Thanks for the help... - Page 1

 EVERYONE,,,,,,

I owe a great deal of gratitude to everyone who has taken the time to respond to my posts. I could not have come to the place I am in confronting and dealing with Prince's aggression without your honest and straight forward advice.....I have a wonderful foundation of knowledge, thanks to PDB to move forward and work out mine, and Prince's issues.....Thanks...As Donald Deluxe stated, I need to focus on the task at hand. I have a trainer to find and a dog to train....I need to get off the database for a bit...

Thank you all ...from the bottom of my heart...

Deanna and Prince.....   

Just curious - what position was he in when the trainers attempted to pet him and he reacted?  

 A sit stay,

Also, I would stop with the group classes.  You and your dog need one-on-one training with someone who has a lot of experience and who will NOT put Prince into group situations he plainly is not yet ready to handle.  

 "A sit stay,"

At heel position?  And at what point did he break the stay?  As the handlers approached, as they reached to pet, or when contact was made?

I don't think Prince likes your trainers Ruger. Maybe he remembers that little excersise they put him through. Yeah you need a new trainer for sure now. Tell us about the correction and equipment your using. Moons.

I put him in a sit stay....I walked about 5 feet away. She approached him and he excepted the the head petting. The next time around he moved away from the petting and the trainer wanted me to give her a piece a food. She offered the food, he took it and then he reacted. It happened so fast it is hard to remember exactly...

Hard to say what caused his reaction! but  do not take him back ! they are not equipped to deal with your dog and  do not want to either! they will cause you and him more harm  and possibly irreversibly harm him! an d be extremely carefull about the advice you recieve from this site! You must learn all you can by research and reading  and since you have internet you can search for local obedience trainers in your area! My first dog I have learned you have to become informed and equipped to decide what is best for your dog! Trial and error will lead you to the right trainer! contact your local united schutzhund clubs of america or german shepherd dog club of america working dog assoc. for leads on trainers! Also american working dog assoc. Those three organizations can put you on the correct path to training!

Given his history, I can't believe they had you try this exercise off-leash without proofing him for months with petting exercises at the heel and down positions, while you held the leash.  

They basically set him up to fail, and even worse did so in a way that deprived you of the ability to IMMEDIATELY correct him.  The best thing these knuckleheads did last night was ask you to not come back for any more of their poor training.