How to reeducate 13month old rottweiler?

Question
I am writing from lovely Montenegro, this beautiful country where, unfortunately,people in do not have any regards or knowledge of how to handle their dogs.
I am desperate for some advice in order to help a 13 months old Rottweiler who will spend the rest of his life in a cage if it doesn't learn good behaviour before it's too late. It's a dog of my neighbours who really, truly love him but can not handle him for many reasons (main one: their ignorance about the dog's needs). Ass (the rottweiler) arrived to them when he was 4 weeks old and got spoiled rotten his new family. They hardly walked him out, believing that their backyard will be enough for his development and happiness. They intended for him to be a guard dog. However, today, Ass is a prisoner in his own yard as he spends most of his time in an outdoor cage (3m long and 2m wide). His owners simply don't know what
else to do regarding his boyish'top of the pack'behaviour.
It's one of the biggest rottweilers I've ever seen (not fat but tall and strong).He does not know anything about obedience. When let out from his cage he is overly excited and constantly jumps on members of the family and guests and holds them with his paws if they want to walk away (the latter he does mostly with women). Once ignored, his favourite game is pulling on people's peaces of clothing,=
without letting go. This is very frightening, especially as the dog growls if faced with resistance. He is incredibly destructive and will destroy anything that he gets his teeth in (and that is pretty much everything he finds in his way). If taken out, he pulls with all his strength, he barks and jumps on cars,as well
as passers by and other dogs (all of the above makes it incredibly difficult to walk him even though his behaviour is understandable as he wasn't taken out often). My neighbour is taking some aggressive punishment measures (he hits the dog)to get Ass to listen to him while the rest of the family is simply avoiding any handling of the dog as they simply do not have any power over it. They hope that keeping him in a big cage (outdoor)will help calm his hyperactive behaviour???? He has also showed signs of aggression in instances where he thought that his food was threatened.
I do not live here full time and in the past 13 months have met Ass only on occasions (mostly, passing by his cage and talking to him gently, while he would wiggle his tail in hope that I'll let him out and play with him). The dog definitely knows me and trusts me, but considers me lower rank and behaves that way when let out of the cage.I've read en extensive amount of information about training dogs with behaviour problems (from the Internet resources) but after giving it a try today,I can see that I am up for a big challenge.I had 'one on one' session and I've tried everything to impose my self as a leader :
- I didn't let him out of the cage until he calmed down and gave up on idea that he'll walk out just because I am in front of the door.
- When he started jumping at me I've took him for his paws and hold them there for a while before letting go and giving command 'off' (this certainly di=
dn't stop him jump at me ). After a while he started growling if I would take his paws so I attempted to simply ignore him and move away when he jumped. This didn't do the trick ether as he would jump from the front or the back of me (if I turned away). He would also hold me tightly with his paws and would not let go even if I walked away.
- I've also tried to walk him on the lead while turning into opposite direction every time he pulled (this was working for a while but once he got bored as he pulled and I turned often,he would take a hold off any part of my clothes and would pull it without letting go,(in this instances I was out of control and the only way to get him to let go was to bribe him with a biscuit - wrong thing to do in a desperate situation )
- On occasion when he was good and attentive, any of my treats like a biscuit or enthusiasm, would just make him go 'crazy' again and he would 'attack' my jacket (if he smelled the 'food' in it ) or would jump at me uncontrollably. I quickly learned that any form of food or enthusiastic patting is not a good idea for a treat in this instance. his dog is in a great need of some attention and serious exercise as he seems to be hyperactive all of the time. I have to think of something to get him tiered in his yard be fore attempting to teach him any obedience commands. I am not even sure if =
I can dominate him and without that he'll never learn anything from me.
Still I am determined to help Ass as I can not bare to watch him closed in his cage (days on end).I have obtained consent of his owners to try and help, by spending the needed amount of time (in the next four weeks)with the dog. However, I am not a dog handler and have no experience of this breed... I am just very keen to help this beautiful, head strong dog and give him a chance for a better quality of life.I was hoping that you would be able to give some sort of advice or your opinion on the matter. Is this dog aggressive in your view? Is it possible to teach him? Would he be ready to attack me if I try to dominate him when he is challenging me (I was worried that he'll bite me today when I had to pull my sleeve away from his growling mouth, yet I made a mistake by rewarding him for that kind of behaviour as I had to give him the treat in order for him to let go)I am sorry for my inability to describe this situation in a short and concise manner. Thank you very much for your time.
Best regards
Sonja

Answer
There is absolutely no way you can use behavior modification or positive reinforcement training to rehabilitate this dog in four weeks.  You're making it worse because you really don't know what you're doing, even though you have wonderful motives.

This dog is in total social isolation; most likely not neutered (or vaccinated, for that matter); has never been taught a thing; is desperate for attention and, as an intact male member of a very dominant breed, using all his skill to get, and maintain, interaction.  And he's still a puppy.

It will take months of skilled handling, using a head collar, martingale collar, two strong leads, a secure knowledge of dog psychology and positive reinforcement training, and the complete cooperation of every human he comes in contact with, to turn this dog around.

You must educate yourself in a hurry.  Read Turid Rugaas' book on calming signals and learn how to recognize stress (and give) stress reduction signals.  Here is a site where she offers some tips:
http://www.canis.no/rugaas/index.php

Acquire a head collar:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=875
Acquire a martingale collar:
http://www.things4yourdog.com/product/407064

Acquire two strong leashes, one for the halti and one for the martingale.  Accustom the dog to the Halti out of the pen if you are able to calm him sufficiently.  It will take at least two weeks for you to do this, given the dog's out of control hysteria.  Teaching the dog to wear the Halti involves engaging him in multiple changes of direction and using a clicker at the same time can be done, but I doubt you'll be able to obtain sufficient skill with the clicker to do this.  Here is how you teach a dog to wear a Halti:

Purchase a Halti head collar and teach the dog to wear it: as you put it on at home, feed him tiny bits of cheese or chicken frank.  Repeat this several times a day over the course of a few days until he anticipates the head collar and reward, then take him outdoors with TWO leashes: one on his martingale collar (links given above)
and one for the HEAD COLLAR separately.  Keep your left hand lightly at the middle of the head collar leash while holding both in your right hand.  DO NOT LEAD THE DOG BY THE HEAD COLLAR, this is frightening to a dog and can harm him physiologically.  Go into your yard and do some exercises with the dog: walk in wide circle, then abruptly walk in a circle in the other direction.  Each time you plan to change direction, say, "Come along" and use the head collar GENTLY to turn the dog's head in the new direction, then pop a treat into his mouth the moment he turns.  Keep walking in circles for a few minutes with the "come along" phrase and the reward when the dog follows the head collar in the new direction.  Then pretend there is a large, long ladder in front of you on the ground (or, if you have one, put it down.)  Walk in a zig zag pattern as if you are passing through the rungs of the ladder, weaving in and out; at the "end" of the "ladder", turn back with your "come along", GENTLY using the head collar, and treat, then zig zag back.  Then begin walking straight lines, occasionally doing an about face with "come along" and treat.  As dogs perform complex behaviors, their cognition increases (there is a change in brain wave patterns); the dog will not be afraid, he will be attentive and LEARNING.  When you are finished with this approximately 15 to 30 minute exercise, go in the house, praise the dog, take off the head collar.

From Amazon, buy this book "Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training, Volume 3 (Procedures and Protocols)": it's a textbook and it's expensive, but it contains important information.  It may be overkill in your case, but it's one potential source:

http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Applied-Behavior-Training-Vol/dp/0813807387/ref=w...

Go to ClickerTraining.com and read about positive reinforcement training.  Do not use treats to directly reward the dog; there must be an intermediate cue (the clicker).  This dog's drive is too strong for direct food treat.  

Learn about play training, might be one way to approach this dog:
http://www.dogplay.com/Activities/obedience.html

Learn everything you can about dog psychology, choose books wisely:
http://www.bestwebbuys.com/Pets-Dogs-General-N_10027828-books.html

Get the Halti while you're learning.  Attempt to put it on the dog in a manner that he will continuously accept (this is heavily food rewarded but he will not like it one bit.)  If you can get this dog to accept the Halti, you will be able to take him out of his cage and work with him without his being able to mouth you or your clothing.  I think you're female (from your name) and I doubt you have sufficient strength to deal with this dog alone, but you can try.

DO NOT HOLD THIS DOG UP BY HIS FEET!!!! This is a HUGELY DOMINANT posture (like lifting a dog, this is one small method of defining physical dominance when treating a dog for dominance aggression -- DO NOT USE IT.)  You are provoking a bite.  This dog is stronger than you are and he knows it.  This automatically promotes him (he has NO socialization to humans and NO DESIRE TO PLEASE, due to his idiotic owners.)  He will use aggression to put you in your place, as he would use toward any other dog who attempted to bully him.  DO NOT attempt to force him to do anything.  IF he mouths you, YELP very loudly, and then whine (like a puppy).  This dog is not socialized to perceive humans as conspecifics, he has NO IDEA he is hurting you, he was FAR TOO YOUNG when obtained at four weeks of age and has no idea TEETH HURT, nor has he any idea how to behave toward other living things (including you.)  Whether or not he can ever be rehabilitated I do not know; it doesn't look good without expert management.  But you can try.  Don't expect to be able to do it in four weeks; not even four months.  It's going to take consistent rehabilitation and training, and even THEN this dog is NOT socialized AT ALL to anything or anyone and will pose serious behavioral problems over his lifetime.  If you can find a real, credible, credentialed rescue organization in your country (wherever it is), do it.

There's a British organization that offers a course in canine behavior, I believe Peter Neville (associate of the late John Fisher) is on the Board of Directors.  This is a link:
http://www.coape.co.uk/

CONTACT THEM.  They may know someone in your country who can help, or may have suggestions.