Maybe I should change the name of this thread to "Let's fix Brody". I don't know that there was much trauma in his past. The SPCA record indicated he lived with a woman for his entire life, his littermate sister as well and possibly his mother (that's my guess, otherwise how would a person have 2 puppies for their entire lives?). The woman who brought them in to the pound was not the owner, but a close friend who had known the dogs well their whole lives, but did not live with them. The staff at the pound said that there were "too many dogs in the house", so maybe there were more than the mom and two pups. They also said they had had very little socialization with people outside the home. You take a shy/reactive dog and keep him away from people during his puppyhood and what do you get? A fearful adolescent dog who barks at every person he doesn't know, and even some he does know!
Funny thing, we didn't see this at all when we met him at the pound. Brody and Shayla (his sister) were outside in the play yard the first time I saw them. They were barking like crazy, but in an excited way, not scary at all. They settled down on their own, and when I went into the yard, they were a little shy at first, but warmed up quickly and took treats and let me touch them. No barking or growling once I was inside the fence. I then brought my two youngest kids in, 10 year old girl and 13 year old boy. Both dogs were fine with the kids, and got to be friendly after just a few minutes. We went back the next day with my husband and 17 year old daughter and took them for a walk on a busy industrial road (isn't that where all dog pounds are located?) and they were very attentive to us, running along side the kids, taking treats, no sign of fear or reactivity even when large trucks thundered past us. We all fell in love with those dogs and had a really hard time choosing just one, but we agreed that Brody was the one who connected with everyone best. Shayla was always looking at Brody when we separated them (ie, walked them in different directions),whereas Brody looked at the person holding the leash.
When we decided to adopt him, we had to wait for him to be neutered. When I called back a few days later to find out when we could bring him home, the lady (a different one than was there when we visited) expressed concern because he had "issues". I asked what she meant, she said "barrier aggressiveness". What's that? He tries to bite your hand when he's inside his kennel and you are on the outside with the gate between you. Hmm. We went back in to check this out and she tried to demonstrate it to us. I didn't see anything that concerned me, just a young dog that wanted to be free. He doesn't do this at all at home when he's in his crate. If he is outside when the dog next door is barking, he rushes the fence, and if I try to grab his collar to pull him away, he will go for my hand. Same thing with the neighbor's kids jumping on the trampoline right next to the fence and looking down into our yard. Or if we are on a walk and pass a dog barking behind a fence. Big time lunging on the leash and barking.
It's really hard to work on these because I can't really set them up. I don't know when they are going to happen, and I have yet to find the food that is more enticing than the thing behind the barrier. There are four places on our street with dogs he reacts to, one being right next door. I have taken him outside when I know the other dog is out or when the little kids are on the trampoline. I kept him on his leash and fed him treats when we were at a distance where he could stay calm. I moved a little closer and a little closer, and he could keep calm. But then there is that invisible line where he goes nuts. I would love to be able to work on this on a daily basis, but I can't control when the other dog is out, or when it is on our side of it's yard, or when the kids are playing on the trampoline. I just have to capture those moments whenever I can. The other places in the neighborhood are even harder to anticipate.