I have a bit of a problem with max. He absoloutely ADORES other dogs and just wants to be with them. the thing is he is a big boy and if i was a stranger with my dog and saw max galloping towards me i would probably be quite worried. I think i have made the mistake of in the past putting max on the lead everytime we see a new dog unless the owners say they like to play then i let him off. i have taught the leave command and wait and in 99% of situations he is very good at both he will wait for his dinner for ages till i tell him and once i didnt even tell him to wait and started washing up after i had put down his tea and a few minutes later noticed he was sat there dribbling waiting for me to say ok which is his release command! he will also leave anything we come across like litter, food or even poo! yuck!! his recall is also fine when we are alone he is very nosey and a lab who loves his food so the second i call him he legs it to me just incase i am offering food. but and its a but which is making life tricky as soon as he sees a person or a dog withing 3000 miles if i dont see them first he is off and i mean he absoloutely legs it to them even slamming into them cos his brakes are rubbish! he has been bitten a few times and as he runs he doesnt respond to his name or leave. 9 times out of ten i spot the dog first and get him back on the lead and then he tries his hardest to get to them. when he gets to the dogs he lies on his back on the floor but quite often the other dog is spooked by him running at them and they bite him and he drops on his back! i dont want to keep him on the lead all the time as he loves running in the park but obviousley dont want him to get really hurt. i spent a week taking him out on a lunge rein and mainly it consisted of me water skiing over the grass on the end of it when he saw a dog! it really made no difference and although i did mange to stop him getting to the dog, normally with the aid of a tree, he didnt improve he is just too friendly for his own good! sorry i have gone on but i am now getting a nervous wreck when out incase we see another dog

Katy
have you tried using toys instead of food ?
maybe a special toy or a frisbee to keep his attention?

i have lel he is not toy motivated at all i am afraid i wish he was cos it would be a lot easier

Snap! He sounds just like my lab bitch - see my recent post "pulling to say hello". Her son can be distracted with toys - sometimes - but if she sees another dog or person, she's off! I tried yesterday with a washing line, and that worked better than a lunge line, she played with a dog which suddenly appeared but then came back to me OK. Labs are just SO friendly - lovely but hard work!!

My Lab has just turned 2. Your post could have been describing Emmy exactly up until a few months ago. She loves other dogs and people sooo much I had to be really vigilant on walks and work hard on getting her trained to wait till I said it was ok for her to say hello. There was no real quick fix for us and I can't really explain how and why she has stopped, but now she does listen to me, and will wait for my release command which is "ok, say hello".

I think the act she is getting older is definately the key with her. She still loves other dogs, but I think the novelty has worn off a bit and she wont run more than a hundred yards from me, she would panic if mum dissapeared! This is one of the ways I used to train her... if she started to run to another dog or person, I would turn and run in the other direction, hiding if possible, and she would 9 out of 10 times turn back and find me.

Labs are such sociable and beautiful dogs that love life. I understand exactly what you are going through with Max and know how worrying and difficult it can be to control their love of playing, but I'm sure things will get better for you.

Restricting access to other dogs makes them even more attractive, a bit like restricting my access to cream cakes or chocolate......... :D

The other dogs become more and more of a novelty because of the rarity of exposure and so will become more and more magnetic to your dog.

However, as you rightly observe, he could get himself into some serious trouble by being hurt either by another dog or their owner............

I am afraid total control in the house does not translate into total control outside and every time you change location you must start back to basics again.

Once the dog has learned the recall in the house, move to the garden, then an empty field, then one with few distractions then lots of distractions.

Every type of recall needs thorough training, away from food, people, dogs, rabbits, etc etc etc  and recall training must be consistent and relentless from Day 1 particularly as you will expect a drop in reliability at around 8/9 months of age if not sooner because of hormonal changes.

Recalls, like stays, are vastly undertrained.

To up the ante, divide your dog's daily food into 10 or more bags, every time you recall him and he responds, feed, every time he does not, "too bad see, your food is going in the bin".  After a few days he will be getting a little hungry.....................  Nothing like a bit of deprivation for motivating your dog!

There is no reason why dogs must be fed "for free" or in a bowl!

FWIW I never train on long lines, as my dogs are very fast and the potential for injury is huge.  I just train, train, train, train, train.

You could try recalling with a whistle. I found it cut through the *fog* :D

My (then) yr old Lab was like yours and here's how I stopped it very quickly. I started at home by giving a few sharp blasts on whistle and then give very surprised dog a tasty treat. Did that a few times with dog in front of me. Next I would just whistle when dog was in another room, give her treat when she came. Then I would whistle while out on a walk with no other dogs around, give her a treat, tell her she's very very good, and let her go again. Did that a few times. Next time she would see a dog, but I let her go, when she had said hello to it I would whistle and she would come running back for the treat, then I let her go back to the dog. Then, THE TEST :D She would get whistled while running TO another dog. It worked! She would come back, get the treat and then, if I and other owner was happy, I'd let her go again.

That's what worked for me. :)
I hardly need the whistle anymore now she's coming up to 3. :D

(my old lab learnt the whistle too, and I never taught her ... )

I think that I met you Monday or Tuesday - did you walk in Old Harlow in the afternoon ?

Daisy

thanx for all the great advice guys i am going to try the whistle i think!! i may well have walked in old harlow the other day? what dogs do u have and maybe i will recognise you Daisy?

You stopped and spoke to a group of us near the gate :) I've got a sable, 1/2 sized GSD cross that is always carrying a ball and an Aussie that walks on 3 legs or with a limp :) :) Max is certainly a big dog for his age :) I didn't twig until after you had gone who you were. I know that you live in Harlow, but didn't think that I'd see you there :)

Daisy

oh yes i remember! wow it is a small world isnt it. i walk max there a lot as my house backs on to the cycle track that runs from old harlow to the town park! also max's half sister evie who has the same mum but different dad lives in st johns avenue and walks there a lot.  well it was lovely to meet you even though i was a bit stressed out with my brood lol

also  i work in old harlow as a courier i deliver next, freemans, grattan, look again, cotton traders, kaleidoscope, boden, tchibo and a few others. i may have even delivered you a parcel!!

I know Evie and Denise very well :) Small world isn't it :) May see you there some time
Daisy

evie is the reason we got max as my oldest is friends with denises youngest they are in the same class at school and we wanted a lab and denise said evies mum was having a litter  and hey presto we got our little max!!