I really need this answered!!!!!!!!

Question
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"I have an unneutered (though soon to be fixed) male German Shepherd/Malamute who is 15 months old.  His father was purebred German Shepherd and his mother was German Shepherd with about 1/8 Malamute.  His father (we were told) was agressive, though he shoved his head in my car and rested it in my lap the one and only time I ever met him.  His mother was very leary and never came close to us.

When we picked out our puppy, we discovered him and the four remaining brothers and sisters in the back of a cattle trailer in cold weather (Canadian autum), with nothing but each other to stay warm, and no food or water.  He was very, very thin and showed signs of abuse, such as being afraid of our hands, and for some time seemed to be blind in one eye. His first bowl movement consisted of straw and waist which had been on the trailer floor.  We brought him home anyway, and called the SPCA on the owners.

As a puppy he never played like a regular pup, and after a few weeks, he really bonded with us and loved to be near us snuggling and cuddling.  He was extremely intelligent from day one, and was extremely eager to please us.  He house trained within hours, and was sitting and staying in no time.  We were very proud of him and constantly bragged to our friends.

Now that he has hit sexual maturity, we are having problems, and are on our last ditch effort before giving him away.  I love my dog and do not want to do this.

First of all, he does not listen.  If I tell him to sit and stay, he will do so, momentarily, but as soon as I am not looking, he will sneak away.  He runs away from us when called, and never used to do so.  He tends to show agression towards tall (big) men, or anyone entering our yard, and is over protective of my 2 year old daughter.  When an electrician came to look at some wiring in our garage, he snuck up behind him and my husband had to kick him out of the way because he snapped his mouth at the electrician.

He is great when I walk him, on his leash he is curious and friendly with kids, dogs, smaller men, or old men, and women.  But he really has a problem, and I notice, especially if someone is nervous of him.  I do not worry about him with my family or friends that he knows, and he has never been agressive toward children, but we really want to reassure him to be friendly with everyone.  We understand that it is in his nature to be protective of our yard. But he barks all the time.

He has also started "yodeling" a sound he makes to us if we run the garbage out, or vaccuum the car when he can see but can not get to us.  It is a cross between a high bark and a whine.  He will not stop when told, the only way to stop him is to let him off his chain, at which point, he will not come when called (if he doesn't want to).

I have tried giving him treats and retraining him, but he still has a mind of his own.  I admit that we do scold him and will spank or slap his nose when he is bad, but we are at our witts end.  What happened to the delightful, intelligent puppy that we brought home?  Could his early neglect/abuse have anything to do with it?

Also, I am now pregnant with our 2nd, and I admit haven't had time to walk him as often as I used to.  I try to make up by throwing the ball for him in the back yard, but I don't think it makes up for the early morning walks that we used to take together, just he and I.  I usually walk him with a friend and her dog in the evening, but must admit that occaissionally it is a day or two in between really good walks.  I know this is contributing to his adolescent rebellion, but is it a huge contributer?

I am so frusterated!!  Please HELP!

Holly"

Answer
Go ahead and neuter him.  With a mixed breed, no good reason not to have done it a year ago.  It could make a big difference.  Best for all but the most exceptional purebreds too.  

The "yodeling" may easy to fix, just don't leave him outside by himself when he does it.  I am more tolerant of tethering a dog than many.  I see nothing wrong with brief periods to relieve themselves and enjoy being outside.  You must bring them in when they want and never leave them unattended outside.  For more views, see  http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/rehab.html and  http://www.unchainyourdog.org/FactsPhotos.htm  Your question does not suggest to me any of the abuse on those sites, just the mistake not keeping the dog in the house.  

You didn't say how old he was when you got him.  Dogs need to stay with their mother and litter mates until 6 weeks old, and then need exposure to everything they will need to be comfortable around before they 12 weeks old.  Failure to do so, can lead to problems. 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/  Another good website is http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm  I am glad you realize you have a problem and are taking steps to deal with it.  The older the dog, the harder it isto over come problems from a poor start.