[nathalie]

This is a very late reply and I hope things got better with the trainer you hired. Your dog is in constant prey or defense drive.. and has not learned to be in pack drive. That will be the key to start developing a deep bond with you. Dogs are pack animals: They relax together, eat together, play together, walk together. To develop a deeper bond with the dog, you need to become a part of the pack by doing all of these things. As to the front door, hopefully you started changing your schedule when the streets are not as busy. I would do some desensitization and counter conditioning without using punishment at the front door. If possible, open the door and learn the safety bubble of your pup. We don’t want to “burst” that bubble until you are sure he can be reliable with your commands. Increase his food drive, unless he is already motivated by food. Have him sit, open the door, and allow him to watch the “traffic” outside at a safe distance.. Say good and reward, often.. Do this for about 10 minutes at a time, and every few days reduce the safety bubble. Repeat, over and over. Eventually you will be at the front door, on the sidewalk etc… This will also release a lot of frustration on your part. Once the exercise is over, play tug’o’war to stay engaged with him, or tie a string on a ball.. Allow him to fulfill his prey drive with a nice structured play session about 10 minutes (can even be done in an apartment).. then relax together. Allow him to relax until he can finally lay down. Then eat together, hand feed him whatever meals is left from the training session earlier. Do not allow him to demand attention from you or play. If you want to pet him during the day or in the evening, you can. Why? Because you will be doing structured training, play, relaxation and food all together. You will have fulfilled all of his needs and had him work for it.. and hopefully you will have fun! Training is on going for the life of the dog but it does not have to be a chore.. it should be exciting and fun. Hopefully this helps.