Question: Too Old For Training? “My dog is thirteen years old, quite healthy, with no obvious physical defects. I was refused enrollment in an obedience class by a woman trainer who said that a thirteen-year-old dog couldn’t be trained. This trainer is quite well known and has authored several books. I simply cannot accept the…
Question: Obedience Through Hot Sauce? “I’ve heard that pouring hot sauce on a piece of meat will teach a dog to ignore any food found lying on the ground. Is this practice of obedience acceptable? And is it safe?” Answer: No! and No! Any trainer advocating that method had better go back to school. It…
Question: How To Become A Trainer “Could you tell me how I can go about becoming a professional dog trainer? I have trained a few dogs, but none for shows. I love dogs and I want to make my training my profession, but just don’t know how to go about it. I have 4-H experience…
Question: Dog Afraid Of Water “Our 1 ½ year-old German Shorthair Pointer has a water phobia. His mother loves the water, and water doesn’t seem to bother the others that were in the litter. My dog’s pedigree (mostly champions) shows Duals and Field Champions so the problem isn’t there. Our dog is trained, but the…
Question: Ignoring My Commands “I am attending an obedience class conducted by a proficient and talented trainer, but still have a problem with my dog which I consider to be very embarrassing. On heeling, for example, my dog does not pay attention: he forges, he sniffs, and acts as if I’m not even at the…
Question: A Scared German Shepherd “I have a 18 month-old German Shepherd that has been obedience trained. I wanted to take my dog through a “personal protection” class and signed up to have him evaluated. The class is offered by a very highly recommended dog trainer. The purpose of the evaluation was supposedly to see…
Question: Metal Training Collar “I have researched dozens of books and purchased a handful of dog training videos. The one thing I noticed is that many of the obedience training articles and instructions recommend the use of a metal training collar rather than a nylon collar. Can you tell me why? Personally, I own a…
Question: My Samoyed & His Strange Desire For Cow Chasing “I live on a cow farm and my dog is a Samoyed. Every once in a while he gets out and chases the cows and we are afraid that one of the cows will fall and break a leg, or fall and injure the dog.…
Question: Obedience Classes For The Young Puppy “I have a twelve-week old, mixed breed puppy that I want to enroll in obedience training classes. Everyone tells me that my puppy is too young. They say that dogs have to be at least six months old to get into the classes in my town. If I…
Question: Mixed-Breeds & Destructive Behavior “My nine-month old female, all-American dog is very sweet and intelligent, but we have a serious problem on our hands. When we leave her alone in the house, she literally destroys everything in sight. She seems to have a craving for destruction. My mother thinks that the dog does this…