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Please post ONE (1) question for the LIVE Q & A Session with Cesar here.  Submissions will be accepted until midnight Monday April 27th Eastern Time.  Remember: please keep your questions to 200 words maximum. 

Good luck!

I have a 8 week old Boxer puppy named Rocky and he does good around my two boy ages 7&8 but likes to nip at my nieces and nephews any advice would be appreciated and he likes to nip at my moms 5lb female pomeranian. Thank you for the help in advance.

 

Melissa

"If there is no trust and respect, then there is no relationship"...I have been trying to deal with making my insecure dominant female 8yr old boxer "trust" me because I've been lacking this for some time!  In the past I"ve used frustrated, anxious energy and it's done more harm than good, by allowiing her to panic, instead of relax.  I'm realizing more and more that she is a very insecure dog, but has also come a long way since a year old.  She can go from 10 to 0 in seconds and I remember you saying that they are ready to change if their state of mind changes that quickly.  What are the most effective ways to gain trust in a dog, so that they can eventually see you as pack leader and want to be your follower all the time?

I have a 13 week old border collie who is obsessed with our 4 yr old cat, , she will run up behind him and nip at his back and tail when she is doing this she is in a classic i want to play stance down at the front, butt in the air he swipes her then she thinks its playtime,  she also is food possessive with him, the other night he was eating on the other side of the room and she ran right up guarded the food and growled at him, she doesn't do that with any of us, we can put our hands in her bowl while she is eating and stroke around he muzzle etc, she also gets fixated on the cat when she is on the leash or off ,to the stage no corrections will work and she seems like she is deaf to verbal correction . I find she is food responsive with cheese is this a good way to keep her attention on me and not the cat, if so how do I work this way to stop her being this way towards him.

thanks  Sammi,

packleader in training to Jedda

What is the best way to acclimate a dog to a new environment and give clear expectations? I have a 22 month old Bull Mastiff and we are moving to a new home. The fence is low and I’m concerned that she’ll jump over the fence. I also would like to train her to relieve herself in one specific area for easy clean up and a sanitary yard. To this point we have had a tall fence in a small yard so these issues have not been a concern. I feel that the way we introduce her to the environment from the very first moment will be crucial so I look forward to your advise and direction.

 

Can you talk a bit about your visualization process related to creating pack leader positive energy and the behavior you want from dogs  - i.e. I want both of my dogs to be able to go off leash on our property and respect my recalls and the property boundaries - i havent been able to successfully visualize this - my fears/worries of them taking off always creep in.   I ve been making good progress with being in the Now and being positive but for some reason this is still a sticking point for me - so perhaps i am not visualizing in the optimum way??

 

I have a 7 year old dog, 50 lbs, Duke, of unknown past. When I first went to put a leash on him he snapped at me. I've had him about 1.5 years now and he has made great strides. I can clean ears, bathe him, brush him, and handle his tail and his paws except when it comes to a nail clipper. I can put the clipper on the floor and it doesn't bother him. The clipper and pressing his paw to get to the nails does. When I clip his nails I have to have him tightly muzzled and held down. In this process he pees, poops and empties any foul smelling glands he has. I've tried a towel over his head and just tip clipping. At this point I just take him to the vet and have him sedated. Is there any method to work on nail clipping fear that is this severe?

My question is can I keep my dogs calm if I am the only one calm?? Many people (even friends) are very obviously afraid of our Boerboel Harley> He's not a mean dog by any means, but at 17 months old and 150lbs I guess its more so that he is ominous. He very much feeds off of the energies of  people, and I can tell instantly when someone is firghtened or apprehensive around him. The last 2-3 weeks, we have been doing the 'no talk, no touch, no eye contact' and keeping him on a lead and correcting him as instantly as I see it. And no matter how many times I say, you can't be afraid of him......I can imagine it's hard for others. He's very perceptive, and I'm just worried someone will get hurt simply because they are afraid of him.

Hi Cesar

I adopted 2 dogs, Leo and Foley from a rescue shelter just over a year ago.  They are brothers and a cross between a German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever. 

Recently, by accident, the garden gate was left open and the dogs ran out onto the road as a stranger walked past our house.  Leo was very aggressive and grabbed the man’s trousers and ripped a hole in them.   We were very surprised as Leo had never shown this aggression before.  I am not sure whether this is relevant but just before this incident happened both dogs were playing in the field beside the house - chasing swallows. I had always seen this activity as a ‘game’ for the dogs but I was wondering  . . . could chasing the birds have resulted in them becoming ‘frustrated’ and then they took their frustration out on the man?    Should I stop any type of ‘chasing’ activity in future ?

Many thanks for your help

Fiona

I have a 7 month old female pit that is amazing. She has a little problem with being afraid of certain things. If she doesn't recongize someone's car that pulls into the drive way she barks and growls. I correct her everytime, with the "bite", but everytime she does it. Night time, when I let her out to use the bathroom before going to bed, she walks outside and just starts barking/growling at nothing that I can see. Just at the darkness. Is this something that I should worry about creating aggressiveness? She has shown NO aggression when she has spent time with my friend's 3 year old pitbull. They share food/toys/sleeping space. She has shown NO aggression to me, kids, friends, anyone. In fact when someone gets out of a "strange" car that pulls into the driveway, she's more than happy to run up and greet them. The vaccum cleaner she use to be afraid of, but now she sees it as just a big toy. She doesn't bark/growl anymore. When I get it out to clean, she follows me around and might try to play with the vaccum like she would a tennis ball. (Hit it with her paw, look at it sideways, make the "pounce" stance.) I'm wondering if the other barking and growling could cause problems in the future. I'm getting another pitbull in about 3 weeks. So I wanted to know if these barking/growling is aggressiveness or unhappiness or some type of problem, or just her being a puppy.

Cesar,  We have been adopted by a Bullmastiff puppy. Our vet believes he is around 1 1/2 years old.  He is a very affectionate dog and learns very quickly.  I walk him at least 45 minutes each day.  The problem we have is on our walks if he sees a loose child or a loose dog he starts barking and lunging and when he gets close he tries to dominate them.  I have tried correcting him, but his neck is so thick and even with a pinch collar it only deters him for a moment.    How can I change my behavior to help him be more calm in these situations?

 

Thank you,

Cheryl in Colorado

i have adopted my daughter's 2 dogs, both 7 yrs old, one a beagle, one small mixed breed, both females and "fixed". they came to our house where right now are 3 males, one neutered,  one un nuetered is a 7 month old coon hound, who has no manners the other 2 both 7 yr old labs. the girls were brought up together, but after a day at our house got into 3 fights with each other. pretty bad. guess it's a pack leader thing. so now we are trying to reestablish us as pack leaders.tho the beagle is very nervous now, and walking w/her tail between her legs.i know where we went wrong, but how do we fix it, fix them.? it's breaking my heart, i've beenup allnight crying cesar, i know you can fix this , you can tell us how to fix this, please, pick me to answer!!! please. lori

Hello,  

I've a 3 ½ y.o. Cockapoo (Pete) , taken from his mother at 6 weeks (too young?).  He's got separation anxiety - digs frantically at the floor of his kennel, barking, growling/whining. He's reactive – he can be sleeping, but if I twitch a muscle he'll leap up and run around in circles barking.  He “chuffs” at noises even while lying down - relaxed, head down, but still "mmm-rrrroof"-ing .  He'll sit/stay on command, but trembles; when released he explodes away.  There's another dog to play with - but he taught her all his bad habits!!  The worst: my two cats (one 20+ years old) are imprisoned in the basement.  Pete will “tolerate” cats only if I'm present and have him a.) tied to a piece of furniture; or b.) wearing an electronic collar (the only thing that'll stop him when he's lost it).  Otherwise, a cat meow sends him out of control, smashing headfirst into the gate - breaking it on occasion.  When he catches one, he jumps right on top of it, sometimes ending up with a mouthful of cat fur. 

How do you get to “calm and submissive” from “wound up like a coiled spring even when sleeping”?

 Thanks,

Pat

I have a 2 year rottie mix who is high energy and pretty balanced, He can be pretty dominant around male dogs but I have it under control. He gets a little exited when he sees other dogs on walks but im working on it.

Im bringing home a medium energy puppy. I want to take him everywere and show him everything.

My question is, should I bring the puppy around other dogs at first without the rottie mix? can the puppy (lab/collie mix) learn the domninant behavior and exitment from the rottie mix? Should I walk them seperatly or together for the first months or year while the puppy is learning social behavior and relaxing around other dogs?

kindest regards from Iceland

Heidi

How do I keep my 2 female chihuahua's from barking and freaking out on our walks when other dogs walk by?  We live on Lake Tahoe and it is very hard to walk a chihuahua in the snow.  I feel like I have to start all over again in the spring.  I do use a tread mill, but there are no other dogs involved in that walk.

One of the females is 5 months old and is having a hard time with potty training.  I take her our about 5 times a day, but she prefers the carpet!  What should I do?

Thank you so much for your help!!  We have 4 chi's in our pack and recently we have felt like we have lost control of our pack leadership!  Your sessions have helped us tremendously!!

Missy