• I have a four year old standard poodle. In most ways he is a delight, but when I try to take him in the car, he barks at male joggers and other dogs. It makes the ride harrowing. My car is too small for a crate, and the seat belt harnesses marketed for dogs don't seem to fit him well. Is there a way to train him to be better behaved in the car?
  
  
• We have a four month labrador puppy who has a bad habit of digging holes anywhere grass/sand/dirt. Can you advise anyway we can stop this please. I tell her No she will stop then start again somewhere else, they are pretty deep and could cause an accident.
  
  
• I have a boxer and I like to walk him early in the morning. Every time we see someone he goes crazy trying to get off the leash. How do I teach him to ignore other people?
  
  
• ...we recently bought a Golden Retriever puppy because we were concerned about the inevitable day we know will come when Bo passes on. Bo is having a difficult time adjusting to life in "his" house with a now 7 week old pup. ... He has been growling at the pup and in one case actually went after the pup.
  
  
• I have an older dog that I am now having to crate and she is barking excessively in the crate. Any suggestions would help ?
  
  
• My wife and I are in the market for a small dog. We both work from 7:30 to 3:30, and therefore would like to keep the dog inside. After a lot of information on the Internet, we like the West Highland White Terrier. Do you have any suggestions on choosing a dog? If we get a dog does your service house train dogs?
  
  
• Do you have any recommendations about how to bring a new puppy into the home of a four year old dog (small 14 lb. dog) who does not like other dogs? She barks and snaps, but doesn't bite. She also is pretty spoiled and is only bothered by dogs when they're in our house. Would it be easier to buy a dog more her size, smaller or larger?? Thanks for your help.
  

Question: I have a four year old standard poodle. In most ways he is a delight, but when I try to take him in the car, he barks at male joggers and other dogs. It makes the ride harrowing. My car is too small for a crate, and the seatbelt harnesses marketed for dogs don't seem to fit him well. Is there a way to train him to be better behaved in the car?

Answer: Yes there is hope. There are many tools available to help you with your car maniac. The simplest and first thing you should try is having your dog wear a muzzle while riding in the car. Have him ride in the back on the passengers side. You will need two leashes. A light weight cotton leash 6 feet long you will run through the loop that the back door latches to. Hook the handle loop of the leash to the leash clasp at your dogs collar. Now his leash is only 3 feet long and securely attached to the door. If you still have a problem then you will need to begin correcting your dog for his misbehavior. The correction for everything is exactly the same, you catch your dog by surprise and immediately let him know what a good dog he is... This sounds confusing, I know, however it works fast and well. Your dog will look to you for a solution to his problem and not as the cause. It's " No! Good dog ". The best way to correct your dog in this situation would be to have the second leash attached to a training collar. drape the leash across your lap while you are driving. When your dog goes ballistic in the back seat you should not say a word. You do not want to warn him that you are about to join the game. Just pick up the leash and give a good quick correction. This will catch your dog by surprise. When he looks at you wondering what just happened you should smile and tell him what a good dog he is. Be up and positive and let him know that you are very excited about this game of his, Barking at people while in the car. You hope and pray he will do it again as soon as possible so you can join in on the game. Cruse around looking for as many opportunities as possible until your dog decides that he still loves you but believe your game is no fun. Each time you pass a dog or any distraction that previously would set you dog off and he behaves, be sure to praise him well. Look at this like a video game. The dog is just not allowed to move to the next level until it proves it is competent at the current level.

Question: We have a four month labrador puppy who has a bad habit of digging holes anywhere grass/sand/dirt. Can you advise anyway we can stop this please. I tell her No she will stop then start again somewhere else, they are pretty deep and could cause an accident.

Answer: A four month lab pup has no business running loose unattended. When you are with your dog keep a leash on him so you can easily catch him at will. When you are not able to supervise his activities he needs to be locked up. Outside he needs a secure dog run. Use this when you are not at home. Inside he needs a dog crate. Use this when you are at home. He only comes out of his crate or his run when you are there and able to carefully manage his activities. Any other approach just allows him the opportunity to guess wrong, hence the mine field you used to call your yard......You should manage his activities
carefully this way for the next 18 to months or more.....He will not be considered an adult until he is at least 3 years old. During these developmental years if you just turn him loose and cross your fingers he will burn your house to the ground. He behaves this way for no obvious reason. To him it just seemed like a good idea. Oops, Sorry..... They do not just grow out of this behavior.. Left unchecked it will only get worse and you will wind up taking the crisis management approach. (Waiting until he screws up and trying to punish him in hopes he will not screw up again). That approach only damages your relationship and causes your dog to hesitate to come when called. Your dog will actually begin to fear you.. When called he will wonder if you are calling him because you love him or because he is in trouble. This hesitation usually causes you to become irritated. Believe me your dog recognizes your tone and will try to dance around in hopes that you will calm down. This begins to infuriate you and your dog then decides that he was right and that this is definitely not a good time to come to you and that maybe he should just leave and come back later. Now you are chasing your dog down the street. The wrong approach only causes problems....
So, if you are not able to be there to guide your dog down the right path, rewarding proper behaviors with love and praise, just put him into a time out.
You will find multiple opportunities through the evening, even if it is just for a few minutes, to love and encourage him to be have correctly. When you are done send him back to his crate.

Question: I have a boxer and I like to walk him early in the morning. Every time we see someone he goes crazy trying to get off the leash. How do I teach him to ignore other people?

Answer: Have him wear a pinch collar so you can really catch him by surprise when he ignores you and lunges after the other dogs. Carry his breakfast with you so you can pay him well for his attention. You want him to think that when he sees other dogs on your morning walk that the best idea is to pay extra attention to you because he collects his morning meal.... Use something like hot dogs, chicken Mac or Bil-Jac. The appearance of other dogs means rewards from you.

Question: ... Bo is now 10+ and our son is very attached to him, we recently bought a Golden Retriever puppy because we were concerned about the inevitable day we know will come when Bo passes on. Anyhow, whether we made a good or bad decision remains to be seen. Bo is having a difficult time adjusting to life in "his" house with a now 7 week old pup. { we got the pup at 6 weeks, last Saturday } He has been growling at the pup and in one case actually went after the pup. BO HAS NOT GROWLED OR SHOWN AGGRESSION TO ME, MY WIFE OR SON. I have some questions: Is this normal and will it stop at some time ? What can we do to expedite the development of the relationship between Bo and the pup ? Can you help us with some training .... either by coming here for a private lesson or by us bringing one or both of them to you ? I planned on attending one of your classes in the near future, when I thought the pup was old enough ..... but I think I need to solve the problem I discussed above, first. CAN YOU HELP US ??????????????

Answer: Howard, It is great to hear from you after all these years. I am happy to hear Bo's life has gone well. It is very sad that dogs have such a short life span. If you feed him fresh food, add vitamin C and mineral supplements it is possible to extend the length and quality of his final years. My Springer spaniel Buddy will be 16 this summer.

Bo should adjust to the new pup in time however the old boy needs a break from the exuberance of the your new pup. keep your new pup crated or gated away from Bo unless you are right there to teach it how to behave. If you have the pup drag a tag line it will be very easy for you to quickly manage its activities.

Question: I have an older dog that I am now having to crate and she is barking excessively in the crate. Any suggestions would help ?

Answer: Practice sending your dog into it's crate and having it stay there with the door open for just a few seconds before calling it out.

Heel around in a circle and then repeat sending the dog into it's crate again. Each time quietly praise it for waiting for you to call it out again.

Repeat this many times (6). Each time have your dog wait just a little longer. Remember to praise quietly, maybe with a food treat, for patiently waiting.

Now drop the leash and go sit down. If your dog leaves the crate before being asked, pick up the leash, then say no and direct the dog back into the crate. Praise again with food and then drop the leash and go sit down.

While waiting or working on stay, do not look at the dog. No eye contact.

Try to return and praise again before your dog has a chance leave the crate. You want to catch it being successful and praise it for the progress. Try reading or working at your desk or watching TV.

When you are no longer willing to give your dog this undivided attention simply close the door and go about your business. The crate needs to be close at hand. At least in the same room. It will only frustrate your dog further if you exile it in another room like the laundry room or the garage.

This method focuses on positively reinforcing staying, and being quiet in the crate. The very best way to apply a negative reinforcement to the manipulative barking is to catch your dog by surprise. Imagine the sensation of tripping when walking backwards. That is the reaction you want from your dog when you say no. It's the best correction there is. You want your dog to gasp and look at you with its heart pounding. At that moment you should quietly smile and say "Good Dog No Barking". Then look away and pretend to focus on something else.

Now, to get such a reaction you will need to startle the dog some how. Try sharply striking the top of the crate. Pop the top of your desk, or stomp your foot on the floor. At the very instant you create the loud startling noise you should say "NO!" Again when your dog stops the manipulative behavior and refocuses on you, you should quietly say " Good Dog NO Barking " and then look away and go about your business.

Sometimes a shaker can and will get through better than any thing else. Start by tossing the shaker can at the crate. The instant it strikes the crate you should Command "NO". This works like ventriloquism. You are taking the word "No" to your dog on the can. Soon you will only need to vigorously shake the can and say "NO". After a while all you will need to do is ask if any one has seen your can.

Don't forget to praise quietly for progress. If every few minutes you return and praise for calm quiet behavior you will begin to develop a calm and quiet dog. The very last thing you want to do is give up and let the dog out of the crate because it is driving your nuts. This will only teach the dog to continue to drive you nuts until it gets what it wants.

Question: My wife and I are in the market for a small dog. We both work from 7:30 to 3:30, and therefore would like to keep the dog inside. After a lot of information on the Internet, we like the West Highland White Terrier. Do you have any suggestions on choosing a dog? If we get a dog does your service house train dogs?

Answer: Yes, House Training is a major part of my programs.

When selecting your dog, you should look around and interview as many breeders as possible to get a feel for what you should really be hearing. You can talk to breeders of any breed to educate yourself about the process. I have trained countless Westies here in Dallas and I find them to be delightful. Occasionally I see one that is very dominate and even aggressive.

Always ask for a written return policy on temperament and health. If the breeder cannot stand behind his pups, you should just move on. AKC puppy papers are delivered with the pup. Try to select your puppy at about 6 weeks of age and insist the breeder keep it for at least 2 more weeks.

Take your new pup to a Vet within 48 hours to insure you are getting a healthy dog and to begin it's vaccination schedule.

Question: Do you have any recommendations about how to bring a new puppy into the home of a four year old dog (small 14 lb. dog) who does not like other dogs? She barks and snaps, but doesn't bite. She also is pretty spoiled and is only bothered by dogs when they're in our house. Would it be easier to buy a dog more her size, smaller or larger??

Answer: Young pups tend to drive older dogs nuts. Carefully supervise your new puppy and give your older dog a break Keep your new pup on a leash or crated until thing are going well. This could take months.