Need advice about dog trainer

Hi everyone. I need some advise about a trainer for my dog. DH & I adopted our baby BRUNO (a lab mix) in late April - we think he's about 4 years old. We think he was abused and raised as a watch dog bc he is very nervous and gets spooked very easily - if the garbage can tips over he runs away crying. He barks at anyone and anything that goes by the house. He also freaks when new people come in the house - bad! He barks and growls at them and a few weeks ago he tried to nip at my friend's ankles! He's much better with women than men. If he sees new people on the street when he's out for his walk or at the vet, he's fine. It just appears that he is extremely defensive of our house. I also think he has separation anxiety. He barks at us when we leave for work in the morning and when I come home, he jumps up and literally HUGS me and licks my face to death! He's such a sweetie I swear! And smart. All he wants to do is play fetch and snuggle with me on the couch...and he loves to "sit" for his treats and will dissect any new squeaky toy until he finds the "squeaky" and removes it. LOL But I know we need help socializing him and teaching him that it's ok when people come into the house. We've tried for the past 8 months on our own and he has improved a great deal since we adopted him but I know he needs more help than we are qualified to give him. He lived with another dog before he ended up in the shelter but they were adopted out separately. The shelter gave us some background info on his prior home life and it wasn't good. I think that's why they were separated. Any suggestions for someone that will come to the house to help him? I don't think group classes will help, I think he needs 1 on 1 training. Thanks in advance!

Re: Need advice about dog trainer

We used www.muttmanners.com

They work with all kinds of problems and I highly recommend them. Their staff is very experienced, with dgrees in Animal Behavior and the like. They do one-on-one. I would set up a consult (free) to see if they can help.

Good luck!!

Re: Need advice about dog trainer

Re: Need advice about dog trainer

We have a pit mix who is the same way. He currently just graduated from the beginners class at Toni's grooming and training. This class did wonders for His confidence. He is going to take intermediate classes next month. He is still a little sy and scared sometimes but he is a much better dog since we brought him to Tonis

Re: Need advice about dog trainer

I actually called mut manners last Friday. I thought the name was Best Friends, I didn't realize they were the same place. The lady I spoke to was very nice. She actually suggested their 2 week board and train program but I could not leave my dog for 2 weeks, i wanted to cry just thinking about it. That's just not possible. I definetely want to set up a consult with them for in -home training. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Re: Need advice about dog trainer