Quote: john tepe

Our 4 year old Labradoodle barks and pulls like crazy when he sees a dog, stranger, motor cycle, truck, etc. when on walks. We use a prong collar but this dog could pull an 18 wheeler.

I'm going to wager that the prong collar is not on this dog correctly. Here is an article that explains how to properly fit a prong collar on a dog, along with photos of correct fit and placement. http://leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm

 Quote: john tepe

For the most part, he is great on walks until he sees what he considers a threat. Once he sees the threat, he pulls and barks like crazy. When he is not on leash, he chases after the person, dog or truck, etc. as soon as he sees it. So on one hand he barks like he wants to fight but in reality he would never hurt a dog or person.

Are you sure this isn't prey driven?

 Quote: john tepe

His obedience classes were all indoors and he was excellent. He was off lease and was able to hold all commands as distractions such as kids, dogs and squirrels were introduced. This dog is a lot stronger than both those breeds and much higher strung. I say he would not hurt anyone for two reasons, one as he chases his tale is wagging and two he has had ample opportunity.

A wagging tail is not a sign that a dog won't bite.
There is a first time for everything, and most folks are shocked the first time their dog bites. "But he's never done that before!"

I doubt this is aggression, or fear. It sounds an awful lot like prey drive, but that doesn't mean that he couldn't nip or bite someone.

In fact, almost every Standard Poodle I've ever known (which is half of his genetic makeup, correct?) was notorious for chasing and nipping people in the butt.

The bottom line- an obedience trained dog doesn't behave this way.
You may have introduced him to obedience, but OB101 isn't enough for this dog.
He needs to take the mid-level and Masters classes. Otherwise, your dog is going to end up dead.

All it takes is once incident, and he's branded a dangerous dog, and destroyed by animal control.

 Quote: John Tepe

When he is not on leash, he chases after the person,dog or truck, etc. as soon as he sees it.

Just wanted to add that a dog that does this should not be off leash. Either he or someone else is going to get hurt.

That, and Cincinnati Ordinances forbid having any dog off-leash in a public place.

And Ohio defines a dangerous dog as:
“Dangerous dog” means a dog that, without provocation, and subject to division (A)(1)(b) of this section, has chased or approached ... any person, while that dog is off the premises of its owner"

Thanks for the helpful responses. I agree that he should not be off leash and I will no longer allow this to happen. In the past I would allow him to run in circles in the back yard to wear off extra energy. I do go on long runs with him but running at people speed does not wear him out. He probably leans more to the Lab breed than the Poodle in both looks and personality. I agree that I must be using the prong incorrectly since it has little impact on his behavior when he is hit with a major distraction. I have watched Ed's video and I admit I have a hard time keeping the collar from slipping down on his neck. Ed has suggested that I use the the dominant dog collar in combination with a bark collar. By prey, are you referring to Alpha related methods?
Assuming his behavior is prey driven vs fear or aggression, how would that change the method of correction? What do you suggest I do differently?

Prey is a drive, and has no relation to pack postition.

If the collar is slipping down the dog's neck, it's too loose, and you need to take some links out.

Where did Ed suggest that you use the dominant dog collar and bark collar?

If the behavior is prey driven, you have several options for approaching the behavior. The dog can be taught to focus in drive, and perform obedince in drive- removing the need for corrections.
It's all about keeping the dogs attention on YOU, and not passing prey objects.

"Where did Ed suggest that you use the dominant dog collar and bark collar?" When on walks which is really the only time I have a problem.

"It's all about keeping the dogs attention on YOU, and not passing prey objects."
Any suggestions on how to do this?

John,

See my earlier post on using the dominant dog collar. I find that talking calmly but firmly to the dog as I lift him up gets his attention back on me, then I keep talking to him ("Good, good") when his feet are back on the ground as long as he is still paying attention to me. You may have to repeat this if he immediately goes back into prey/chase/bark mode. The trick is to stay calm but act firmly - don't shout or jerk the collar, just lift up while saying "No", then set the dog back down once his attention is on you.

The dog I am working with right now is very food driven, so as soon as I get the behavior I want (not barking or lunging, feet on ground, looking at me instead of at whatever he wanted to chase) I also reward with a small edible treat. Then when he is calm we walk on.

Okay John,
Let's revisit the dogs basic training.
How was the ob work done?
Was there any positive reward/marker work done at all? Or was it all compulsion?
Did the instructor show how to use the pinch? Did they teach what a proper correction is?
Did they explain how a verbal correction always comes before a physical correcton?
Did they talk about timing at all?
What kind of ob class was this? And how has it come to this end?

As Connie said very early in this thread. A lot more info is needed.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

PS.
For the record, dog parks are not a good idea at all.

 Quote: john tepe

"Where did Ed suggest that you use the dominant dog collar and bark collar?" When on walks which is really the only time I have a problem.

"It's all about keeping the dogs attention on YOU, and not passing prey objects."
Any suggestions on how to do this?

I meant, did you email Ed? That was his personal advice?

This dog needs tremendously more basic OB.
I would highly recommend you learn everything you can about marker training, and training through drive. This dog obviously has a high amount of prey drive, and is probably pretty ball driven. The dog can be taught to heel nicely, and to focus on YOU, with the proper training.


http://leerburg.com/219.htm

http://leerburg.com/101e.htm

http://leerburg.com/pdf/markers-clickers.pdf

Ed suggested the dominant dog collar in a personal email. As far as the training, he attended several 10 week sessions. The sessions were both on leash and off leash. The training was reward based. He could sit 30 feet away and not respond to distractions then come on command. He is great until he is outdoors and confronted with new distractions. The training was based on verbal correction and then physical correction. The prong collar was used for the physical correction. I also hired a personal trainer who used many of the same techniques. The more I read about prey drive I agree with Alyssa. Do you know if Ed has any articles that deal with prey issues? Basic obedience classes do not deal with this problem and I have never trained a dog with this problem.