could i get some advice?

here is a link for nothing in life is free

http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

I looked up NILIF the other night after a couple of you had suggested me doing so and it seems I'd already been doing the general concept of it. I have since talked to another behaviorist who ranted and raved about it so I think it should help some. He starts his classes in a couple of weeks as well. I'm hoping that obediance classes, the NILIF angle, and continued socialization will help.

Thank you all for your advice, I really appreciate you taking time to throw out some ideas and experiances. I'll keep posting updates and pictures of his progression.

I find it interesting that you refer to a thirteen month old dog as a puppy.  In fact, he would be, if unneutered, past the age of sexual maturity.  And, he is reaching adulthood.  This is the age at which dogs develop pack behaviors, such as "this is my pack, and that's yours", as well as determining status within their pack.  You have your hands full.  This is a breed originally used for fighting in its homeland, and the reason it almost went extinct was due to the fact that fighting was made illegal.  Many "dogmen" will not use Presas for fighting because, unlike the Pit Bull, they are human-aggressive, thus hard to train.  This is a manstopping dog, with the power to do great damage, and someone who drops a flyer with you and gives him a few pats is not helping.  You really need to talk to someone who is extremely knowledgeable not about Rotts, Labs, or other "big dogs", but about this breed.  And, you need to be careful, since many people who are in this breed aren't in it for the betterment of the dogs.  

I refer to him as a puppy because hes still young, neutered, and due to his lack of training before I recieved him..very playful and curious and does all those wonderful puppy tricks like nip, mouth, chewing on random stuff,  getting into everything, etc. I am working on those, although not nearly as dilligent as the aggression.I'd rather my shoes or new clothes get torn to hell than have a guest get bitten or be afraid to come over.And I am full aware hes more of a "teenager" than anything, just an immature one.
 
I'm well aware of their history as well as their aggressive tendancies, hence I am looking for advice anywhere and everywhere I can find it. I don't want him to be another statistic as to why ignorant and uninformed politicians can promote and install breed-specific laws. Last thing we bully lovers need is another headline reading "bully-type breed mauls ___ "
 
I read your profile spirit, it says you are a trainer. Do you by chance know of anyone within the urban Maryland/Virginia/Dc area either familiar with Presas or very experianced with aggression in general?

*UPDATE*
hes been getting better about meeting/seeing new people in the neighborhood. I realize its only been 2 weeks and yes he still growls at some people but not all  of them anymore and thats a good start in my mind. he has stopped the niping and hes not getting into as much trouble around the house either. he is still WONDERFUL with meeting new people/dogs while we're out and about(away from house and car). he even LOVES the female tech i work with that he had grumbled at a few times(twice while he was in the car, and once while he was in the office).I wonder how good he could have already been had his previous owner put in some more effort? the treat tossing seems to be working well with " breaking the ice" between him and strangers. and the NILIF=GODSEND, he now lowers his ears and submits to EVERYONE in the family now and 1/2 the time sits or lays down before we even ask him to so we can pet him.

anyway..I found an obediance/schutzhund/protection/agility/ handicap trainer up in Baltimore who said hes worked with numerous presas, pits, and bullies in general(as well as the rotties, dobes, gsds etc) and we're starting an obediance course this saturday( i keep telling Santo that we're starting boot camp and his days as a huligan are numbered!). I have also briefly talked to him about protection and schutzhund....he said most presas dont excel in schutzhund because they " dont go looking for trouble" and tend to be more territorial of their protectiveness.he suggested protection after we finish obediance because presas are known for their "unmatched protective nature" and agrees instead of trying to teach him not to be protective that we should instead reinforce it but also teach him restraint and control when i've accepted the person(s)

its all looking uphill from here, as I thought before I posted(but just wanted others to confirm my beliefs) a lot of socialization, training, and love/patience yet firmness with him will make him the model citizen at home that he already is in public.

ill keep posting little updates as we progress through obediance and then protection training.

Great to hear!!  This reinforces my opinion that there is no such thing as "bad" dogs, REGARDLESS of breed, just bad owners.  Good luck with continued success!

I don't know her personally, but Liz Hauck in Baltimore (www.droptheleash.net) has trained assistance dogs, and is a member of APDT and IAABC.  If you aren't happy with the Sch guy, you can always call her and maybe audit one of her classes.

Hey...I don't know if you have checked into this or not yet, but "calming signals" is another great tool.  And totally fascinating.  Here is a link to get you started.

http://neholistic.com/articles/0099.htm

One of things that I have noticed owning dobermans and belgians, is intimidation is fun.  As the dogs age and puppy friendliness begins to give way to genetic predispositions to suspiciousness of strangers etc.  The dogs start to attend to who is afraid and sending off those signals.  The dogs respond to that often with intimidation behaviors.  The problems occur when frightened people make complaints and you and your dog become focal points for aggresssive dog complaints. 

One of the best things to consider is finding locations that allow you to practice obedience behavior and control for commands with the distraction of people at a distance.  It may be helpful to schedule trainings around times the dog is naturally very hungry so your treats have more value.  Use a variety of treats so novelty acts in your favor. Change behavior by moving (rapid sits when heeling, recalls, etc)   Consider teaching eye contact when distracted. Work on the commands for 3 or 4 weeks longer than you think you have to before moving any closer to the distractions.   I am talking about a training program that lasts WEEKS or even months.  The orginal distances may need to be 20 feet or more.

The primary issue in the training is to work on the dog attending to you regardless of the provocation:  screaming yelling little kids playing soccer and regardless of distance.

ORIGINAL: mrv

One of things that I have noticed owning dobermans and belgians, is intimidation is fun. 
 

 
I would not call it exactly "fun" because their intentions are not no be "bullies", i think it would be more that they see an opportunity of being dominant over someone else since they sense that person is not confident enough to avoid be dominated

the only problem with the safe distance thing is there is none. for example..this morning we walked out the door and started our normal long walk. we were passing my next door neighbor's house and he and his golden retriever walked out, mind you this dog barks at anything(and by anything i mean me, my dogs, passing children, people on bikes, old people, young people, other animals, the wind, the leaves, anything that moves she barks at and noone complains because its a golden), and she instantly started barking at Santo and I..Santo looked at her with a " you best shut up and learn your place kind of look" and the dog stopped instantly and we proceeded. later up the road a man was working on his truck, he got out from under the hood and said " good morning"..Santo wagged and I said hello and kept going. Further up the road a man walked outside to smoke a cigarette, we stoped and chat for a minute( Santo always draws crowds by the way). Nothing happened at all today, not one grumble, bark, or growl. Nothing. Yesterday the same retriever barked at us and Santo began growling like there was no tomorrow, she stopped barking at us but he just kept growling. But he never growls at dogs so I think he was actually growling at the neighbor if anything( and i know it wasnt her because she barks at us EVERYTIME i take the dogs out back to go potty but he usually never even looks at her). but some people can walk right up and pet him, before i can say dont get in his face, and get right up in his face and theres no problem. others can be 100 yards up the road and he goes off.

as I told willow when she posted about her dog having car protection.when hes in the car hell bark at 1 person, then 8 people can go by without incident. hell bark at 2 more, then 20 go by without anything happening. some people walk up to the window, people are idiots by the way, and nothing happens(thank god).theres not even a pattern to it either! he doesnt discriminate against races( blacks, whites, hispanics, etc.), young people, old people, men, women. there is no pattern that i can find about his car/neighborhood aggresion. the minute we go out in public( pet stores, vet office, parks, anywhere but the neighborhood) hes a 85 lb pile of mush and kisses. anyway i found a trainer in baltimore, spirit suggested another in baltimore if that doesnt work, and the behaviorist i went to in october mentioned one about 2 miles from my house so hopefully bewteen the 4 of them i can get this sparatic aggresion nipped in the butt now.

oh heres a newer pic of him, although it was taken on my phone and is very dark

Maybe your dog senses something about certain people that he doesn't like... doesn't mean they're bad people, but the dog might think so?  That's the only thing I can think of that would set him off at random.  My dog sometimes barks when people or other dogs walk past our house, but when we have her out on walks or car rides, she never barks at anyone or anything, not even the other dogs that bark at her.  But we have one friend who, when we drive down to visit him, we have to go through a really shady neighborhood.  That neighborhood is the one and only place where my dog starts barking at people from the car (and we've brought her to LOTS of different places)... so we figure the dog might sense something about some of the people in that neighborhood... who knows?

Something you might try....as soon as you hear the growl, the bark, or whatever (while on leash) go into training mode. Redirect his attention. Do a few turns,(curving, think calming signals) a few short back and forths, etc. Get his mind busy.  Quick.  And off the thing he is beginning to fixate on.

  It is really better if you can do this before the bark, the growl or whatever.  Watch your dog and see what he does beforehand. Ears up?  Stiffening?  There will be a signal of some sort.  When you learn to spot that, then redirect/train at that moment....before he goes into silly mode.

ORIGINAL: biohazard

the only problem with the safe distance thing is there is none. for example..this morning we walked out the door and started our normal long walk. we were passing my next door neighbor's house and he and his golden retriever walked out, mind you this dog barks at anything(and by anything i mean me, my dogs, passing children, people on bikes, old people, young people, other animals, the wind, the leaves, anything that moves she barks at and noone complains because its a golden), and she instantly started barking at Santo and I..Santo looked at her with a " you best shut up and learn your place kind of look" and the dog stopped instantly and we proceeded. later up the road a man was working on his truck, he got out from under the hood and said " good morning"..Santo wagged and I said hello and kept going. Further up the road a man walked outside to smoke a cigarette, we stoped and chat for a minute( Santo always draws crowds by the way). Nothing happened at all today, not one grumble, bark, or growl. Nothing. Yesterday the same retriever barked at us and Santo began growling like there was no tomorrow, she stopped barking at us but he just kept growling. But he never growls at dogs so I think he was actually growling at the neighbor if anything( and i know it wasnt her because she barks at us EVERYTIME i take the dogs out back to go potty but he usually never even looks at her). but some people can walk right up and pet him, before i can say dont get in his face, and get right up in his face and theres no problem. others can be 100 yards up the road and he goes off.