Several times good sir. Been a while GFF 
you almost had a pint with us in Newcastle. Hope Youāre well mate
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Iāll never forget being run after by the rooster on my auntās farm as a small child. Skinned my knees while falling on the steps trying to make my escape. My aunt had me point him out to her later that day and we had him for dinner 
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Week 26 and the FERG (face eating rage gremlin) has been worn down and has finally decided Iām a friend, not food.
Itās been 2 months since heās successfully chomped me, there was one attempt last week but thatās because a friend who was visiting ignored everything I said and tried to interact with Maki like a normal dog. When he flipped and lounged I was ready, put my foot between them to keep everyone safe (I was wearing steel toed boots) and the wee sociopath quickly disengaged. More importantly within 20-30 minutes he was coming up to me for scratches and reassurance again, so his recovery from getting triggered (even major ones) is improving constantly as he trusts me more.
He still has food aggression but as long as I use a a pig board (aka a piece of foam board held between us to create a barrier) heās under control and listens. Mostly because he hasnāt figured out how to get past it to kill me yetā¦
Leash aggression is getting a lot better, thereās minimal resistance to letting me slip it on, he rarely growls/snarls to assert his boundaries while leaving/coming back and heās started coming up to me after walks for scratches and so I can take the leash off. Compared to a couple months ago where he was snarling at the sight of the leash heās doing really well.
Heās consistently coming up for scratches whenever I go out for a smoke and has started approaching me in the house for them (heās nervous about that though as there was multiple instances where he came for attention then flipped and bite me indoors, so itās a slow/cautious process for him). He was very well behaved and listened to commands consistently when my friend was over, despite it being a hectic morning. Today he was adorable as he was stressed about the yearly fire alarm testing in the building and decided to jump into bed with me for scratches and comfort. Which was equally endearing and terrifying as I didnāt think he could jump on my tall bed, especially not as easily as he casually hopped up from standing still. As long as he only does it while Iām awake and on special occasions Iām ok with it but heās too reactive to have him jumping into bed while I sleep. I may need to invest in a futon to cuddle with him on, as well as a helmet/face mask, shoulder pads and bite proof Kevlar gloves that isā¦
In case any one is wondering he likes sleeping with his head jammed on that wooden box, or beside the bed with his head on it, on with his ass on the bed and his head smooshed on the ground. Like most Shibaās he naturally challenges the assumptions of how to properly sleep on a bedā¦ Although he doesnāt slip between the bed and wall anymore as I jammed pillows between them to keep him on the bed. Iām not sure if he liked it or not but I could only stand to see his little legs sticking up in the air after slipping between the bed and wall while he slept so many times before doing something to fix the problem.
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Itās a combination of deeply understanding the trauma response and knowing itās not personal but just an irrational survival response based on past experiences combined with being equally as stubborn as him and determined to win the battle of wills. As a neurodivergent person that has never fit into ānormalā society I always related to the Steinbeck quote āto a monster, the norm must seem monstrousā. So like you said, I donāt see him as a scary, mean/vicious dog but a highly scared, frightened one that felt alone protecting himself from everything.
Two months of leaning into consensual training methods and letting him decide when he wants to interact, go for a walk, etc and heās trusting me enough that Iām considering how to gently start pushing training while making sure itās fun and a positive experience. Muzzle training seems possible now whereas it definitely wasnāt a couple months ago. Iām also debating crate training so he has a clearly defined space thatās his to go when heās stressed out. Socializing him with other people and dogs will be next after that. I donāt know if Iād recommend consensual training outside of fringe cases with extreme trust/fear issues like this but it reaffirms to me that dominance based approaches are bases on false pseudo science and the modern behavioural adjustment training (BAT)/fear free approach is better in every sense. I deeply regret the trust issues I created by listening to bad trainers and canāt stress enough the importance of working with properly qualified trainers when dealing with highly reactive dogs.
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Much much respect @Somatek 
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Itās great youāre making progress with him ā¦ 
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It really is, so great to hear @Somatek warms my cold heart.
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HUGE Props @Somatek!!! Keep working with the FERG!!! Heās starting to come along and has now built a trust issue with you. While it may not be 100%, it is still there and itās growing, which is a very welcome sign.
Mad respect for hanging in there and staying the course!!! Your going to have a friend and defender until the end now!!!
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Enjoying a well deserved yak cheese chew after a good week. Although ironically he decided to sit beside me with it, creating a situation where heād get triggered when I stood up as he assumed I was going to steal his treatā¦ I may actually have to buy an AC for the little devil as he was having a hard time in the mid 20C weather last week so will be having a hard time this summer.
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Congratulations, seems like he has turned the corner with you.
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the one on the right looks like a wolf but the one on the left is very derpy
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Hank guarding the little autos in the garden. I love his eyes in the sun.
Been working on his dog aggression some more. Calling on friends to do pass bys when walking. So far had 2 non reacts and about 400 reacts. But it was everytime beforehand. So he is getting better. My neighbour has finally managed to stroke him. (The sides of our houses join and hank hasnāt quite figured where the boundary lies)
Recall off the lead when no other dogs are present. Not including spike. Hes fine with him there too. Is 10/10.
Going to call my Sikh friend kabir and do some bite work. Once he has mastered the auss command. Itās time for some scenario work. Should have been done a while ago. But he needed some work on his socialisation more than bite/protection work. Hes a natural guard dog anyway.
Follows the little lady (6yo everywhere)
R
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That picture made me howl!
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Define āderpyā. I have not heard that one! (I live under a rock.)
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A derp is a goofy, silly looking facial expression or action that leaves your dog lookingā¦well, derpy.
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