Bossy puppy with 4 previous homes

he could be anxious, and he is giving it out as aggression if you want go have a look at my thread: Train Your Dog this is to teach watch me so if he is barking outside it draws his attention to you and not the dog, car, cat etc.
I just reread it why did you castrate him so early? Health?
what do you to discipline him? I know you said you don't smack so I'm wondering...
Ask if you need any more information as i have seen this with many of my dogs as most have been rescues

 

Having a few different homes before he’s a year old must have been quite traumatic for the little lad so no wonder he has issues, bless him. Who knows what he’s been through over the last year, can’t offer any help as never had any experience with this type of behaviour but I’m sure someone can offer you some good advice on here. He has lots of good points though

 

This isn't great, especially for the people he is barking at. So to train him out of it, try to find out what his 'flight distance' is. Flight distance is the term used to describe the position where a perceived threat gets too close, and an animal adopts fight or flight behaviour. Because your dog cannot flee, he is probably lunging on the basis that he thinks he can scare off the 'threat'. You said when he is like this, he won't take chicken etc - this is related, a stressed animal won't eat (again related to fight or flight; an empty stomach is more efficient for fighting or fleeing). Once you have found that distance, sit on a bench or something keeping him far enough away from triggers that he doesn't react. Reward, with food or anything else that he loves, and gradually - over months, this is never going to be a quick fix - work on reducing the distance. The 'watch me' mentioned above (I haven't read the linked page though) can be useful but some dogs get more upset when they can't see the thing they are afraid of so use that with caution.

The teeth display is hard to analyse without seeing the context. It doesn't sound like aggression from the way you describe it. It is more of a concern that he bites (even if it isn't hard) when you say he doesn't want to do something. Dogs give a series of signals that they are unhappy, but unfortunately most people don't recognise them because they can be quite subtle. To begin with there is often wide eyes, lip licking and yawning. There is also muscular tension in the body. Then the ones we sometimes do see - growl, snarl, nip then bite. If the early signals are not seen (or, in the dog's view, ignored) he won't bother with them because us stupid humans pay no attention anyway; so he may go straight to the bite. So it's important never to ignore the early signals. It is possible previous owners have failed to pay attention to his warnings so he just bypasses them. Growls are good, they are a tremendously helpful way of your dog communicating! Going back to the things you don't want him to do, luring is always better than forcing - like if you want him to move to or from a certain place, call him and offer a treat rather than push or pull him. Maybe if you gave examples we might be able to suggest more.

You also said he has unlimited energy. Training a 'settle down' cue is a good idea. Rather than go into it (my reply has been quite long already) have a look for Kikopup on YouTube. She has some great training videos including a settle and also one to stop barking.

Edit - my arithmetic on the paragraph below was way off, the dog was neutered later than I thought but I am leaving the paragraph in for clarity

Last (I promise!) it's too late now but if anyone else reads this in future, neutering early stops testosterone, the brave hormone, so that could be a cause of anxious behaviour in your dog.

 

Welcome to the forum. I feel your pain. I have a rescue dog, and he barks at other dogs, although he is getting a bit more chilled now. As @JoanneF says, it isn't a quick fix. The advice on here from a lot of people helped me greatly. Can you find a reputable trainer near you? They might be able to offer some techniques on helping with this. Also, do you have any mental stimulation you can provide in addition to his walks? I've read on here that this can be as taxing as a walk for the dog. A great toy we've used recently is a ball with a single hole in, in which you drop treats, the dog rolls it around to get them out. I'm aware I've asked more questions than provided answers, but I'm hoping this might prompt some ideas for you to try

 

Sorry, my arithmetic was waaayyy off!

 

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As suggested above, DS/CC / DeSensitize & Counter-Condition is the most-common form of behavior modification for any reactive issue: find out what the dog's very-earliest signs of anxiety or arousal are, by watching carefully.
He might slow down as he approaches a potential trigger, or his head & tail might come up, or his ears prick - this is LONG before his pupils expand, hackles rise, etc. // Those early signs become the ones U watch for, & don't get him any closer, at that point.

Then figure out at what point he notices the trigger, without in any way reacting - that might be where his ears prick, or he CLOSES HIS MOUTH [most relaxed dogs let their mouths open slightly & the tip of the tongue lies over the incisors - when they tense, they bring their tongues into their mouths, & close them].
Determine what that distance is - where he's aware of the trigger, but not yet reacting. That's the distance where U will work.

I would urge U to buy a copy of Click to Calm - it's a terrific DIY manual for any reactive issue, & can get into far-more extensive explanations than anyone can here. It's inexpensive &, above all, safe - there will be no suggestions to confront, flood, provoke, or intimidate the dog!
Used copies are often available on Amazon, Libris, etc.

It's not absolutely mandatory that U use a clicker or other marker, but it certainly helps the dog to understand precisely what behavior U want, by highlighting it. A marker can be thought of as a camera-shutter: U mark that Kodak moment when everything is right; thus timing is important. Practicing accuracy AWAY from the dog in order to get some hand/eye or hand/ear co-ordination is important, so that U master the mechanical skill B4 U try actually training with it.
Such simple challenges as dropping a ball & clicking B4 it hits the floor are the start; marking the instant that each car in a lane of traffic "touches" a vertical object like the post of a street-sign is slightly more advanced, & clicks of moving persons, such as everyone with a red jacket at the mall, are another step forward. All of this is done without the dog as an audience; U don't want the marker to become background noise!

Open Bar / Closed Bar is a super-simple DS/CC process:
have a pint to a quart of pea-sized or half-pea size tidbits, all high-protein & low-carb. Cubed lean beef, diced chkn breast or turkey, slivers of canned cold-water fish [mackerel, sardines, tuna, salmon - water-packed, not in oil], or freeze-dried lamb-lung, beef-liver, whitefish.
Stay outside the dog's reaction distance, but close to their threshold - he's aware, but not reacting.
EVERY TIME the trigger is present, feed feed feed in a steady stream - as he swallows the previous morsel, the next is under his nose. The trigger cannot be seen or heard?... SNAP! - bar's closed, & no more goodies, until the next passing trigger.
U can save some money by using a portion of his kibble [assuming he eats kibble]; deduct that amount from his allotted measured meals of the next day, & bag it overnight in the 'frig, mixed in the same bag with the fresh foods, already snipped into pea-sized bits; next day, everything in the bag smells fantastic, & he will eagerly gobble the kibble. // At least half the bag should be fresh foods, &/or freeze-dried protein. U can't use 3/4 kibble & 1/4 fresh protein; the dog's response won't be as eager.

The parking-lot of a pet-supply store [or veterinary office or groomer] is a good spot for such DS/CC sessions - get closer only as the dog's reactivity drops. U cannot hurry the process; U can only get closer as the dog relaxes in the presence of that trigger, & it can vary day to day. Yesterday, he might have been fine at 20-ft; today the wind is gusty & blowing erratically, & he needs 50-ft to stay calm when another dog passes in the distance.
That's OK. Just go with whatever he feels, on a given day. He will progress, just hang in there.

BTW, I disagree that testicles are needed for dogs to "be confident". Testes don't secrete confidence, & testosterone is associated with dimorphic sexual behaviors [mounting, leg-lift to mark, lick urine to test for estrus, posturing at other M dogs, M:M reactivity or M:M aggro, escape to roam...] & aggression, across the spectrum.
He was past 12-MO when he was neutered - any issues of "lack of confidence" were pre-existing, along with his testes, & would not be made worse by castration.
No one I've asked has yet been able to post a link to a research paper in a journal, where fearful dogs who kept their testes were proven to become more confident, while fearful dogs who were neutered experienced a sudden & sharp worsening of their timid behaviors. This seems to be an old-husbands' tale, & for some reason, it arose in the UK.
It's interesting that no one alleges that "timid F dogs need their ovaries to become confident" - despite the fact that, analogous to testes, ovaries prompt Fs to be less tolerant & more reactive / aggro toward other Fs, most prominently & obnoxiously when in estrus. I don't think anyone would refer to a serious F:F fight as an expression of confidence - it's aggression, & when one of the 2 is in estrus of whatever stage, it's driven by F hormones.

U might want to start a log of his progress, listing his current threshold under given circs ["20-ft in the open on a calm day, 35-ft on a narrow sidewalk with a brisk breeze"...], & what places U go for Open-Bar / Closed-Bar sessions.

- terry

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addendum -
if U start the log on the Dog Diaries subforum, no one can make suggestions or comment, other than to "like" a post.
If U want feedback, i'd put the log under a different subforum, such as Training & Behavior.

here's a UK link for Click to Calm -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Click-Calm-Healing-Aggressive-Clicker/dp/1890948209/

cheers,
- terry

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No. I could easily be wrong - wouldn't be the 1st time.

Maybe it was the "Training Logs" subforum? - I know there is one, where no comments can be posted, & it's strictly for the OP's continuation.
- t

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Does so much good to talk and realise you’re not alone with your issues , not many perfect doggies out there easy to tell that you love him and want to do the very best you can. Keep us posted on his progress, love the pictures of him too ....he’s adorable