Video is at the bottom of the questions.
All questions and are copied and pasted from the original messages.
Daniel
Hey Robert, New member here, wondering if you have any tips to stop dogs retreating to their handler during play? My grandma recently got a 2y/o beagle/terrier rescue and when she plays with my 6m/o shepherd/husky puppy they always seem to end up right at her feet or in between her legs and I’m worried she will get knocked over or hurt. Any advice would be appreciated. Both dogs are female. Seems to be my dog who initiates traveling back to grandmas legs. Thanks from Saskatchewan
Jamie
What type or brand of dog bed, do you prefer for a German shepherd? We already have a doggie bed (cheap & bought it when she was a pup) in her crate. Since she’s bigger & going to be inside her crate more, while I’m at work, I want to ensure she is as comfortable as possible. Thank you so much for taking the time to help all of us, with training our Pups. You’re amazing and have so much knowledge to share. Hope you and your family are staying safe in this crazy world.
John D
Could you use the e-collar to train a dog not to get into the trash? If so would you use an adverse approach to block that behavior? I am curious to know how I should approach this because the last thing I want is for him to start barking or growling at the trash can, that could become problematic. Right now we are just in the beginning stage of e-collar training, so it hasn’t even been turned on yet. Normally anytime he gets near the trash can I tell him to leave-it and it works for the moment.
Dani
My 1y.o. Catahoula has become reactive towards dogs especially around our house & neighborhood. I try to avoid areas where we might see a dog, but it has escalated so quickly that we have stopped walking for now. She goes from 0-100 in seconds which makes it difficult to control surprise situations. I will work to counter-condition this, but is there anything else I could/should try differently in our neighborhood to help work through her insecurities? She normally walks on a prong w./out any issue.
Matthew
We usually Give My 3-4 month Malinois a bath but he is always moving around and doesn’t stay put and sometimes whines. I give lots of treats to him while taking a bath although the second i dont give him treats he moves again he gets uneasy. I am not sure if this is the right approach by giving him treats, we wanted to make him stand still while taking a bath. (FYI we use warm water)
Hannah
She absolutely hates the kennel and has escaped many and destroyed the others. I am worried for her safety (breaking teeth or eating something toxic). When put in her kennel, we have tried treats, toys, kongs, making her stay in her open kennel while I leave the room(she stays in there, but cries the entire time), we never responding to her when she whines and nothing seems to work. We have been trying these and other recommendations you have had on YouTube and podcasts for approaching a year.
Yan
Thanks a lot for your helpful and generous dog training information. I have two female GSDS,one is 6 yrs,another is 5 1/2 yrs.When the older one sniffing inside our house or backyard,the younger one will walk away or growl.But outside our property,they can sniff the same spot nose to nose without any problems.should I correct the younger one’s behavior or manage the older one to avoid sniffing?
Javier B
Robert I’m back. I know I want to feed my dog raw. Whether that is 100% raw or a ratio of raw and kibble. Question is, if I’m doing a ratio of the two, is it better to mix the two. Or feed raw at one meal and kibble at the next. I have heard this helps digestion of the food since raw and kibble digest at a different pace. Also what is your take on feeding in the crate. Are you firm on every meal taking place in the crate during crate training? Also any secrets you know about doberman’s 😉 thx!
Terry D
I write this with a heavy heart. We just lost Nicki our 3 yr old miniature Dachsund very unexpectedly. As we are hurting as a family so is Jango a 9 month Belgian Malinois. He lies in her spot, stairs out the windows and barks. We try to refocus him with toys and basic obedience work. Any other recommendations? Thank you for the video on grieving the loss of a pet. Also any advice if we decide to add another wiener dog puppy in the future with a dog friendly teenage malinois?
Bali A
Hi Robert – I have a 11 month male GSD who is now ‘randomly’ lunging and barking at other dogs. He weighs around 80lbs and pulls like a freight train! Find it difficult to correct using flat martingale and my wife is unable to control him. I have been advised by the ‘positive only’ police to use a HALTI headcollar, please can I have your views on these? Do they actually change behavior, or should I be considering a choke or prong? If so, what size as still growing. Thanks in advance. KR, Bali
Jack A
Hey Robert, our 14 week GSD puppy constantly sniffs the ground when walking. Particularly bad in our area, as the city is full of rubbish/food on the floor. Am I expecting too much focus from such a young pup? – perhaps I should drive her to less distracting areas. Ideally we would like to walk around our local neighborhood. Thanks!
Vicki
My 6 month old Belgian Malinois has all of a sudden turned bored when doing a quick obedience session. I try to keep sessions 5 mins long max and keep them engaging but as soon as I start The session he will yawn and ignore me, roll around in the grass, etc. I correct him straight away and sometimes have to even move him into the position I’m asking for. I’ve trained him every day since getting him at 12 weeks, so don’t know what I’ve done wrong.
Matthew
Hello Robert, I usually hold/grab the scruff of their neck when correcting my puppy then associate the word “no”, if they bite on things that they shouldn’t be biting inside the house or if they are being disobedient. I wonder if they will get angry when I do that to them still once they get to the adult phase, will they be aggressive towards me? (He actually is getting better when doing these physical corrections now, but sometime if i’m not around they tend to sneak-in and bite/grab some stuff)
Question is, if I’m doing a ratio of the two, is it better to mix the two.Robert Cabral
Arvid J
Hi Robert, what are we to expect when it comes to loose leash walking? Is the goal having the dog always on a loose leash, or is the goal to have a dog that when she gets to the end of the leash she retracts or give in to the pressure without straining against and start pulling. Thank you
Joanna S
Our 1 year old Mal mix goes crazy when me and my husband hug, she barks, jumps on us, starts mouthing our hands, today she grabbed my elbow pretty strong. What is the best way to handle it. We tried ignoring her, including her, yelling NO, having her sit calmly next to us and rewarding good behavior, but no success. He works 24 our shifts so when he comes home she gets very excited.
Nick
Hey Robert I have a question on my inside management. I have a crate that I keep inside a pen for my 7 month cocker spaniel. At times it works well but when he wants out, he howls and if in the pen jumps up on the wall or plastic crate to scrape with his paws. I immediately correct him. Should I get rid of the pen and just use the crate and by correcting him is that the cause of his behavior to get attention?
Alex
If I remember correctly I think have heard you say you don’t have a specific age for when to start using tools such as an e-collar or prong but I was wondering what are some things that I could look out for to indicate if my puppy is ready. I’d like to primarily strengthen her recall. I also plan on doing a lot of research on how to use the tool properly before even attempting to use it on her. She turns 6 months in 2 weeks.
kyle m
Hey Robert, I have a 5 month old, 50lb female bully puppy. I can get her to walk on a loose leash but when we run into other dogs she completely zero’s in and all training goes out the window. I try to take her away from the distraction and give her a command or continue moving but all she wants to do is pull towards the distraction even if I am offering her a high value reward (cheese) any tips would be greatly appreciated!
