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Member Questions 6/7/25

Robert CabralIACP Hall of Fame trainer2 min readJune 7, 2025

Ryan W

Hello Robert, we are members and struggling with our 18 month old male Malinois. Basic obedience is very good, inside, until we head out & he sees another dog / human. He reacts extremely aggressively and no command or correction can stop him. He has bitten my wife and I during such outbursts while we are trying to correct him, and more recently attacked a guest in our home, resulting in a bite, luckily it was superficial and no medical attention was needed on any occasion. We have tried corrections on prong collar, e-collar & choke leash. We are very concerned about what to do next.

Lois H

Maggie and I go on a car ride every day. I get to listen to podcasts and she simply loves it. My question is, with the higher temperatures,should I be concerned about the heat bothering her eyes. Our usual speed is 35mph. She is strapped in and likes the middle of the backseat with occasionally sticking her head out the window.

Lina T

Hi Robert, I’m having difficulties with my prong collar. I’ve taken out a few links already. It needs to stay up high & behind the ears, right? When I put the collar on, I make sure Harpo’s(GSD) neckgina (I don’t know what it’s really called) is pulled down with the prong up high behind the ears. It feels secure but gradually it slides down her neck. If I take another link out, it feels too snug but I can still slide my skinny fingers under the collar. She needs like a half link taken out. Is there a method to keep her collar up behind the ears? What is too tight? Thank you for all you do!

Danielle

She quickly lost enthusiasm when she realized she was tied, tried to chew the leash off and just lied down.Robert Cabral

Hello Robert! I hope you two are doing well. I am having a hard time teaching Whiskey to bark on command. I back tied her to a post with a harness and teased her with her favorite toy. She quickly lost enthusiasm when she realized she was tied, tried to chew the leash off and just lied down. I unhooked her and she was much more enthusiastic, offering all sorts of behaviors but not making a single sound. I stayed animated and kept trying. Eventually I had to tell her to do things she already knew so I could reward her for something to end on a positive note. What should I do? Thank you.

Brandon 

Hi Robert, I hope all are doing well. My dog has a specific type of squeaker toy that he absolutely loves. We use it for training and it has been extremely effective even in challenging environments. The problem is that he only responds to this one specific type of toy and that the quality of response wains once the toy is no longer new. We restrict access, he only gets it when we are either training or playing together. My question is, when training like this how long you let a dog interact with their toy? Also any ideas for keeping the enthusiasm without buying a new one frequently?

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
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2025IACP Hall of Fame

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