Or so we are led to believe. There are some first-hand reports leaking out from behind the mirrors and smoke which suggest many of CM's dogs in his yard wear E-collars permanently. Presumably this was because they were DA and needed to. If Daddy was that great, why didn't he work on them? [This when he was still alive BTW].

I hope you'll forgive me for saying this but I feel you're coming across as wanting a quick fix, i.e. some magic wand either in the form of a training device or a Superdog, to do the work you could be doing yourself (and with much greater chance it will work).

She has a very good reputation.

Well as has been said before, there is no way he is ready for class/group sessions if what you have described about him is correct. And not all trainers insist on [adult] dogs needing to be vaccinated.

And in any case, if you can do some 1-1 training with this lady as has already been suggested, then that can take place ANYWHERE and needn't involve any other dogs. You could even have 1-1 in your own home (which might persuade your neighbour you are taking your dog's behaviour seriously and doing something to remedy it). Or, it could be at a park where other dogs are present but at a safe distance.

I am doing 1-1 agility training at the moment and have to say, half an hour is plenty enough and you would be amazed at how fast dogs can progress in the 1-1 situation (this applies to any form of training).

I agree 1-1 training is the way to go here. (Not sure why you wanted a GSD class?)
It is not fair to subject a training class with a dog of Ben's needs, and it wouldn't help him if you did.

Awwww come on dont ruin the fun!

Oh that's great, you will be in good hands with her. She does demand a lot from the owners but you won't mind that

She really does know what she is doing, she's been in training and behaviour for years and is also a truly lovely person

Wys
x

I agree with you. I think so long as the owner is honest and everyone is made aware of the dog's limitations then it shouldn't be a problem. Obviously it's different if the owner just lets their dog off or go crazy without any responsibility, but that goes for all dogs, not only DA dogs.
I'm glad agility has helped Cain

A dog can still do some damage with a muzzle, and biting isn't the only way to physically or pyschologically damage another dog. Ben shouldn't be pushed over his threshold as he won't learn anything, especially if he is practicing the unwanted behaviour, and you may create fear/reactive issues in someone else's dog which is unfair.

I agree that DA dogs can have a place in training classes but only carefully planned with responsible owners and trainers. I was 'turned down' with Casper (who isn't even aggressive, just loud!) as the trainer felt that he wouldn't be able to focus and he would probably disturb the rest of the class too. I wasn't offended, I suspected the same, but her assessment with a calm stooge dog proved it.

So true - with Ben it's his claws. His massive feet can pin down a dog and he can still "worry" with the muzzle even though he cannot actually bite. But what the muzzle does, the type he has, is buy time. Those precious split seconds to separate him before any harm is done.

A lead and some distance will do the same in a much more effective way for all dogs concerned. You may be able to get in there before any physical damage is done but having a dog charge at me with Casper for example, muzzled or not, would do a lot of damage to my training and to Casper mentally.

A lead and some distance will do the same in a much more effective way for all dogs concerned. You may be able to get in there before any physical damage is done but having a dog charge at me with Casper for example, muzzled or not, would do a lot of damage to my training and to Casper mentally.