Hmmm...a lot of stuff here. I have actually experienced some of it in the past when my dog was a little younger, around the same age. While my dog is a more dominant dog, he did have some anxiety issues, such as barking violently if I walked out the door and he could see me out the window.
I often found that it seemed to be he wasn't 'prepared' for me to leave so suddenly (like randomly stepping out to get the mail). I figured it had a lot to do with control....he wanted to control the situation, but was not old enough to know that he didn't NEED to control the situation. A dog gets super stressed when they think they need to control everyone in the house due to dominance. My dog would react better if I put a treat on the ground and walked out the door quietly without acknowledging him. Then he didn't bark. Sometimes I would give a command, like stay, and would walk out the door.
How do you utilize the crate? Are you in a single family home where you can get away with letting him bark it out in the crate? If he barks in the crate (probably due to anxiety) you definitely need to let him bark it out so he learns that barking won't get him what he wants. When he quiets down, let him out. My pup used to try to bark at me to get what he wanted. He slowly learned that it wouldn't work, that if he behaved he got rewarded.
As for jumping on the counter when you go outside...can you have someone inside watch the dog for the moment, like your wife? If the dog responds to you leaving and jumps on the counter/couch/ whatnot, have her correct the dog. I personally used a little water spray bottle since my dog hated that thing with a passion. He stopped a lot of bad behavior just by seeing the ominous little water squirt bottle in my hand.
Be firm with your dog. Don't let him sit on the couch or the bed. Don't let him jump up on people or put his paws on people. He is still young, but most likely is trying to understand if he needs to be the Alpha who takes care of the family (like choosing who gets to walk out the door and if they are safe when they leave the house). Once he has figured out that he can be a dominant dog, but that his humans are Alpha, he should begin to loosen his grasp. He is young, there should be a light at the end of the tunnel. My pup was a little rough when he was 8 months....at 1.5 years he is MUCH improved.
Also...not sure if I missed it in the post. Is your dog fixed? My dog mounted my boyfriend one time and that was it. Never again. That was before he got fixed though. He used to do some goofy things with his blankets, but that was generally his own entertainment I think.
I often found that it seemed to be he wasn't 'prepared' for me to leave so suddenly (like randomly stepping out to get the mail). I figured it had a lot to do with control....he wanted to control the situation, but was not old enough to know that he didn't NEED to control the situation. A dog gets super stressed when they think they need to control everyone in the house due to dominance. My dog would react better if I put a treat on the ground and walked out the door quietly without acknowledging him. Then he didn't bark. Sometimes I would give a command, like stay, and would walk out the door.
How do you utilize the crate? Are you in a single family home where you can get away with letting him bark it out in the crate? If he barks in the crate (probably due to anxiety) you definitely need to let him bark it out so he learns that barking won't get him what he wants. When he quiets down, let him out. My pup used to try to bark at me to get what he wanted. He slowly learned that it wouldn't work, that if he behaved he got rewarded.
As for jumping on the counter when you go outside...can you have someone inside watch the dog for the moment, like your wife? If the dog responds to you leaving and jumps on the counter/couch/ whatnot, have her correct the dog. I personally used a little water spray bottle since my dog hated that thing with a passion. He stopped a lot of bad behavior just by seeing the ominous little water squirt bottle in my hand.
Be firm with your dog. Don't let him sit on the couch or the bed. Don't let him jump up on people or put his paws on people. He is still young, but most likely is trying to understand if he needs to be the Alpha who takes care of the family (like choosing who gets to walk out the door and if they are safe when they leave the house). Once he has figured out that he can be a dominant dog, but that his humans are Alpha, he should begin to loosen his grasp. He is young, there should be a light at the end of the tunnel. My pup was a little rough when he was 8 months....at 1.5 years he is MUCH improved.
Also...not sure if I missed it in the post. Is your dog fixed? My dog mounted my boyfriend one time and that was it. Never again. That was before he got fixed though. He used to do some goofy things with his blankets, but that was generally his own entertainment I think.