I will start at the very beginning, since some of the early information may be pertinent to my situation...
Last July, I lost my best friend, my rottweiler named Baron. He was the *perfect* dog. I never had a single problem with him, he was a great protector and extraordinarily well behaved. He ended up getting Hip Dysplasia, and his condition worsened quickly, over a 6 month period. I knew it was getting close to the end, so I tried to make everything as comfortable for him as possible, but there came a point where he could no longer stand, and when he tried, he cried. I tried dozens of medications and surgical procedures, to no avail. One morning, he was unable to even stand and refused to eat or drink, so for both of us (him AND me), I went ahead and made the decision to put him to sleep (which was one of the hardest and most painful decisions I have ever made). Part of me died that hot summer day. Him and I spent a huge amount of time together over the 10 years he lived. He used to go to work with me when I did security work. We were inseparable. I would have given anything I own for more time with him...of course no amount of time would have been enough.
Move forward 6 weeks. I began searching for something that would fill the void left inside me. Although I believe "fill" is a great overstatement, because nothing will ever fill it. I spoke to my veterinarian, and she gave me a book with breeders in it and I began making calls and looking at rottweiler puppies. I found a breeder about 150 miles from here, who had some puppies, so I drove up, took a look, and there was one puppy who "stuck out" among the rest. He was SUPER-playful (just how baron was when he was very young), and he reminded me very much of baron looks-wise. I went ahead and bought him, named him Max and took him to the vet to make sure everything was squared away and he was a healthy puppy. He's the picture of perfect health.
I'm sure many of you know how puppies are when you first bring them home...they're very cute, cuddly and spend most of their time sleeping. Max was no different in this respect. However, he did like to bite and play very rough. I figured it was something I could teach him not to do, so I read everything I could get my hands on concerning puppy training. I bought DVDs, books and drew on some of the knowledge I had from training Baron all those years ago. I thought I had it covered and I could make Max be as good as Baron. I was wrong...
Max is currently 10 months old. He has some serious aggression problems. He still bites, jumps on people and plays extremely rough. I have tried training methods from DVD, books and forums. I've tried both choke and prong collars. I have tried spanking (even though that's something I really don't like doing). I've seen a professional trainer, who was pretty much baffled by max's boundless energy and total lack of response to what people say, even when he's in pain, or cannot breathe due to Max pulling so hard on the choke chain. I've also tried noise-makers and water sprayed from a bottle. I currently look like I got into a fight with a thorn bush, due to all the scratch and bite marks on my arms. Fortunately, he doesn't use his full-force when he's biting, but he does use his full force when he jumps on me with his claws. It's gotten to the point where he KNOWS when he's in trouble. He knows right from wrong, but he refuses to do the right thing. When he's excited, NOTHING can calm his excitement. When he knows he's getting a spanking, he'll go sit in the corner, I'll spank him and the very second I turn my back, he either continues what he was doing previously (the act that got him into trouble), or he jumps on me or scratches me from behind. For the record, I have never had any problem whatsoever training my previous dogs (I've had dogs since I was a young boy, which was a couple of decades ago). I know he's not deaf, because he hears me when I yell, and he can hear the ultrasonic device that I used, but it doesn't stop him from doing what he's not supposed to. Honestly, it seems to me like he doesn't feel pain. He will pull on the choke/prong collars until he can no longer breathe...I can hear him straining for breath. Nothing deters him from doing bad things. He gets tons of exercise, so I don't believe that's the issue either. He also chews on anything he can get his mouth on, which is a very bad thing for a house-dog. One of the main things he does, is he gets down on his front two legs, with his butt up in the air...and growl. Then once a growl and a couple of barks are done, he'll lunge at whoever happens to be in front of him, trying to bite or scratch with his claws. This wasn't such a problem when he was a puppy, but it's a MASSIVE problem now. I have spanked him dozens of times for it, yet he continues.
When he's around other dogs, he has no desire to sniff them, he immediately runs and jumps on them, just like he does on people. I know it's an aggression/dominance problem. Baron always stayed over at my grandparents' house when I had to go somewhere (I work from home), but I cannot take max over there anymore, because he terrorizes them, and I'm afraid he'll knock my grandmother down and injure her. My grandfather has had dozens of dogs through the years that have always minded him without question. He's got that silent, yet extremely powerful demeanor, which should be exactly what Max needs to be exposed to, but max doesn't listen to my grandfather either. Grandpa has whacked max over the nose with a twig, and that didn't stop his behavior either.
When Max is good (which is fairly rare), he is one of the most affectionate dogs I have ever had and he's so incredibly in-tune to my feelings. If I am bummed out, he'll come up to me and put his head on my lap, or lick my hands. So he's not a dumb dog either. He knows sit, stay, down, outside and other basic commands, and occasionally he follows those commands, but not when he's excited, or being aggressive/dominant. His parents were both very gentle dogs, who showed no tendency toward violence whatsoever. Max was not the oldest or youngest puppy, he was the 2nd of 4. Not the largest, not the smallest.
He's getting to the point where he's a danger to everyone...including me. I'm not a quitter, I don't give up very easily. That may come from being a former marine. I have always been able to adapt to and overcome any situation, but I am absolutely at my wits end with Max. I am completely at a loss about what to do. I have considered taking him to a shelter, but he'd be euthanized because he'd be too dangerous for anyone else to adopt. I have also thought about putting him to sleep, but that seems so very harsh. There's GOT to be some sort of trick or treatment that will work that I'm overlooking. It's unfair to him to put him to sleep, and that is an absolute LAST option. I'd much rather give him to someone who I knew could handle him than that, but I'm afraid that nobody would be able to handle him. At 10 months, he's quite large, so he'll be above average in size, weight and strength, and frankly, that's a bit worrisome at this point.
If there's anyone out there with suggestions, I'd *love* to hear 'em. I must do something about his behavior NOW or risk serious injury to myself, or someone else...or worse. I don't know if there's a such thing as a dog that just cannot be domesticated for what ever reason, but I am beginning to think that's Max. I feel so sorry about the whole situation, because I just can't imagine what is causing these problems, and I fear that this will deteriorate into something truly horrible.
Thank you in advance for your reply, and have a nice week.
-Scott