Some help/advice please

Hi,

Could anybody please recommened a good dog behaviourist in the Nottinghamshire area, we are having problems with Gordon lunging at people whilst on the lead trying to grab at clothes, bags anything also when I take him out on a walk and have a brief chat with people I know ( always male) he starts growling barking and lunging. He seems to do both with me and hardly ever with oh. A friend has recommended a trainer who uses the pack leader theory but i'm really not sure about this as some people think this theory is outdated?. I'm getting to the stage where I dread taking him out . At home he's absolutely great just the same old loving boy.

Thanks Tracy x

No personal recommendation, but either of these associations promote good training using modern, positive methods.

http://www.apdt.co.uk/
http://www.apbc.org.uk/

I would steer clear of 'pack theory' trainers, as they often use methods that include pretending to eat your dog's food, banning them from furniture and even pinning, none of which really make sense to the dog. Have a good chat to a potential trainer on the phone and ask them what methods they use. You're looking for terms like positive reinforcement and reward based. You'll probably hear to a certain extent what someone is like on the phone. If you're not sure, don't feel obliged to go with them just because you've taken 15 minutes of their time.

Good luck!

Sorry to hear this Tracy. I can't recommend anyone but hope you can get Gordon sorted.

Hope u get gordon sorted

Thanks Crystal and Ian. Thanks Liz I have e mailed the people from the links you have provided and just waiting for a reply as we really need to get this sorted out asap xx

Sorry no experience there but I hope you find someone