I take my dog to obedience classes and our trainer tells us to use only Halties and not prong collars. I can't control my dog when we go for walks. What can I do?

Mr. Frawley,

I recently came across your site and have spent all morning reading your advice on training dogs with behavioral problems. I'm hoping you can take a moment to give me some 1-on-1 training. I have a 2-year old Smooth Collie who has been in obedience training since he was 12 weeks old. The obedience center we attend strongly encourages use of a Gentle Leader while training, and equally as strongly discourages the use of prong or shock collars. My problem is this: When we're out for a walk, the dog becomes uncontrollable if a bicyclist rides by us. He lunges toward the cyclist, hair standing on end, barking and whimpering. I've tried several different methods to regain control in these instances including diverting his attention by walking in the opposite direction, trying to get his attention with "high reward" treats and trying to be dominant over him by sitting him and standing between him and the path of the cyclist. I've also tried desensitization methods which work to an extent-especially if the biker/rollerblader is across the street or at some distance away. The problem is worst when there's an element of surprise like when the biker comes up from behind us or passes right in front of us. I'm well aware that I'm failing as an owner to control this behavior, but I don't know what other methods to try. I've recently considered using a shock collar on him, but he's a very sensitive dog (as collies can be) so I'm a bit leery about it. Can you please tell me if I should continue working with the desensitization method or if it's time to try something else?

Thank you