see a red flag?? ( long , sorry )

[nicodemus]

so, i cant really say enough good things about nicco....
but he is young still still so i guess im gonna ask and let yall give me your opinion on if i need to address anything, as a first time dog owner, i couldnt be more pleased with how little trouble hes given me, but there is always room for improvment, and since we are gonna be together a long time, now is the time to nip stuff in the bud..!
housetraining.. no issues
walking... most of the time, no pulling at all, he walks beside me with no problem, i do however get pulled like crazy when we are on our way to the dog park gate, if there is another dog present, he strains heavily. i know hes excited to get some play time, but how do i get him to calmn down a bit, and get the idea that i will release him when I AM GOOD AND READY?also, when we are walking, sometimes ( only sometimes ) he will walk just slightly in front on a loose leash, never fully in front mind you, his back legs will be in line with mine, but is this too far ahead?
barking... 99% of the time i have a very quiet dog, with the exception of when i walk out the door, or away from the area without him. he will bark , and i understand hes not pissed , just wants me back. is there a way to get it thru his head that im not abandoning him ? or is this pretty normal? also... SRAY CATS... he will bark like crazy when he sees one in his yard.... someone could walk right up to the front door and ellicit no response from him, but let him see a cat and it is over.... im not sure how to correct this behavior, or if this too is just something to live with.
furniture.... i really dont give a hoot if hes on my couches, but ive read that this is a no go, and damnit he looks comfy , so do i moove the guy or let sleeping dogs lie?
laying in my way! ... i really dont mind just stepping over him most of the time, but, should i make him move if hes laying in the way? i ask because mostly he is laying in the front doorway.....
thanks for the input folks!!

[Marnie]

When you leave the house and he barks, he is distressed and is calling you to come back because you forgot him. I would leave him with a big Kong full of kibble to distract him. If you make a big deal out of his barking, he will be even more distressed, and really, does it matter that much if he barks?

I see more people allow dogs on the furniture than do not. But, once it becomes a habit, he will think all furniture is for his use and it will be hard to convince him other wise.

I would nip the cat thing in the bud before he kills someone's pet. It would break my heart to think of some little girl crying because a badly trained dog killed her pet cat. You should check out some of the Ahimsa and BAT sites (behavior adjustment training for dogs.) You can desensitize a dog to almost anything if you take a little time. It might be a little harder with cats because they seldom volunteer to assist you in the training.

[Shaina]

I dont care if my dog is in front of me when we walk, that is just silly. She knows the difference between a competition heel and an out on the walk heel, and that's all I need. She does not pull me on walks. She pulls me when she knows we're at the park, too, and I let her. I know most will disagree with that, but she KNOWS we are at the park, and that is very exciting to her. I don't go to do obedience - we do that on our own time. We go there to play. I also allow my dogs on furniture, but dang it, if I say off it means OFF and not to come back up. Why do you have so many stray cats in your yard? LOL I've yet to have that problem.

Good luck. Remember, he is a puppy. Don't expect to much. Get into training classes and make it fun. Obedience should be some of the most fun you have with your dog! Enjoy it

Edit: As for the "badly trained dog killing cat" comment, the cat should not be in the yard, period. I know that does not excuse the behavior, but it is not MY job to train my dog not to have prey drive just because people don't want their cats to live indoors. Your dog is not off leash out front, I assume, so I don't see how the dog could get to them anyway. Not that you dog shouldn't be trained to ignore the cat, but I don't think that it is fully your responsibility. I have a cat that comes into my backyard at times, and I told the owners that their cat is entering a yard with two dogs, and that I don't THINK they would hurt it, but to be aware that something could very well happen if they continue to let their cat roam.