maximus my dog,

Question
Hiya I need help with maximus my dog. He is 13 mths old and he was ill treated be 4 i got him. He lunges at people and hates other dogs. I have tryed 2 train him 2 stop but i thingk he is scared ov people and other dogs. I need help with him and i dont know what 2 do now as i dont wana rehome him as he is a loveing sweet dog with me. If at all poss can u give me some tips thank you

Answer
The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

Through the training he will become better bonded to you and come to trust you as leader.  He can then leave it to you to deal with the scary people and other dogs.  If you take a class, the instructor should be able to help you more.