You are correct in assuming I want a door happy dog. I don't need them as a source of defense to alert me of strangers. I would much rather prefer they not bark or growl when someone is at the door. In regards to training I would LOVE to find a trainer in my area, however I live quite aways from any major city and the closest thing to one has a Petsmart but the "trainer" there is like 20 and probably works the cash register between training shifts, not exactly my idea of an experienced professional <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I have never seen any training at petsmart I thought was worth a darn. I think your solution is going to be to train yourself to be a good trainer. I think this is a good site to pick up that kind of knowledge. Probably the simplest thing you can implement right now is a Nothing in Life is Free Policy. http://www.k9deb.com/nilif.htm
You should also develop your rapport skills with the dog http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/LA/rafe1.htm

Since you do not have anyone local, if you want to spend the money you can get phone consultations from Suzanne Clothier (I have never used her, but she is highly recommended in the positive reinforcement community) http://www.flyingdogpress.com/consultations.html
of course it helps if you already have some training ability under your belt and I think you can find some good videos on the leerburg site to help you with that, maybe someone here with indepth knowledge of all the videos could suggest what videos would be most helpful to you.

In any case, I think you can greatly reduce the problem; It will just take time for you and the dog to learn together. Until then take small steps and build from there, just be careful that as you reduce the problem that you do not leave a void for the dog to fill. Have a replacement behavior at the ready. For example if you have a problem with the dog jumping on you, it is important to make the dog stop jumping on you but it is also very helpful to give him a replacement behavior, ie instead of jumping, you redirect him to lay down or sit still. And last but not least make sure you take the appropriate precautions with your rescue dog, especially around children.

Thomas,
Suzanne Clothier may be thought of highly in the positive reinforcement community ( Lord knows she does enough self promotion there :rolleyes: ), but she doesn't get much positive press among serious dog trainers.
And her prices are ridiculous - $300 for a 1.5 to 2 hour consult? And then $125 per hour?

You can go to absolute top level dog training seminars taught by National ( or International, for that matter ) champions that last eight hours a day for five days for $300.

So you can spend $300 to talk to someone for two hours and have them observe you and your dog, where the trainer has written several dog books,but has only ( to my knowledge ) put a few CD's titles on dogs.
Or you can spend the same amount of money training your dog and watching a dozen other people solve various problems with their dogs, taught by someone that has likely trained dozens of dogs and proved their training and handling skills resulting in their standing high on the podium.

There are *many* better ways to spend dog training money than at an over-priced "consultation" ( or $90 per hour over the phone, give me a break! ).

Thank you so much for all your leads gentlemen I am going to carefully consider each. I think the phone consult may not be my ideal as I rather have someone work one on one with both myself and winnie, but I will definatly keep an eye out for a seminar in my area (michigan) if anyone hears anything.

 Quote:

Originally posted by Will Rambeau:
Thomas,
Suzanne Clothier may be thought of highly in the positive reinforcement community ( Lord knows she does enough self promotion there :rolleyes: ), but she doesn't get much positive press among serious dog trainers. ).

They certainly are two different worlds. And if one where to do "serious" training with a GSD I would make a different recommendation. And for training a dog from the ground up, I too prefer a "serious" trainer. But I think the positive reinforcement crowd does hit a sweet spot in this particular type of situation. For a beginner trying to rehab (or untrain) a "problem" dog on their own, one runs less risk of making the problem worse with a positive reinforcement technique. The other thing I do like about the "positive reinforcement crowd" is that beginners who do use that method I think learn how to communicate instructions to their dogs more quickly and more effectively. On the negative side, some in the positive reinforcement crowd are really cult like, and cringe and chide people for using pinch collars and such. That type is not interested in results, they are interested only in the technique (without regard to if it is actually working or not). The key is that one has to be a wise consumer and try to figure out what is really being taught to the dog and how effective it is.

I can't even express how grateful I am to all of you for your advice and support, this site is a true blessing to people with problems regarding their dogs who need some great advice. I did introduce Winnie today to my mother and she responded fantastic! I was debating all night as to whether I should crate her during this home visit or as to what my other options may be. I deceided to try introducing Winnie to the guest outside in the front yard hoping that this area would be less teritorial for her for an introduction. I kept her on a leash until I should see her tail wagging and no growling or aggressive stance. She seemed hesitent at first but was soon giving kisses to my guest which THRILLED me. After the two got comfortable outside we went inside (the protective arena) and she still was receptive and energetic with our new guest, I can't be happier. I don't know if possibly she was aggressive with my brother because he was male? Has anyone had a dog that aggressive to only a certain type of person? Possibly due to past experiences... my brother is a big guy who has a bald shaved head, don't know if this possibly triggered something from her past. I am going to proceed with caution, but am excited at this small step.

Hi Dawn,

Just thought I'd bring up muzzling your dog when doing in-house introductions as an option. This way there is no chance of her hurting anyone. What this does in turn is when you know she can't hurt anyone, you will be more relaxed which will make her more relaxed.

Make sure she is comfortable with the muzzle prior to doing any introductions so that she is not under unneccessary stress. I'm sure there is some great info somewhere on this discussion forum or how to properly muzzle train your dog.

Heather

Two tips on your brother. First. I would tell him to avoid direct eye contact with the dog (and have him take off the hat and glasses :-)

Second, when he reachs to pet her, he should NOT reach for the top of her head, have them reach under her chin and pet that area. A pat to the head from a stranger can be very threatening to an already skittish dog.

After she gets more comefortable with him, the eye thing and the top of head thing should probably be okay.

Thomas

Actually, a dog that's in a muzzle can hurt someone badly - ever get pounded by a determined dog in a muzzle? They sell specific padded vests to wear during muzzle work to cut down injuries on decoy's, and I very nearly had my forearm fractured by a Mal in our club wearing a muzzle not six months ago..

If you intend to use a muzzle on your dog, you need to keep *complete* control of the dog with a leash, which many people overlook - resulting in needless injuries.