is he going through doggy puberty?

[brianarachelle]

my mixed breed (greatdane mastiff/bloodhound) is getting more protective of us then ever. he is 2 1/2. we got him from a shelter when he was 2 months old. we adore him.  he is a great indoor outdoor dog and companion for my 3 year old son. they pretty much grew up toghether. We have had a service to pick up his "business" for the last 1 1/2 years. the same man comes at the same time every week. Oogie will not let him in the yard anymore. he scared a mail carrier just by looking over the fence and barking at her. she will not deliver mail to the door anymore for fear he will jump the 6 foot fence. I know some of the neighbors are pretty wary of him. any ideas? i dont want to become a bad neighbor with a nussiance dog. But at the same time he is part of the family. oh and he will not let me walk him either. any techniques out there? he pulls and if he sees anyone on the walk that he does not like he scares them to death with is barking. he has been walked and socialized regularly until he got to big currently he is a slim 175lbs. i weigh 120 so i am no match for him in a pulling match

[brianarachelle]

yes he was fixed at 5 months. i tryed a basic nylon coller but he kept breaking through them. the leash is just a basic leather one. i tried a harness but he pulled through it. i also have tried a choke chain but he does not respond to it wehn i really need him to. the coller on him is a anti bark. he was getting obnoxious. everyone walks in our neighborhood and he would bark at everyone and everything. probably bored . he has a 6 foot fenced back yard that is 1/3 of an acre for him to run around.

[brianarachelle]

he knows how to sit, come laydown. stay we could never get down all the way. the pictures i posted of him are when he was 1 year old. i cant get the others to post. petsmart does not want to deal with him in a group setting. i found a large dog trainer i was going to try to work with. she deals just with large dogs and she thought his behavior was normal. anyone else have these normal behavior problems?

[navarre1316]

That sounds like what my GSD used to do.  My aunt would tell people he's a viscious dog.  By barking and growling etc he's telling people go away, leave me alone for whatever reason I'm uncomfortable with you.  And when the people go away and leave him alone he gets exactly what he wants so he continues the behavior.  I would definitely recommend a pinch collar.  I realize his weight is an issue, but you have to find some way to get control because he's realizing that you are NOT the one in charge.  He's 2 1/2, so he's like a teenager, going into adulthood and trying to find his place.  Go see that trainer and see if they can give you any ideas.  My boy did grow out of it, but I had to work on some stuff with him.  My situation is different, so the reasons that my dog acted the way he did are probably different than yours, but there is hope!!  I would type more but I need to go to work!!  Good luck

[GR8DAME]

I would for sure get a pinch collar on him. My 100 lb 12 year old daughter can walk my 150 lb dane with one. For the first session, do you have someone significantly stronger than you to introduce him to the pinch? He will probably throw a fit the first time, so you want someone that can handle the antics the first time around, but not strong enough to hurt your dog. Different dogs react differntly to the pinch. I had one dog just lay down and refuse to move after the first correction, and another who yanked and pulled til he figured out the only one he was hurting was himself, and he settled right in.
Once you have him under control on a leash you can get him out and socialized again, which my reduce some of his anxiety around people other than your family.
Stella

[My Friend Joey]

  You have a very big dog to be pulling you around! I definitly think he is being the alpha. I know, I have that problem too although things are much improved now with my dog Joey. He is 100 pounds but extremely muscular and strong underneath all that hair. I use a "Halty" or gentle leader on him. He completely ignored the prong collar I tried on him and besides, something about the prong collar always bothered me. However, I know it really works for others though and ultimatley, you need to use what works for your dog.
 
Joey still has some challenging behavior, but he has mostly stopped trying to alpha me and is happier and more secure because I realized I had to take control of the situation. I was hurting him with too much kindness, (probably because I adopted him and felt sorry for him), wrong! Joey is very sly at manipulting if I let him and he does it in a "nice" way...he just lovingly and gently pushes until he gets his own way...pretty crafty!

Anyway, I am reading the book "Cesars Way". I like his techniques. It's not for everyone but it's good for me. My mother bought for me after a broken finger, bumps and bruises from my dog pulling me around, and a mild concusion. It is really helping but it requires dicipline on my part ...that's my challenge, being consistent and not a pushover..whic h I am by nature. Hope this helps,cheers!

[brianarachelle]

thank you for your ideas. i have no problem with a prong collar or whatever it takes. i am not sure about the whole alpha thing though. if i am sharp with him he cowers at my feet. He always knows when he has displeased me and tends to skulk around for awile. if he gets punished (if i spank him for having the guinie pig in his mouth again ect ) he pouts in the corner for a good hour. the only thing he feels alpah on is his strength is much more then me. i have talked with a large dog trainer and she is going to show me some tricks. i love this dog and he is a great security system. i have never slept better then when he started being alowed to run the house at night. he plays with my son and has never bit him even though he has deserved it on many occasions.  does anyone have a dog that throws himself at the fence? or more jumps up and pulls the lattice down. thanks ahead of time for your thoughts. Briana