Frequently Asked Questions

A: Every dog is an individual, with different maturation rates, levels of attention, concentration, and with significantly different degrees of reaction to distraction and stimulation, making it virtually impossible to maintain a productive learning environment in a group setting. Equally, every individual and family is different, and the goal is to harmonize the rapport between these two dynamics -- the dog and the owners -- this is best achieved with personal instruction for the dog and owner. Working privately, appropriate socialization and distraction can be introduced in the right degree, and at the most opportune time.

That being said, I do have a few group classes for those dogs that have been trained by Euro Training Kennels. These classes are designed for maintenance training and for those that may be interested in competitive work.

A: It is essential that the primary handler attend the session; if there is more that one adult in the home, and this person is interested and has the time, it would be beneficial for both to attend. This consultation covers a huge amount of the philosophy behind the training and raising of the dog; and I'm sure, regardless of their future involvement in the training, the other adult members of the household would find it enormously helpful and enlightening.

A: While I fully understand why you may want to bring your child or children, this initial session entails a lot of conversation (perhaps even more discussion that hands-on work), and, depending on the dog and the issues to be addressed, some very frank assessments. My very considerable experience tells me that it's best for the adult/s to attend this session, then, if further training is needed and decided upon, it may be helpful to bring the children into the process. I find that even teenage children have a hard time staying focused for what could be a couple of hours.

A: Definitely not! Unfortunately, there is still a somewhat prevalent myth that training will adversely affect the dog's temperament. Nothing could be further from the truth; training and education, properly performed and instructed, never "broke" the spirit of a dog -- or a person, for that matter. Training enhances the dog's self confidence and eliminates any confusion about who is really leading the pack. The dog that fully understands his place in the pack (which in our case is the family) is a fundamentally happier and more confident dog.

A: First and foremost, your dog! Also, a list of all your questions, along with a history, in as far as you know it, of you dog's background. If you have any pedigree papers, I would be very interested to study them. Bring, too, any training equipment you have been using up to now. Don't buy anything additional before coming; I'll look at what you've got, and, once I've worked with your dog, I'll be able to advise you on, and demonstrate with, the correct training equipment needed.

A: First, I'll consult with you and compile a case history for your dog. Next, we'll address all your questions regarding any behavior problems and other issues affecting your dog. As soon as we've done this, I'll now work with your dog to get an idea his/her temperament, disposition, what commands the dog knows, and to assess the severity and degree of any problem behavior, e.g. difficult and unruly behavior, attitude to other dogs and people, etc. Finally, once we've done all of the above, I'll give you my frank assessment of your dog, and what it will take to get the control and behavior you require. I will also outline a daily routine and management plan for you to follow.

A: That depends. Sometimes this initial session is sufficient to address a specific need or concern. With the work we do on the day, and by following a daily routine and management plan which I will outline, you may have all you need. More difficult dogs, or those with more serious issues, will benefit from a follow up session or sessions. Then again, for those owners who want a fully voiced trained dog, even in the most distracting of environments, you may want to consider a training program to achieve that end.

A: I charge $150 dollars an hour for my private work, including the initilal consultation/evaluation/training session. The cost of a complete puppy training course, or an adult dog training course -- resulting in full off-lead voice control -- is $2000. Should you decide to enroll in one of the programs, the cost of the initial session can be applied to the cost of the program.

A: Yes. In fact I encourage all potential clients to give me a call so that we can spend some time discussing your particular dog, and to cover any concers and expectactions you have with respect to training. I am more than happy to chat with you so that we can get to know each other a little, answer your question, and give you what advice and guidance I can. Regardless of whether you make an appointment to come and see me, if the advice I can render by phone deals adquately with your issues, I will have been more that happy to have been of help.

A: Training begins the moment you introduce the puppy to the household. Unfortunately, there is still a prevalent belief that training begins when the puppy first attends classes, which is usually after he has received his inoculations -- or worse, wait till he/she is six month old! The truth, however, is that the most important training for the new puppy is teaching it the basic disciplines of good behavior in and around the house. This should begin immediately.

A: Chances are your dog has been taught these exercises in fun, or for treats. Nothing wrong with that, but because he knows how to sit and lie down doesn't mean he will do so when you need him to. After all, if you think about it, every knows how to sit, and how to go down -- they rest in the down position and sit when they choose to -- but do they know how to do so on command. For a dog to respond consistently to these commands in distracting situations he must be properly trained.

A: Yes. All dogs, regardless of breed, age, or size, need training. In today's urban environment, having a set of clear, unambiguous verbal commands that your dog responds to is vital. The well trained dog is a much safer and happier animal, making a good companion and a welcome neighbor.

A: Each dog is an individual and although most dogs will benefit from group training classes, some do not. These dogs, either because of their temperament, or the temperament and ability of the handler, or a combination of both, may need some private coaching before being immersed in a classroom environment.

A: It would seem that your dog has been conditioned to behave well on the lead when walking, or in class, but considers the house his own. The house is yours, your den, and a privilege for the dog to be there, not a God-given right. It should be a controlled environment, controlled by you, the leader. The visitors are coming to see you and your family, not your dog, they will get round to greeting your dog eventually, not vice versa.

A: The age old problem of the dog not coming when called is usually symptomatic of a faulty dog/owner relationship. For a dog to come when called he must, first and foremost, accept you, the owner/handler, as being in charge and leading the pack, and not him. In your situation, the leadership role has not been properly established, thus making it very difficult to isolate and remedy this one problem area without addressing the broader issue of overall control. In some cases, and with certain dogs, this particular issue can be isolated and addressed without he need for more comprehensive training; however, far better result will be achieved with full training.

A: Frankly, your dog is not properly trained if you cannot control its jumping. Remember, however, in order to isolate and deal successfully with this jumping problem, you must have some way of correcting the dog the instant he jumps. Prepare in advance, and be sure to have the dog on a lead or a long line when being introduced to people. This way you can time your correction perfectly, that is , when the dog's feet leave the ground, but not when his four feet are on the ground, and he is being petted. It must be clearly conveyed to the dog that it is the act of jumping, and not the socializing, that we want to discourage. When off lead, the dog must receive no attention from the visitor until it sits, or at least keeps all four feet on the ground. It will also help if the person, verbally, but sternly, tells the dog "no" as he jumps up, and pet him only when staying off.

A: The transition from on lead to off- lead control can be a tricky one depending, to a large extent, on the breed and the temperament of the individual dog. The subtlety with which this switch over is achieved is also of the utmost importance. Return to working on lead and long line in all those situations where you are having difficulties.

A: This type of behavior is indicative of a dog with a dominant mindset, and one that doesn't understand his proper place in the pack. The dominantly inclined dog will attempt to rise to the highest level possible within the pack which, in this case, is your family or household. The dog must be shown that his place in the pecking order is on the bottom rung of the ladder. Dislodging the dominant dog from this elevated status can be a very tricky, and potentially a very dangerous job. Obedience training alone, although it helps, will not solve this issue. In fact, attempting serious obedience work with a very dominant dog can have the unintended consequences of exacerbating the dominance behavior by giving the dog more opportunity to challenge you. Furthermore, meeting aggression head on with more aggression -- as is sometimes advised -- can have disastrous consequences. A much more comprehensive and subtle approach will be needed to help modify this unfortunate behavior trait. The approach will depend on the particular dog in question, and the degree, or severity of the dominance. When dealing a dominant dog, and particularly one that directs his dominance and aggression towards members of his own pack, you and your family, it is always advisable to seek the help of a good professional, and preferably before someone is injured. Bear in mind too that this Alpha-type dominant behavior in dogs afflicts both male and females; a dominant Alpha-type female dog can be ever bit as tough and intimidating as a dominant male dog -- though, fortunately, this behavior is not as prevalent in the female of species.

A: A very good question, and a very important one. The answer, however, is not so simple. All aggression can be modified, to what extent it can be modified depends on a number of factors; the type of aggression, the degree of severity of the aggression, and the age of the dog. If the aggression is fundamentally genetic in origin, such as dominance related aggression, then the best we can do is to modify, manage, and control the problem behavior. Bear in mind that genetic traits in the dog can never be eliminated; modified and controlled, yes, eradicated, no. If the aggression is fear based, and due to lack of socialization and exposure, then, depending on the age of the dog and the degree of under-socialization, great results can be achieved with a suitable behavior modification program. Similarly, if the aggression is due to abusive or other inappropriate handling, then results will vary with the individual dog.

A: Dog aggression is a very involved and complicated subject and, as such, a quick response is difficult. However, if you can narrow down the exact cause of the aggression, it will help to understand it. For instance: Is the dog showing aggression only to strangers who come to your home, or is he aggressive to all strangers, regardless of where he is? If it's the former, then we may be dealing with territorial aggression (which, in my experience is usually a symptom of dominance aggression). If it's the latter, then we must consider the possibility that your dog may have had insufficient socialization, and hence apprehensive when around strangers. Depending on the temperament of the particular dog, this fear can cause timidity or aggression -- but regardless of how the dog responds, in this case, the underline cause is fear; fear of new or strange people.

Perhaps the aggression is specific to certain people, or certain locations or environments. For instance, is the dog frightened of, or aggressive to men? If so, is it all men, or just certain men? Is it children that cause the fear? All children, or children of a specific age group? If location is the factor that induces aggression, is it the vet's office, the kennel, the grooming parlor, the car? etc. If you can say, with some degree of certainty, that it is a particular type of person or situation, or combination of people and situations, that causes the aggression, then we must consider the possibility that the dog's response is due to previous negative associations. This can be especially true of the dog that has been rescued, or has had previous homes. With these dogs we simply do not know what they have experienced in the past. The best we can do is to have an educated guess. I must add here, that investigating and deducing that a dog is responding aggressively to certain people, the vet, men, children, etc. in no way suggests that intentional, inappropriate handling has been the cause of the dog's aggression or fear. Some dogs are extremely sensitive and, as such, can overact to perfectly normal handling, or typical everyday events. On the other hand, especially with the rescued or re-homed dog that responds aggressively in certain specific circumstances, previous inappropriate or abusive handling cannot be discounted.

 Along with the 'big two' causes of dog- on-dog aggression come a host of other reasons, including: Sibling rivalry, possessiveness (of objects, or people), and those dogs that have been exposed to aggressive incidents during their early, formative period. Trauma can have a lasting effect on the young dog.

A: As with the above situation it needs to be determined what is the root cause of the aggression. As with aggression towards people, dog on dog aggression has many origins, and an evaluation of the dog is essential to understand the cause of the problem before attempting to remedy it.

By far and away the single leading cause of dog-on-dog aggression is lack of socialization to other dogs. Dogs that have not been adequately and properly socialized to their own kind from an early age will develop a fear of them. This fear will manifest itself in different ways, depending on the temperament or genetic make up of the dog. It can be displayed by excessive timidity and shyness, or it can result in offensive aggression.

Another leading cause of dog on dog aggression is dominance induced aggression. Some dogs are born leaders, and are prepared to challenge any threat, or perceived threat, to their assumed status. The truly Alpha dog, and one that is otherwise well socialized and adjusted, is usually tolerant of those other dogs that pose no threat to his leadership -- puppies, females, and easy going males. Serious conflict can arise when confronted by another dominantly inclined male. Occasionally a very dominant female can provoke a serious confrontation, though inter male friction and rivalry is far more likely.

with the above situation it needs to be determined what is the root cause of the aggression. As with aggression towards people, dog on dog aggression has many origins, and an evaluation of the dog is essential to understand the cause of the problem before attempting to remedy it.

A: As with chewing, many dogs, particularly young ones, like to dig for a variety of reasons: Stimulating exercise; boredom; to escape - if digging is near the gate or fence; to bury or recover objects such as bones, etc. A quick solution is to build your dog a run, one with a cement base, and this is where he goes when he can't be supervised. Access to the back yard is restricted to those periods when you can watch him and interrupt his hole digging hobby.

A: Probably the single biggest cause of complaints to police and animal control agencies is that of nuisance barking. To give you a quick answer to a very thorny problem, determine when and what causes the barking. If it occurs mostly at night, bring the dog indoors. If it happens during the day when you are away, likewise, it may be necessary to keep the dog inside, if needs be in a crate. For nuisance barking in your presence, correct forcefully. The problem has become so acute that several police departments now rent electronic bark collars to owners of barking dogs. These collars can be very effective when used correctly on suitable candidates. However, I recommend professional advice on their suitability for use with certain dogs and in particular barking situations.

A: Chances are that your dog has not been fully housetrained. My advice is to go back to basics, treat you dog as a puppy and start all over. If, however, you are convinced that your dog is already housetrained, the breakdown in your dog's elimination habits may be due to a number of different reasons. These reasons could include:

Territory marking

A: Locate his escape hatch and fix it. If the fence needs to be raised or mended, do it. Check to see if he is using a table or bench by the gate or fence to assist his assent. Investigate your dog's reason for wanting to constantly escape. If it's boredom, some walks and obedience training will help; also, try bringing him into the house more often, the company of his pack may work in your favor. If he's chasing female dogs in heat, consider neutering. If, for whatever reason, all of the above have been tried, but to no avail, build him a secure, covered run if you want, or need, to keep him outside -- of course, bringing him inside will also solve the problem. If he's got good house manners, he can have limited access to the house. If he's a young dog, or one that, as yet, cannot be trusted to have the liberty of any part of the house, then it may be necessary to confine him to a crate in your absence. Once conditioned properly to the crate, most dogs can happily be confined to it for up to eight hours, if necessary. Make sure the dog has had plenty of exercise beforehand, and his feeding and watering schedule is consistent with his new routine.

A: Dogs, especially young ones, are virtual chewing machines. Chewing is a normal, healthy activity for all dogs. Give your dog suitable chew items and put all else out of reach. When he can't be supervised, do not leave him unattended, put him in his crate, on a short tether, or in an outside run. When he can be monitored, guide him to his own chew items and suitably correct for chewing on anything else. With time and consistency, he'll learn.

A: The German Shepherd Dog, the Rottweiler, and the Doberman are the three breeds that are most suited to this work, though I have trained some wonderful protection dogs of different breeds. What's important to bear in mind is that only dogs that were bred for this purpose should be considered for this work: -- "Horses for courses" as they say in my part of the world.

A: I do not recommend you do so. Simply stated, they were not bred, or designed for this work. That is not to say they can't do it -- since I've seen many Pit Bulls do a very formidable round of protection work indeed -- but it's my opinion that there is more to be lost than gained in training these dogs for this type of work.

A: It's my experience, only about 10% of the dogs, even within the breeds specifically bred for such work, have the necessary qualities to be properly trained in this work. Your dog needs to be evaluated to see if he/she is a good candidate for this training.

A: First, he/she needs to be of sound temperament, well socialized, and well disposed to people. Second, these dogs need to display a high degree of prey drive. Third, the dog needs to have a level of courage that enables him/her to deal with challenging and threatening situations.

A: No! Quite the contrary; my experience tells me that the right dog, correctly trained, will, in fact, become an all round better and more reliable companion dog. This work takes the dog to a new level of awareness and control; makes him more discerning; more secure and confident; more fulfilled and contented -- since he is doing what he was bred to do; and less likely to make mistakes.

A: Alas, with puppies, there is no guarantee that it will develop into the dog you need, not even with the best of handling, since many of the traits needed are innate, genetic qualities. Nevertheless, you can minimize the gamble by choosing a dog from strong working lines, e.g. Schutzhund breed lines (Schutzhund, being the German word for protection -- and the sport of Schutzhund is probably the greatest working dog sport in the world).

For more information of this topic you can visit the websites of the breeders who specialize in German Shepherd Dogs from these lines -- the link below will give you some idea: