FAQ (Frequently asked questions)

Here are just a few questions that dog owners frequently ask. Dennis Hill’s innovative training method is detailed in One Dog at a Time, which will be reissued soon. Contact Dennis here, and he will notify you as soon as the book is available.  


What breed of dog is the hardest to train? What breed is the easiest?

There isn’t a single breed that’s harder to train than any other. Dogs of any breed who have developed undesirable behaviors they’ve been repeating for years are usually the most difficult to train. Dogs from shelters who have been mistreated are among the hardest. You have to teach them that the bad treatment they’ve experienced in the past is not going to be repeated by you. It’s a slow process, because you have to build a trusting relationship from the ground up. However, once a shelter dog realizes that he has a permanent home with you, he often becomes a tremendously loyal and fantastic pet.

The easiest dogs to train are puppies, regardless of breed. A puppy is easily molded and learns very quickly. So, the older your dog gets -- and the more unwanted behaviors he’s developed and repeated over and over -- the harder to train he’s going to be. However, it’s never too late to train.

What can I do about separation anxiety?

The key here is to make it fun for the dog when you go out. Have a special toy or treat that comes out only when you leave. When you come home, put the special toy away. In order to work, the toy has to be something that’s really fun for your dog, and the treat has to be something he especially likes. Once you’ve found the right toy or treat, your dog may actually look forward to seeing you leave.

It’s also a good idea to get the dog used to seeing you go out by leaving him for very brief periods at first. Take the special toy out and give it to him, then walk around the block and come right back. Praise the dog for being calm while you are gone. Once the dog has understood what you want him to do when you leave, he’ll begin to dislike being wrong. He will learn to stay calm for longer periods as you gradually increase the amount of time that you’re away. This type of conditioning is a big confidence-builder for your dog.

Do dogs have senses that are more acute than humans?

Though most dogs have eyesight that is not as good as ours, their hearing and sense of smell are much better. For example, if your dog could talk, he could name every ingredient in a stew he might smell cooking in your house. That’s why dogs can be trained to sniff out illegal food or drugs at airports, or to pick up the scent of a missing person over miles of countryside.

Your dog hears at the same level that a dolphin does, in the ultrasonic frequencies. We all know dogs hear sounds that humans can’t distinguish. Dogs also have very acute hearing. For example, most people can hear a pin drop from 8-10 feet away, but your dog can hear the same pin from 50 feet away.

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