QUESTION:

Dear Don,

I wanted to ask a quick question about my dogs and their training/behavior. I allow my three dogs (all females) to romp and wrestle in a field when the weather is nice. They play really rough and grab each other’s necks, but they’re very careful and have never hurt one other or another dog.

QUESTION:

Do you have any extra pointers or advice for bringing a new baby home? I’m expecting my first, due in August. My dogs have done well with your training, although my lab mix has growled at my 8-month-old nephew before when he was crawling on him – to which my dog was properly corrected. Plus, I re-enacted the situation (under extreme supervision with the muzzle) that day. Yet, since that day, I haven’t had another opportunity to train my dogs around small children.

QUESTION:

Hi Don. I love your Perfect Dog DVDs. We bought the whole system. I have a question, though. My standard poodle plays fetch with a Frisbee just like the videos, and she always drops the toy in front of me. But, when she’s tired and done playing, instead of bringing it back she runs out to it and only brings it back a couple of feet. Then she goes to our car (or the door of our house if we’re at home) to signal she’s finished. We can’t seem to get her to bring it all the way back on that last throw. Any suggestions?

QUESTION:

Hi Don. I can’t get any further with the training because my dog refuses to walk with me, and she’s reluctant to come to me at all even when I’m not actually working with her. She’s being a real drag – literally! Will this pass?

The following is a series of exchanges (involving myself and two separate Facebook friends of mine) that will help you understand the difference between effectively subduing dominance according to what I instruct in my Perfect Dog DVDs and initially identifying dominance in a young pack of pups.

In this post I want to highlight some key points about my training tools. My Command Collar and my Freedom Training Lines set are integral components of my Perfect Dog system, however it’s important to keep their individual purposes in mind.

QUESTION:

Hello. I have puppy – 3 months old. We started our training two days ago using your Command Collar. However, now my dog is much more quiet at home and not as active as before. Is this normal behavior?

QUESTION:

My dog Luna doesn’t really have any particular behavioral issues. She was pulling on her leash, but your system fixed that in about 20 minutes. So, my question is this: Do you have a specific schedule you recommend for dogs that are not causing problems? What would you consider the most important commands that a dog should know i.e. the commands that I should teach my dog first?

How much is too much training? Do I need to wait until tomorrow to try again, or can we train in 45-minute increments more than once a day?

QUESTION:

How do I get my dog to understand what the “acceptable radius” is? What do I say when I’m walking her on the Command Collar and “dropped line” and she gets too far in front of me? I don’t want to turn and go in a different direction because I’m afraid I’ll have to correct her and end up making her nervous of walking with me.

QUESTION:

My dog tends to lay down whenever I give him a “Sit” command. What should I do?

QUESTION:

Thanks to your training, my dog has progressed to the off leash level, so I’m able to trust him with freedom when I take him to the park. However, he loves people and other dogs. Although he obeys and stays by my side when he sees them, what do I do when I want to allow him to socialize?

QUESTION:

Don, I have 5 dogs: 4 months old, 3 years old, 2 x 4 years old, and a 10 year old. How do I start training them – one by one, or at same time?

QUESTION:

I love your DVD’s! We have a new puppy (17-week-old terrier mix) that is responding very well. I have a question: Should I try to teach new commands in non-distracting environments and then gradually work them into distracting areas once he’s doing well in calmer areas?

QUESTION:

Hi Don. We have a two-year-old lab (very active) and a 10-month-old lab. We use your system and love it, so thank you. Our 10-month-old had to have a full hip replacement this past Saturday and the orthopedic vet said to limit her walks to 2-3 minutes a couple of times a day. The poor thing is going out of her mind!

QUESTION:

I’ve recently come to own a 6-week-old puppy. Is that too young to incorporate your training? Should I wait a few more weeks? Also, I only have the large Command Collar because he’s going to get big. Will that work?

The following information contains critical information for everyone – whether or not they are dog owners. It’s especially valuable for families with young children.

QUESTION:

Hi Don! I have a friend who just started following your Perfect Dog system and his puppy is already showing results! When he goes to work during the day, he leaves his puppy at one of those doggie daycare centers where the dogs are free to play in an enclosed doggie playground. Will that exposure to other dogs ruin the training he’s done with his puppy?

QUESTION:

Hi Don, I have a 4 month old Beagle puppy and I’ve been working with her with your system for 2 weeks now. She’s doing great and I’ve seen tremendous improvement in her behavior.

QUESTION:

My dog is already an adult – he’s over six years old. I feel like a lot of things are well and truly instilled in him – both positive and negative things, and he’s very stubborn in a number of ways. Any advice for training a strong-willed adult dog?