Big Needy Boy

It is obvious, that being 4 years old, Boy endured much more in the neglectful surroundings he came from. Far more than Teala did, and it is really showing. Teala is an 18 month old puppy. She has that lovely short attention span which I believe has allowed her to adapt quicker than Boy.
 Boy is a velcro dog. He is clingy and is happiest when touching you. He is intelligent and learns fast. He stays on task, where Teala will flit around and inject play into every activity.He tries very hard to please and watches my every inflection for approval
 When outside, she plays, she rips around, she is carefree. He trots around almost playing, but is cautious. He is more relaxed and plays with his toys in the comfort of their room.
 In a situation like this, the clingy behavior must not be encouraged. If he is coddled when acting like this, he will manifest into one heck of a separation anxiety nightmare.
 Each night before bed, we have designated "cuddle time." Outside of that time, so as not to worsen his negative behavior, I make him do something to earn the praise so I can "pay" him for being good. During the day, as he makes attempts to climb on me, lick constantly, paw at me, lean on me, sit on my feet, etc, I tell him a firm "No" then I ask him to sit, heel, shake, etc, so I can reward him.
 Boy has been through a lot. He is not broken, he just has a few small dents that need smoothing out. I do not pity him. That part of his life is over. He is safe. It is so important not to nurture his dented areas. It is my goal to build him up with positive reinforcement so he will eventually have a the self esteem a Bullmastiff should. 
 Each day he makes me proud. It is going to be a bit of a journey with him, but I know he can do it. I love him and I believe in him.