probably the big issue is dominance and the other, if he is fearful, is so small in comparison that is almost fades out of the picture.....
If there is one thing to concentrate on its Pack structure, the groundwork. Thats priority # 1. That includes the collar, muzzle and crating suggestions.
Another thing, can he be leashed to you instead of in your room,ill your mom allow that? Maybe you can tell her its in the name of reforming him.
Leashing him to you during the day can work to some extent like crating. i.e. he has to go where YOU are going and cant decide when he wasnt to take a nap, or a drink etc. in essence its micromanaging his life- It works though!

Just go in, like Cesar says, like a drama queen; "ok bubba, this world is MINE now!"

Edited by Mary Velazquez (03/06/2008 02:25 PM)
Edit reason: details

The whole situation is confusing really.

I just want to no is a dominant dog collar likely to upset a fearfull aggressive dog or will it just have the same affect.

if i watch out for more fearfull signs when useing it i can stop

I'm not even sure the dog is being dominant. Its amazing how much is lost in translation when an inexperienced person explains their dogs behavior over the internet I have seen forward fear aggression too, its all about what the dog chooses to do with it. I've seen dogs that do bitework but are terrified of the decoy while they are doing their work.

I am just saying, it is unlikely that it's both I don't want to say what I think it is with a dog I haven't seen.

Sorry for being a pain, i just want to research into this as much as possible, just to make sure i dont upset him further if by any chance he is a feafull aggressive.

I think he may be in some cercomstances but not in most, as the staulking behaviour certainly is not fearful.

Nor is the barking and growling and standing in the doorwy.

But the ears back, wide eyed, tail down look when he meets few people indicates fearfull aggression. (on walks if i stand and talk to large, older men, and sometimes in my dads home when a similar looking man entered the home.)

Its very strange and confusing. im thinking he was abused by a man who looked like this, maby an asian aswell. And he fears people who look like them but other wise he is a dominant???

only guessing here

Either way; pack structure, what we're telling you to do about "groundwork" (see the article) that applies to all dogs, age breed and issues included.
That will probably take care of the huge and overwhelming part of his issues.

If he is fearful it may be because hes unsure of his place; maybe some indications you uknowingly give say your in charge, and others say hes in charge. that will confuse him and cause him to be insecure.

But no matter what his issue is, the groundwork has to be donw. when your doing that you will be able to pick out individual problems and deal with them.

Im trying to download adobe reader to read the ebooks as i only just reformated my laptop because of a nasty virus but its stuck on 95%.

Is there anything else i can download to read the e books?

Not the best example, but here's a video of a fear aggressive (I wouldn't call it fear as much as overly defensive) GSD that is very forward.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=F445w6KOVK8

Not very severe but this dog definitely isn't being "dominant."

People seem to lump dominance and extreme defense (remember, defense stems from fear) into the same category. They have nothing to do with eachother.

Fear aggression is forward, all aggression is forward even in a dog backed into a corner that is forced into defense, they don't jump backwards to bite, aggression is intended as an act to defend themselves/scare away bad thing etc and thus is forward. But fear aggressive dogs are not usually completely forward, there is an air of uncertainty about them. The key for me is that a fear aggressive dog acts fearful.

I may have a different view of fear aggression, though. I don't classify as dog that is simply sharp to be fear aggressive. To me, a fear aggressive dog does not only react to strange people, fear aggressive dogs react to anything that frightens them and being weak nerved that could be anything. And then for these dogs that react aggressively with little fearful behavior it has been a conditioned response - the dog has learned that when afraid showing aggression solves the problem (people/things go away or the owner comforts the dog/rewards/reinforces the behavior)

He could be fear aggressive but her description of his dominance with other dogs and his confident territorial behavior would lead me not to define him that way but as you said and as I have said it is difficult to tell over the internet without seeing the dog.

A fear aggressive dog in the situation she described in her yard with him dragging her to the people and things doesn't sound fear aggressive to me. But it coudl very well be that the description was off, it is difficult for people to acurately describe their dogs behavior. If he pulled her towards them I would not view this as fear aggression, if he was bouncing side to side and darting too and fro and essentially looking for an escape route then I would say yes, he is reacting out of fear but not dragging towards the objects of fear.

To me his fear was very obvious to me.

Bruce acts this way to few people but not all. He puts ears back and narrows his eyes when you try touching him and lunges without growling, but other then that he acts dominant.

And when i had a man come over to my home to look at him for rehoming etc, he an around then, growled, barked, scratched, markd, wouldnt let them move around, played with his football in front ofthem even, but not the least bit worried. And if they tried to touch him then he may act as above

I have a very large dog kennel out in the yard with a line.

The line is 9 metres long (the width of the garden (-) that way lol and secured both ends in the ground, and has an old dog lead atached so he can walk the length of the line and get inside his kennel. he very rarely goes on the line.

But if i was to start ground work with him to establish pack leader ship, would my room be a good enough substitute crate and his line be good enough. walk him to his line on a lead, and limit my handling with him etc?

Walking may be out the question at the moment though. Will get him on my long line when walking on the garden but going where i want to go???