Here are this weeks member Q&A…
Tommy A
Hey to you and your family Robert, hope you all have a good easter. Have you ever trained a Chesapeake bay retriever? Can you tell me with your experience from a lot of different dogs what is your take on the Chesapeake bay retriever. To me they seem to be a little bit tougher and harder than the rest of the retrievers, maybe the right dog for us over the field bred golden Retriever.
Finn
Hello,I’m new to the site so forgive me if my question has already been answered within the site. I’m getting a 4 month old Belgium Malinois pup next month & spending lots of time watching the very insightful training videos so I can give the dog the best start & hopefully a great life long relationship. I’ve one concern which is the introduction of our new pup to my 8 year old cat. I have past experience cohabiting peacefully with both cats & dogs but I’ve never owned a BM. Any tips on the best way to navigate this? My cat hasn’t been around other dogs & is territorial with other cats,Thanks
Andreas
I have a 13 month old GSD (27 kilos) and she pulls like a train every time she sees any cat on the road or even in peoples’ yards. At night she constantly barks and makes noises when she sees a cat on the fence, so I have to bring her inside every night beforeI sleep. Is it possible to stop my high prey drive and high energy dog from violently chasing any cat? If so, how can I do that?
Richard
Before finding your content I focused on obedience and discipline in the first 6 months of having our puppy who is now 8 months old. This has led to great obedience skills when in a safe environment such as our home, but I feel it has also led to a lack of confidence in the dog in new environments and occasionally in interactions with us. For a few weeks I have shifted to allow some more freedom for her to build confidence and a relationship with me and I see the benefits.
Do I focus on this at the cost of some training regression in the short term to continue to build our relationship?
Enzo
Female mal is now 14months. Training was good until 12-13months. Lost food drive and no longer works for food. Issue has been going for 3 months. Can’t figure it out. Stuck and frustrated. Spits up when hand feeding and we have been through multiple brands of kibble. Training is difficult. Best food seems to be the Wild Weenies but they lost value as well. She picked up a parasite Giardia which didn’t help but would think that should have flushed out after the antibiotics. Taking a break. signed her up for a 2-week board and train. Not sure what else to do and hope it won’t be a waste of money
Marketa
Rex my GSD has been learning really well and we are developing his skills with the help of your advice and guidance but in the last few days he has started to become aggressive towards other dogs when they get close. He is pulling heavily towards the other dogs showing his teeth and barking loudly. He is not generally an aggressive dog and I am really unsure whether this is due to him being intact or whether it fear/protection/dominance and I am struggling. He is not food orientated. He is now 40 kilos and he is too strong to be lunging at other dogs.
Marian E
I am the dog trainer at a shelter and have been certified in your Shelter Dog Training Course. Thank you, by the way, it is helping us in so many ways. I have been working with a dog that could be part scent hound, she is a mix breed. My first goal in working with a new dog is getting their attention, and have them constantly wondering what I am going to do next, but when it comes to scent hounds, and this dog in particular, I have a very difficult time. Do you have tips on what I might be able to do in addition to the norm of focus, leash training, etc?
Mariah
Hi, I have a 4 yo Teddy Roosevelt terrier, we got a Malinois puppy 10 months ago. We didn’t do a very good job of maintaining my older dogs position and my terrier never really accepted the puppy. He doesn’t like puppies and I assumed when she got older they would get along because he likes older dogs a lot, but that hasn’t happened. The puppy plays really rough with him and herds him a lot, she also wants to lay with him, but the only time he will be around her is when he’s trying to mount her. Other than that, he gets very irritated every time she’s near. Is it too late to fix this?
Haaris M
How do I lure my dog into heel he struggles to follow my hand.
Carol B
Do you have any advice on training a dog not to bark. I already have a bark collar but is there anything else that would be helpful in training a dog not to bark when using a barking collar
Lois H
Maggie and I play catch for 5-10 minutes twice a day. The surface is large gravel since grass is not available. When we hike in the morning she runs on rocky terrain. I give her Cosequin and Omega Oil but I’m concerned about damage to her joints. I’d like your opinion please. Thank You
Michelle
12MO Weimaraner, Roman-cannot control emotions when guests enter the house. I “place” him but he consistently breaks it due to his excitement. He’s leashed but pulls with all his might to get to our guests for love/attention. It’s very chaotic. I do not allow guests to interact with him. I’ve tried all the traditional training to get him to stop. Any tips? Is it age? It’s almost not worth dealing with him. Easiest thing would be to crate him when having guests, but it doesn’t solve the issue. How do I get him to be indifferent about guests and not care so to speak?
Jay R
Good morning- Next week our 8 week old Tervuren puppy will arrive. My question is- how do you go about introducing the puppy for sleeping in the crate at night. What’s your routine for getting him to settle in for the night with no issues (hopefully). Is the crate near where you sleep if he starts getting anxious? I see you have a new pup as well. I will be following your steps as you train yours. Thank you for all the good advice (I’ve been a member for one year+) you provide!
Geraldine C
I finally found the consult form but it says you have to wait two months…I have a rescue pup that has had a rough start and I am hoping to get guidance from you for him without waiting that long because I feel waiting 2 months will further deepen the issues, esp since he is approx 12 weeks. I’m hoping to clarify what I feel is insecurity/fear and not aggression. He loves to train, does your focus exercises, comes back to me…a super nice pup. But the issues I see, the conflict, is causing his unwanted behavior to escalate…which is why I am hoping not to wait the two months. Thank you
Billy
Hey Robert.
My 4yr old male Mutt Buster is aggressive through the fence to one particular dog. A shar-pei that walks past every day. He barks and alerts to other dogs and people walking by, which we don’t mind cuz of the area we live in; but with this dog it’s next level! The shar pei doesn’t react and minds his own business. The one time we’ve seen the dog out on a walk once and Buster was whining to get to him. When I’m home I can supervise his time outside, but during the day my wife lets him out to go to the toilet for periods of time while she’s tending to our baby.
Cheers mate
Dominic D
My question is guided by your new puppy. How can i know my current dog is ready and capable of having a new puppy in the house? I have a female Mal, we are volunteering in SAR.
Jesse C
Hi Robert, How would you go about acclimating a nervous dog to a nail grinder like dremel or grimars multi speed cordless nail grinder.
Jessica
Hi, when I am at the shelter and I go to get a dog out of the kennel to go to the play yard what should the process be? Do I even ask for anything? Ex. We have a larger dog that is very strong and he jumps all over you, tries to push through you to get out, pulls all the way and lunges at dogs. Do I try anything or just get him to the yard and then work with him? Do you even ask anything from the dog when they are that elevated? Thank you!!
Myles
My 12 month old, half golden retriever half german shepherd puppy has always been very calm, loving, patient boy. He has always been a little uneasy around strangers but he mainly just hid and barked while he hid behind me. He got neutered 3 weeks ago. Ever since then he has been on high alert. He barks at people he used to be at ease with, growls at anyone outside the family, has lunged at kids twice, has never tried to bite or anything like that but seems much more skittish and fearful than before. Is this normal and can it be reversed? I am afraid he might become aggressive.
Ravi
Our friends’ dogs seem to have become uncomfortable around my 4 year old GSD, they were fine before. This is happening with various dogs, some we know better than others. My dog is not doing anything, and is staying away from them showing little interest. I know dogs can pick up on tension etc which is why I always try to stay relaxed. My question is are the other dogs picking something up from him that’s making them uncomfortable? Is this a thing?
