I think they made it look a lot easier than it was, but I do think most of the Rottie's problems were caused by boredom and lack of exercise, and once you give a dog what it needs in the way of exercise and mental stimulation it can have a wonderful effect. He was however very focused on Mic so you could be right, or he just saw Mic as a natural leader. I think your dog focused dog is probably a different issue if he is getting lots of exercise and stimulation can you imagine what he would be like if he wasn't. I do wish though that they would take a "proper owner with a real problem and deal with that" then maybe we might learn something.

I think Mick was hoping she would give up on the rottie so that he could have him!!

I hate that it goes over the same 'this is dog borstal where bad behaved dogs come...' less of the banging metal gate, and more training methods. They don't show you what they did, and that beagle turned around immensely in a very short space of time!

It is just me or did anyone have questions about the 9yr old big black thing. First of all it was a show dog- how? did he rescue it? Secondly how to you get to 9 years behaving like that? Lastly that guy was a male chauvinist pig -''can't believe i got the woman trainer'' ''oh-ma-gawd I am surrounded by women'' he wasn't gay cos he was too ape like, but i wanted to give him good knee-in-the-whatsits!

I wish they would change the name to dog-owner borstal, and have the dogs living in hotels, and the owners in cages....

Same point I picked up on Jess, and yeah I thought Mic had designs on the Rottie too

think it might have better off with him *Slap Wrists* not allowed to say things like that!

I had a jack russell i was fostering for a few weeks, (he went to his new home last night to stay over, cross your fingers!) and he came to me with 'aggression' problems...

he was screaming to get at me from across the street with Akela (i set it up so i could watch him and his owner) and then I got closer, and she was being an idiot trying to choke him by lifting the lead up (wouldn't be doing that to a rottie would ya?!! ) so i took both him (still scrambling and making horrible noises at akela) and akela to the garden and got him muzzled. She immediatly told him off and he was quiet, then he started again, and she told him off... this went on for 15 mins then i took the muzzle off and let him 'free' (on extendable). The point is he had never been of lead and never been allowed to socialise. Lucky for me he was small enough to do this with, rottie size might be different, but again once he was allowed to play and see dogs he was fine. This little guy was amazing, and I was shocked to see results so quickly. I took him home and stuck him in with my lot and there was never a grumble, he went to the bottom of the pack, and seemed happy enough there.
I have another example of a papillon cross a few years ago who was my neighbour, and she made awful noises at my dogs when we passed. I did the same, her dog on lead mine off and they played. She was never allowed off lead either, and her reaction to dogs made the owners think that she was aggressive...
So perhaps the rottie wasn't allowed to see other dogs because of what it 'might do' and in fact all it wanted to do was play?!? That's why when it was given a chance in the environment with the trainers, it changed so quickely and lost it's 'aggression' (which didn't seem to me like a aggression from the beginning on the show)

I agree entirely where the Rottie is concerned, it wasn't a rescue she had ample time when he was a pup to socialize and let him off lead and get him used to other dogs, I have no idea why she thought a Rottie was the dog for her when she didn't meet any of the Rottie's needs. If she was worried how he would behave around other dogs surely she would put in all the effort required while he was small enough to control. The dog got no exercise of cause he was difficult so would mine be and they are really well behaved, but if they never got to run free they would be a lot less fun to live with.

i agree, but surely to let a dog have excerise is common sense?

This is one of the things that puts me off wanting to do canine behaviour as a job. I help people now, but recently have gotten a bad bunch, and to be honest it gets me down, the dogs are amazing, I am spending MY time clicker training and letting them off lead with my dogs (they stick with us, as opposed to running away from their owners and then never getting off lead again ) and then they go back to idiot owners who turn my 'stay' into a 'jump at my head' command. Some people just don't gettit, and it makes me upset knowing what a wonderful it COULD be and it is being held back by dumb owners...
It should be alot harder to own a dog, rigourous tests or something!

I really think some people don't understand how much exercise is required, and I know every site gives approx. amounts of exercise required, and there are books out there for every single breed, but lots of owners these days seem to have dogs that they have no idea about. They go for something small like a jack russell but then try to keep in contained in just the garden and house, god my parson would have probably outrun my dobies when he was in his prime. No wonder they become snappy and destructive, so would I. We meet so many people with young large breeds lately, that have never been off lead and the owners are incapable of running, and they also seem reluctant to let their dogs meet others, do they have any idea what they are storing up for the future? All the signs are there, they say they just want to play with other dogs and yet they yank them away and keep walking on lead, and never let them off because they have no recall. How they gonna learn it then?

my dog focused dog is dog focused cos he loves all dogs and wants to lick them into oblivion...totally different issues going on.
Yes, I agree lack of exercise and control could make the dog behave and react badly arpund other dogs, BUT at the start the dog was barking at the Estralla in the kennel next to it..at the end the Estralla was barking...but the rotti actually looked almost nervous (from what I could see) going through the door and didn't bark. I juts wonder...that's not something that would disappear just because the dog is being exercised by a 'firm' handler...If Mic hadn't worked with the dog, I just can't see that it would be necessary for him to be at such a distance away from him and the ladt when giving instruction. Yes the dog could see him as a 'natural leader' but unless he'd worked him a fair amount and done some stuff with him...I just don't think he would. We also saw him IN the kennel feeding the dog treats and doing basic obedience...why would there be a need for him to do that if he wasn't actively training the dog...
My concern (obviously there would have to be one) is that people will watch, with their dog aggressive dog and think that being 'firm' and 'dominant' will stop their dog behaving like that...recipe for disaster...
Sorry for rambling...

The thing is I never really thought the dog was aggressive just frustrated and taking it out on everyone and everything. I think the owner was useless, and I'm damn sure her dog would have taken notice of anyone other than her. Personnally I think I could have got a positive reaction out of that dog over the course of a week is it, he was begging for help.

Yep...I agree...(again! )
But....in that case...since they only had 5 days or something...I just don't think that woman did all the work....