Hello,
For everyone who hasn't read my other post, I'm having some trouble with my 6 month old pup. We cannot walk him without him pulling in front of us the ENTIRE time. We've tried every type of collar and harness imaginable. I'm physically having a hard time on walks at this point. He reacted badly to the prong collar. He also plows into people when they come to our house. We now have him on a leash constantly, but when company comes, he spends the whole time gagging and trying to get to them. I hate to isolate him every time someone comes over, because I would like him to be around people. Another issue is that he tends to bite when he gets excited and occasionally when reprimanded. It is more than a nip, but he doesn't break the skin. He just goes from playing or licking to growling and biting with no warning. He also counter surfs constantly (he is now unable to do this with the leash on, but I would eventually like to fix it). I have had dogs all my life, but never one this tough. We've been to 2 trainers, and he works great for food, but if he doesn't see the food in front of him, he won't do anything! I know we need to establish pack leadership and I am also going to look into marker training, but does anyone have any specific suggestions on how I can stop these 3 specific behaviors?

Hi Kelly... First of all, mostly you have a puppy that is being a puppy. That being said, you have to control the pup's environment and teach him what good behavior is. This is an ongoing process, not something that happens in one training session.

Do you have a crate?

Yes, he sleeps in the crate, and I put him in when we go out. Is even the snapping and biting when reprimanded normal puppy behavior? He will also grab your leg with his paws and start to growl and bite at times.

Pending your crate answer, let's start with walking. You can use the prong for walking, but you don't need to correct him with it; he will self-correct if he pulls too hard.

You need to condition him to wearing the prong before you take him for a walk, so put the collar on him, let him wear it for 30 minutes, and take it off him. Do this a few times a day for a day or two.

If you can't get the collar on him without a fight, you need to place a very high value reward within eyesight (I'm talking juicy piece of steak or bacon pieces), ask him to sit. Once he sits, put the collar on and give him the reward. Take the collar off, and repeat. Take the collar off and repeat. You want him to like that prong collar. It's a tool, not a torture device!

Once this is accomplished, you can take him for a walk. He will learn very quickly that if he pulls, the prong will tighten and become uncomfortable. Have you read the info about fitting a prong properly? This is important...it must be high on the neck, and very snug. If it's too low, he will learn to pull through it, and he will continue to pull.

In the meantime, while you are conditioning him to wearing the prong, you can walk him on a flat collar. Do not put him in a harness; this will encourage him to pull more. You want your flat collar up high and snug around his neck.

Do you have an area where you can let him run around safely? Do you have a long line? ( a long leash- 15-20' long with or without a loop on the end)

If you can let him burn off some energy before you take him for a walk, this should help his pulling. He should always be on a long line, so that you can catch him easily if you need to, and he should be in a safe area where he can't get himself into trouble.(fenced, ideally)

My puppy did all of that when she was 6 months old. Remember a good puppy is a tired puppy. Play fetch in the yard and do a short training session BEFORE you go on a walk (sit, down, stand stuff) with markers.

Time in the crate was still important when people came over. And during the wild energetic evenings she spent some time in the crate to help learn how to be calm inside the house.

OOH, I was typing while Lynn was. What she said too! especially about the prong.

 Quote: Kelly Schultz

Yes, he sleeps in the crate, and I put him in when we go out. Is even the snapping and biting when reprimanded normal puppy behavior? He will also grab your leg with his paws and start to growl and bite at times.

How are you reprimanding him?

Yes, leg grabbing and play growling and biting are normal for some puppies.

If you keep him on a long line or leash at all times, when he gets too riled up you can calmly redirect him off your leg with the leash and move into a short obedience session. This is where marker training comes into play.

Read up on the free marker training e-book here. This is not the same as bribing the dog with a treat. You are asking the dog for a behavior, he complies, you mark the behavior, you reward. The food should not be visible until after he has given you the behavior you are looking for. When you are ready to begin marker training you can ask for pointers from folks here. In the meantime, you can read the e-book and start with the first step, which is 'loading' the marker.

Also, puppies tend to be their most obnoxious when they need excercise. For a 6 month old pup, this is more than a walk a day. He needs to be getting a chance to stretch his legs and run. How much exercise is he getting now?

If you are sure he's had enough exercise, and he won't redirect or calm down, put him in his crate with a stuffed chew toy. Once he's calmed down, you can take him out. Sometimes when pups get too wound up, they need a break in the crate to settle themselves down.

Here are some links to free e-books and videos for purchase:
Training w/ Markers
Pupppy Pack Leader
Marker Training Video
Pack Structure for the Family Pet Video

He gets 40-90 minutes of walking a day. This is split into 2-3 walks. He has a small fenced off totally safe area of the yard where he can go alone. We will also take him into the larger yard with us several times a week. However, he tends to get VERY overexcited and "attacks" in that one, so it's been getting less and less often. I have a 12 year old dd and although she loves him, she is also quite frightened of him, as are her friends. My pup is 43 lbs. of pure muscle, and he comes at you like a freight train! I used the prong on him for the past 2 days and he reverted back into his old skittish self. Freaking out over people, other dogs, garbage cans, flags, etc... on our walks. I'm now leery to use it again. At this point I am keeping him tethered near or to me at all times when he is out of his crate, which is lessening the counter surfing and jumping on others, but it's not a fix-all forever.

 Quote: kelly schultz

We will also take him into the larger yard with us several times a week. However, he tends to get VERY overexcited and "attacks" in that one, so it's been getting less and less often.

Can you get him involved with a focused game? Like fetch, or a ball on a string or rope? frisbee? That way he will learn some appropriate behavior in the larger yard.

OK. The walks are good, but he still needs time to run around, just being a puppy.

For now, your 12 year old and her friends should not be interacting with the puppy, except under your direct supervision. Inside the house, when he's calm, is best. If her friends are over, let them pet the puppy and then put him in his crate until they are gone. Don't give him the opportunity to get overexcited.

In the yard, you need to play with him without the kids present, at least for now. Putting him outside by himself will do nothing re his exercise requirements, and will not help him become more socialized.

Does he like to chase a ball? Get a long line and keep it on him at all times outside, and toss a ball for him. The great thing about a long line is, the pup never knows where the end of it is (as Ed likes to say), and so it's very easy to catch him.
Here's a puppy long line the Leerburg sells:
http://leerburg.com/729.htm

If he won't return the ball to you, buy 2 identical balls and trade him for the one he has in his mouth by asking him to drop it, and once he does you can toss the 2nd ball for him.

Once you are comfortable playing with him in this manner, you can have your daughter join you.

A tip for jumping on your daughter. First of all, no screaming or yelling on her part. Secondly, when he jumps, have her cross her arms, and turn away from the pup so that her back is toward him. She needs to keep doing that until he figures out that jumping gets him nowhere. No petting the dog when he jumps...