Correction--That is maybe a little harsh. How about, it is not an acceptable reason for allowing him to yank you all over the place, or jump on strangers, or incessantly bark and carry on as thought the sky is falling; especially when I hear this conversation between you and a stranger...
"Oh, he's a rescue..."
"Oh yeah? How old is he?"
"We think 7 or so. They didn't really know at the rescue."
"How long have you had him?"
"5 years."
Five. Years. You have had that animal for a total of one thousand, eight hundred and twenty-five days, and he is still acting like this?
Forgive me for a bit of a rant here. I promise to keep it short.
Not all "rescue" dogs are damaged. Not correcting, or not teaching them how to be civil in public, is not doing them any favors.
There are legitimate cases where the most compassionate, and appropriate advise is to back off and allow the dog time to realize you are not there to abuse him. There are dogs with such fear or shyness, they literally become overwhelmed and cannot function until they have rebuilt Trust in the humans around them. There is a period of time in which you really do need to allow a "rescue" to adjust. At some point, these shy guys turn a corner, and start to come out of their shell--they start to show you who they are. It varies among them, as they are all individuals, but there is no excuse, in my opinion, for allowing an animal to run wild because your soft heart thinks he will hate you for correction.
On the contrary, he will only love you more if you can put your foot down, and teach him what is and isn't appropriate. Dogs need leaders. They are not comfortable, or relaxed, or truly happy until they can understand their place in their "pack." Your household, and those living in it, constitute that social hierarchy. When you allow him to act like a giant idiot, he is getting the impression that you are not in control, therefore he feels like he needs to be. But most dogs (and I know you have heard me say this before) make Absolutely TERRIBLE leaders.
I am not suggesting that you don a uniform and adopt a "surrender or die" approach, and over-dominate your friend. But there is a need for leadership.
