[pyrnet] 2 questions

[dorcasb@juno.com]

I  adopted a 4-5 year old male Pyr about a month ago, who is wonderful in almost every way. (I can't believe somebody dumped this lovely boy in a shelter!) But we have 2 issues - well, it's kind of 2 variations of the same issue. Hopefully, some of you knowledgeable people can help. 

He is somewhat protective when someone comes to the door (as you would expect of a Pyr). He barks when they knock, i make him sit, and when we open the door for someone and let them in, he is always well-behaved. But yesterday, the FedEx man came to deliver a package, and it looked like my dog was going to go through the glass door to get to him. I don't know if it's because the guy was wearing a hat/earmuff thing, or what. I was trying to get him to sit but never really got him under control. The FedEx guy just looked startled (i don't blame him), 
dropped the package on the doorstep and left. Obviously, this behavior has to stop. Any suggestions?

The other question is how do I introduce him to other dogs and particularly to our cat?  He lived with about 20 other dogs in his foster home, including 2 adult Pyrs (a male and female) with no problem. And when he came to our house, he was fine with our male Bichon Frise. But he is aggressive onleash with other dogs, and while i don't THINK he would hurt one if he got close, i can't be sure. The same with our cat - we just keep them separated right now (the cat is mostly an outside cat, but comes in to eat and sleep - especially with the bitter cold we have had lately.) 

I have been using a Gentle Leader to walk him with (thanks to my wonderful Rescue coordinator - who has been helping me with this), but i haven't allowed him to get near any other dogs onleash. We are just working on walking past strange dogs right now. But i would eventually like to be able to let him play with some of the other dogs we have around us - but obviously i am uncertain about how to introduce them. 

We are starting obedience class this week, and hopefully the socialization there will help. I have already taken him to the dog school to be 'assessed' and ten minutes after i had him there, they had him walking among the other dogs quietly. Amazing... and encouraging. 

Thanks for any help,
Dorcas 

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