Well I’ve taken out a bunch more books from the library (including “The Other End Of The Leash” . In reading the dominance-aggressive section in the first book I picked up, I’ve realized a few things:

First, Zeeke isn’t nearly anywhere near as bad as he could be. Some people raise dogs that have NO respect for them at all. I know the girl who owned Oreo’s dam couldn’t even take a bone or toy away from her without getting snapped at. That was scary to me and made sure it never happened with Oreo. But of course Zeeke comes with his issues. But in reading, I’m seeing that Zeeke’s aggressiveness is only coming up in very small cases. I can touch him while eating, I can take away his food and bones, I can put him into a sit and a down, I can rub his tummy, I can cuddle and kiss him. The times he shows me aggression are very limited: when I attempt to physically move him (Ie, place him into a sit, or pull him off the couch).

Second thing I realized is that he is MUCH BETTER than he was. When we got him, he wouldn’t let me touch his bones or toys. He wouldn’t drop anything and would get mad if you tried. Now he’s fine with those.

Third thing I realized is that the author of this particular book stated “You should start seeing improvements at around the fourth week.” And it won’t be “fixed” for a long time after that. So Zeeke still displaying aggression towards me doesn’t necessarily mean my methods aren’t working - it might, sure, but it also might mean that I need to keep doing them longer. Considering he’s improving, I think it’s looking good.

He is no longer allowed on the bed or the couch, purely for dominance issues (we have no problems with animals being on our furniture, but this whole dominance thing means he is simply not allowed to be). He is being put through obedience class and practiced daily. He must work for every tidbit he gets. He now will not get my attention unless he does something I ask of him. I am going to be using a shaker-can and no physical corrections - it works for boyfriend, but Zeeke is not threatening boyfriend like he is me.

The last realization has me puzzled. In all this time I’ve been getting advice about Zeeke I’ve been told both to take him to obedience ASAP - but don’t put him in situations that stress or challenge him. Being out in public, around other people, does just that. So. I’m a bit perplexed about that. Since we’re already enrolled in obedience and seeing improvement we’ll keep doing it, but I’ll keep working on the behavioral issues at the same time, and I’ll also have to work on keeping his stress level down and his stomach settled.