Round Two

Well, we just signed Elwood up for dog training... Round Two. He decided he was going to start barging through the gate to start trying to bite other owners when they come to pick up their dogs at daycare and we decided that was enough. The place I found, Bark Busters, is an international company and has a lifetime garentee on their training, including new behaviors that may arise later. They will also move WITH us... So, when we move back to Michigan, they will assign us to a new trainer in our new area, free of charge. The best part - it is actually CHEAPER than the on-leash training we did in Michigan (which, btw, was scheduled for a 2 week program and ended up being 7...) They do all in-home training and will go other places with you if you frequent other places (like dog parks, down town for walks, etc). They don't do any training with human stuff (like clickers, choke collars, treats, etc), so it should be VERY interesting. The only way we were ever able to get him to react to anything, even after the previous training, was with a prong collar. I am so excited about this training - I really hope it works!!! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be able to, one day, be able to finally leave him out of his kennel for the day without him tearing everything apart or having a serious anxiety attack.

So, we begin training on the 16th! Wish us luck! Our homework between now and then is to make a training "wish list". Here's what I have so far...

1. Stop aggressive behavior (toward people and other dogs)
2. Stop jumping on people
3. Stop unneccessary barking
4. Keep off furniture
5. Keep from begging/jumping on counters for food
6. Control anxiety
7. Being able to go for walks without pulling
8. Stop whining

And my ultimate goal from all this:

Be able to leave him out of his kennel so he can be a happier dog. :)

Wish us luck!