Please, Help!

Question
QUESTION: I will forwarn you this is a long history.  I rescued my Maltese, Fred ~ 5 years ago.  He is currently 12 years old.  When I rescued him, he had many health problems & has subsequently had all of his teeth pulled, had a rectal hernia repair & has had a multitude of "warts" removed due to his chewing on them.  He failed to stud with another dog & I later found out after he was returned to his owner (who was upset because they did not get to collect their stud fee) the owner locked him in a garage & "walked away."  The individual who's female he was to stud with discovered this & "stole" him from the owner & he was my dog ~ 1 week later.  When I got him, he weighed ~ 7# (he currently is a healthy 12#).  I was out of town the evening he was delivered.  So, his first night was spent with my roommate, although he is my dog.  My roommate also has a Maltese (female ~ 2 1/2 years old) & we are to soon be given my Mother's 6 month female Maltese (due to health issues with my mother & her inability to care for her).  We recently started "clicker training" for Fred & Bailey (my roommate's dog).  Due to his multitude of "bumps & warts," I am constantly monitoring his skin, but I have recently decreased this & noticed that at least the "attacking" (see below) has decreased.  I have a few concerns that I do not know how to address with Fred.
1.)  He is constantly licking himself (paws, tail, belly...) which has recently decreased (I have tried, Bitter Apple & verbal cuing) recently I have ignored it.

2.)  He attacks (mainly me); this can happen when he is startled or after I have been petting him for a few seconds (when I first got him, it happened primarily when he would be startled, ie if touched when sleeping).  However, it has become more frequent & less consistent the last 4-6 months.  We, moved into a different rental house about the same time (I don't know if there is an association or not).  I did notice the last time I was attacked that he turned his back toward me before I started to pet him.  I petted for 3-4 strokes.  Then, he "went off."  Fortunately, he has no teeth.  What I mean by "attack" is that he will actually try to bite & attack which has left some pretty good bruises, but fortunately has not broken the skin, yet.  He rarely "attacks" my roommate.  I have tried a variety of reprimands for his behavior without much luck.  I have tried "time outs," verbal reprimands, & I have even tried to pick him up & console him (this seems to settle him, but does not decrease the frequency).
He has 4 beds in the house in various places.  Even if he is wide awake with no chance to startle him, he will frequently go into "attack mode" if attempts are made to move him from the bed.  Sometimes he will not even leave the bed for treats.

3.)  He has become very "whiny" lately (more toward my roommate than myself).

4.)  He is very disinterested in me.  He wants to be petted, sat with, picked up, by my roommate, but not so much with me.  In fact, if he is seeking attention from my roommate & I call him to me, he will go to his bed & lie down completely avoiding me.  He was sitting on the couch with my roommate the other day & I sat beside him.  He immediately jumped off the couch & went to his bed.  

5.)  We recently started "clicker training" but Fred seems completely disinterested at times.  He

6.)  He sleeps in bed with me, but recently has decided he likes to get out of bed & go under the bed at night.  this is fine, but he does not like to come out from under the bed in the morning.  If I try to "pull" him out I am afraid I will be attacked.  I used to be able to coax him out from under the bed with a treat & could then pick him up to go out & potty.  He has now figured this trick out & will no longer come out for treats.  I have recently put a blanket under the bed which he will lie on.  Then, I can slide the whole thing, blanket & Fred, in the morning & pick him up to go potty.  It would not be such a big deal, but if he does not go out to potty in the morning, he makes messes in the house.

7.)  I am unsure how to acclimate Fred to my mother's dog when she arrives.  I want him to know that he is still MY dog & I love him, but I will obviously have to give attention to the new dog as well.

We have considered the possiblity of dementia, but I don't think it really fits.  He does NOT wander aimlessly, get lost, go to the wrong side of the door to go out or any of the other things I have been told are signs.
My roommate's dog has recently become more aggressive toward Fred, especially when he approaches my roommate.  So, I don't know how or if this plays into the whole picture.  

I just have concerns for him & feel like I am letting him down.  He had such a bad life before I got to him.  Up until ~ 6-8 months ago, he was somewhat cuddly, would voluntarily sit with me, liked to be petted, & seemed more playful in general.  I am only hoping that I can get that back again.  

Unfortunately, I don't have much health history prior to his rescue.  He has had a DAP collar on for the last 2-3 days & I have been using lavendar oil to help "settle" him as was recommended by my roommate.  I am also going to purchase Hill's Prescription Diet b/d food for him as soon as I can find it (I was told by someone else this might help).

ANSWER: Hi Courtney, I know it is hard to feel that you are doing everything for the dog and not receive his love and affection. Due to his past, you do not know how badly he was abused, but dogs can be rehabilitated. First, I would get a crate that fits him and read up on proper crate training. Leave the door open, take away his other beds, and he will soon learn that the crate is his comfortable den and gladly go there to feel safe. Don't pull him out, let him come out when he is hungry or needs to relieve himself. Any of the scented oils can be fatal to dogs, so please stay away from them. I saw them kill a small dog which the owner did not know would harm him. A Prescription diet is not necessary, just make sure he gets a good nutritional diet which is easy to digest without his teeth. Some of the prescription diets are not all they are cracked up to be, but not all of them.
He sees your roommate as the pack leader and you must make him understand that both of the humans are pack leaders and he needs to follow the pack. It would do him a world of good to take him for walks (all together if possible) at least 45 minutes or more once a day at the heel. This will exercise his mind and body. You can read some of my older posts about aggressive dogs as it may help you. Have your vet check his eye sight and health also. They do not necessarily react the same as humans. They may lick their paws or an object for hours at a time, circle..., so let a vet evaluate that and give meds if necessary. If the vet gives him a clean bill of health, become the pack leader. Remember exercise, discipline come first and cuddling and love come last. By cuddling him when he is in a bad state of mind will only reinforce the bad behavior. Walks at the heel will do wonders and claiming things in your home as off limits is very important. I am not sure what a DAP collar is, but if it is an electronic collar, you must be sure to use it properly and not excessively. Never walk him with a flexi- leash, as he needs to heal, not wander. Leave me some feedback and keep me posted on how things are going. Thanks for writing. Regards, Susan

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thankd for your feedback!  I do think he has some trouble with his eyesight.  LAtely, we have had to turn the outside light on so he can negotiate the deck steps better.  Also, due to his old age, I am not sure he will tolerate walking for 45 minutes.  We usually walk for at least 10-20 minutes.  Also, the cold weather (5-25 degrees) is sometimes prohibitive of walking.  Any recommendations for those days?  
Again, thank you for your advice.  I really appreciate it.
Courtney & Freddie

Answer
Hi Courtney and Freddie, If he cannot go 45 minute walks, try 10 minutes, work your way up to 25 minutes gradually. Eyesight problems can cause all kinds of problems and familiar things and people can be mistaken for shadows that are frightening. So let him smell you and hear you prior to touching him. Also there are some wonderful dog coats out there. My little Toy Fox Terrier hates going out in the cold. Many horse tack shops have nice quilted blankets for dogs which are cheaper than those you can buy at some of the pet stores. You could always make your own, if you are handy with a machine and velcro. Buy some of that quilted material at the fabric store or look online for a cheap horse or pony blanket that someone on eBay is selling dirt cheap and use that material. I am always trying to be creative with creating inexpensive things for my pack. Hope this helps. Do write back if you have any further questions or problems. Warm Regards, Susan