fragmoider

Because professionals deal with problem dogs all the time. because they have many years of studying/learning from/fixing all sorts of behaviours. Please get a recommendation before speaking with "a few pros" many people claim all sorts of things in relation to dog behaviour problems. There are 'pros' out there who do not have the experience or expertise needed ; there are 'pros' out there whose techniques are often not suitable for a wide range of problems ..there are the 'cowboys' to steer clear of as well. Folks here who have had assistance will gladly tell you of tried & true professionals in your area .. I've had a email from Steve of K9 Pro who has been reccomended here so I'll see what he thinks. You are right though, I have come across a few fairly average dog trainers/"behaviourists" so I remain skeptical until proven otherwise but obviously someone who works the sort of stuff all day has a much larger toolset than I do so I think it's advice I will heed. Yeah I can see how the word pro (didn't think of that) might be taken out of context but I assure you it's my love of abbreviation not anything else. :-)

thanks all, I'll give a few pros a call and see who is going to be able to work with us on this..

Yes I agree with you there, and I believe we are the ones biting the bullet at this time :-). In terms of getting a pro in just not sure we can afford it or indeed whether it's going to make a difference? If we can't learn to modify his behaviour then why outsourcing be the solution. It's not as if we haven't been able to train our existing dogs to suit us. I'm just looking for some advice. He is fine in the park solo, it's when he gets there with the other dogs that the pack behaviour starts. Hi is a recent adoption 6 weeks. thanks I am happy to be proven wrong about a dog trainer - any trainer that can help us make some lasting changes feel free to PM me.

Hi Guys, Just wondering if I could get a few opinions and some possible tips. We recently adopted a great dane cross pup (6-8 months) from the pound and we are having a few issues settling him him with our other dog boys (1 lab/1 mastiffX - both neutered). Both the original dogs are well behaved and adjusted they sit/drop for their food, walk well enough, show no agression towards other dogs, do not enter the home/exit unless invited, when inside sit quietly in their allocated space and do pretty much what we need of them. I guess I want to establish that they get regular obedience and their are rules and boundaries set for them and for the most part they follow them without incident. So far so good... Initially he had food agression which is not suprising considering how emaciated he was, this has gradually reduced to where we have only an occasional lapse for which he is immediately corrected all dogs eat their meals together now without incident. He has learned to sit and stay before he gets his food. Sitting/stay - he is often stubborn with this but getting better with daily sessions. walking on the lead - quite good and responds well to corrections, sometimes stubborn though with his sit (again corrected when non compliant) The bad toy agressive and too hyper when playing and quite often causes too much excitement with the other 2 dogs. At the dog park he is fine by himself but again plays too rough IMO with the other dogs there,especially with the maastiff as they gang up on the other dogs. Doors - will not get the message and will constantly try and push himself in, will bolt inside if the door is left unattended despite the routine of sit/stay being re-inforced daily and being corrected every single time and removed from the house. Our awesome lab is often bullied by him and I find this escalates too far with yelps often being heard - the lab is basiaclly a silent dog so this is concerning to say the least. Now I know these are all dominant behaviours and we are working hard to squash them but I am beginning to understand why he ended up at the pound in the first place, they may seem minor but I am aware of how this could possibly escalate and we end up with a dangerous dog despite what we are doing - exercise, structure, discipline but it's wearing us down as we generally work long hours, study part time @ uni etc. When writing this I realise that to many they are possibly minor things but to mean it means there is no respect from him to us so the potential or us being 'disciplined' is high, they are the thin edge of the wedge IMO. We want to have kids in the near future so this is also a major concern to the both of us and under no cicrumstances will I tolerate a dog that doesn't know his place in the scheme of things. Are there any tips I can utilise? He is whole currently but we of course want to desex him and will do so immediately if it will help things. we can't really afford several hundred dollars for a behaviourist? Are we being too hasty and expecting too much too soon from him? He was initially when we tested him at the pound a good dog, quite soft and compliant but as soon as he got home he started to wear us down. We discussed the possibility of re-homing him last night and my gut says this may be the right course of action as we may not have the energy necessary to rehab him but it's the last resort. Any help would be appreciated.