Gezzz... Why?

So, I have enrolled Liam in another CGC class. He did complete the class last time but did not take the test as he would not let anyone touch him. It is a really large class... 12-13 dogs. He did terrible again in the first class... was scared in the second class too. Brought him early and it made no difference this time.

What makes it so difficult is when you have a highly sensitive dog like Liam and they allow a LARGE aggressive dog in the class, it is not a good mix! There is a Doberman in the class that is HUGE! No exaggeration either. If he walked up to me he would reach my chest. Granted I an only 5'2" but this has to be the largest male I have ever seen.

On the positive side, there is another sheltie. He is the same age as Liam so at least feels comfortable around him. We stick together in class. I desperately need to socialize Liam more. I feel terrible when he gets frightened. I try to not show it... telling him a command to take his mind off something that may have frightened him.

The Doberman is so large and aggressive ... he snarls, growls, and lunges at the other dogs. Sometimes it is so bad the owner moves into a corner and hold his snout shut. One of the trainers used the Company of Animals Pet Corrector Dog Training Aid. It releases a sound like an air blast the completely unhinges Liam.
It is not bad enough that the dog is aggressive but the correct is also the issue.

I have a call into the training facility to talk to them about it. I am all for the person trying to train their dog... however, at the expense of others in the class... not so much! Maybe I am just being overprotective. But, it so hard to keep Liam concentrating on me in class that is making my job 10x harder. He does wonderful heeling, stays, downs, and recalls when aggressive dogs are not part of the environment.

 

I was thinking the exact same thing Cindy which is why I am calling them to talk directly to the owner of the training facility.
We had an exercise where the dogs had to do a sit stay or down stay as the trainer held our dog and we walked around the room. This is to begin the out of site training.
The trainer tried to get the Doberman to sit. He would NOT! SHe did not even try. She is a small lady and I don't think she wanted to confront the dog while the owner was not close by. VERY FRUSTRATING...

 

Thanks, Ann... I will ask. Never tried Rally before - but building confidence sure would help him...

 

Well, just got off the phone with the trainer. Her comment is the lady is trying to work through her reactive dog issues. She explained she is walking a fine line between trying to help an aggressive dog and a fearful one. She said my concern over Liam might be traveling down the leash and making him more nervous.

I explained that I want to set him up for success and that aggressive dog was not helping. She understood my concern and said I could transfer to the evening class where there are only 8 dogs. It is just an advanced obedience class without the CGC part. However, she said I could take the CGC class for free next time. I felt it was a good compromise. I told her I just can not be in a class with that aggressive of a dog.

 

This Doberman should be used as a guard dog! It shows no aptitude to tolerate any other dog. I would be scared to own it as a liability! If the trainer did not want to put it in a sit or down stay... that says a lot. Oddly enough, another dog barked at it and really set him off... the trainer said the other dog was at fault... REALLY!

Anyway, I have never tried Nosework. I will see if they offer it. Can't say I remember seeing it on their website. Anyway, since he is so the sight and sound reactive and NOT using his nose as he will NOT take a treat in class no matter what I make, it might not work for him. Just not sure. Overwhelmed at the moment.