Believe it not, if you provide more regular, formal exercise for the GSHP you will see a direct response in his ability to be less whiny and he will be able to hold a "wait" much better. His excess energy is presenting itself in the only way it can...

 Quote: zachariah adkins

The thing I am having a hard time with is his idea that he goes first. He cries if Brutus is fed first (though his bowl is placed not even 20 seconds later), he cries if he is let outside second, he wants to barrel through doorways and run down the stairs ahead of everyone else, etc. He does have to sit and wait for the command before he can eat or go outside/come inside. However once he does receive the command he charges straight ahead for it (whatever "it" may be). I know that I need to be positionally ahead of him. Other than leashing him constantly I see no other way to fix that mentality.

Like I said prior Remington's training has increased since Brutus' arrival. Brutus is doing great, as smart and quick as a GSD should be! But Remington is being stubborn and does not like waiting.

After spending all day thinking about it and thinking about it (beating a dead horse as I hear it called often), I do not think he was trying to be aggressive (he is the biggest baby there is) but more so stating his frustrations.

This is a dog thing. I have 3 and they all want to go first. They want to get out and work and play. It is fun, it is rewarding. Who wants to get left out of that??

I'd start teaching Remington that it is rewarding to be calm. Have your husband take Brutus out and teach Remington that being calm while Brutus is out is rewarding in itself. Practice calm downs and calm eye contact. Reward those with high value treats. Teach him that calm is good!!!

It might help to exercise Remington before these training sessions to help him settle down a little quicker.

 Quote: zachariah adkins

Both times were when he was corrected and told "Kennel" in a raised voice.

…. when he "put his nose" in a bag of trash and I told him "Kennel" and he went in willingly, but growled when I locked it.

…got in a little tiff over a toy and I yelled "Kennel".
I yelled "Move It" and gave him a poke on the rump. He ran into his kennel but as I started to lock it, he growled at me. I told him "No". He was sitting but tense and looking right at me.

This may be too simplistic but it sounds like his kennel is being used as a corrective measure. Regardless of where my dogs are contained (crate, kennel, vehicle, room, etc) and for whatever reason, their entrance is always a calm, pleasant one.

Both times he sparked a quick reaction in you which may have included an energy that he has learned to be cautious of. Unsure and not trusting what’s to follow. The growling is telling you how uncomfortable he is with your presence at the kennel door.

Has this dog ever received physical corrections for bad behavior? And I’m not insinuating “abuse” or that the correction was inappropriate just that he may have learned that this “angry” energy sparks an uneasy feeling in him for some reason. You don’t have to answer that, just maybe something to think about.

Personally, with my dogs, sniffing around the garbage gets a calm, strong “No”. The minute their face is out, I reward. Complete distraction with much better food and fun away from it. My dogs have never been physically corrected for garbage nor do they go anywhere near it. The odd time a smell may get a quick whiff but they march right on by.

And much like Mara, if I’m training them together and find that one is getting a little pushy for attention, I will separate them, with the pushy one in a long down while I work the other one, getting randomly rewarded to reinforce the calm behavior. Then I’ll double the training time with the attention seeker. They are wanting to interact with us after all and I find this engaged opportunity a perfect time to direct the behavior into actions I’m looking for.

I’ve never been one for time outs; I just don’t think they get it. If there’s inappropriate behavior worth correcting, it's worth my time to show them what the appropriate behavior should be.

but you said that he growled once he was in the Kennel, i just want to make sure you mean Kennel & not crate, or x-pen or wire crate? You mean an outdoor kennel area, correct?

Why shouldn't they challenge your pack status?

You let them practice their challenges on each other all day long.
That was dress rehearsal, you're opening night, right?

Manage your dogs better, fix your pack structure. Check out Ed's Ground Structure article.

 Quote: zachariah adkins

The thing I am having a hard time with is his idea that he goes first. He cries if, he cries if he is let outside second, he wants to barrel through doorways and run down the stairs ahead of everyone else, etc. He does have to sit and wait for the command before he can eat or go outside/come inside. However once he does receive the command he charges straight ahead for it (whatever "it" may be). I know that I need to be positionally ahead of him. Other than leashing him constantly I see no other way to fix that mentality.

But Remington is being stubborn and does not like waiting.

After spending all day thinking about it and thinking about it (beating a dead horse as I hear it called often), I do not think he was trying to be aggressive (he is the biggest baby there is) but more so stating his frustrations.

will be greatly appreciated! I could use all of the great ideas there are!

Is this breed allergic to crying? Will it kill him? If not, then ignore it.

Crying won't kill him, but biting people will, and that's where he's headed if you don't get all your ducks in a row.

Umm, yeah. Put a leash on him.
What are you doing during all that training that he doesn't know how to travel the stairs/doorways correctly?

You've read all the articles and seen DVDs? Then why isn't this dog on a drag-line?

Pretend he never growled at you.
You have a rude, pushy, bratty dog.
Your dogs have packed up, they don't respect you, and you're making excuses for it. Growling isn't your biggest issue.