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Member Questions 11-30-25

Robert CabralIACP Hall of Fame trainer3 min readNovember 30, 2025

Katharina

Hello Robert,

I’m a dog owner from Germany and I’m very impressed with your training videos; they make a lot of sense to me. I’ve had dogs for 26 years, including two Caucasian Shepherds as guard dogs on my stud farm and, successively, four Borzois. All the dogs were wonderful and never caused problems. Except my last Borzoi. She was very greedy and stole food wherever she found it. Which resulted in two cases of poisoning. In 2 Weeks my new puppies will arrive. How can I teach them ​​to eat only what I give to them? Thanks for your time and expertise.

I’m really enjoying watching your puppy videos. In two weeks, two 9-week-old Borzois will be enriching my life. When I’m doing the first short training sessions in the garden with one puppy, what should I do with the other one? She’ll feel lonely alone in the house. In the garden, in her crate, she’ll want to “play” with us. She won’t be used to lying in the car yet. I want to do everything right from the start.

Tommy A

Hallo Robert and family hope you are doing well. First of all I vant to say I am no dog behaviourist or expert. I still think often people mistake drive and frustration for aggression. I think this is the reason Melvin the malinois got rehomed to me. I have dealt with very few aggressive dogs, some of my huskys with a bit of wolf mixed in had dominance driven aggression between themselves. Only one hand dominance and aggression towards humans. This was a very serious dog. My Kangal also has the potential. This looks very different from dogs with frustration problems.

How common is this mistake?

Rachel

I have a 2.5 yr. Male, old Belgian Malinois – we’ve been crate training him since we rescued him 3 months ago. At nighttime, when he’s in the crate, he barks all night. Some nights he’s quiet. However, some night I have to let him out so my husband can sleep for work. We are getting very frustrated since the barking has not ceased after 3 months of consistent crate training. We reinforce the positive crate daily with treats, and he eat his meals in the crate too. How do we fix his nighttime barking? Thanks

We reinforce the positive crate daily with treats, and he eat his meals in the crate too.Robert Cabral

Steve 

My Layla is a real trip! I hand feed this dog because she eats way, way, way too quickly. Now this has become one heck of a bonding experience for sure. Layla is very watchful over every other dog when out on walks. She will amp up aggressively with lunging, spinning and barking, a complete nut. I can shut her down being very relaxed, telling her it’s ok, relax and a NO! Is she guarding me as her resource?? And If so how do we correct that? Should I bring her feeding bowl out with us? See a dog, put bowl down and feed a little from there? Thanks! ~Steve

Katherine 

Hi Robert, I’m considering buying a dog treadmill for extra physical activity for my 2 dogs. My 11-month-old Alaskan Malamute/Pit mix especially has a lot of puppy energy, and I think she would love it. She’s fearless when it comes to trying new things and she is easily trainable. I was thinking the dogPACER brand would be the best fit for her stride. You mentioned the treadmill as part of Schmoo’s routine in a recent video, so I’d love to hear your thoughts about dog treadmills, what you use, etc. Thanks so much!

Robert Cabral with a shelter dog
About the author

Robert Cabral

Robert Cabral has been training dogs professionally for over 20 years. He started in shelters, working with dogs nobody else wanted, and was inducted into the IACP International Hall of Fame for his work in shelter advocacy and canine rehabilitation.

20+Years training
351KYouTube subscribers
2025IACP Hall of Fame

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