I would go a different direction. First what is the dog for. SchH, pet, etc?...
You said he goes and gets more toys and brings them to you after you put his ball away. Why does he have other toys?...These are your toys and he's at an age where he should only be able to play with them with you if you want the best success with training. You deceide when play time is, not him.
If I understand you correctly this is happening after training sessions. If this is so it is good...seems like your leaving him high in drive and wanting more. Why not put him directly in the crate/kennel after training in a seperate room with no distractions. If he barks I would not correct...just ignore it and after he finally stops you may then take him out. This actually also helps in the effectivness of the lesson as he has nothing to do but absorb what he just trained.
Now he will learn that barking gets no results in this situation.
I also would promote no corrections at all during training at this age....all motivational.

Good luck.

Pat

How much vigorous daily execise is Brock getting? I realize at this age, you want to take it easy on his joints, but there are plenty of safe activities that you can do that will get some of that excess energy out. Not every dog needs the same amount of exercise; some need more than others, and will be pests if you do not provide enough. If he's not ready to lie down and rest on his own, then he's not tired. I'd recommend integrating more physical activity into your training activities. Mental stimulation is just as important. Perhaps as the BIG reward at the end of the training sessions, you could hide an interactive toy (Buster Cube, stuffed Kong, treat ball, etc.) somewhere in the house, then release him to go find it. Because it is a toy that requires him to physically manipulate it to get the goodies out, it will occupy him for a while. An empty plastic soda bottle with a handfull of kibble or treats, then crushed to make it harder to get the treats out, is an inexpensive alternative.

Ok, lotsa info here... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I have no problems with his fetch and retrieve... he does as he is supposed to everytime... sits, stays... I throw ball... he goes when I tell him... brings it right back to my hand... never an issue. The issue is he would go for hours... he loves to work so much, and he loves the one on one. Our session is 45-60 minutes. But we also free play every morning, and the OB in afternoon.
He has toys available because his teething is terrible on him. He now knows that kids and our personal items are off limits, but I feel having his chewies are important. His working items are kept put away.
I didnt think him barking at me was so bad... it actually humors us to see him so characteristic. What the concern is... I didnt want to encourage him being bossy/pushy. Even though it was non aggressive... I didnt want to make a mistake that would later lead to a bad habit/behavior of some sort. He is a house companion... but I work his prey drive, because although he didnt show such interest before I adopted him... turns out his drive is high. I imagine vaccinations and bein in a pound might had alot to do with him not showing his true nature.
I felt what I was doing was wrong... maybe not harmful, but it certainly didnt teach him anything... as it became a nightly ritual... he would try to push everyone in the house into playing, and chooses to ignore/semi-ignore any commands. I considered that maybe after working with him, he should go right into the crate, so the transition is definate. But I see other options now, and I will keep him on a short lead to remind him. I just realized I let him choose, by not having that over him. To me, this is a minor thing, but again, I dont want my inexperience to be his downfall. Id rather ask about this now then about somthing worse, down the road. Thanks!!

Michell It looks like you were doing a good job before, a little timing adjustment. I like to establish early in a dogs life that I am Alpha.
It stops major problems later on. You seem to have your way of establishing that. Controling is still part of motivational Obedience, you are right. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Lee -I will try the 1-2 approach to teaching/dog training. I'll see which one works best for me. There always better and more things to learn. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Thanks you for your vast experince.

Pat, SchH or not beig taught to quite would not hurt his drive. I feel being taught this command is part of socailizing/making him easy to live with. I agree that all his toys should not be available even if he's teething. One chewy should be enough.

Michell what is he being trained for Companion Pet, Sports or Protection? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

He is pure companion... a pound puppy, so to speak. No papers and no back ground. I know I lucked out... and cross my fingers we dont run into health problems down the road.
But since he shows he is no couch potato, I will need to find a groove for him... or he will not be happy. Since we have lotsa OB ahead of us... I havnt thought much on what. I may work on multiple retrieves and such... just because thats what I know, and it would keep his prey drive worked. (I know its kinda useless training for a dog that wont ever need to apply it.) He isnt keen on using his nose... and I have no idea how to attempt teaching that to a dog that doesnt naturally do it. Even with treats... if he cant see it, its not there.
Admiring neighbors suggest frisbee dog <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Don- A physical correction to a 5-6 month old pup during obedience because he is high in drive and barking could very well hurt his drive.
As far as a socialization aspect then if the case is the dog is out somewhere or in a situation where barking is inappropriate then you could give him a quiet or a knock it off.
If you do it during obedience he will associate the correction with the OB session.
Also I do not live with my dogs. They live in a crate /kennel run. From what I've seen and heard so far you can tell a difference on the field on a dog that live in a kennel vs. a dog that lives in a house free.

Michelle- I didnt understand if you are training or playing with your dog for 45-60 minutes. I would only recommend training a 5-6 month old pup for 5-10 minutes max.

Pat

A CORRECTLY APPLIED physical correction for any behavior that is unwanted is not going to dampen the dog's drives. The key is that he understand which behavior is being punished and that he is rewarded for inhibiting that behavior. The punishment has to fit the temperament of the dog, be done unemotionally, and just as quickly as he is punished for incorrect behavior, he has to be rewarded for correct behavior, and you won't see any decrement in attitude or drive. They're not made of glass. It's only poorly applied punishment that squelches a dog.

The longer session is fetch... he sits stays and retrieves when released. I do it for that length of time because he loves it. It seems like play to him... but the sit stay and release are my terms of the play. (I will play with you... but you must behave.) This is handy with little kids in the home... he rarely tries to grab things from them because he must be told OK to have anything we have, even his bones and chewies. I was surprised how well he understands this. Even with his full attention, is this working him too hard?

I agree for a more mature dog but not a 5-6 month old puppy...and this is what was asked about.
At this age if it is during obedience I feel ignoring the barking and showing that he does not get success with that behavior would be enough.
You can bring drive down by correcting a puppy during OB. I have seen it.
I say all motivational at that age...the dog will learn what brings success.

Punishment is really poor dog training or just bad terminology. Consider avoidance training and reinforcements as alternatives.