DOG BEHAVIOR

Dealing with Obsessive and Fixated Dog Behaviors - Excerpt from the book "Be the Pack Leader"

For dogs, obsessions and fixations can become as seriously harmful as addictions are for humans. When we laugh at a dog that is fanatically mad over a toy, a bone, a shaft of light, a game of fetch, or the neighbor's cat, it's like laughing at someone who is a falling-down drunk. Read more

Ask Cesar: Licking Obsession

Dear Cesar, I have a 3-year-old, toy Australian shepherd named Gina. She is an absolutely wonderful dog with a few challenges, one in particular that I need some advice on. She is completely obsessed with licking...all the time! She licks the air, your arms, your face, in your mouth, other dogs, furniture, herself, etc. Read more

Ask Cesar: Ball-Obsessed German Shepherd

Dear Cesar, First, we love you! My German Shepherd is great except when we play ball. He will run over anything in his way: smaller dogs, my foot, my children. Actually, he will knock you off a cliff if you don’t watch out. I’m over it!!!! Please please help! Read more

Sneaky Golden Retriever

My bright, affectionate six-month-old Golden Doodle was crate-trained very early and still spends lots of time in his crate. Kipper is gentle with his mouth and wonderful with my young grandchildren. The only problem is, he’s a sneak. Although he has plenty of toys, what he enjoys most is taking anything that isn’t his—dish towels, shoes, hats, newspapers, you name it—and dragging it back to his crate. Aside from the papers, he doesn’t destroy things—he just hoards them, and he knows he isn’t supposed to. Read more

Problem of the Month: Prey Drive

Cesar, My dog is obsessed with cats, squirrels, birds, lizards, anything alive that moves. Does that mean she’s unbalanced? Is this normal, natural instinct? This summer, she’s been spending more and more time in our backyard stocking her prey, and less and less time in the house with the human pack. What am I doing wrong? Read more

Ask Cesar: Keeping a Dog Out of the Pool

Dear Cesar, My Golden Retriever puppy loves swimming in our pool, but we don’t like it because we can’t get in the pool after he does – the water turns brown or green with all the dirt our dog has. So, how can we make her stop going into the pool? Thank you. Read more

How Can I Get My Dogs to Stop Digging?

Hi Cesar, My boyfriend and I have three dogs. Two are Rottweilers (three years old and one year old) and one is a Labrador retriever (nine months old). The problem we have is that they love to dig. We even tried burying their poop in their holes, so they would not dig anymore, but that did not stop them. Read more

Tail Chasing Obsession

Dear Cesar: We have a ten-year-old lab/pit bull mix. He is house broken and can do a few tricks. The only problem is he LOVES to chase his tail. Whenever someone comes into the house, or even if there is any loud noise, he chases and chases and chases until he catches his tail. He can walk down the hall with it in his mouth and even climb into his chair. Read more

Muddy Runner

Dear Cesar, We recently adopted a fifteen month-old black lab. This dog is very sweet and loving, and is perfect in our family as we have a young grandson who is autistic. They get along famously. Read more

My Dog Eats Everything -- Help!

Dear Cesar, I have a 1-year-old pit bull named Raven. I have followed your methods since day one, and she is well-behaved dog and an awesome ambassador for her breed. But, there's one problem we are unable to overcome: food obsession. Read more