Ouch...I'd be going back to basics if he were mine. Zero privileges (no sleeping on beds/treats/free access to toys), no roaming in the house (either in crate or laying down on bed), no demanding for attention, controlled walks, no hyper-inducing play sessions. Boot camp I guess you could call it. It is normal for puppies to be a pain in the ****, but that kind of aggression isn't normal in a dog that young. I hate to say it but it sounds like he needs discipline. I don't mean physical discipline, but discipline as in controlling every aspect of his life.

Thanks so much Max. If only you were nearer!!

You are right about taking one piece of advice only and we have decided to follow our behaviourists only for now. It was getting to the stage where we were desperate for anything and as you say, I definitely don't think it helped.

Anyway, I better get off to bed and try and sleep . I've been having bad stomach problems since all of this, typical!! Not sleeping and worrying is really not good for your health ;o)

You're right, he does but it's very hard!

He's not allowed in the bedroom at all. He has a house line attached and no sofa unless we call him up, which is very rare now.

It sucks!! I hate it!! But, if that's what it takes I'll do it.

Sadly I had to part with my GSD Zak as there were children here and although I tried hard for months with different trainers it never worked out. He would be fine one minute and then the next would really turn nasty. He bit every one of my 4 children who were adults and we had to make sure the little grandchildren never went near him. But it got to the stage where my grandchildren were not allowed to come here and then I realized he had to go. He went to a K9 training centre and then went on to become a security dog and is doing really well. Although it was such a hard choice to make I had to do it for the rest of my family, I would never have forgiven myself if he had done damage to the children. But I do know what you are going through as I spent many an hour crying. I didn't want to part with him and I felt I had tried my best. Maybe if there had been no children involved I could have got through it with him but I had to make the choice, even though it broke my heart.

Oh God!!

Forgot to add he was 19 months when I eventually came to that decision. So you can see how long I had tried and not given up at the first hurdle in case anyone should think that. Pidge you can only do your best which I think you are doing and as others have said time out is good for both of you.

[QUOTE=Pidge;1681228]You're right, he does but it's very hard!

He's not allowed in the bedroom at all. He has a house line attached and no sofa unless we call him up, which is very rare now.

It sucks!! I hate it!! But, if that's what it takes I'll do it.[/QUOTE]

I can understand that totally - it's not easy. I'm a complete wet lettuce & trying to toughen up & yet I'm a battle axe with the kids.

Dont forget the "experts" told you to do it, they will defend it to the hilt.

Most aggression and nervous aggression issues are made worse by castration. Reducing and subsequently removing testosterone will make a dog more edgy and reactive in circumstances they feel vulnerable in, such as some of the situations you describe, particularly those that are getting worse for no apparent reason.

I know it feels like I am saying "I told you so" and I DONT mean it to come across that way because it isnt how I feel but it is something we have seen many times with life in boarding kennels. Dogs displaying "normal" behaviour, sometimes is seen as inappropriate by inexperienced owners and a Vets cure all is castration! If the dog runs off castrate it, if the dog guards food, castrate it, if the dog barks, castrate it, if it jumps up, castrate it!! Bottom line is they are NOT behaviour experts and they dont live with these dogs, ultimately problems like Woody's are made much worse due to the dogs natural hormones for reassurance and confidence being taken from him, resulting in his reactions and his behaviour being exhibited in a much more pronounced way.

I think the advice offered by others more "into" behaviour is excellent and I think Woody is very lucky to have such a dedicated owner.

[QUOTE=Tillymint;1681238] You can be tough without being harsh. Discipline doesn't mean alpha rolling and scolding, but being calm and controlled.

I found a link on NILIF:

http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

I hesitate to say anything in case it is seen as criticisms but Pidge try to stand back and look at the bigger picture.
A lot of Woody's behaviour sounds like typical working springer behaviour to me and is very similar to Zak's, but he hasn't had aggression issues ( I think he would have had under certain circumstances ).

Woody is only a puppy still and has seen many sudden changes in his routine and lifestyle. He had your undivided attention all day every day and went from this situation to spending long periods of time during the day some days in a crate, then in a travel crate at night and on a house line in the evening. Some puppies may cope with this kind of restriction , others won't (particularly those with strong working instincts), they can become destructive and frustrated and frustration can find other oulets in things like aggression.

Woody sounds a confused puppy . Pidge , I know you have done your best, some puppies are very hard work.

I am only saying this to give you some idea as to what the cause of the problem may be . I won't offer any advice, your head must be spinning with it....xx