Schnauzer not retaining- ignoring owner

Question
We have a 7.5 month old male Schnauzer, neutured last week. Timmy shares the center of our lives with 3 cats who aceept him just fine. There are no children within blocks of us. I work most of the day sometimes (on-call job) and my retired husband is home all day. Timmy has a fenced backyard. Timmy came to us at 4 months old from a loving, lively home where his parents lived as well. There are so many redeeming qualities about Timmy but we find that he does not retain information that corrects behavior. For example, when Tim gets up in the window seat and we say his name he usually ignores us. Once we get his attention or physically remove him from the seat and say, "No" he is apt to get right back up in the window seat within minutes. He pulls things out of the trash and shreds it all over the place. Timmy has many, many toys to play with but finds it necessary to shred paper or pull socks out of a laundry basket. He doesn't remember from one correction to the other that the behavior that got him scolded should not be repeated. His hearing and vision are fine. Before we got him, the former owners took him through the Petco Puppy Training Class. He knows sit, stay, walks nicely on a leash, doesn't dig holes, no biting, etc. But how can we make progress with Timmy and get him to not repeat poor behavior? I plan to enroll him in a small group training class soon. Also, Timmy is getting to where he barks at us and others more easily. It's a little like he's saying something to us. He will stop and look at one of us, and while looking right at us he lets loose with a hair-raising "woo,wooo,wooo!" We are not encouraging this at all and keeps our chuckles to ourselves. Any suggestions on parenting this child of ours? Thanks so much!

Answer
Hi Joanne, Schnauzers demand time and companionship from their owners. Timmy sounds more shy and unsure than anything else. They can be feisty (sometimes aggressive) little dogs, who may show superiority without the intention of fighting. Timmy may be challenging people (you and your husband) for authority in the pack, by choosing to ignore you. He needs to learn that you and your husband are the Alpha dogs. Always feed your family first, making him go sit or lay down away from the table, then feed him last. If you could take him to a local pet supermarket, especially one where they give obedience lessons, and let him watch the class (or better-participate in it), it would be helpful. This helps to socialize them with other people of all sizes as well as kids and adults.When he tries to show that he is alpha over anyone or another dog, you need to step in and show him that you command respect and YOU are the pack leader. When I introduce a new dog into my pack and they get aggressive or too playful, or shy, I stand up and very firmly say "ATTENTION" or "LEAVE IT", staring each one in the eyes. We also use the hand signal of the peace sign on our neck (index and middle fingers across your throat), as it helps them to focus on our eyes. If I must, I will take the dog away and put him to work for a short time and then let him go back to what he was doing. Having a zero tolerance rule for any kind of aggression or rough housing is a good rule.  They can play all they want as long as there is no snarling, snapping, or biting. And be sure to let Timmy have play time as well as continuing his training, and it would be even better if your husband were there to watch it and/or participate. Make it a peaceful situation with everyone knowing that you are in charge, you are his alpha dog. Soon peace becomes the rule and good energy from everyone is evident. Since, in your situation, he chooses to ignore you, you must step in with your authority, and your husband as well, before he tunes you out completely. Make sure that everyone in the family is consistent in verbal and hand signals. Good solid obedience training helps you keep control because you can say one word or give one hand signal and he must obey you. Obedience training does not have to cost money, read books, write to me, practice on your own, elicit help from a breeder or trainer with experience. Since he is still very young, you can jump in now and correct it before it gets any worse. Check around, there should be someone in your area that either teaches obedience, does training for shows, hunting, agility...that may be able to help you for free, or at least let you be an observer with Timmy. Dogs do learn from watching other dogs. Dog parks are usually not the best places or teaching because there are many dogs there with bad habits of their own. But you can take her as a family for walks, go to pet supermarkets, hardware stores, or train in the home...where the environment is controlled at first and gradually expose him to different situations where you are in control and he must behave. He is opting to ignore you rather than do what he is supposed to do. This is better than being destructive, but it is still a problem behavior. Have friends with friendly dogs and other children that are used to dogs, come for a quick visit so you can practice in your home. If he gets upset when someone comes to the door, let him bark three times and then sit by your side or go lay in a different room until you allow him to greet your guests. Practice with a collar and leash on him at first. Do not show any fear to him because he can feel your fear immediately. Take a leadership role and convince him that you alone are the Alpha dog and you are in complete control. Please try the techniques above, leave me some feedback, nominations if you wish, and get back to me if you have any questions or problems. If you need further explanation, do not hesitate to ask me. I am here and can walk you through it as needed. Please let me know how it goes with Timmy, he is young and this is a good age to give him a good education, beyond puppy kindergarten. Schnauzers are bred to get prey (rats...)and can be guardians, as well as excel at obedience training. They are high energy dogs and need lots of exercise, so make sure you give him lots of time to play catch, swim, play frisbee...just for fun. Keep me posted. Regards, Susan