Hi Melanie,
Young dogs can find it really hard to control their impulses when they are a little too excited, and having you calmly intervene to help guide your dog’s behaviour will help. Make sure you avoid adding energy to those situations (no speaking to or eye contact) as this will only increase he excitement level. If you have guests over then have your dog on-leash initially so you have greater control and can calmly move her out of the room if she becomes too excited. Similarly, if she is getting excited around your children then having a short/long-line attached to her collar will mean that you can very quickly and calmly gain control to help calm her down. When dogs & children are interacting together supervision is vital, as it allows you to guide both as to how they should behave when together. If you can try to keep your dog’s excitement level lower, then she will be less likely to over-react and jump-up or nip/mouth.
If you are a member of my website then remember that we have a fantastic Forum where you can ask for help any time you need it! All the Best, Doggy Dan

Hi Hannah,
Raising puppies can be great fun but it also requires owners to guide their behaviour so they understand what is acceptable and what is not, mouthing/biting being one of those. If your puppy is biting/mouthing you then try to avoid saying anything to her (even ‘no’ or ‘stop’, this is an attention seeking behaviour and if it works then your puppy will continue to do it. Instead, place her in her crate/puppy pen or in another room for a few minutes so that she understands there is a consequence for that behaviour that she may not like. Make sure you remain calm and be prepared to need to give her quite a few time-outs before she starts to use more self-control….particularly if she is over-excited!
You may be interested in my ‘Perfect Puppy Program’, it’s a course I developed to help owners with raising happy and well behaved puppies. My website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com shows you very clearly how to achieve this…maybe take a quick look…its a $1USD trial for 3 days…All the Best, Doggy Dan

Hi Linda,
There is a lot going on with your dog by the sounds of it! If you are feeling frustrated by her behaviour then my website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com is a great place to start as we do cover all of the issues you mentioned…maybe take a quick look…its a $1USD trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan

Hi Susan,
The best motto I have when dealing with unwanted behaviours are to use calm and consistent actions rather than words when responding! Giving too much attention, mainly verbal and eye contact, can actually teach a puppy that the behaviour is working for them. So my advice would be to calmly remove your Lab’s paws from the kitchen counter, without telling her off or making a big fuss. If she repeats the behaviour then maybe pop her outside for a few minutes so that she learns the behaviour backfires on her. It will also help to keep unattended food off counters to reduce temptation!
In regards to her behaviour when she is on a walk my website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com shows you very clearly how to overcome this…maybe take a quick look…its a $1USD trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan

Thanks Matt, glad you enjoyed it! Best..Doggy Dan

Hi Kerry, I’m so sorry to hear about your dog! I hope he is ok and back to full health. Best, Doggy Dan

They indicate that the breed has a reputation for being aggressive & territorial.

Hi Kathy,
I thing the below blog will be the most help for you as it covers how to show Bleu that you are in control of the walk from the moment you even thinks about going. This is a step that most owners miss when it comes to correcting unwanted behaviours on the walk and it really can make a big difference. I also have some blogs about dogs who are reactive towards other dogs so be sure to check those out as well.
http://theonlinedogtrainer.com/doggy-dans-ultimate-guide-to-leash-training/
If you wanted a bit more information then my website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com shows you very clearly how to achieve this…maybe take a quick look…its a $1 trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan

Hi Suzanne,
If you are having technical issues with accessing the website then please get in touch with our Admin Team and they will be able to help you. Also remember that you can ask for guidance and help on the Forum if you need to. You can ask as many questions as you like and there is no such thing as a ‘silly’ question. We are not about judging anyone, we are there to help! Have you had a look at the section on the membership website relating to Separation Anxiety? Keep up the great work….Doggy Dan

Hi Karen,
I had to Google the Treeing Tennessee Brindle as I have not come across too many of them in my work, in fact none! Probably because they are predominantly found in America and are not at all common in New Zealand! There is one thing I always remind owner of dogs who are a little challenging, they really do make us fare better dog owners! The reason being that they teach us just how important it is to be consistent in the way we respond to them and also how important giving them the right information is as well. They are both lucky to have found such a patient and loving home. All the best…Doggy Dan

Hi, Doggydan….signed up for 6months but the forum is so hard for me to access????? this was what I had expected to view questions and answers just great often just to know you are not alone with a problem. Picot a 5 month red toy poodle….full on high energy….very confident…..for 9 weeks been working on daytime separation anxiety…..first break through today have golden rules in place but eating over his plate jumped and took sausage so obviously need to work on those????? I desperately need to be able to be able to leave him occasionally . Regards, Suzanne

Hi Connee,
It sounds like you have a really great group of dogs, and cats, in your home and have laid some really great foundations with their training. There are a few things you mentioned in your post, lets call them minor details, that when addressed can make a big difference in your dog’s behaviour. Maybe have a quick look at my website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com where we talk about this detail in great length…we have a $1 trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan

Hi Corries, thanks for your post!
Teaching children how to interact correctly with dogs is a really important skill to teach them. Not only will it allow them to create a really wonderful relationship with their own dogs but it will also help keep them safe around other strange dogs as well. If you feel that your dogs is getting a bit pushy with your daughter then it is fine for you to calmly step in and guide your dog’s behaviour. There’s no need to get upset or tell your dog off, if you’re consistent she will learn how to behave correctly around your daughter. Keep up the great work….Doggy Dan

Hi Rosa,
The best way to help your dogs over their fear/anxiety of the leash is to practice the routine of putting it on them but break that process down into little steps, mastering each one before moving on to the next. For example practice bringing their leashes out regularly and just carrying them around then house with you, without involving your dogs in any way. This is aimed at desensitising them to their belief that the leash is a negative thing. If they seem calm then place their leash on the ground near you, grab a really high value treat, and call them over to receive it from you. Avoid touching the leash at this point but just get them used to coming to you with the leash in sight. Gradually you will be able to work up to picking up the leash and clipping it onto their collar and walking them a little. I know this may seem a like a painstaking way of working with this behaviour but if you plan to start off slowly then your dogs will likely progress quicker than you expect. Be patient though, they may have a very good reason in their mind to view the leash as a negative thing. Hope that helps! All the best…..Doggy Dan

Thank you! I will try your suggestions.

I have 3 dogs: a 10.5 yr old Rottie/Australian Shepherd, a 5 yr old Dachshund/Cocker Spaniel (?) mix & a 3 yr old Doberman.

Teddie Bear (Rottie) is layed back, prefers women over men, listens well, and prefers to initiate affection. When we go to the dog park, she checks things out & then comes back to lie at my feet. Her main goal in life is to take care of Mommie. She is never far from my side.

Bentley (mixed breed) is a very loving dog. He likes to sleep at my feet no matter where I am. He’s timid when it comes to doling out kisses & has a stubborn streak a mile wide. He doesn’t respond to verbal commands well.

Atilla (Dobbie) is my problem child. He’s very high energy, acts like he’s starved for love & attention, and pushes the other dogs away in an effort to get all the attention. He can be grabby when treats are handed out. The most aggravating characteristic he has is using his head to demand attention. On the plus side, he is very well trained to verbal commands, is very loving, seldom meets a stranger, and most of all, he thinks he’s a lap dog.

I also have 4 cats + a litter of 4 kittens (5 months old). The dogs are all tolerant and protective of the kittens, although occasionally one of them will get a wild hair & the chase is on.

Any suggestions for a 69-year-old woman for how to live peacefully with this zoo?

We have a one year old Australian cattle dog. this is our first dog as a family. She is Nice to people, food motivated, high energy (which we love). She is social. Lives to plat with other dogs. She likes working for us (finding things we hide is her favorite)
People warned us about the diffuculty of the breed but we don’t see the problem. The only thing, She is constantly trying to become the boss of our daughter. We try to learn our daughter a few tricks. Maybe this would be a good video 😉 (how to teach kids to become a leader and make them understand why this is important)

Greetings Corrie (from the netherlands)