Barney has been spending the week at the "Academy of Canine Behaviour" while I was on vacation. I can't believe how much I have actually missed him. I am going to pick him up in a few hours. He will be happy to see me; knowing him he will be much happier to see joystormer. He likes my girlfriends much better than he likes me (he has good taste).

I have recently purchased a few supposedly good books on dealing with difficult dogs.
So Your Dog's Not Lassie : Tips for Training Difficult Dogs and Independent Breeds
The Power of Positive Dog Training
Dogs are from Neptune
and supposedly the best:
Culture Clash
It basically talks about how we anthropomorphize dog's behaviours and then when they don't conform we blame the dog. Based on what I have read so far I am very hopeful about Barney ending up a well-behaved dog (i.e. Not attacking people or other dogs).