For the most part this behavior is not normal. I have a barker and I observe her closely to see what she's barking about. Other than the knock on the door she is usually trying to tell us something. Most times she wants something like a snack, wants one of the other dogs to get off of her bed or let go of her toys. She is very vocal. If not a health issue then the pooping on the couch could be that this dog is upset about something and acting out or the smell from a previous poo is still present making the dog think it's ok to go there. Dogs will nip or bite when threatened or irritated. Not all of them love to be cuddled and kissed on. You might try ignoring him so to speak and let it be more of his idea to come to you for attention and see if that changes anything. These guys hate being ignored so worth a try. If he nips back away from him until he approaches you with love and respect. Don't force it. It sounds like he is ruling the household and unfortunately because these dogs are so cute and so small it's easy to let them get by with so much but not a good idea. He may also be getting to many different commands from too many people thus confusing him. I agree with everyone else about taking him to a behaviorist or even better letting one go to your boy friends house to observe. Most of the time it is us humans that cause the problems without even realizing it. For instance the way you respond to his actions might be contributing instead of helping. These pups are way smarter than we think so he may just have everyone fooled! My little girl had a problem coming to me on command but I realized that a lot of the time it was because I had just gotten dressed to go somewhere and she knew it was kennel time. I started giving treats and toys and also give come commands for way more fun things like playtime, tummy rubs ...it made a big difference.
__________________ Hannah's Mom |