Yep... violence teaches a dog fear... not manners. Just like little kids.
I'm happy to see you are going to invest the time into Cooper to make him a great dog. A rescue I took on Boxer/Rot mix 13 years ago was sooooooooooooooo destructive I was horrified. I stayed "firm but loving" with her for years and about 6 yrs old she finally settled down. Gad... that was bad! I never gave up on her... I actually felt bad she had been ruined so early on. I was her 7th owner by the time she was about 18 months old.
We just lost her a year ago to cancer she was 12. It broke my heart.
Last edited by Highmtn; 01-24-2012 at 07:34 AM.