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Member Questions 11-16-25

Robert CabralIACP Hall of Fame trainer2 min readNovember 16, 2025

Ariel

Starting to work on marked retrieving with a 1 year old working cocker to tap into his natural instincts. We do this at a private off leash park. His stay is good but when I release him and he gets to the object he gets excited, does the funky chicken, runs straight past me and drops it pretty far away. Is there a technique that can be used so he drops it right in front of me. For his recall he knows to always sit directly in front of me so I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. We want to do blind retrieving at some point but we aren’t quite there yet. Thanks in advance

Susan R

We tried slowly starting 5 minute rides, 10, then 15…in the very beginning, age 3 months. He has ridden 10 min each way to the dog park daily for years. But he pants or trembles on every short ride to the dog park! Also, I can’t feed him in car because he refuses to take even favorite treats in a car. Also tried having friend with him: no difference! one curious fact: at 10 weeks old, when we picked him up from the breeder, he drove hours asleep in the car. Other ideas, Please?

Austin S

Hi Robert, we adopted a Dutch Shepherd almost two months ago. My Mom had a KNPV Dutch Shepherd almost 20 years ago and it was crazy, but ours is more mellow. However, he has insane dog aggression, so we hired a Malinois handler to train with a prong collar. Several times he has nipped us during correction, and now he bit my wife after a correction, leaving her bleeding with one puncture hole. He has also growled at our 4 year old three times unprovoked. Should we try ecollar training him, or is it not worth the risk with a daughter? I really need some straight talk and guidance here. Thank you

Richard W

My Mom had a KNPV Dutch Shepherd almost 20 years ago and it was crazy, but ours is more mellow.Robert Cabral

Hi Robert, My boy Arthur is generally good. But he barks sometimes at inappropriate times. I’ve tried to get him to bark quietly and he sometimes does. When he barks I grab him (collar or muzzle) and say shhh. It’s just not working great. Maybe he’s still too young?

Jerry D

In one of my morning training sessions I will typically hand feed half of morning meal doing a simple recall drill. From a sit or down position I will give come command, ideally Mako comes very excited around my left side turns and sits between my legs and looks up at me. At that point I will feed her several kibbles. What her overall tendency is to do is to jump/ leap as she approaches me. I’m trying to break her of that so she circles close to my side as she turns without the excited jump. Her reaction is less at close distance, but not as we increase distance. Any suggestions?

Robert Cabral with a shelter dog
About the author

Robert Cabral

Robert Cabral has been training dogs professionally for over 20 years. He started in shelters, working with dogs nobody else wanted, and was inducted into the IACP International Hall of Fame for his work in shelter advocacy and canine rehabilitation.

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2025IACP Hall of Fame

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