Christa G
PLEASE HELP! My 2yr old male Red Doberman (not neutered) just attacked my husband out of nowhere with no warning or anything… My husband was sitting on the couch like normal, I believe he had an oinkey chew treat in his mouth. My husband went to pull his arm up from petting him to grab his drink then out of nowhere he attacked his arm. Cut deep, couple puncture wounds and drew a lot of blood. My husband wants to put him down and I need help fast! What do I do?!😢
Scott
Hi Robert.
What is your opinion on grain-free food?
I have been reading some articles on the possible heart problems associated with those products and am considering changing my seven year olds food to one with grains. Thanks.
Lupe
Hello Robert and Janet,
I have a 20 month old bordoodle. He has super soft hair, but wondering if there is any supplements or anything I can add to his meals to make his coat shiny? His coat is rather dull and I’m wondering if he is lacking something in his diet. He currently eats a dry kibble with a mix of wet dog food. What do you suggest?
Thank you!
Emil
Thank you for the great explanation. I thought since Mals are such tough dogs, scruffing would be no big deal. We play very rough and he seems to enjoy that very much.
My follow up is: are there circumstances where such adversarial corrections are more appropriate, maybe when chasing prey? Just wondering if the dog would benefit understanding that the correction is coming from the owner instead of some unknown source (ecollar). My Mal loses it when he sees a rabbit despite multiple exposures.
Bruce
Robert, I just rescued a 9 month old Malinois that has never had a collar or leash on her. What is the best way to introduce it to her. She is OK with the collar and she is OK with the leash hooked to it, but when I take her outside she immediately hits the ground and won’t move. She will try and slip the collar which she has done already, it is a martingale collar too.
Tristan
Hey Robert, any advice for making my 2 y/o mal, Loki more comfortable when boarding him? I’m currently out of the country for a Martial Arts training trip and my girlfriend is going to be joining me. We’ll have to board Loki for ten days, the longest he’s been without us. He was terrified of the previous vet we boarded him at (we switched because they seemed very untrustworthy after not notifying us of an injury). He gets boarded Monday. What can we do to make him more comfortable? Thank you!
Kristina T
Hi, I am wondering when it is a good time to start leash training my female black lab who is just 9 weeks old. I keep loose line on her while we are in our large yard. We live on dirt roads here . Have always kept our older dogs on a leash while walking (a town ordinance-very rural mountainess area here in VT).
Thank you!
Jackie
Hi Robert, i am at a crossroads with my 9 mth working LineGSD. She’s very well behaved with me outside the home and when we train, but at home she doesn’t listen to me. She is constantly playfully mouthing at me. She will listen to my boyfriend when he tells her no, but unless she is on a leash, she doesn’t listen. She always wants to be with me but if I am not giving her attention she will act up and chew things. Aside from leashing her 24/7 and downtime in the crate, anything else I can do?
William Shane J.
AKC Mal 12 weeks -good at all basic commands. Perfect recall and focus.
But wants to the boss and bites with some aggression. Breeder says be tough using force and voice.
So when she acts out how to use force?? If I try and hold her to submission she is dangerous. Doesn’t seem like a good plan to me. Please advise Robert- thank you sir.
Anthony T
hi Robert, thanks for your recent advice about my GSD with hip dysplasia. I’m obviously a subscriber to your site. I currently have 3 x GSDs (19, 15 and 6 months old). My main objective is to have balanced, well behaved and happy dogs, and to that end I’m always wanting to learn as much as I can. I’m wondering if it would be worth signing up for your shelter dog course, given I’m only focussed on my personal dogs. Thanks and keep up the great work. Cheers, Tony
Shahbaz
I am buying a Malinois for personal protection. There are 2 breeders who are also trainers and I am confused between them. Breeder/Trainer 1 is telling that I will give you a 3 day class and then you will be able to raise the puppy for 6 months and if you face any problem you can take 2-3 consultations with me. He is telling that serious bite work will only start after 10 months. Breeder/Trainer 2 is telling that you will have to bring you puppy 2 times every week. who is right?
Axel G
When is it appropriate to start using corrections on a young dog that is not listening to commands? Our dog is 5 months now, and we have been positive only clicker training him so far. He has done all the basic commands many times in various environments, but has no 100% success rate yet. Do you think it is reasonable to start forcing him to obey? If not, when can we start doing that? I am afraid to put too much pressure on him too early.
Irene
A GSD Im working with is extremely reactive in an excited way to ATVs cuz his owners sometimes let him run alongside their ranger cart. It could be 1000 feet away and he will still tune me out completely and whine and bark the entire time its on.Its like I cease to exist if the ATV is on.What is the best way to go about getting him to stay calm when hes not allowed to run with it?Should I let him watch from a distance until he is calm enough for it to get closer,or should I be correcting him?
Katarina
Hi, our family need help with aggressive dog fights. We have two dogs, one is mine and one is our daughter’s, we all live together from last month (in an apartment) and dogs are fighting a lot. They fight over food, toys, space in the apartment, us…they have agressive plays which also end up in fights. We even ended up at the vet at one pint. I don’t think i have to say that we need help ASAP. Would it be possible to talk with you in detail? Thank you in advance. Kind regards, Katarina
Keanan G
Hi Robert. I live in an apt in the city (Seattle) w/ my 4m/o Corgi pup. We’re working on loose leash walking. I practice walking shapes a bit each time I take him out to potty but training this has not been enjoyable for us as he’s constantly yoyo’ing on the leash, or I’m nagging him not to investigate trash on the ground. It’s difficult to keep him engaged for 5+ seconds. I don’t necessarily want him in a focus heel, just close by. How can I make this process more enjoyable for us?
