I have a 6 month old BC. We got him at 7 weeks from a farmer with working dogs. When I purchased him he had no shots and wasn't fully weened but I felt the breeder didn't expect a pregnancy and wanted the puppies gone ASAP so the mother could get back to work. When I got our BC he was playful, no alpha demonstrations, adapted well, slept and ate and pooped normally. He was a pure delight. But of course, he did things that needed to be corrected: his bite inhibition was lacking and he herded my 8 year old from day one. From what I've read, we needed to help both these instances with positive reinforcement, gently reprimanding, discouragement, etc. We have never hit or scolded the dog harshly, at least not at first. When I say hit, I mean a tap on the nose with my finger or a nudge in the butt with my palm. Nothing that would be considered abusive or cruel. I didn't want to shatter his confidence. During training, he responded well to treats and commands and playtime and such. We have socialized with him with humans of all ages and animals of all types. He even had a friendship with my friends guinea pigs.
But recently (since about 4 months of age) he has been urinating out of excitement and fear: mostly he pees with my husband when he comes home from work, or meeting new people, but lately it's been for being scolded in ANY way (a firm look, a pointed finger, a stern no.) He had gotten overly aggressive with my son: my kid is active and runs and plays and dances a lot and if my BC is near him when this happens, he just bites him without warning. We have NEVER discouraged growling because we would rather know what's wrong than let random biting incidents happen. He listens to commands but then promptly ignores them: he will find things to chew on knowing we don't like it, he shreds my plants to death, he begs for food even though we NEVER feed him from the table or from any place that isn't his food bowl, or in a manner not directly related to commands and tricks. The thing is, when I did my research on BC for years before making the leap to getting one, I knew the breed was hyper and active and needed attention. I play with this dog more than I play with my own child because he is SO demanding of attention. I throw the ball so much, my kid has gotten upset that I won't spend time with him. But if I don't my dog will bark and whine and pee. HOURS a day we spend on this dog. More than he should need, in my opinion. I've broken it up to fifteen minutes to a half hour every couple of hours so that playtime extends across a full day. We've gone through so many tennis balls and frisbees. I love that the dog is active and I don't mind spending the time with him. I just hate being bullied into it. I've tried ignoring him: leads to destruction: I've tried taking toys away: leads to urination and aggression or being constantly shadowed (underfoot when I cook, clean, use the bathroom, ESPECIALLY when I carry heavy or dangerous objects through the house, he loves to dart in front of me and stop so I trip over him). I've tried crating him (not as punishment) during moments I think he will get in my way. If I continue to do that, he will always be in his crate. 10 hours at night and 5-6 during the day. I have tried training him to stay and hold. It he stays for a minute and the moment I walk away he's getting into trouble. I'm really at a loss now.
I don't want a dog that does whatever he wants despite my efforts. I'm consistent and thorough with commands and I try to keep him stimulated but he's proving to be more difficult than I could have ever imagined. He's sweet and loving but also monsterous and annoying. It's like Jekyll and Hyde and I'm close to rehoming him.
Any advice would be welcome, but please keep it respectful and civil.
