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Try not to anticipate his reaction to the boy next door. If you anticipate a negative response, he will feel it and tense up, bark, etc.

I use a prong collar on Tink for her training. It is actually more humane than a flat or chain collar when training. A short jerk on the prong is better than a constant pull on her throat. Also, constant pulling on the neck/throat can do damage long term. She knows that when I put it on her it is time to go to school and shape up and we are "probably" going to go for a car ride! She gets very excited.

You can't expose your dog to enough new things, the more he is exposed, the more subtle he will become. But he must respect you as his leader. If you tell him a behavior is unacceptable he needs to correct it immediately and then you must give immediate praise or treats when he stops barking, growling or whatever the bad behavior was. It needs to be immediate so he will associate the reward with his correction or the bad behavior. Repitition is the key.

My dog trainer says that when you are training a new behavior 15 minutes on the subject is the max. You have to give the dog a break and do something fun like fetch or play with a tug toy. Then resume the training. A dog's attention span can be like that of a 5 year old especially with younger dogs. They can become aggrevated with long training sessions. Try limiting his new exposures to 15-20 minutes, then remove him from the situation and give him a break. Reward him for doing good and then repeat. The more you practice and the older he gets you can lengthen the sessions.

Sounds like she is just "reserved" with new things.

Pillow - try placing treats on it or feeding her near it. Do your other dogs like it? Have them sleep on it, the more they do, the more it will smell like them and less like a new pillow.

Husband - Pet and hug her together, walk her together and then make him her primary care giver for awhile. He feeds, give treats, walks, pets, etc. Remove yourself as her care-giver for awhile and she should warm up to him.

Try not to anticipate her being fearful. Dogs sense what we think/feel. Potray confidence and calm when introducing new things/people. If her pack leader is confident and unafraid, she will eventually pick up on it. She will look to you to see how to behave.

Hope this helps.

Get a camcorder and record him. My brother is a cop, you need to document his activity so they know you are not over reacting. Have your friends who were over at the time file complaints. Some cops are complacant with domestic calls (its not right but true)If you can prove he is a threat it can go a long way. A picture is worth a thousand words. Try not making it seem "all about the dogs", he obviously has issues even when they are not outside. No one has to live in fear of being shot. Tell them you are in fear for YOUR lives.

Also be very careful with your dogs. Believe it or not he has the right to do anything he wants to if they are in his yard. Be extremely careful.

Are you 100% sure he is bred with wolf? Sometimes people talk about things they know nothing about. Is it possible he is mixed with german shephard? Has your vet confirmed his wolf heritage? You may be over-worrying. I have know shephards all my life and some of them can have strong prey drives, but be fine with kids and people. My uncle had a male that weighed well over a hunderd pounds. He was a big baby, but I have seen some pretty large shephards.

I am a huge advocate for obedience training too. I have seen awesome things happen with perserverance and love. I believe any dog can be trained if his human is dedicated and patient. Now maybe he won't be the best livestock dog, but he can become a trustworthy companion and family member. I definately wouldn't give up on him.

Find out for sure if he is a wolf hybrid.

Puppy school for 4 weeks was 49.99, on class per week. Basic obedience 6 weeks for 79.99, one class per week.
Advance obedience 6 weeks for 79.99, one class per week or if you took his basic class you can go monthly unlimited for 35.00 (great deal!)that's what I am on. Once a week it is at the vet's office and once a week we go on a field trip to a park, Outdoor world, etc.

his website is homelandk-9training.com

He also has protection class and scent tracking. He trains dogs for therapy, fema, etc.

He also does personal at home training for $50 per session.

Check him out he is great if anyone lives in southern Ohio.

It sounds to me like he could also benefit from some inter-dog socialization.

I take TINK to a group advanced obedience class (she passed basic)two times a week. She learns to obey commands amongst various distractions and other pets/people. My trainer will work with each dog's individual needs, but no matter what you are teaching your dog, your voice and temperment must remain calm if you get anxious or excited or yell,  "however you feel will travel down the leash" it is amazing but true, I have seen it in class.

There is a guy in class that has a mix of some sort, medium sized dog and she is quite the bully and very mouthy. Although he is not yet allowed to perform any off leash exercises with her she has made great progress in the few weeks I have seen her at class. Our dogs are learning to deal with her and she is learning that class isn't so bad. THe owner is a little embarrased and some people get aggrevated with the dog for being so disruptive, but the owner is doing exactly what he should be doing to help his dog overcome its anxiety and become a more obedient companion.

As you work with your dog and she understands you are the pack leader she will start to look to you to see how to behave. She will trust that your instincts are correct and if you are not anxious or upset, then there is no need for her to be. It takes time and patience but she will get there.

My trainer lists on his website that he does "temperment testing", you might try and google that???

He is great, I love his class and he is very inventive for each dog's issues. Make sure you find someone that doesn't just recite things out of a book, but can come up with original techniques for unique issues/dogs. Everyone is different, being able to isolate the issue is half the battle. 

Let me know how it goes.

I dropped TINK off this morning at the vets to get fixed. It was really hard to leave her there. I love my vet and trust him totally, but I had to put my beloved basset down this past January (12 yrs old) and still have bad memories.

I am sure she will be just fine. My vet actually does a pre-op blood test to make sure there is nothing out of the ordinary going on and that the dog can handle the anesthesia, but I worry about my big girl. She hates cages, so I am going to go pick her up as soon as they will let me.

Anyway, keep her in your thoughts today and cross your paws for her - it couldn't hurt.