Francesco
I have a 4-month-old Malinois (he has not started changing from puppy teeth yet), and I would like to add a second dog in the soon future. I shared a post in the community explaining our living context (here w 600-character limit is hard to include all details). I am looking for advice on which type of dog would be the best match for my Malinois. Specifically, I would like your opinion on whether Bingo—a calm shepherd mix I planned to adopt before Timo joined our family—could be a good fit, or if another profile would be more suitable considering Timo’s age and temperament.
Thank you!
Rod K
I have a now 6 month old female Vizsla: What is a reasonable time or age to expect a behavior of focused heel for a dog. I realize that a focus heel is one of the hardest behaviors to perform because of all the components, I just wonder if I am excepting her to be a lot further along and wonder if my expectations are too high.
Nathan
We have a new Malinois puppy named Cora in our household of 3. She came with some issues we don’t know how to manage.
She’s 15 weeks old 30 pounds, and she will jump and latch on to fabric and use her weight to rip it straight off a person. She ignores everything when doing this: toys, treats, other fabric. She ignores basic shaping/luring, despite hand-feed/work (last 2 weeks). We briefly lowered food intake with no impact (to 4oz/twice day). She gets 2-4 hours of active exercise a day.
I’m concerned because Cora has knocked my mother (70s) down to the ground several times. Advice?
Jim
Hi Robert. I’ve never seen you play fetch with any dog. Do you not play fetch because it teaches dogs to run away from you in pursuit of Happiness?
Ariel
Hey Robert. I just wanted to say thank you for the help over the last year. Without you and our trainer our English Cocker Laszlo wouldn’t have been such a well rounded dog. He still has lots to learn but we get so many compliments when out in public with him, people can’t believe he’s only 1. I wanted to follow up and let you know that we have took your advice and used a crate to reintroduce the cats to him and Laszlo and our younger cat can now coexist. Our 14 y/o cat is still a challenge but his kidneys are failing so i think that has something to do with it. Appreciate everything you do.
Andrew S
Hi Robert, I have a 17 month old unspayed mini dachshund called Tilly. When training in our front garden the occasional dog will trigger her which I know is normal having asked you a question a couple of months ago regarding being territorial. I don’t want her to get in the habit of barking and that dog walking by therefor her barking made it go away. I’m currently using a longline with martingale but also a remote bark collar with a vibrate function that she gets on well with. What course of action should I take if I’ve not been quick enough to intervene before she hits the threshold? Thanks
Gina K
Hi Robert — this is hard for me to ask and I’m honestly pretty shaken, but I trust your understanding of dogs and attachment. I saw a video of a violent home invasion where a 20-year-old was forced face-down on the floor, and his German Shepherd puppy climbed onto his back and stayed there. From a canine behavior and instinct perspective, was that the puppy responding to the human’s fear and vulnerability — attachment, guarding, or pack anchoring — rather than understanding what was happening? And if a puppy survives something like this, does it typically cause long-term behavioral damage, or
Angela
Hello and happy NY! I have a 2YO Belgian, approaching 1 year since rescuing from shelter. We have made progress in training, but I have yet to leave her home alone. I am not worried about destructive behavior, just feel so bad leaving her alone / entertained etc. I am blessed to be able to leave her at my mothers when I am away from home, she has a large backyard and another dog to play with, but don’t want to rely on dropping her off even for the smallest of errands. Any tips / strategies / etc greatly appreciated, thank you.
Steve
Not so much a question, but a follow-up. I mentioned earlier on about Layla and her reaction to other dogs while on walks. Took your advice with toy/food. The toy is out of her thoughts while in reactivity, but we can “shut off” much quicker now with a “Stop” command with a good firm but gentle voice. Turn her around away from trigger and walk off a few feet, a good “Pretty Sit” “Down” and then a “Sit” with a handful of treats. Also you mentioned using a collar. Now using a 2.5 Prong with a quick release connector and implementing a light snap of the leash, perfect! We’re making progress!
Michael B
I have an 8wk old GSD (Roman) and a 3yr old female GSD (Winnie). Roman is doing well with crate training and beginning to offer behaviors, but when he is outside of the crate (and specifically inside the house as opposed to playing outside), he constantly tries to engage Winnie. She’s tolerant and just moves away. I’m not correcting him yet due to his age. Is this simply puppy behavior that resolves with maturity, or should I be doing something more intentionally to help him learn to relax indoors? I was struck by Schmoo’s relaxed behavior in your day 7 video.
Ashlee
Hi Robert! I have a 10m female Jack Russell Terrier with very high drive. Obedience and trick training are going great, but she is guarding toys, and escalating when playing. We are working on “leave it” and “out” with toys and guarding, my biggest concern is the playtime behavior. She starts playing in an appropriate way, but then goes too far and gets aggressive. We have corrected her with a slip lead when she escalates, and that helps for a little bit, but it hasn’t gotten much better. Should we use a different tool?
Gabriele M
Hi Robert, George still wants to bite the leash when working on the recall, and he has destroyed a few. Now he lets go most of the time if I ask him to leave it. I have been giving him a tug toy to carry around when working on long leash recall and that seems to work. He comes all the time when called and then get rewarded with a few seconds of tug, which is loves. I am just not at the point yet removing the long line. Just want your input if this is a good way, or if you have another suggestion. Thank you and Happy New Year
