to try and get in on. Answer: Jumping is simply a dog with bad manners. A NO JUMP correction needs to be followed by a correction. When a dog jumps on you, the solution I use is to grab the front feet and pinch the toes until the dog screams. The pinch needs to be held for several seconds (the dog will usually chew on your hands a little.) I can stop a puppy from jumping on me in one training session. If the problem is with an older dog it’s going to take more work to stop. Some people simply cannot squeeze a dog’s feet hard enough to correct the jumping. Those dogs need a prong collar and a leash correction. Always give a NO JUMP command followed by a correction that makes the dog yelp. We have a german shepard (purebred) that is 18 months old. We got her from a man who was taking her to the pound for disposal. She had knocked over his little girl and hurt her. She is beautiful and very hyper. We have worked with her and she's very smart. They had obviously used a rolled up newspaper to discipline her for she's hand shy and afraid of rustling paper. We never use this technique on her. We have had her for 5 months now. We have one very bad problem with her she will not stop jumping on people, really jumping high and nipping at their faces. We have tried everything we can think of. Our dogs are out during the day while we are at work and in every night, she is doing very well inside and knows the routine now. But she will not stop jumping up; we have tried saying OFF and by pulling her by her collar down to the ground using the word OFF to no avail ! She also will not stop jumping up on the house to look in the window of our kitchen, we find this endearing and we love her but it's not helping the house. We don't believe in dog runs! We find them too confining to the animal and we have a 1/2 acre of property for our dogs. It's not just jumping by placing the paws on you it's really jumping up in the air and going for your face, and it's everyone!!! She has hurt me once and also my son when she jumped up into our faces. Please, is there anything we can do for this without injury to our dog? I have read that you can keep a dog from jumping up by driving a stake into the ground and having like a leader line going through the hole and cinching up on the rope every time they jump but is this really a solution when she only does it at certain times? Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Answer: The solution to this problem is simple (assuming you have the temperament to do what is necessary to solve it). This begins with obedience training. Serious obedience training with a prong collar or a dominant dog collar. I suggest that you read what I have written in my description of my Basic Obedience video. I think you will learn something just from the description. This obedience training helps establishes you as the pack leader. This is critical for a dog to understand and training accomplishes this. We also sell a DVD titled Dealing with Dominant and Aggressive Dogs What needs to happen here is the dog needs to learn to mind. Once it knows that it must mind, then it only needs to be told "NO!" when it jumps. But to accomplish this the dog must respect the consequences of not minding, meaning it must respect the correction. I wrote an article titled THE THEORY OF CORRECTIONS IN DOG TRAINING - you may want to read it. Most people are not capable of giving a hard enough correction to stop this behavior. The dog has manifested this behavior into a serious behavioral problem. It's not just jumping up to be petted. It's more like a pushy demanding attention getting thing that has worked for it in the past and only gotten worse with time. If this were my dog I would let it wear the prong and a drag line. I would give a NO command and then when it ignored me I would give it a level 10 correction (jerk it off its feet and send it into avoidance) For people who are not strong enough to do this they need to use a remote collar. I have a training DVD that explains how to use these. There is a section on jumping in that DVD ( E-Collar Training for the Pet Owner ) This may sound extreme, but if it is done properly it will solve the problem right now. I will guarantee that this dog will only jump on me 3 to 4 times and then never again. After it learns not to jump on me I would then tell it "NO!!" when it jumped on someone else. If it ignored me I would correct it in the same way I trained it not to jump on me. In the eyes of the dog I am attacking it for not respecting the packleader. This is the pack leader role. Right now your dog does not respect you or your family as the pack leaders. When the correction is finished we dont praise we just go on as if nothing happened. This training shows the dog that it does not have to jump to get attention. The dog must learn that you are a compassionate person who loves it, but that there are very serious repercussions for not minding. You could do what all the self-proclaimed experts say, which is to pinch toes, knee in the chest, step on back feet, etc. etc, etc. All this is not going to work with this dog, it's too far gone to work and you only run the risk of getting injured trying it. The advice of the rope through a stake is stupid. Do not ask these people for any other training advice. It is obvious that they are not experienced dog trainers. If you would like one of our catalogs on our training videos, send your postal address and we will mail one.
Hi. My dog is really scared of stairs, and we have a lot of them. Could you please help me get her to go up the stairs. I just got her so I'm very new at this. Answer: Drag her up them with a leash and a collar about 200 times and she will see that it’s easier to come up the stairs on her own rather than be dragged.
My husband and I have a 2 1/2 year old male German Shepherd. He is very sweet and great with children. He is also very high strung. At times he will dig many holes in our yard. None by the fence. He has no rhyme or reason. He will go for weeks without digging and then dig half a dozen at a time. We have tried filling his holes with water and holding his head under for about 5 seconds. Filling the holes with feces. Spanking. Hitting his digging feet with a wooden spoon enough to make him notice. Playing with him more often. Please help us with some suggestions. We love him, but he is destroying our once beautiful yard and carpet. Thank you for any help, Answer: This water torture and spoon trick is stupid. It’s cruel and stupid training, pure and simple. People who recommend these types of things should have their head stuck in a hole full of water when they are panicked. I doubt they are thinking about digging holes when it’s over. When you do this to the dog he is only thinking of survival and not drowning. I will guarantee that he is not thinking that he is the one who dug the stupid hole and this is all a result of that. The dog digs because he is bored, pure and simple. Spend more time with your dog. You will get the most bank for your buck to do serious obedience training. Get a prong collar and work this dog. Give him something to think about when he has down time. I recommend my video Basic Dog Obedience. You should also put up a normal 6' x 10 ' dog kennel with patio blocks or concrete. Then only allow him to have access to the back yard for shorter periods of time. It’s hard to dig through concrete. If you are not willing to do what’s necessary to make your dog’s life more meaningful, sell him or give him away and get a cat.
We have an 8 month old puppy who is extremely soft. If we raise our voice just a little bit, he cowers. We have had him since he was 9 weeks old and has never been hit, spanked or beaten in any way. He is an excellent dog who listens great and when we do discipline him, it’s with verbal warnings only. He knows when he has done wrong and usually only does it once. My problem is that at a family gathering today he was kicked in the butt by a relative that feels you have to beat the dog to get him to obey. Not wanting to cause a scene, nothing was said. His leg is fine but he won’t perk up. This was several hours ago and he’s still moping around the house. He was so depressed at dinner he wouldn’t eat, (this from a dog who lives for dinner). I have taken him for a car ride, (which he loves), short walks around the block and even given him special treats, (along with lots and lots of attention and love). Nothing is working. I know we didn’t purchase this dog from you but I have heard several things about not only your breeding program but your training programs as well. I would be grateful for any information and/or suggestions you might have on this matter. Thank you sincerely, Answer: The first thing to do is to tell the relative that he gets a kick in the butt the next time he touches your dog. If someone did this to my dog I would show him the door. You need to do basic dog obedience work with this dog. Soft dogs need obedience more than anything. This brings order to their lives and they need this. That tape shows how to do it properly. Once they understand the order in their life they gain some happiness from this. Question about Proper Corrections: I got one of your prong collars for my mother's Springer Spaniel. This is a very hard dog that does not respond to ANY level of correction on a choke collar. She is now 7 months old - at 14 weeks when I first tried correcting her by shaking her by the back of the neck it had no effect. I have one major concern. This dog (bitch) is very dominant and the prong collar is very useful for correcting her since the normal choker had no effect. I have to snap the collar very hard to get a response - for example, if she has a toy she won’t give up. My question is how do I know if I'm popping too hard. The dog never yelps and doesn't really go into avoidance for more than a moment. I am concerned I will injure the dog (e.g. break her neck!) - do you think this is likely? The dog does yelp if you accidentally step on her toes so she does feel pain! For my mother, I am using your technique of tying a choker to a solid object and then pulling another choker in the opposite direction to get toys back from her. Every time I give the toy back she fights harder next time before she'll give it up. It almost as though she is holding on against her will. Is it a good idea for me to repeat this exercise over and over since she seems to get more determined every time? I have your Basic Obedience tape which is really a great help and this training is going on in parallel but I'm anxious to concentrate on this possessiveness problem. It has got to the stage where my mother is afraid to take something from the dog because she has tried to bite my mother a number of times. So in summary my questions are: Could I injure the dog by popping too hard? Should I repeat the exercise where I give her a toy and then take it back? Regards, Answer: I agree that you have a very hard dog. This is unusual for this breed and then again because it is a female. First make sure the collar is on properly. It should be very snug and under the jaw right behind the ears. If its on that way you will not have to pop so hard. Many people do not put them on any enough. I think there are better ways to take toys away from dogs than to punish them for not releasing. Begin by using 2 toys. When she goes to get one and brings it back tease her with a second one and do not allow the dog to have it until she drops the first one and then instantly toss the second, make a game of it. Give an OUT command when she brings it back. It will not take a dog long to figure out that getting the 2nd active toy requires it to drop the first one. If she will not give it up put a long line on the prong, toss the first - reel her in - give an OUT - and a pop. The key is to instantly give up the second toy the instant the first one comes out. In a very small number of dog cases the prong collar has to be sharpened a little - this is very unusual and I would doubt that is the case with this bitch. It sounds like a handler training issue and not a dog issue. You also may want to consider a Tri Tronic Sportsman electric collar, but this does not mean you would just shock the dog for not releasing. You approach the release in the same way. Teach it 2 ball, when it understand this then reinforce the out with the collar. To just put it on a shock the dog will confuse the dog and do some damage to its mind.
My dog chases her tail round and round constantly. Her tail is one wet mess. Is there any way to stop her from doing this? I would appreciate any way to solve this problem. Answer: Many times this problem is caused from a lack of exercises - both mentally and physically. You should walk these dogs twice a day. Use a chuck-it or other toys that can increase the exercises in the time you use for exercise. I can also try giving the dog a bone or one of the treats filled toys we sell to chew on when alone. I would attempt serious regimented obedience. Obedience training exercises the dogs mind. Some dogs need to be corrected for tail chasing. On soft dogs this can simply be a verbal "NO STOP THAT". So the dog learns that this is unacceptable behavior. Other dogs are going to require a remote collar and low level stimulation training. (Get my DVD on how to do this) Question about Keeping Dog off Furniture: While reading the articles is very inspiring I feel the need to ask a more personal question: How do I train our dog to stay off the furniture (when we're not home & at night)? He doesn't try to get on the furniture while we're home (thus indicating that he 'knows' he's not allowed up) and when we come home he is very submissive and has the 'oops!' look on his face. We've tried the sprays that are supposed to stink the boundaries into him to no avail. What else should we do? For now we just take him to the couch and say 'No!' but he seems to understand that he rules the roost while we're gone. Any help would save him from being shut up in the laundry room and much wear & tear on the furniture. Thank you, Answer: You can put Rat Traps on the couch - (under news papers). You can also use BITTER APPLE - but this is done by soaking bitter apple in a cotton ball and put the cotton ball in his mouth and holding it closed for 1 minute, (this is not an easy thing to do). You do this 3 days in a row. By the third day it’s like trying to catch a wild horse. To be effective you must do it. You have now created a dog that hates the smell of bitter apple worse than anything you can imagine. So take 3 or 4 drops and put it in a spray bottle full of clean water. Spray it on the couch - most dogs will not go near anything that smells like bitter apple. The dog acts submissive, because he knows that you are going to scold him for something he does not understand. It is a mistake to take him to the couch and scold him. He may have been up there hours before and he has no idea why he is getting scolded. Dogs minds don't work like this. If you are that upset, get a dog crate and use it. That's the way to prevent him from getting on furniture.
We have a 10-month-old female German shepherd, who is very smart, totally housebroke, crate trained and loves all people and other animals. I realized I was allergic to her fur so I gave her to my daughter and son-in-law who live 800 miles away. Since we have left her she is breaking out of her crate and peeing and pooping on their floor. They can't leave her outside for more than 30 minutes or she will start digging. She never did any of this when I had her. They are about ready to go crazy. Why is she doing this? We just can't figure it out. I would really appreciate your input. Answer: I may often sound harsh in the treatment that I recommend to people about out of control dogs. I don't believe that in this case it is warranted. I truly believe that dogs have inner feelings. They have a soul. I think that your family has not made an effort to bond to this dog and it misses you. My advise would be to either see a doctor and take shots so you can get your dog back, or help find it a home where it will feel like it is loved.
Question on Dominance Issues in an Old Dog: My husband and I have adopted a Doberman from our neighbor who passed away a couple months ago. When we got Duke he was 10 lbs underweight and had every parasite I could think of. He also had several sores from over licking and lying in his own feces. He is about 10 years old. Now he is minus the parasites and 10 lbs heavier and a lot healthier. He is a happy boy but shows some signs of aggression. I know he was severely neglected (starved and maybe beaten). He is, for lack of a better word, socially retarded. He probably has had no socializing in his life, by his violent and mostly fearful reaction to the vet I assume he has never been there either. I don't think he has a mean bone in his body and aside from his reaction to the vet (of course I would probably object to an anal probe myself). A few times we have tried to lift him into the truck or into the bathtub and he has been great. I think it hurts him to be lifted. So my husband and I were able to write that off, and put a muzzle on him when we needed to do any lifting or washing. But recently I caught him chewing on something and went over to investigate. He had just been punished for chewing some clothing so he was probably already on edge. I tried to get him to drop it and he growled. I backed off for a minute and my husband came over to see what was happening. Then I grabbed him by the collar and told him to drop it. He did and even backed off a step. When I reached out to grab the milk jug lid he bit he me several times. My husband hit him hard enough to toss him across the room and then he was put in the laundry room. He has never been possessive about his food or any toys. However, he will not tolerate being pushed down or lifted. So we don't. He is well enough to get into the truck and the bathtub by himself now and doesn't need assistance. I have read some of your articles and kinda have an idea what to do. But, he is really old for a Doberman (as far as I know they only live to 10-12 years) and I want to know if there is anything else I can do. I really care for him and feel a responsibility to care for him. But, it is hard for me if I don't have his trust, and right now he doesn't have mine. I am afraid he will react this way with some of our friends although he never has in the past, he is always offering an ear to be scratched and a happy tail wag. What do you think? Jessica Answer: If this were a younger dog I would probably offer different advice. I have sympathy for this dog’s earlier life. It's my opinion that, (if you like this dog), he needs to have a little slack. I would not push the issue with his food. Why start a fight about taking food away? I would feed the dog, pick the food up after 30 minutes and not put it down until the next day. Then there is no fight over food. If the dog lies by the food bowl and guards it, that's a different issue. Then he needs to have your husband correct the snot out of him, but my guess is this is not the case. I would get a dog crate and use it on this dog. When people come over I would put him in the dog crate. This eliminates the chance of an accidental bite. Why even take a chance? I would get an electric collar and deal with the chewing that way. This will allow you to correct without having to physically fight the dog. Part of the chewing issue is probably a neurotic carry over habit from his earlier life. I would approach it as if the dog was a puppy. Put a lot of things around for the dog to chew. Get some big raw hides; an Extra Large Kong or two, even large bones (no soft chewy toys). If the chewing takes place when you are gone, crate the dog with a bone. Leave the TV or radio on. The dog has some dominance issues. I have articles on this on my web site, read them. A dog that does not want to DOWN has a dominance issue. There is no such thing as not being able to train an old dog. In this case, he has proven that he will bite you. Use a muzzle and a prong collar to train him. My video explains the process in a logical step by step method. On an old dog like this you need to be realistic in what you expect to train him. In my opinion, COME, DOWN, STAY and GET IN YOUR CRATE are all that is needed. The same thing can be accomplished with electric collars, but in this case people need to not only learn to properly obedience train, they also have to learn how to train with an electric collar. (We sell videos on how to do this).
First of all, thanks for your email advice from your last note. We did have our pups checked for worms, and sure enough, they had 'em. Since treatment our male pup's energy has gone up noticeably. He is now enjoying the ball-on-a-string game. Here's my question: Our pups are pretty quiet most of the day and night, but sometimes during the evening they start a barking fit loud enough to wake the dead. They can see us moving inside our house in the evening as we pass in front of the windows. The problem is amplified when we have the windows open and they can hear us and smell us even better. We don't know the best way to stop the barking. If we ignore them, they will eventually quit, but I'd rather not be woken up every time the cat passes in front of the windows. If we shout "NO" or "HUSH" through the open windows they can hear us. But that doesn't keep them quiet for long. If we go outside and give them a correction for barking, I'm afraid that they will learn never to bark at night, even at a stranger. Plus I'll be hopping up like a frog all evening to go outside and administer discipline.If I put a bark collar on them at night, then they will learn not to bark at all, and then when Mr. Bad Guy comes up to our house at night, then they won't say a woof. I will not train these dogs in protection, because I'm honest enough to admit that I'm a novice trainer. I would at least like the dogs to react with a stout fit of barking if a stranger would approach. I don't want to kill their barking instinct. Would you please advise me how to handle this? Thank you in advance for your help. I know you are in demand so I appreciate your time. Yvette Answer: You are un-realistic in your approach to dogs. As a pet owner one needs to make an effort to understand the inherent drives and temperaments of dogs. You do not seem to have made the effort.
Question about Garbage Eaters: Our 8 year old pomeranian eats the "personal" items our of the bathroom trash can. Is he too old for this and is there something we can do?? Please help. Answer: Put a mouse trap in the trash can when you are gone. Problem is fixed after the first couple of times. I have a 6 month old puppy (rescue dog) that is a house dog and I was considering getting her dew claws removed and was wondering what you thought about it. She'll always be a house pet and the only real motivation for removing them is the pain they cause when she jumps up on us. We're in the process of using the front paw pinching technique from your "puppy" video and we're having success but she's a fairly excitable dog. Is there any health reason not to have this done? Thanks, Answer: You are trying to correct the symptom and not the problem. Teach your dog some obedience – teach her the meaning of the word OFF. Use a squirt bottle or squirt gun – right in the face. Have them laying all around the house so there is always one close at hand. If this does not work then pinch the snot out of her toes – I can train a dog not to jump on me in ONE DAY by pinching the front toes until they scream. I also praise the dog when its front feet are back on the ground. So what you are asking me makes ZERO sense to a dog trainer.
I have an eight-month-old male American Bulldog puppy. I know Bulldogs aren't your breed of preference, but after reading several of your articles, I would very much value your insight. He is a well behaved puppy (sits, comes, etc.) but whenever I take him away from our house, he is terribly shy. He was from a litter of eleven. I met both of his parents, and neither one of them were in the least bit shy. He trembles badly, won't eat treats (especially from strangers) and tucks his tail. At the same time, he appears to be curious of his surroundings. I followed your advice, and took him to Wal -Mart to people watch. A few strangers came by and offered him some hot-dog. He turned up his nose at it! I don't mind some aloofness, as I know it is a trait of the breed, but I sure would like him not to shake and tuck his tail. No stranger has ever done anything to this dog, as I have had him since he was 10 weeks old. As a puppy, any slight change in the house (moving furniture around, loud music,) would send him scurrying to his crate. He seems to have overcome that, though. Do you think he will outgrow this, or am I in for a tough time of it. Also, he is never aggressive, and never pees himself. Any help you can offer would be very much appreciated, as I am getting discouraged and I love my dog very much. Thank you very much, Answer: I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but this dog has shitty genes. It's not going to change. You can control it but never change it. These kinds of dogs find solace in structure. This means they do well in obedience training because they find comfort in doing something that they know is the right thing to do. This is also the reason the dog gets upset with changes in the house (moving furniture) this changes the structure and the dog does not like this. If you would like to learn something about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. I would also use a prong collar in the training. You can not allow the dog to wimp out on you. It must
learn to get a grip and not act so Question about Barking and Aggression: I came across your site on the Internet and found it very informative. I was wondering if you might offer me a suggestion for my scenario. I have a 9-month-old female Weimaraner that I just recently had spayed. I have taken Sierra just about everywhere that I can. Since she was 8 weeks old (she recently completed her CGC training...which turns out to be ironic). Sierra is very protective of my home and barks when she sees anything close to our yard. Recently I have trained her to bark once and then quit upon my command of "quiet" by using treats. However, my new problem is that whenever she is in my car as we are backing out of the driveway or in my fenced yard- she barks aggressively at any of the children that walk by and some of the dogs. Just yesterday as I was getting her into the car she saw one of the neighborhood girls walking past after school, and she ran into the street barking aggressively and nipped the girl on the leg and then upon my calling...came back and got into the car (this incident is extremely upsetting.) After reading numerous articles on the Internet I believe that she is exhibiting protection aggression. I am very upset about this behavior and am wondering what I can do to get it stopped. I did have an individual session with a dog trainer in which she suggested I work with a few of the neighborhood kids to become friends with Sierra. What do you think? Desperate in NC- J. Answer: I think that you talked to a trainer who is not a very good trainer. This dog needs serious obedience lessons and they need to be done at home with a prong collar. Use the principles in my Basic Obedience video. If you would like to learn something about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for this tape. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. I would curtail the barking with a no bark collar. It will eliminate it the first day that you use it. You can find information on the Tri Tronics No Bark collar on my web site. I use 15 of them in my kennel almost every day. We put them on at night and take them off in the morning. I could not run my kennel without them. The dog should never be off leash - use a Flexi lead. If the dog shows any aggression to a child it needs to be corrected so hard it thinks it's life is over. It needs to fear that kind of a correction way more than it feels like being aggressive. At this age this dog IS NOT trying to protect you. Do not fool yourself into believing this. At this age you are seeing poor nerves and a dog who is turning into a fear biter. I can guarantee you that unless you take these steps that I have outlined, it is only a matter of time before your dog bites a child and you will then have to destroy the dog or pay a hefty settlement.
I read your pages about dealing with an aggressive dog and what to ask you about my situation. I have a three year old Lab/German Shepherd mix dog. She is a very loving dog to my roommate and me. She does a have very bad dependency problem which has cost me a lot of money. Most of the time when I leave her, she tries to break out of the house. She will chew on the fence, chew on the front door or anything else that could possible get her out. I have tried giving her a lot of exercise and have found it to be only a temporary fix. I can not leave her in my car or else she will chew on the seat belts of the car. I have had to replace virtually all of my seat belts once. I could live with this if it was the only problem. She also is nervous around new people. She has tried to nip at a few people lately. It seems like when ever a child or young adult gets to close (grabs her or wants to be close), she doesn't respond very well. This concerns me because I do want a child some day and I am afraid of what could happen. I have tried to see how she is around young children. She is all right at first but she does get more and more nervous as time goes on. Lets put it this way... I'm glad I had her on a leash! I saw that she was starting to show her teeth so I took her out of the situation by taking her away from the people. It was weird. At first she was very happy and licking their faces and then it turned to aggression. From reading a lot about this, it seems like most people try medication. Is this a real solution or does it just decrease the chances? I love this dog but don't want to forever live in fear of "what might happen." Regards, Answer: Here are the steps I would take:
I love your web site! But I have a question for you about one of your products. I have a new GSD, approximately fifteen months old. He's from working lines, and has never lived in a house before. Everything is going very well, except for one thing. He barks! I'm crating him while I go to school, and this is when the problem arises. He likes his crate very much and enjoys being in it when I'm with him. But as soon as I close that door and leave, he barks all day long. According to my dad, he barked for over five hours the other day. This is clearly unacceptable. Our life together is great in every other way but this. Once I get home from school we hike five to six miles together, run errands together, and spend all evening and afternoon together, so I don't think he's barking out of boredom. He's certainly not lacking for love and attention. Actually, I think he's barking because he's demanding to be let out. I tried all the conventional obedience methods of calming him when I leave. You know, the whole "leave for a minute, then come back and praise, then leave for two minutes, then three..." routine. This works for a while, then we're back to square one. Today I tried a citronella collar. BIG waste of money! He immediately figured out that the collar only had fifteen blasts in it, after which he can bark at liberty. Besides, the spray really didn't bother him that much to begin with. So I'm strongly considering using an electric collar on him, in particular, the one you recommend. But I've never had to do this before, and it makes me kind of sick to think of it. He is "soft" for a GSD, and I don't want to break his gentle spirit, but he simply cannot sit there and bark all day. I'd like to solve the problem before summer, so we can actually open the windows! What do you think? Am I being premature in wanting to use an e-collar? Or is it a good option? I hope my question doesn't inconvenience you. I just want to do what's right for my dog, and you're so knowledgeable about dogs that you're one of the only people I trust to give me a good, candid answer. Amy Yolanda Castillo Answer: Get the Tri Tronics No Bark collar. It will stop the dog on the first day he has it. It also does not need to be an INTENSE shock. You regulate the strength according to what the dog requires. There is a video that comes with the product. It explains how to get the right level of stimulation without hurting the dogs' temperament. I have 15 at my kennel and some dogs need it every night. They come off in the morning. Hi good day!!! I just have a question regarding my 4 month old german shepherd. He was barking at someone and the one handling him pulled his leash to prevent him from attacking the person he was barking at. But instead of stopping he bit the one holding him. The dog didn't have any attack training or have any advance training. He has just been trained at home with basic training by me which is only my first time to train a dog. Thank you and more power!!! G. Silvino Answer: Your dog has some nerve problems. It's not normal for a 4 month old dog to be barking aggressively at anyone - they are puppies at this age and should not be showing this kind of aggression. What happened is the dog was nervous and barked at the person to try and scare them away (the dog was in avoidance, it was not showing strength but weakness). Maybe the person on the leash did something that shocked the pup so much that it turned and bit in "fight or flight." Again, it was not showing strength but fear. If you want to learn about drives I would recommend you read the articles on my web site. If you want to learn to train you dog, buy my training videos.
We recently purchased a male GS. When we visited the dog, he seemed very confident and outgoing. However, when we brought him home, he has latched onto my husband. He gets upset when he leaves, he has to be constantly with him. When he leaves, I try to bring the dog out by playing with him, etc., and he just goes back into the porch to wait for my husband. He's a very soft dog, so I don't want the corrections to be to harsh, but he just doesn't engage in anything when my husband is gone, and when I call him out, he pees all over the floor. He's also doing this with my husband. We haven't abused him in any sense of the word, but when made to lay down or sit, he minds, but he still pees. When we are both here, the dog interacts wonderfully, playing with toys, with both my husband and I. He goes from one room to the other to check on us if we are separate. He's really a fun dog, when we are both here, otherwise he is a real pain. He will mind me, but he pushes my husband to the limit, but yet he falls all over himself when my husband is here. I trained all our dogs for obedience, but never have had to deal with. We have had him just over two months, and I keep waiting for him to turn around, but it seems to be getting worse. He was a show dog before, and the gentleman that had him, kept him in the kennel, where we let him have the run of the place, because it is all fenced. Judy Answer: The problem is with the dog’s genetics. It's just poorly bred and has weak nerves. I would not tolerate this dog, but if you want to try the only thing that will work is obedience training. If you would like to learn something about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. These kind of dogs function well with solid obedience built on a foundation of good step by step training. They find solace in the order that obedience training brings to their life. They become comfortable in minding when they learn that they must mid and that there is not other option. But this all needs to be tempered with proper praise etc, etc. I was reading your article on aggression in dogs and I have a question for you. I recently purchased a Beagle/sheltie mix. Well, that's what the mother was in the shelter I got it from. They couldn't tell me what the father was. My question is this; he has a bad habit of biting and nipping at my wife and me. He will be playing fine, but every once in a while he will start barking at us and lunging at our feet, hands etc. He also has a fear or other dogs I think. When I take him outside when there are other dogs in the neighborhood near us, and if one of the dogs barks while we are outside with him he will run back to the door and curl up next to it. Also, if I play with him he will play nice for a while, but if he doesn't get his way then he will start nipping at my hands. Sometimes, if I am petting him I can't get my hands near him without him trying to get his mouth on my hands. Currently I am trying to "yelp" when he bites or just comes to close. But, when I start to yelp and turn around he tries harder to get at my hands, feet etc. I am planning to get him to a school as soon as he gets all of his shots etc. if not just for the socialization factor. I was wondering if there was anything more I could do in the mean time. Thanks, Answer: You are doing exactly what you should not be doing. This dog is doing what it does because of dominance issues. The dog does not see you and your wife as pack leaders. You "yelping" and turning away when the dog tries to bite your hands is classic submission in the eyes of your dog. It's OK to do this with an 8 week old pup but not a young adult. Your dog needs some serious pack training corrections when it acts like this. I will guarantee you that I would be able to stop this dog from biting me in about 10 minutes. It will not take the dog that long to learn that this is inappropriate behavior with this human (me). I would use a drag leash and a dominant dog collar. It also needs some very, very serious obedience training with a prong collar. If you would like to learn something about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. You also need the DVD I produced titled DEALING WITH DOMINANT AND AGGRESSIVE DOGS- its 3 1/2 hours long
Question about Dog Eating Rocks: Hi Ed, I finally got to read the Q&A on your web site and realize you are an expert on canine behavior. So I am going to ask for your advice on my German Shorthaired Pointer. He is a wonderful soul "after" I took him to behavior training. "Before" he did not respect me as a pack leader, for good reasons as I had no idea I was supposed to be one, and small dogs have attacked him before when he was a puppy. When he was an adult, he would bark and go submit a small dog. He would also nervously bark at other aggressive bigger dogs, but he would run to me when the other dogs charge after him. "After" our training, he totally respects my space and me. He does not attack small dogs anymore; he is not nervous around other dogs and is much happier. Also, instead of saying "No" to correct him 10 times a day, now I only use "No" in emergencies because I only teach him with positive reinforcement (praises and petting). But there is a deadly problem remains he swallows rocks when excited. He has a raw diet, lots of exercise and love. He does not seek rock out to eat. The problems originated with people - me specifically. When I first got him, I didn't know better and use rocks to play with him. He loved it more than balls or any toys. I would throw (small) rocks into the water and he would go after it (never catching it as they sank). Then he would dig big rocks from the lake/river and give them to me. Sometimes he even uses his nose to roll the rock from a hill into the water - self-play. On occasion, when he is really excited, he would swallow the rock (usually round and smooth ones). Well, this went on for 4 years until he was 6 and swallowed a big one that earned him a surgery. Since then, I taught him not to play with rocks. I use treats (trade) to lure him away, I use a firm "No Rocks," and if all else fails, I will grab his collar and move him from "the rock of the moment." That's the same time I took us to behaviors training. All seems fine and we have gone everywhere hiking and camping. I noticed that he wouldn't touch rocks when I am around (the first rock he swallowed he was with another person). However, if someone else throws rocks (kids by a river, etc.), he would run over to play and participate - like we used to play. I would have to physically take him away (sometimes not possible when he is in the water), or I can just walk off and he will follow after a minute. Well, he swallowed another rock this year. He died for almost a minute in surgery (from the anesthesia) and came back. After many complications, he is back. Not only did I not know where he swallowed this rock, I didn't even know he did! This is like a self-reinforcing behavior. In conjunction with putting a muzzle on, I still would like to train him to "hate" rocks. So that he would not want to touch them or play with them whether I am around or not. I think he may swallow a rock if he had it in its mouth and I approach him. Out of frustration, I presented him with a rock, and then say, "Do you want it?" When he showed interest, I stuffed it in its mouth (my hand holds the rock tight so he can't accidentally swallow it) and near the throat. (I know this is not positive reinforcement but I was not thinking straight). He struggled a bit. Then I put the same rock on the ground and kicked it (he was on leash). He didn't want it. I did this a few times and he seemed not want to touch them (but then only when I am around). (1) Did I do something bad and confuse him more? (2) I need to know a proper technique as the last thing he needs is to be more confused. And he just can't go through another surgery. Any suggestions? Answer: You already know that this is a self-created problem. It's always harder to fix a problem than to do correct training from the beginning. The only solution (in my opinion) is a shock collar. You need a collar that is waterproof like the Tri Tronics collars made for field trial retrievers (i.e. Pro 100). Then you don't even say anything about the rocks, let it be self-discovery. If you use your voice to warn him he will associate the shock with you, if he gets shocked for touching a rock without you saying anything then the problem came from the rock.
Qustion about Alternative Choices: You have a very informative site. Thank you for your open and honest opinions. I will implement some of your suggestions if I ever find myself a witness to another dogfight. I notice that you seemingly have little hesitation at telling people to kill their dogs when you have no other remedy for their situations. Have you any experience with natural medicine, i.e. herbs and homeopathic, in treating some of the symptoms and causes of those symptoms, such as fear? For the patient and consistent dog owner, who have a good insurance policy if the dog bites someone, perhaps intelligent exploration of such remedies and cures is an alternate answer to killing their beloved family pack member? I would be glad to correspond with those seeking such information. I have been a state and federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator for 20 years, and have never yet had the need to etherize even one animal! I currently have a male German Shepherd Dog (SchH II) standing at stud. While not an expert in animal behavior, I do absolutely believe that there is more than one cure for every imbalance (illness, disease, behavior problem) and as leader of my own pack, the responsibility to find and provide cures is as much a part of my job description as providing food and protection. Thank you. Answer: I would hesitate to offer the advice that you talk about. Number one, I don't know anything about it, number two, I don't place a lot of faith in it, (agreed probably conflicting statements). I don't tell a lot of people to put a dog to sleep, those I do are dogs that I consider dangerous and in the hands of incompetent people. I am and always will error on the side of a human or a kid when it comes to dogs that bite people. My experience is that 99.999% of these dogs are not going to be changed with herbs. It's one thing to rehabilitate wildlife and 100% something else to deal with dangerous dogs with temperament problems. But I will also post this to my web site and if people feel the urge to try a herb instead of strong obedience training, they can give it a shot.
Question about Aggressive Dog: Mr. Frawley, I have a 6-year-old German Shepherd named Caro. About a year ago, we sent him to be professionally trained over the course of a month. When Caro came home, his behavior was excellent. We also got two other dogs a few months ago - a Lab mix and an Italian Greyhound - both are puppies. Lately though, Caro has been up to his old tricks again - only at a worse level. He likes to run around and bark at trees, but sometimes he will bite the bark off. Recently he de-barked a 4-foot wide area around the entire tree - the tree may die because of this. Also recently, Caro wondered off and got into a fight with the neighbor's dog - a gentle Golden Retriever. Caro has always played too rough with other dogs showing his dominance. However, he is good to the dogs we own. Is this because he knows they are puppies? We feel that we need to send Caro for another month long refresher course with the trainer again. Do you have any thoughts on this? Would medication help? I have heard there is a Prozac type drug for canines. Thanks for your help, Answer: I can not help you through emails on this. I can tell you that I am 100% against sending dogs away for training. The dogs must learn to mind you, not a trainer. These home away from home sessions are short-term solutions that never last. In other words they are a waste of your money. If this dog has a behavioral problem that can be solved with obedience then you should do it, not an outside trainer. If you would like to learn something about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. But I m |
