Wearing down

Denver is wearing me down. We have an incredible love-hate relationship. I really do love the little guy. He is a great running partner, he's super cute (see photo in previous post) and goofy especially when he's scratching his back on the carpet by wiggling and sliding around upside down, and he almost always comes when called. BUT he is a constant work in progress, and every interaction is a training session. Also, it is hard to tell if he will learn eventually or if some behaviors are tied to his temperament and personality. For example, he can struggle with extreme over-excitement and anxiety usually when coming out of the crate, before meals, and now, before walks. We've been persistent and just as relentless as he's been in training and have also tried multiple tactics. Once he gets to that level 10 excitement though, he is unresponsive to us, and it is extremely hard to snap him out of it. Will he grow out of this? Am I doing something to trigger this? He gets a lot of exercise, which is also frustrating because I feel like he should be more obedient. Like I said, we've tried many different discipline techniques, but sometimes the only thing he's sensitive and submissive to is the spray bottle. The spray bottle is a good tool, but it's important for him to obey and respect me/us not just the bottle. Denver has improved since we got him and seems somewhat calmer, however more recently (really in the last 3 weeks) he's started to seriously backslide. His behavior just seems a little unpredictable, one moment he's this fun-loving, sweet, obedient dog and the next he's a ball of hyper-active/anxious energy ready to explode so rather than listen he flails his body into us or tries to dominate Riley! I hate how stressed I am about this, about him. One realization I had recently: I definitely put too much self-worth into my dog's behavior. Part of my stress is self-inflicted because I allow Denver to drive me nuts and make me feel like a failure. I'm not a failure. I do fail at times, but I'm trying hard. I care a lot about my dog's well-being and desire for Denver to be a healthy and calm dog, but it is a great challenge to get him to that state. And again, we're in a position where we're questioning if our home is the right place for him. Ugh. What a roller coaster! I've learned a lot that's for sure, a lot about patience particularly. Not sure what's next...