I couldn't agree more with you in regards to some individuals having unrealistic expectations, every single dogs requires guidance. One thing I tell owners that attend my classes is that your dog will always be like a 3 year old toddler and thus it will require positive reinforcement. After a number of years the dog will display the behaviors that were either taught to them or those that weren't corrected, it is the responsibility of the owner to ensure that the dog becomes a good citizen. I have trained a number of rescue dogs and in some cases these have been more difficult to train but that is not always the case. All of my rescue dogs have been an absolute joy and by no means I want to deter anyone from rescuing a dog; however, it is imperative to understand that in some cases it may take longer to train for certain things because you may be surprised by learning that your dog has a specific behavior that is unwanted such as agression towards other animals. Again, redirecting these behaviors is possible but it needs to be gradual and one cannot expect a shift overnight, it takes patience and consistency, you'll be pleasantly surprised how fast a behavior can be modified if you are consistent with your training. In my classes I can tell who didi their homework through the week and who didn't reinforce the lessons. One more thing, there is no perfect dog it all depends on the owner's preferences. I personally feel quite satisfied with my NAID and I attribute this perhaps to the years of training numerous dogs. I think that northern breeds such as Huskies and Malamutes are highly intelligent and are great companions but one must realize that they a re also independent and if they are not exercised and challenged mentally properly they will develop unwanted behaviors and this can be said of any breed. I just want to clear NAID's reputation as I keep running into negative posts about this breed which I find to be inaccurate

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Thank you for your candor. So often people won't admit that their loved dog and it's breed have some problems particular-specific behavoir problems and traits-herding breeds nipping and herding small kids, etc. I have 2 coonhounds that were wild-hunting to feed theirselves-weren't scared of humans-weren't aggressive -just confused. i had to roll the male like a barrel in or out of the house for the first few weeks-when he didn't want to move. he just went limp and passive. I also threw him over my shoulder and carried him. I'd stop to get my breath and tug at his collar to see if he'd walk. One day he got up and can actually walk. They dug up native plants to eat the roots and ate other plants. They warn people that hounds might not be suitable for small animals and kids-because of the hunt and kill instinct. I've never had that problem. Because you have an older dog, you probably won't be able to break it from kitchen raiding. I commend you on taking in this dog and working with it. Take care and good luck. What seems to be a trait problem with big coonhounds-many can turn door knobs and open doors and also can open sliding doors-curious about everything. For some reason they leave the fridge alone-took out silver ware-socks-jeans-jewelry-towels-they know where everything is.

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