Dear God, I do not understand this dog. Help!
EDIT: Everyone has given such wonderful advice and pointers. Thank you everyone!!
Puppy, 6 months old. I’ve had him for 3 months.
My experience is with black labs, German shepherds, and Dobermans. I came to the “rescue” of a lab/shepherd mutt. Immediately upon the puppy being handed to me, I knew he was not tending towards lab or shepherd. The coat wasn’t right. I was a soft touch and took him anyway. I thought he was probably pit mix. Researched training for that breed and Failed (uppercase F).
My neighbor suggested doing DNA testing…
It seems that I have a 20% black lab, 10% various bully breeds, and 70% Southern hound dogs with the majority being Catahoula Leopard Dog with some Plot Hound. His head/ears/body are a carbon copy of online photos of Catahoula Leopard Dog.
I think he wants to be a good dog but we just aren’t jiving (of course he wants to be a good dog, I don’t know how to make that happen). The biggest issue is that he doesn’t seem to have any compassion. He tramples any human/plant/obstacle that is in his path without a care. He is completely unconcerned about being destructive. The whole family has bruising from him - playful, not aggressive. Like clockwork, he turns into a snuggle bug at 8:00pm every night.
I ask you that are experienced with this breed: is this normal for the age? Perhaps it is normal for someone who didn’t know what they were getting into and trained wrong? Training tips for this bread/behavior are welcome.
Also, is being timid around new people and dogs normal? He warms up within seconds and loves both, but not right off the bat. I don’t know if this is the breed or his troubled history.
Puppy wants to thank you all in advance. :)