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How long have you had this dog? Growling is communication. Are your sure you understand why he’s growling; i.e, growling in and of itself is not a sign of dominance agression. As defined by FSDT, dominance has to do with ownership/control of valuable resources. Therefore, does this dog really understand that you control each and every resource he considers valuable, like food/toys/resting places?
Are you 100% certain your your Phase 2 training is complete / thorough, for each and every command for which you currently are using the e-collar? In other words, does he really get it re: Phase 2 Avoidance in moderately distracting circumstances?
What does ‘resource guarding things in his ownership zone’ mean? I assume you don’t mean the food you put in his food bowl at mealtime and make him wait politely for as you put the food down so he can eat it. It’s more likely you mean toys?
Do you leave a lot of toys out for him to play with rather than be the owner of all those toys, one or two of which put on the floor, maybe after having him Sit, when/where/as you consider appropriate.
Are you sure he’s properly crate trained? In other words, has he realized that his crate is a good place to be? That can take time. Sometimes, for some dogs, feeding the dog in their crate leaving the door open is a good way to begin. There’s an article on crate training in the Knowledge Base
Six months == sexually mature adolescent; i.e., rebellious teenager? Have you achieved the right balance between letting him know you are dominant / leader and providing enough breed specific outlets for this particular dog? Btw, I think it’s great he’s still un-neutered. Neutering too early is bad for muscles, bone, etc.
Are you sure those teeth are puppy teeth? Generally, by the time a dog’s 6 months old he’s got grown-up teeth. The fact he snapped at you when you went for the poop he was enjoying, because you hadn’t seen it, doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. Pretty normal behavior, as Mike explains in one of his ethology lectures.
Do you know exactly why the breeder decided to kill this dog’s mother? Is this a knowledgeable, reputable breeder? Did you meet the mother before buying this dog? –
Finally, imo, genetics matter but are not necessarily / always in the driver’s seat. A lot of a dog’s (or a person’s) behavior / psychology is malleable; i.e., especially with FSDT and a lot of time and effort this dog might be just fine.
Good luck. I hope the above is good food for thought. 🙂
