He has a problem eating things he's not supposed to. On walks he'll eat everything (poop/garbage/dead animals/dirt) & at home he goes for any food that's out. When I try to get it away he growls & nips at me (which is very out of character). He doesn't nibble/chew on it, he gulps it down.
Also, he rarely responds to his name. I know he knows it but [if he's outside (I do leash him), in another part of the house, or across the room,] when I call him he could care less.
And he barks at any disturbance (someone entering/exiting/moving around the room, noises/movement outside, appliances turning on/off, etc.). I don't mind occasional barking (playfully/protectively).
I don't remember these problems with any of my previous dogs. My last two dogs were put down at age 15. I never "trained" them, they were just very obedient/companionable; they didn't do tricks but it seemed as if they could understand English.
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Right now you have an adolescent terrier, so you have a dog of a breed that generally prefers to please themselves rather than you and at an age where even the best trained dog is likely to turn a deaf ear to what his owner wants.
Unfortunately you're going to have to "train" this dog if you want to get a dog that you want to live with. He should get nothing unless he earns it. If he wants his breakfast he needs to sit on command and wait until it's on the ground and you release him to eat. If he wants to go for a walk, he must sit calmly for you to put the leash on.
Periodically call him to you during the day to give him a treat or a pet, as much as you want, but he doesn't get either one by demanding it, annoying you for it, or begging.
I would up his physical exercise, take him on more or longer walks or play more fetch with him.
Even more importantly I would up his mental exercise. Teach him tricks and/or obedience commands. Try to work with him on this multiple times a day. Get him thinking and working his mind on the things that you approve of so that he doesn't have to amuse himself by barking at all the sounds in the house.
Good luck
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- As for calling him, start carrying around treats. Give him a treat every time he comes for the first few days of doing this. Then gradually work your way down to a treat every other time he comes, and then every three times, until you get to none.
Walk him with a choker chain, or a head collar. I've used both, and the head collar is much more effective for guiding the dogs head where you want it. Or, with just a slight tug, when he reaches down to eat whatever he's eating, you can bring his head back up.
As for the nipping when he's eating... That's going to take a bit of time. When you're handing him food, right as he reaches to get it, take your hand back and say in an authoritive voice, "easy." And then hand it to him. He should slow down approaching your fingers the second time. And for eating out of a bowl, start by touching him as you're putting the food in the bowl, and ease your way to petting him while he's eating. Start petting him on his back, and very gradually, work your way to his shoulders, and then the top of his head. Do this several days, and then work your way to petting him around his cheeks, only when you feel comfortable to do so. If you get tense, your dog will also get tense.
And.. You should have another person there just in case anything does go wrong.
Good luck. :] Hope I helped, if even a little. - You don't say what kind of dogs your others were, but that might be a difference. Terriers are typically independent dogs. I wouldn't call him defiant, simply an untrained dog doing what has worked for him.
He's eating things that he enjoys. He has found that growling and nipping at you get you to leave him alone long enough for him to consume his "treat" so he continues doing it -- and the behavior will get stronger every time he succeeds at doing this.
Responding to his name doesn't get him anything nearly as rewarding as doing what he wants at the moment, so he could care less. You will get him to come when you call when he gets something far more rewarding for coming than for continuing what he's doing. Start by calling him when he's not involved in anything and when he arrives give him several small pieces of chicken. I bet he'll start coming.
Really, all the things you complain about are training issues. You need to get with a positive reinforcement trainer and work with him. You are going to need to give it time for him to become reliable with distractions, etc. - I recommend you visit the website that I went to when my dog had behavioral issues a few months back. The program teaches you various methods you can use yourself to solve common dog issues. It totally transformed my dog. Good luck!
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