Big Issues: Agression, Overweight, and Excessive Barking

So I have some really big issues that have actually brought me to this forum. First I'd like to say I have taken my corgi, Gilliam, through two obedience classes. I work with him some everyday, but sometimes he's very strong willed, other times he does exactly what I ask.

So he's very food and space aggressive. One of our friends have stopped bringing over his daughter because if she gets near his EMPTY food bowl or any of his toys he growls barks aggressively and has even knocked her over and started scratching and snarling. She used to come over all the time when he was a puppy and they played quite nicely together. He does not do this with us. I will fully put my hand in the food bowl while he's eating and he doesn't care. He does it with the cats though. He also tried to steal their food and will eat all of it if he can find a way to get to it. Also he thinks the cat box is a snack bar. We've had to come up with creative solutions for him not to get into their food or cat box, but sometimes he figures a way around our solutions.  The other night a dog walked up to him while he was outside using the bathroom, they were being friendly and sniffing then all the sudden he got growling and barking mean and chased it quite a ways before my hubby could get a hold of him and bring him back. He was off the leash since we've been trying that when he goes outside, which we've been doing for quite a while. He's fine with most other dogs. He plays with the German Shepard next door, the Boxer down the street, and my in-laws Mini Dachshunds.

Second he's overweight. He's really lazy, but he gets NO people food and his meals are portion controlled. We were feeding him 2/3 cup Royal Canin Medium Breed twice daily until about a week ago when I started feeding him 1/3 cup frozen green beans and 1/3 Royal Canin Medium breed twice daily with pumpkin puree in a Kong about every other day. He might be getting a little thinner, but its hard to tell. He also always gets a regular sized Greenie in the morning. We feed him some treats, but we tear them up and its maybe 1-2 treats in a day, if any.  We don't know how he's gotten so big, about 40 pounds. The vet had put him on Royal Canin Satiety, but he got even fatter and he pooped all the time, 1-2 accidents inside 10+ poops on a 15 min walk, so we stopped feeding him that. We kept him on it through 3 bags, so it wasn't just an adjustment thing.

He also does this bark howl thing if he hears anything outside. Seeing as we live in an apartment there is also something going on outside. Then he'll continue barking for a really long time. I think he forgets why he was barking, but just keeps on because he already barked. Like right now there's a painter next door fixing up an apartment that tenants just moved out of and he's going nuts. No amount of ignoring or 'no' is stopping him.

I'm a bit desperate. I don't know of any house call trainers where we live, since we live in a smallish town. When he was in training I had to drive a little over 30 minutes to get him to the trainer.

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The sock stealing sounds like him trying to engage you in play time. Do you ever play fetch or some other activity like that? If you're not able to walk him more than 30 minutes have you considered jogging with him? To burn off a little more energy. If he is lookin around and sniffing during your walk his brain has not been engaged. Head down eyes straight ahead indicate all his attention is on the walk. The key it to work off the nervous mental energy that has built up on top of wearing him out physically.
Cesar Milan did a show on teaching your dog that a baby is a "human" not another puppy and how to introduce. I bet you could find it on u-tube.
My cats (also rescues) are pretty fussy about their litter too. They do make boxes that automatically scoop but I have not tried one.
Again, my favorite training tip is to not hesitate to use a leash in the house. I have even attached the leash to my belt and let my more hard headed dog follow me around for a couple days. Remember to praise the behaviors you want!
Lots of people have already shared the same advice that I have, but I suggest primarily wearing him out. Take LONG walks, on a trail with hills, work up to jogging. When he won't stop barking, kennel him. Cover it with a blanket or something so it is dark and calming. As for the food, order it online. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, an hour to the nearest store. If you order up to a certain amount on wag.com, shipping is free. Plus they always have coupons. When he is aggressive to a child (or anything/anyone) be firm and CONSISTENT. Kennel him immediately and ignore him for a short time.

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