What a great face!

Zeus is a big boy who looks like he owns the world! I can see why he might be a challenge.

Connie your dogs look great, no surprise, and your Pug is absolutely gorgeous. I'm biased towards the little dogs.

Zeus is a beautiful handsome boy. I like your garden too.

 Quote: sandy moore

Zeus is a beautiful handsome boy. I like your garden too.

Thank you yes he's good looking and a big playful puppy on top of it. My girlfriend gets credit for the garden that's her "other" baby

John,
I'd like to say a few words on training and trainers. If I stray off course with bad advice or misinformation I'm sure others here will set me straight. So I'll dive in.
I commend you on deciding to take your dog in hand for your self. The endevor is it's own reward. One can force compliance or earn respect from a dog; and the end result is manifest in the difference. With a dominant dog it takes extra time and effort to earn the respect your looking for, they know what they want and have no fear, it takes time for them to learn you know better and to trust your judgement, so patience is of first order and consistency is always of priority. You have lots of time with this young dog so don't worry it'll happen. One day you'll see that sparkle in his eye and realize he lives just for you. Patience.
I know all the books you've read all will say the same thing; all it takes is repetition and patience, But by reading it doesn't give you the realities of days, weeks, months, and dare I say it, years of guidance your friend needs..... It is it's own reward. There will highs and lows but remember, he is another species you are teaching an alien language to. It takes time. Time is on your side, use it. Our host of this site has made available a large library of info for free consumption, make use of it. But if you have problems (which you may well have) remember one of the first rules of dog training, do no harm (don't make things worse). Look for more immediate hands on help. When looking for help never sign on with somebody who says "there is only one way to handle a dog like this". There is never 'one way to handle a dog'. Every dog is different and all good trainers recognize that fact. What on the surface look to be the same problem with two different dogs have equally two different solutions. So never buy into the cookie cutter one size fits all techniques. Good trainers will look for what works with each individual dog, using past experience and borrowing of other trainers methods. Don't worry, good trainers are out there no matter where you live. Talk to your breeder, talk to the clubs, talk to the police, talk to anyone else that has a dog, talk to whoever about dogs, trainers or training will come up. You'll start seeing patterns and hearing names over and over, it will be a start. But never ever go against your better judgement, never. And always remember, he's your baby. You have the final say about how he is treated and by extention how he sees you and the world around him.
Good luck, wishing you and Zeus well. Hope to hear how things go.
If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

Wow, that is so well put.

Thank you.

John.....great looking dog.....I wish you both well and know that you will get along great together.

Randy.....
GREAT post....very nicely put.

I would suggest to go back to prong and use it properly. Keep it up high near her ears. I believe you only need to deliver a light correction. I really like Victoria Stilwell because she uses postive reinforcement.

Maybe you will want to enroll a obedience class with other dogs and people. It will be a good experience for your dog to learn how to ignore other dogs.

 Quote: lindsay janes

Maybe you will want to enroll a obedience class with other dogs and people. It will be a good experience for your dog to learn how to ignore other dogs.

Nothing against your opinions at all, Lindsay, but this is a "very dog-aggressive" dog. I think that an obedience class (which is a beginner-type class) with other dogs and people is really jumping the gun.

Learning how to ignore other dogs is a good goal, though.

 Quote: connie sutherland

Nothing against your opinions at all, Lindsay, but this is a "very dog-aggressive" dog. I think that an obedience class (which is a beginner-type class) with other dogs and people is really jumping the gun.

Learning how to ignore other dogs is a good goal, though.

Don't worry. Sometimes experts know better than I do. I was in an obedience class with a group of 30 people at Reid Park. We had an aggressive pitbull who barks and tries to go after everyone in the class, but eventunally he learned to stop doing it. It was hard to believe how much he changed over twelve weeks in the class. I think the class was outdoor so everyone was able spread out and avoid other people dogs.