I’ve started Fenway in a training class. Last week was the first week and within 10 minutes we were behind the partition working out of sight of the other dogs. He gets over excited and starts jumping around, lunging, and making his Tasmanian devil noises. Of the eight or so handlers in class, only one person complained about him - the uptight woman with the yappy corgi - so I took no offense whatsoever.
Tonight was the second week and we actually spent most of the class working in sight of the other dogs. Only had to go behind the partition during the more active exercises where he got over stimulated and I just couldn‘t get him to refocus on me. The class assistant came over to talk to me a couple of times and commented that with his bullet shaped head and barely there stop, Fenway almost look like a bull terrier. Later, we tried doing a recall with him. The assistant was supposed to hold his leash while I called him. Instead, she asked if he was going to bite her and acted all nervous about him jumping on her.
What really hurts is that she’s known me for over a year. She also knows Avery my psycho terrier who acts like a lunatic in class on occasion (okay, more than just occasionally) and she knows I always keep my dogs under control and have no problem with removing them if they get too crazy. It’s not like I’m a total stranger walking in off the street with an unknown, aggressive, dangerous dog. I expect the ignorant (uptight corgi owners) to have a problem with my “bully” type dog when he acts wild. But it really hurts when someone who is more educated in dogs and knows me personally has a problem with him.