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The trainer is in! Having trouble teaching your dog to behave? On this page, Andrea Arden, director of Manhattan Dog Training & Behavior Center, and urbanhound's resident obedience expert, answers your training questions.

For solutions to your hound's behavioral problems, scroll down this page or use the Hound Manners search engine (in the box to the right). For hands-on help with your hound, attend an obedience class or hire a trainer (you'll find them in urbanhound's supplies and services directory). For behavioral dog training supplies, we recommend FetchDog.com. If you'd like a private or group session with Andrea, call Manhattan Dog Training & Behavior Center at 212-414-9597 or visit her website at http://www.manhattandogtraining.com.

questions from urbanhounders


	Aggression Towards Other Dogs
	We adopted a five-year-old male Pug from the suburbs. Since bringing him to the city, Mugwa has exhibited aggressive behavior towards other dogs. How can we teach him to be friendly? Answer>>

	How often should I bathe my dog? Answer>>

	A Bernese mountain dog I used to see in the park just died of bloat. What is bloat? How do I know if my dog has it? Answer>>

	When she was a puppy, my Wheaten Terrier got along with all dogs. But now that she is older, she gets into some fights at the dog run. I hesitate to let her off the leash at the dog run; but some people say keeping her on leash makes her more aggressive. What can I do? Should I muzzle her? Help! Answer>>

	Even since we adopted a one-year-old spayed Aussie, our 16-month-old neutered Aussie has become very aggressive at the dog park. Though he used to always be sweet, he's now marked the coats of two dogs. He's lost dog park privileges for now. Any thoughts? Answer>>

	My foster Pit Bull mix only shows aggression toward other dogs when she has begun to play with them; then playing sometimes escalates into actual fighting. Because I practically live at the dog run, I desperately need a solution to this problem. Answer>>

	I have an adult dog and will be getting an 8-week-old puppy soon. Do I need to keep the puppy quarantined from the adult when I get her, or can they cohabitate with each other immediately? Answer>>

	What is the off-leash rule in Central Park? I had understood that dogs were allowed off leash before 9 a.m., and yet, on Saturday, 50 of us were kicked off "dog hill" near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Answer>>

	Mimi, our sweet Bulldog, gets along well with most dogs--except when she is in an elevator! She will play with a dog in the lobby, but as soon she gets in the elevator she becomes ferocious. What can I do? Answer>>

	I have two dogs, Chapel and Kami, to whom I give equal amounts of affection. But sometimes when I hold Kami she will become aggressive toward Chapel. She starts to bear her teeth and growl. Why does she do this, and how can I make her stop? Answer>>

	What's the best way to introduce an 85 lb. one-year-old rescue dog to the dog park? When a strange dog approaches he pulls his lips back in a snarl. Answer>>

	My dog ate some moldy leftovers I'd thrown in the garbage. I thought it was no big deal at first, but then she started shaking all over, collapsed, and wound up in the hospital. What happened? Answer>>

	My 10-year-old hound mix recently got a couple of dime-size sores on his belly, and the vet wants to biopsy them to check for cancer. The sores don’t look like much of anything to me—could they really be cancer? And if they are, could my dog’s fondness for lying in the sun have caused them? Answer>>
	Aggression Towards People
	We have a pit bull that we received from a loving home about a year ago. She gets along with other dogs and loves to play with kids--except when I pet another dog or play with small children. Then she becomes very upset and growls and attacks. She is clearly being possessive. How can we get her to stop this behavior? Answer>>

	Dylan, our Chesapeake Retriever-Black Lab neutered male mix, is smart, affectionate and has a wonderful disposition. However, he growls at me if I pet him while he is in his bed sleeping. I have disciplined him for this behavior, but it continues. Any suggestions? Answer>>

	My Shepherd-Lab puppy has recently become aggressive when fed. She snarls, growls, and, if provoked, snaps and bites. At first she’d only growl if touched while eating. Now, just walking by or making eye contact set her off. Help! Answer>>

	My two year old Lab/Boxer mix, Spot, loves people and animals. But when strangers pet him, he barks at them (once), usually scaring them in the process. Is this a real problem? Answer>>

	I have a foster Bulldog who is very aggressive with strangers. It took me two days to pet her. Loud noises send her to the moon and trying to clean her face and ears is a real trick. She is a healthy five-year-old spayed bitch. How do I get her ready for her new home? Answer>>

	We sometimes tie up Cricket, our Jack Russell, outside restaurants and supermarkets. Once someone claimed that Cricket had bitten him. Cricket does tend to protect herself when approached by strangers, by either trying to hide, or nipping and even biting. Comments? Answer>>
	Barking
	I have a Dachshund who goes crazy when someone knocks on the door: she starts barking and won't stop until she’s sniffed the visitor. What can I do? Answer>>

	My dachshund sometimes barks when left on her own. Because I live in an apartment building, I am concerned about disturbing the neighbors. However, I don't know how to correcting this behavior because she doesn't bark when someone is home with her. Please advise! Answer>>

	My daughter moved to a new home about a year ago and her two mixed-breed dogs still bark at the different noises from the outside, including trucks and ambulances. They stop barking when she loudly tells them to, but then they start up again a minute later. What is the remedy? Answer>>
	Children
	Answer>>

	Our black Labrador generally loves people. However, she gets frightened around children and either barks at them or tries to run away. Understandably, we don't know anyone willing to use their kids as a guinea pig to try to get our dog comfortable around them. What can we do? Answer>>

	My 8-year-old Rottweiler goes nuts when my 14-month-old twins are in their walkers. She chases, nips and paws at the walker. It's at the point where I have to put her away whenever the kids are in their walkers! Answer>>

	How do I get my dogs accustomed to the presence of a new infant? Any suggestions? Or any reference material to recommend? Answer>>
	Destructive Behavior
	My seven-year-old, 18-pound Chihuahua has slept in our bedroom for years without problem. But recently he has taken to chewing the bottom of the window drapes until they make him vomit. Why does he do this? And how can we stop him? Answer>>

	Our dog has a habit of chewing around the door frame when we leave her at home alone. We have tried spraying taste deterrents there, but they do not always work. Is there anything we can do? Answer>>
	Digging
	My three-year-old Shih Tzu digs into the carpet, the linoleum, even the wall, before he lays down. At first he only did it in hot weather, now he does it daily, year-round. Any ideas? Answer>>

	Our Beagle/Yellow Lab mix digs holes in our yard, mostly around the house foundation or along the fence. What can we do to stop this behavior? Answer>>
	Fear
	Djuna, my nine-year-old Basenji, has developed a real fear of unexpected loud noises outside. Things like a truck backfiring can send her totally into orbit. She's never had a "close call" with any of these things that I'm aware of. Any thoughts? Answer>>

	My dog has suddenly become extremely nervous and fearful on walks. She used to love walks and love playing with other pups and twigs. Now she doesn't want to leave the building, trembles when a garbage truck or bus passes and growls at other dogs! Can I give her doggie valium? Or do I need to break the bank and hire a dog behavior therapist? Answer>>

	I've just moved into a two-story house and discovered that my dog is scared of stairs. He won't go up or down, and he's too big for me to carry. How can I get him to overcome his fear? Answer>>

	Ozzie is a well-trained Golden Retriever--with a phobia for sidewalk grates and grills. He won't go near them. In fact, he struggles to avoid them, and seems genuinely terrified. What to do? Answer>>
	Food Obsessions
	What can I do about stopping my Golden Retriever from picking up food on the street? I bought an electric collar zapper, but it did no good because the reward of the food was apparently greater than the 'ouch' of the zap. Answer>>

	My dog, a 14-month-old Whippet, loves running in Prospect Park--but what he loves more is searching out garbage (especially after nice weekend, when the park is a doggie buffet). How do I teach him not to do this? Answer>>

	My dog has recently taken to eating any loose pebbles in our dog run. How can I stop him from doing this? Answer>>
	Heel! (Walking on Leash)
	When we're out walking my highly-excitable dog refuses to answer to his name and barks at every dog and person that passes. It's truly embarrassing. Since adopting him from a shelter, I've taken him to basic obedience classes (which he barely passed) and use plenty of positive reinforcement. Nothing seems to work. Answer>>

	I have a Shepherd-Lab puppy who thinks her leash is food. She will not stop chewing on the leash when walking, even after it's been marinated in Bitter Apple. She has chewed through 3 leashes so far. I'm exhausted! Answer>>

	Dog help 101 needed here! I have a very respectful, smart Golden Retriever named Miles who in every respect wants to please me. However, I can't stop him from jerking on the leash when we're walking. Help! Answer>>

	I tried your technique to get my Golden Retriever puppy to stop pulling on his leash and now he refuses to walk. Instead he sits quietly and looks up at me, waiting for his reward. The only way I can coax him to go a few steps is by holding out a treat. As soon as he gets it, he stops again. Now what? Answer>>
	Housetraining
	When my nine-month-old puppy gets angry she pees in a spot other than her Wee-Wee Pad. I was wondering why she just started to do this and why she only does it with people close to us, but not with me. Up until this point she has been perfectly trained to the pad! Answer>>

	I have a three-year-old female Shih Tzu who was paper trained—-until I moved into my new apartment. Now she has been urinating on the floor. When I leave out a Wee-Wee Pad she usually misses it. What should I do? Answer>>

	We just got a 10-week-old male Shih-Tzu and are paper training him. Our question is what to do when we're at work: should we crate him and put a Wee-Wee Pad in the crate? Or not crate him and give him the run of the kitchen with a Wee-Wee Pad? As he cries in the crate at night, we're worried he'll cry all day in the crate. Answer>>

	My four-month-old toy poodle is paper trained. I'm about to start training her to go to the bathroom outside. Do I take away her newspaper all at once or gradually? Answer>>

	How do I teach my five-month-old Chihuahua him to go to the bathroom outside and not just inside on Wee-Wee Pads? Answer>>

	We recently adopted Jake, a friendly, smart two-year-old Poodle mix who is housebroken. But now he's taken to peeing in the apartment about once every 2 weeks or so--mostly on the dining room table! When we're home! Since he always does it on newspaper, we thought he may have been paper trained. So we left paper down in the bathroom, but he ignored it. Help! Answer>>

	We have an 8-week-old Bulldog we are paper training. During the workday, we pen her in the kitchen with newspaper on the floor, and come home at lunch to feed and walk her. But every day, invariably, she shreds all the paper and pushes it up against the gate. What do we do? Answer>>

	My Maltese puppy cried when I lock her in her crate. I've tried treats and praise, to no avail. She hates being confined and and attempts to get out. Since I am at work for most of the day, I just let her run around the whole apartment while I'm gone, which makes it hard to paper train Please help! Answer>>

	After my dog Chango started breaking his house training awhile back, I did as you suggested and went back to crate training. But now I suspect the problem is separation anxiety. He only pees inside when I leave the house, even for a short time and even if he's just been out for a walk. Also, someone said the problem may be that I let him on the bed, which makes him think he thinks he owns the place. Is this possible? Answer>>
	Jumping (On People)
	How do I stop my dog from jumping up and licking people in the face? The word "no" doesn't work! Answer>>
	Manners 101
	My 16-month-old Lab mix, Freckles, runs around the house picking up shoes and papers. We have tried everything to break her bad habit including spraying her with water. How can we make her stop? Answer>>

	How do I stop my King Charles Spaniel from begging? We don't reward his whining, but still I can't chop celery or drink a glass of wine without him crying and making his saddest face. Answer>>

	How do I get my Dalmatian to drop a toy that’s in his mouth? When I do manage to pry something from his mouth, he still lunges at the toy and I sometimes get bitten. Treats don't work. Answer>>

	Our dog mounts people, toys, furniture––everything!––incessantly. And yes, he is neutered. He is so obsessive about it that it's almost obscene; he so works himself up that after humping something, he stands around for minutes with an arched back waiting for everything to right itself. Any thoughts? Answer>>
	Puppies
	I have an 11-week-old yellow lab who is very sweet--except when he occasionally bites me and my wife. He doesn't growl; it's more like teething and playing. We snap his collar (with a quick correction and praise) when he does something wrong. But he sometimes tries again with more zest to nip us. Is there anything else we can do? Answer>>

	Our puppy bites our feet, hands--anything she can get hold of. Please tell us what to do. Answer>>
	Separation Anxiety
	I have an 8-month-old Weimaraner who gets very anxious when he's left alone. He barks for long periods of time. I have just started a job in the city and will move into an apartment next week. I plan to leave him alone in a crate while I'm at work, although a walking service will take him out each day. What can I do to reduce his anxiety? Answer>>

	My seven-year-old dog Ande panics when he's left alone. As soon as I leave the house, he races for the windows and the door, desperate to break through them. He's a rescue dog, so I'm not sure of his past. Is there any hope for re-conditioning? Answer>>
	Training 101
	My one-year-old Shepherd-Lab cross follow commands when I have a treat in my hand. But when I give her a basic command without a treat, she won’t follow through. Any suggestions? Answer>>

	My six-year-old Dachshund refuses to learn tricks. I buy every book on training, but my dog is very stubborn. The only trick she knows is "sit." Please help. Answer>>


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