Seeking advice for my dog's personality and training
My dog is a 2 year old male pitbull. He's our first dog. He's neutered, chipped, vaccinated, all the usual stuff. We got him about a month ago from the shelter, and he's a very sweet boy. However, he was found abandoned before going to the shelter, so we're still working on helping him settle in with no background.
What he's good at: he's house trained, knows sit, and takes treats very gently. He likes to cuddle on the couch or nap in front of it while we watch TV. Highly motivated by peanut butter, and to a lesser degree, cheese or bacon flavors. No resource guarding or confusing signs of aggression. Likes to be the house supervisor, and will generally settle wherever we are, unless we're in the shower.
Things we are working on: loose leash, down, come, reactivity and lunging. Barking, jumping, and mouthing to play. Gets very loud and frightened if maintenance is working on something and being noisy, barks a lot if he hears voices outside or next door. Frightened of thunder, but usually settles in for a cuddle after a short time. Very intent on walking on us, results in bruising and pain. Seems to randomly get anxious, even while being calmly praised or spoken to; licking his nose, ears down, seems to be doing whale eyes.
What we're trying: rewarding calmly sitting or lying down with treats, petting, and praise. Using a treat lure for down and come. Changing direction, bringing him close, or standing still if a person or animal is approaching (depending on distance), or if he pulls or lunges, which he does any time he sees or hears a strange person or animal. He's allowed near other people on leash, and only if he's willing to sit and we're holding his collar (it's a Martingale). Watching videos from Kikopup and McCann, reading links from this wiki and other sources. Reward marking such as "good sit", "good boy", or clicker.
What we're not doing: letting him near other animals; we're planning on outside perimeter walks at a fenced in dog park to minimize risk. Physical punishment, withholding any resources, long-term tethering, unsupervised outside time due to no fence or other barrier. Alpha or dominance training; we want him to choose to follow commands and expectations rather than fearing repercussions. We rarely crate him because we think it's a little too small, and he seems afraid to go in (goes low to the ground and tries to escape, ears and tail down), even if lured with toys and highest value treats.