Best Answer

Be careful, not all trainers are good ones. Many store trainers may not be experienced in this area. From what I've seen, a lot of times they simply teach basic obedience (sit, stay, come, etc). But if you were told by the store people that they can help you, then be all means give it a go.

I've dealt with the same thing with a past dog, not my current one, and it's kinda hard because the dog needs to go out in public for you to socialize it, but at the same time you don't want to intentionally put people in danger.
I was able to help my dog without getting professional help, but I rather do not recommend following that part of my example.

My dog was she was mainly dog-aggressive. A few tips I've picked up from experience and/or information from other dog owners on this site:
-reward desired behavior, even if it's just ignoring the thing that normally sets him off
-teach him to "look at me", and reward him for doing so, this can be useful in distracting him from growling/barking at people or animals
-when you need to, walk away. Watch your dog's body language. If he's getting anxious, he may bite. Don't force him into situations where he's likely to bite. Walk away.

I'm no professional and actually I rather am beginning to think that the reason I was able to teach my dog at all with my bumbling attempts at this kind of thing is because of her being a German Shepherd, a breed which as a general rule is very strongly bonded to their owner and very willing-to-please. (This is one reason this breed has been so useful in many different fields, from police work, to search&rescue, and to service dog work.)
That said, hopefully these suggestions will be of some help. Just don't think it's all you need to know. Good luck!

Cookies 'n' Creme (1998-2011) answered on Dec 13th.