WOW you all have given me so much info! It is good to know that I am doing things right! He has very little interaction with my son's friends and everyone in the house knows the no talk no touch no eye contact rule.
As for when we go out, he is excited about going out and loves the leash, the one time he will sit very patiently and wait for it. He never goes out the door in front of me or walks in front of me. My problem is that he barks at other dogs, and people that he feels are too close. I correct him with a verbal NO and do not slow down or speed up. If he does not stop I turn him around and head back for the house.

I think part of it is that he does not get the exercise he truely needs. With my physical limitations I can't walk him for more than about 20 min in a day. I do have a treadmill and am going to try to train him to run on it. Wish me luck!

I do want to tell you about a great big step for him! Two days ago I had a friend of mine come over with her 2 year old son. Squirt was put on his leash (it makes him feel more secure) and he was not allowed to get near the child on his own. At first he was very skittish, but when he realized that I and the child's mother were correcting the child he became more calm, and even took a small nap at my feet! And to top it off he was willing to take a treat from my girl friend. He usually only takes treats from me and will do the avoidance thing with others. That is huge for him! We were careful to keep a distance between him and the child and to make sure that the child understood not to touch the puppy this time. It was amazing to see him trust me so much!

I will work with him on the approaching of other people thanks for the help you have no idea how much this means to me! I saw a happy calm comfortable dog for the first time ever two days ago! I know he can be happy with just more work. I have no problem taking the time to do it.

As far as his reaction when people come up behind him or other dogs he instantly tucks his tail, and flattens his ears. He goes right into fear mode. I will work with him slowly and watch his reactions carefully to help him with this.

the thing I find funny in all this is that so many people think he is a mean dog, if they only knew how loving and kind he really is!

If people THINK your dog is mean it probably goes farther in protecting you from creeps than if it actually IS mean but looks like it could be friendly.
It's great you had a break thru!

Just wanted to give an update! Work , work and more work has so paid off!!! squirt is now capable of being around people with little to no fear while in the house, and has no problem with teenagers scooting through. He has even learned some amazing things! I can put a steak on the floor and tell him leave it and he will not go after it even if I leave the room! (did this as part of working with my service dog continued training for public access) Next step is muzzle training mainly for vets office. this will be interesting as he still has issues with his face (from having his mouth duct taped shut) It will take some time and work on my part, but I know he will get it! He is so smart! He can even say hello in Cherokee! And has learned to bow to say hello to children.

COOL!
My dog had made a ton of progress too.

What kind of muzzle is the question! I would recommend the Jafco found hear. http://leerburg.com/jafco.htm The dog can learn to wear it comfortably and its simple to use. To teach him to wear it just put a couple treats in it and let him eat them out of it until he's super comfortable with it on his face then secure it and act like nothing happened.

...that's just the best news Sharie! There is no underestimating the resiliency of this breed when given second chances, and their overwhelming love of family and willingness to try..and try...and try again. Keep the updates coming on little Squirt!