Any tips for my appointment tomorrow with a new trainer?

[Soapie&Buddy'sMom]

One of my new years resolutions (the only one i will probably actually do) is to go for more training with Buddy. He had classes at Petsmart, and then individual ones with a trainer (she has since disappeared off the face of the earth) about a year ago.
He is fear aggressive and reacts to most new situations and people with aggression, although I have controlled it somewhat.

My biggest goal is to be able to control him better when we encounter something new. Right now he is so unpredictable. For example, if we see a dog across the street, sometimes he will ignore him if I say "not for you" (the command meaning, ignore that thing) and "no lunging", but other times he just gets completely out of control, twisting, lunging, pulling, sometimes getting out of his harness. And this usually happens when I have the other two dogs with me, so I have to either let them loose and concentrate 100% on Buddy, or .... Anyway, it's bad and I know I need to work on it. This might not even be fear aggression, maybe just basic obedience, I don't know. But the fear aggression is always a factor.

I made an appointment with a nearby trainer for tomorrow afternoon. I really liked their web page and she sounded good on the phone. I just wondered if anyone has any suggestions on what to "look for" or what I can do to help make this the most valuable time spent.

Thanks!

[RottiMomCT]

I'm not an obedience trainer, but if he seems to be acting up more when out with the other dogs, could it be a 'pack mentality' is kicking in, and Buddy is the leader (or thinks he is...)? Or he could be wanting to protect you and the other dogs from what he preceives as a threat...

I found with Ben that if he acts up when we're walking anywhere, I turn right around and walk away, telling him "NO, LEAVE IT!!". We'll stop a few yards away and he'll settle down, and we'll continue on our walk...if he acts up again we go back in the opposite direction...my neighbors must have thought I was nuts walking in circles up the street one day last summer! :D Nope, just REALLY dizzy by the end of the walk!

I think consistency in training and everyone involved with the dog using the same commands on a regular basis helps the dog figure out who's 'top dog' in the house...

Good luck with the trainer! Let us know what she tells you...

[Soapie&Buddy'sMom]

Wow, I couldn't begin to tell you what all I learned in just 1.5 hours with this trainer. Suffice to say that I have a lot of work to do with Buddy.
I thought I was doing okay but deep down I knew there was a lot more.
One big thing the trainer told me is that I have to start walking the dogs separately - that is, I have to walk Soapie and Miller first, and then Buddy. I just cannot control Buddy in certain situations when I have two other dogs to look out for. So we did that today and it worked out great. It's just a pain in the a** and going to take time that I don't really have, but will simply have to make.
The other big thing is that I have to kick Buddy out of bed. I've heard it here on the forum over and over - if there is a problem with aggression, it's not a good idea to have to problem dog sleep in your bed, you have to get those lines straightened out. But I chose to not believe that it applied in my case with Buddy. But the trainer told me in no uncertain terms that I *had* to make Buddy sleep outside of my bed. What I liked about her philosophy was that she she wasn't against dogs sleeping in people's bed in general, but just when there was a problem. She said it was fine if Soapie continued to sleep in my bed, after all why punish Soapie, she isn't the one with the aggression problem.
Anyway, I'm going to do everything the trainer said, she really made a lot of sense and was very patient with my many questions, and we have another appointment in two weeks.

[frau]

Seems like I have pm'ed more than posted lately.

Here goes.

I have some of the same issues with Gypsy the Grouch that you have with Buddy. One thing that helps me GREATLY is the Gentle Leader. This gives me much better control.

My trainer was supposed to have worked through some of these situations with us, but encountered too many personal problems to help me when I needed it, so I have developed a few coping mechanisms for Gypsy walks.

I am now hypervigilant. I discovered that Gypsy is (hypervigilant to certain things) so I determined that I should be able to play her game. I take our dogs (the other is Winston the GWP) for walks or runs at a sparsely populated industrial park near our home. There is a huge empty field in the middle. I check out the surroundings carefully as I walk or drive. I have found that I can head off some reactions by distracting her BEFORE she spots the encroachment.

She doesn't sleep in our bed, rather in a crate. In a way I have "given in" because we haven't licked this problem completely. I have arranged it though, where her behavior is manageable--although certainly not perfect.

Good luck,

Frau in VA