Does anyone else on here have an extremely fearful pooch?
Ranger (100 lb. St. Bernard mix) is somewhat fearful, and can be reactive to both dogs and to some people.
When he first came home with us from the shelter, he lulled us into a false sense of security with his "honeymoon" period. Sure, he had some issues like countersurfing, and figuring out that housebreaking means that we will break his neck if he pees in the house (KIDDING!), but he was great with other dogs and every person that he met. Then, the honeymoon ended, and his true personality came out.
He is no longer able to go to the dog park, since his reaction to other dogs can be quite unpredictable, both on-leash and off-leash. He might want to play, but he might want to fight. And once he wants to fight one dog, he wants to fight EVERY dog. He also started to be uncomfortable in certain situations with people he doesn't know - generally in situations when he feels closed in and a stranger reaches out for his head. When that happens, he will get very nervous, and has air-snapped a time or two. As Mommy, it is now my job to carefully monitor things, and keep him out of situations like that. Other times, he will literally drag us up to people for petting.
We now work with a clicker and treats to position the presence of other dogs as a very positive thing for him, and he is learning to lay down and offer his belly for a rub when greeting people. He loves a belly rub and this keeps people from reaching for his head. Baby steps...