So, What Have We Got To Show For Ourselves?

Our current situation, as the year starts to wind down (while the blog is just starting) is as follows:

• Monster is 1.5 years old, weighing in at about 100 pounds, and as far as he will tell me of sound mind and body.
• We can go for walks even when other dog owners are out, but I must be alert to make sure we don't get too close (at around 100 feet away Monster will begin to focus overly on other dogs making it difficult for him to follow commands or pay attention, at around 30 feet away he will display aggressive behavior such as barking and lunging).
• If allowed to reach a point of aggressive behavior, it's still possible to get some minimal moments of attention from him, he can be brought away from the situation, and he doesn't redirect his aggression towards me.
• He no longer reacts just towards dogs, his behavior can now be triggered by people, cars, cats, bikes, blowing leaves, etc...
• He is starting to show more enthusiasm about training, no longer avoiding eye contact or refusing to try.
• He is in a higher level of stress than before we started our current method of training. He has difficulty focusing for almost any period of time, on almost any activity (does not show when tracking, although he has trouble giving up the "hunt" once he reaches the target). He constantly tries to pull on the leash when out walking.
• He is becoming more interested in food rewards, although it's still not very important to him.
• His behavior towards dogs he considers friends (those he grew up with) is becoming ruder. He will play more intensely, with gestures of dominance and some resource guarding.
• He is showing insecurity towards sudden surprises, like things falling down or sudden noises.

So, it's mixed results, I suppose... Certainly, we're nowhere close to done - or even acceptable. For people reading this for the first time, the fact that I'm willing to keep at it with a method that's showing a worsening behavior in some aspects probably seems insane. I understand where you're coming from, the increase in stress and the expansion to all things being a trigger is not a pleasant result. But the overall result is still positive, for us.

I'm starting this blog when we've had aggression issues for a year already. I can't bring you up to speed in just a few posts, unfortunately, so let me just say it's been a lot worse. And I suppose I have faith in where we're headed. Some results are undesireable, but I think I understand why they're cropping up (maybe), and I think they'll die down again if we just keep at it.

But hey, I've been wrong before... At least it will feel familiar if it turns out I'm wrong again, then.