Mary,
Hi Robert and Janet. You asked for an update on short-leash pulling in my 5 month old female German Shepherd mix. I have ditched the harness as you suggested and I bought a slip lead. It’s not working at all. It doesn’t remain high on the neck, I can’t keep her on one side of me so that it’s properly aligned and she chokes herself with it terribly. Today I tried to practice with it again and she started biting on it, which is completely new behaviour. I have also been trying with her regular collar and I can’t make it work. I try the about-turn method but we end up just spinning around each other with me yanking on her and her choking and rasping. However on the forest road with the 30-foot line we are making great progress. I am able to pop it from a distance to deliver a correction and she understands and now there is almost no pulling with the long line on our 4 kilometer walks and she is easily learning directional commands and is very in-tune with me. But I have to get the short-leash pulling under control because we have to walk a very short distance on the regional highway to get to the forest road in winter and she is starting to lunge at cars and trucks and she is already strong. Treats are of no use in this scenario. I am literally afraid she could pull me under a 10-wheeler and my efforts to keep her close are a big strain on my whole body. Someone on the site suggested I drive to the forest road but she absolutely hates getting in the car. Should I try a prong collar or e-collar and, if so, could you tell me specifically which model to buy? Thank you SO much for your help.
Luv4Sibes
I usually foster dogs until they’re adopted. But a recent change in my schedule prevents me from being able to foster long term. Last weekend I fostered a Pit mix that has been at my local shelter for 9 mos. just to give him a break for a couple of days. In your opinion, are short stays in a foster home beneficial for shelter dogs or detrimental since the dog must return back to the shelter environment? I’m getting both praise and criticism for doing so. I want to do what’s best for the dog.
Amir
Hi Robert, you are the best. what’s your opinion about a structured walk? the dog is near the foot, with the distance between the grip on the leash and the collar being about 10 inches? i have seen people and trainers walk like this mostly with high pray drive dogs. of course with a lot of breaks. Is this a good exercise for walking with a reactive dog? God bless the ridgeback’s owners like me. My ridgeback is a very energetic and dominant dog but I love him just like a child. and god bless you.
Esche S
Hello Robert
I got a bounding problem with my 10 month old Dutch / Mal !
I want to start Schutzhund training but I’m , not at all , his first choice of friend .
My 9 year old Great Dane is his best buddy !
He listen to me and works for me but only cause he has to not just want to
I would like to build a really good relationship with him so we can train together and I can be the best handler for him . We play tuck but he is not to much interested then to the other dog and catch sometimes.
Jenn G.
Ryka is my 10 month female BM~adopted at 4 months with 3 prior homes. We train daily at home, with formal group weekly and private trainer twice a month. There are times she decides to guard an object, or not to respond to a command while in prey drive. In both instances she may (not always) growl, lunge at me, or snatch/nip at clothes. It appears to be frustration about the command. It appears she does not want to comply. I stand firm and walk towards her with command. Any advice or insight?
Christina
Hi Robert!
What are your thoughts on pairing an EZ educator w/ a recall for a reactive dog with a bite history?
A friend frequently does off-leash activities with her rat terrier mix, but he occasionally is triggered and has circled and bitten at least 4 ppl (that I know of). I suggested that she NEVER have him off-leash until this gets controlled, but e collars have helped my Pitbulls overcome reactivity, and in the event that I’m ignored, can e collars also be paired to recall and reactivity?
Nilkamal
I did the classic mistake. Bought a cheap e collar, didn’t really do the conditioning phase(unintentionally). I really enjoyed your podcast with Larry Krohn & I researched about him & found his book. I now know where I went wrong and how much I misinterpreted your e collar videos. I ordered from the US a Mini educator & took off the garbage collar from my 1yr old gsd for nearly a month now. The new collar is uber expensive in my currency. Should I get the winged cpads too or try 1st with regular ones?
Drew
A highly recommended trainer came to our home, placed a prong collar on our almost 2-year-old Goldendoodle, & taught us about “pack mentality”. Said to leave the prong collar on at all times except when she is alone or in her crate. Also, said to do the “Snap Praise Drill” 5 times/day. I cannot find ANY information on this drill online & feel concerned he led us astray. I stopped doing the drill. Do you know what this is? Is it bad? We feel concerned we shouldn’t have listened to this trainer.
Jude P
Looking for some guidance on feeding my dutch shepherd. He is an extremely picky eater and wanted to try a raw or fresh cooked diet that will not break the bank. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Andrew H
I have a Malinois breeder that has a couple of puppies born 31st Jan and another litter expected in April. I’m wondering at what age I should pick up a puppy. The breeder is willing to take care of the vaccinations or will let me depending on the age of the puppy.
Carol P
Structure/training is going very well! We keep them apart 99% of the time. We have let them have supervised play. In order to make them successful as adults can you give us guidance for how you would structure their together time now? When my daughter and I have them outside on long lines, and they’ve seen each other (from afar), we have each been able to get a recall in spite of their excitement. One plays rougher than the other. 8yr old Daisy(who loves them) plays w/ them individually.
Debbie
Hello, I have a 2 yr old female German Shepherd (new to us one month ago) that really likes to eat grass. If I would let her, she would graze like a horse. The greener the grass the better. Should I not be bothered by this behavior or if I should, how do I stop it? She does not get sick after eating it.
Susan
My 14 week Bullmastiff puppy reliably follows sit, stay, down, heel, drop-it and “no” when he’s with me alone. However, if we’re out on a walk, and he sees someone, he becomes out of control, no matter the high-value treats I have. It’s the same when guest come over; he goes wild jumping and struggling against the lead – harness or H.S. choke collar. He’s 40 lbs. now, so soon I won’t be able to restrain him. I’ve tried practicing in places like Home Depot, but see no improvement. ?
Sabine
Do you use the concept of marking and rewarding the dog for looking at a trigger (e.g. squirrel)? I think the rationale behind it is that the dog will eventually start looking for a treat every time it sees a distraction and won’t chase? A trainer I used to work with told me to do this but it resulted in my BC just getting more fixated on things and still taking off to chase. Do you use this method and if so do you think I just did it wrong because it didn’t change her focus? Thank you!
Bettina
Hi Robert and Janet! I have a just turned one year old Malinois named Tilda and overall she is doing great and turning into a really fun dog. However, when she wants to play fetch she will bring a toy over and bark at me. Is the best route to fix this barking to correct her on her prong or to simply ignore it and not give her the attention? Thanks in advance!
Irene V
I always reward my dog for behaviors I like and got into a habit of always rewarding her when she checks in with me. It’s gotten to a point where I tell her ‘break’, she explores for a minute, then comes back to me, stares at me, and won’t leave until I tell her ‘break’ again or start walking. I guess I don’t mind because it’s better than having her ignore me, but should I keep rewarding her every time she comes to me? It’s like she’s become a magnet where I release her and she always comes back.
QualityMike
Jackson – same dog I asked about 2 weeks back. Things are going well (he is very dominate on the walk, mouthing and always trying to control) the specific issue today is while on a walk when I stop, he moves in front of me and will only stop facing me. How do I get him to stop beside me? Seems to be a control issue with him. Also, if I deny him an area that he wants to go to, (up on the picnic table) this seems to set him in a disobedient mindset (mouthing my shoes, clothes etc.) Thanks.
Michelle B
Hi Robert, thank you for all you do for our dogs and for continuing to show the benefits of balanced training!
I am also a balanced trainer, and have recently started using the HS Neck Tech usually use original prong & was wondering what your thoughts were on the Neck Tech? Are there situations you would and wouldn’t use it? Do you think it differs much from the original prong collars? Look forward to hearing your opinion on this 🙂 Thanks again and God bless you, Janet and your awesome pack!
Dom
My 6 month old German Shepherd Husky mix will randomly start jumping and biting at me when I am walking him or taking him outside for bathroom. He is a very sweet dog but it seems like he goes through temper tantrums randomly. What could be causing this? When this happens I have to pick him up to take him inside because he will not stop biting or jumping. It seems to be getting more frequent and I don’t know what to do. Thank you for your help!
PJ
You have the best and MOST useful as well as informative site. I am intrigued by your recent video on treadmills. Will you have the one demonstrated available thru your site? The 2 on site are n/a. This elaborate one appears to be most efficient and safe. Here in Canada, weather conditions are not conducive to the exercise my GSD pup requires. He slipped on the ice underlying the snow ( I fell but yes, I am a certifiable Klutz ) . I train 2x daily but with it he would benefit even more.
Heather
Hello, I am trying to paint a clearer picture in my head of how to crate train my upcoming German Shepherd puppy. I understand that I should take him outside to relieve himself every 2-3 hours during the night, and am wondering if he is sleeping whether I should wake him up to do so or let him sleep. Any guidance would be appreciated.
Mychael
Need help with getting a 3 year old GSD to stop running off/charging at other dogs or people even with e-collar. He doesn’t always do it with people but almost 100% of the time runs off to another dog. He is not aggressive but perhaps he’s being territorial? It looks scary to people who don’t know him. I’m worried about him knocking someone over or running into the road to “greet” another dog and getting hit by a car. He is very social and loves to play with dogs and people.
Esther
Trying to retrain a 2-5 yr old rescue Mal with a history of wire biting and anxiety to be comfortable in a crate. Followed your instruction and he is glued inside the crate when the door is open and there is a chance of food but closing the door sets him off, whining, barking, having accidents. He ignores filled kongs. I never reward the behavior. Still eats anything he can grab so I can’t slowly get him used to it – he must be locked in 4 hrs daily and it feels like all recent progress is lost.
Jess
Hi Robert! Wanted to say thank you to you & your team for all of your help & contents! I wanted help with my gsd & took your advice. I found a trainer at an igp club here in the UK who is also a world champion. I’m just starting out in the sport & they’ve recently taken me on as a trainee to become a dog trainer. I’m so excited about this opportunity & everything I’m going to be learning. Without your advice I wouldn’t be where I am now. I have to cancel my membership. Goodbye for now. Thank you
Angela
Our 16wk gsd/Mal mix is doing great with her luring and shaping, which has helped behavior issues greatly, so thanks! However, often she’ll be chewing a bully stick or playing sweetly and then a sudden switch occurs and she starts biting me or my husband aggressively. Is this just puppy teething type behavior or should I be concerned? It’s like she’s Dr Jykel and Hyde sometimes and I’m not sure this is normal… Thanks for your help!
Lois H
My GSD Maggie is a free spirit who loves to run. I live in the desert, and with your help we have excellent off leash control. I will soon attend rattlesnake avoidance school with her. There will still be risks, though. Should I continue what I’m doing in the desert or stick to on leash in the neighborhood? She does really well on leash but the joy she and I both experience in the desert would be greatly missed. Are there other steps I can take to keep her safe? “
Tristan
Hey Robert! My Mal, Loki can be a bit of a mule at times. Often when I give him commands he’ll wait until the last possible second to do them (unless he’s in super high drive because he sees I have a ball or something). I’m know that he definitely knows what I’m asking. For example at times I’ll tell him to “platz” and he’ll just stare at me, but as soon as I say “no” he knows a correction is coming and will lay down then. Any advice on fixing this lag between command and reaction?
Michelle C
We are in a bit of a dilemma. We are fostering a 9 month old GSD. When we first picked him up (December 2021), he was a super sweet, adorable, gentle puppy. We had him neutered. We started taking him for walks when he was healed and noticed aggressive behavior seeing strangers & other dogs. We have an 18 month old Belgian they are inseparable. W/in the last 3 weeks he has started w/ resource guarding/food. He’s bitten me 3 times.The rescue now deems him unadoptable & wants to put him down. Help
