[katrose]

Hi.
I'm new, and I need help. I have a shih tzu mix, around 4 years old. She's a rescue, I've had her for 3 years. The people she was taken from lied about her age and about her having puppies, starting from her first heat. (I've gotten her fixed). She is no longer terrified of men, but there are a still a few behaviour problems left from her previous home I just can't seem to break! She was in a home with a few other dogs, mostly small dogs and an American Bulldog. He wasn't trained or fixed and so when she would go into heat they would put the 2 of them in the same crate to try and make a bull-shiht.
Because of this, she gets absolutely crazy around some dogs. Barking, snarling, lunging...even very calm and submissive dogs that come up to her. She seems to have no clue on how to interact with them, when a dog comes up she plants herself, stares them full in the face and if they try to sniff her she attacks. The only dogs shes ever not attacked are my parents dog which let her dominate it and my friends lab puppy. I've tried everything I can think of, my boyfriend and I both turn her around and let the other dog sniff her first which we just started and is kind of working, we've tried distracting her, disciplining her...I'm not sure what to do, its not like I can not walk her. She's better than she was, she used to go after every dog and now its on some but it's very frustrating, I'd like her to have dog friends.
She has a very hard time not being dominant, and doesn't listen to anyone but myself.
She pees and poops in her crate EVERYTIME. I just moved to an apartment building but I take her out before work and when i get home and few more times during the night. She goes before I leave for work and when I come home, this dog is COVERED in it. Her crate is not too big, I took the stuff out of the bottom so she sits in it, but then i just end up giving her a bath when i get home because she's full of pee. And its not that her crate isn't her home, she sleeps in there at night, she goes in there during thunderstorms (which she hates). I think it's from her previous owners leaving her in one for so long, but it's almost like its habit for her now. I tried re training her and she stopped for a while but then went right back to it. I can't leave her in another room during the day, its mostly carpet and in the kitchen or the bathroom she gets into everything, chews the walls and doors, barks all day.

I love her more than anything, but I'm tired when I get home from work and I just wish there was no mess to clean up and I could just take her out and relax and enjoy her.