There is an article on jumping up that is already on the website. It talks about several ways to keep the dog from jumping. You may want to read it - it may offer some good ideas.

Airedales are especially strong willed, and, of course, being a young dog, she is very energetic. She *can* learn to control herself, however, and your job (and that of your trainer) is just to find a way to motivate her to do that.

It sounds to me that the choke collar is not effective for her. I personally do not care for a chain choke collars. Many times the dog does not know why he is being choked and does not provide the proper response. Sometimes they are so muscled in their necks that it does not do what it is designed for, which is to cut off the dogs air. Theoretically, a choke collar is designed to teach the dog that if he does not behave, you will interfere with his ability to breath. (Rather harsh, wouldn't you say?). They don't call it a *choke* collar for nothing!

If I do have to use a training collar at all, a far more effective collar with large dogs is the prong collar. If fitted on both rings together, it does not even tighten up. It does look like a medieval torture device though and many people are put off by its looks rather than analyzing the actual difference between the two collars. Basically, the prong collar "pokes" the dog with prongs that face inward. The prongs are not sharp and do not cut or puncture the dog - it's more like poking yourself in the neck with your finger. Although far more humane (it does not cut off the airway) it is also more effective collar because it only puts pressure on the dog where they are pulling. Unfortunately they do look wicked, but they are far more humane than choke collars and the response is significantly better when used properly. I have found that people who are opposed to prong collars are those who have never used them or who have seen them used incorrectly. (Any equipment used incorrectly can be abusive, of course). 

Keep Roxy on lead in the presence of kids until she learns to behave.

When you can't be there, you are right to crate her, but keep in mind that while crating her does prevent the conflict, it does not solve the problem or help your dog learn self control. Get a longer (15 or 20 foot) lead so she can learn to be with the children. There is nothing wrong with "tethering" her to you too - keeping her on lead and with you while you are in the house. You may also want to try a hand held device such as a Pet-Agree. It emits an ultrasonic noise that is unpleasant to most dogs. You push the button whenever she gets too rowdy. For most dogs, it will interrupt the behavior. You then follow up with a command that she can do (sit, come, whatever) and then praise her for that. You may want to do this on lead at first to make sure she understands and is responsive to the device. Be advised that not all dogs are sensitive to the sound, but it does work well for dogs who are.

You are doing the right thing by continuing her obedience training. A dog that can behave is one that can interact more with people, spends less time in the crate, and is a joy to be around. 

By the way, the reason your husband does not have this problem is because the dog respects him as "pack leader", meaning he has established himself as "above" her in the pack that is your household. When you are physically able to control her (with the aid of the proper equipment), she will respect you as well and you will no longer see a big difference in how she responds to you or your husband.

Thanks for writing and I hope things work out well for you all.

Thanks,
Brandy

________________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW-UP CORRESPONDENCE:

Dear Brandy,

Thank you for responding so quickly to our problem. I do in fact have a pinch collar that one of her trainers suggested to us when she was little. I did not have a lot of faith in it, as it kept coming apart. I better take another look at it, perhaps I am putting it on wrong. We also bought rubber tips for it. It's funny you mentioned that noise distractor, because my husband was just mentioning this morning that we should get a zapper to help us correct her. The noise distractor sounds better to me. I will look on the website for your product and talk to my husband about it. Also the trainer had also mentioned the tethering to us when she was little. I will go back to basics with this dog. She is headstrong and pushy. I know she sees my husband as Alpha and I am the one who is always taking her to school, feeding her, and take her for most of her walks. He mostly plays with her.

_____________________________________________________________________

Date: 97-03-18 15:29:54 EST
Dear Brandy,

I was able to purchase the Pet Agree training tool. I tried it yesterday on her. There are some little girls on our block that want to pet her and I am always afraid she is going to jump on them and nip when she is on the leash. So I had my zapper ready, and when she started to jump I corrected her with the leash, said Off, and gave her a zap. She looked shocked and went down on all four paws. She sat down and let one of the girls pet her. A little later, we met the school bus where a lot of our neighborhood kids get off. She was very excited. One on the kids wanted to pet her and again she looked like she was going to jump, so I gave her one more zap and she stopped and let the girl pet her. She did not try to jump on anyone else. I hope she remembers her lesson. Also after the first zap, she urinated a little while later. I suppose she was scared.

I also started using the pinch collar again. We had to take off some of the rubber covers, because it didn't seem to phase her when I corrected her. I tried the pinch collar before I used the Pet Agree, and the zapper seemed to curb her jumping faster. I know that she is still young and will outgrow the jumping stage.

We started dog class last night. The trainer insists on using choke collars on all the dogs, and was very negative about the pinch collar. I have only met one trainer that was positive about the pinch collar and after this session I might enroll in an adavnced class with her. She was very nice to Roxy, whereas all the other trainers see her as an AIRDALE. They see her as hard to train. Actually she is very smart, and not difficult to train at all. I'm the one who needs the practice.

Well, thank you again for the advice. I will keep you posted. I am going to give your e-mail address and web site to my friend. She has 2 jack russell terriers about 7 months old and is taking the obedience class with me.

Sincerely yours,
Maria

_______________________________________________________

Date: 97-05-07 11:50:32 EDT
Dear Brandy,

I have started a new dog class. This is the lady who seemed to have the same philosophy as you do. Roxy did wonderful at her first class last night. There are 7 dogs in the group. 2 terriers, 2 mixed breeds, 2 labs, and 1 golden. All the dog are almost 1 year old or just under 2 years old. Roxy wore her pinch collar as did many of the other dogs. At first she thought she was there to play but after 10 minutes she settled down. I was very proud of how she listened to me. I still have to get her attention now and then she is so busy looking around and taking in everything. This is an advanced class. We will also be going through the good dog citizen program and going on the get certified.

I have been able to walk Roxy through our downtown Hinsdale, and she is perfect. She does not bother anyone, big or small. Even children carrying food does not phase her, she is as straight as an arrow. She will allow people to pet her when she is in the sit position, and she even likes their hands. Everyone says how well behaved she is for a young terrier. Her nickname is "Sweetie" Because she looks up at people with those beautiful big brown eyes and is just so cute.

Thank you so much for your guidance and recommendation on those dog training devices. I do not have to use the Pet agree anymore. Eventually, when I go out with her I hope not to use the pinch collar.

Have a nice day,
Maria

P.S. The other day I picked up my children from school with Roxy. She was swarmed by 20 screaming children all dying to pet her. She just sat there in the middle and took all of their petting. I am thrilled with her!!!