Well, he knows his basics....sit, down, stand, stay, come and shake. He has also been taught to wait....which I use when feeding--he "waits" for his food, or if leaving the house he has to "wait" while going through the door so that I go out first, and then wait again as I lock up.
My concerns are that he goes into, what I call his "zones" where he does not want to be bothered. If one person is petting him and another person comes up to pet him too...he will growl at that other person. He wants NOTHING to do with strangers....even meaning company in our home. If they look at him, he will growl. If they attempt to touch him--which they are told not to touch him, but not everyone listens--he will growl and run away. This is where I am guilty....I used to take him to work with me and if he didn't want to be bothered by someone that came into my office he would growl and come behind my desk. I then would pet him and tell him it was ok which I learned later only made his situation worse.
On walks he is terrified of anything out of place....say cars parked in places they normally aren't. There are a couple new houses being built in the neighborhood and the sounds of the construction scare him really bad. He's tried to dart away when he heard a drill start up. Once we were walking and a guy was getting into the trunk of his car. He saw the guy and was a little uneasy, but ok. Then the trunk slammed shortly after we passed and he darted. About took me down....was not ready for that.
The majority of the time he really is a good dog, but I've never had a dog with any of the issues he's coming out with and that's why my search for a trainer is so important. I need someone who will not be scared of his breed and give me the advice and training that I need in order to help him. Any advice you could give is greatly appreciated!!