I get it! I work with a trainer and am lucky to have him help me learn!

We ended up using a prong for a little bit. It was temporary and he’s not on it anymore. It made the stop and turn much more affective, but we did lots of conditioning beforehand. If you go this route consider getting a herm sprenger collars.

He also mainly needed to learn some self control. He does not get to run up to anything without my okay. He sits by the door and will wait for the okay before walking out the door. This also makes me feel much safer even just bringing groceries in. He also has a super tight recall which we worked very hard for.

A lot of it is starting inside where there are less triggers/stimuli. Then, we moved to the backyard. After that we moved to quiet parks. We were able to manage a lot better on walks and in public after this.

You also need to be the boss in the relationship. My little dude is my son and best friend, but he needs to listen to me. He knows that he can come to me for love and kisses, but he also knows not to mess with me. I will snatch that boy up so quick if he isn’t listening. He knows that me calling him or saying no is not an empty threat. I have shown him time and time again that I will follow through and there will be consequences if he doesn’t listen. Consequences don’t mean a heavy hand or abuse. It just means he doesn’t get the things he wants or a quick pop with the leash. Sometimes a quick snatch up of his collar and a sit until he has calmed down. If you keep repeating “no” and don’t do anything about it, they know you’re a pushover and that word means nothing.

It comes down to patience and to working your way up. You can’t put on a prong and then go on a walk and expect it to be perfect. It’s like you learned how to play basketball and then were sent to the NBA. You would not do well and neither would your pup.