I desperately need some advice and practical suggestions on how to help Poj, my eighteen month old lab, so that my husband doesn't refuse to come on walks with us.

The problem is recall when there are exciting distractions such as other dogs, children and lone adults (in that order.)  We'll be having a nice walk when suddenly she spies a dog in the distance and she's off - pelting towards them excitedly.  Nothing I can do will persuade her to return.  Very occasionaly if I go mad, chasing about excitedly and calling she'll return to see what the fuss is about but treats, ball throwing, shouting etc. very rarely make any difference.  Her biggest motivation is jumping around with another dog.  Once she gets there she generally plays with the dog for a bit and sometimes comes back, sometimes just goes off with the other dog walker - which has led to me losing her entirely for half an hour. 

I don't know anyone with another dog well enough to go training with them.  She's not at all vicious but she must be a frightening prospect when hurtling towards a child or even adult.  I really need to sort this out as it's making walking stressful - I'm constantly on the lookout for distractions so I can put her on the lead before she notices it, but sometimes I fail and it's making us all miserable.  My other half complains so much about it and leaves me to chase after her, it's causing a lot of stress between us.

Is this something she'll just grow out of or is there something I can be doing (please be as explicit as possible!) to train her? Willing to work very hard on this!

Oh dear, we've all been there I'm afraid :) She will grow out of it I'm sure, but in the meantime you need to just keep practising her recall as much as possible. Try and seek out some secure off lead places for her, this time of year is great for fields of stubble, or just baled fields of hay etc and let her off there. When she's off lead have some really nice titbits with you and only call her back when you want to give her a treat and/or play with her. Never call her back to put her on her lead, this can be a challenge but is possible :) In public parks, places where you are likely to meet other people and dogs stick to a long line and practise recalls when she's at the end of the line and not actually fixed on something yet. Call her back, Poj Come - it's important to use a command and not just her name which she probably hears hundreds of times a day. When she comes back make a huge fuss and treat her. Never call her back when she's so interested in something else you know she will ignore you. It's all about being sure you'll get the correct reponse from her and then  praising it. Can you join a local dog training club? Even though she may already walk well on the lead etc they are great for getting her to listen to you in very distracting circumstances.

At the moment when she sees someone in the distance she knows two things - it'll be exciting for her to run up to them, and if she returns to you when you call you'll put her on her lead and end her fun. You need to turn this around so it's rewarding for her to stay with you. Does she like a ball? Apart from having great titbits on you, you should also try to be really fun to be around,. If you can find somewhere quiet to let her off lead take a ball thrower with you, a tired dog is a well behaved dog :)

Edited to say I just wouldn't let her off lead (for the next month or so) when you're with your hubby I'm afraid, she'll pick up on the tension in your voice and is less likely to return than when you're on your own and relaxed about it.

Put this on another thread but holds ground here as well!

We used a training method from a book to train Mitz, hiding round the house and calling her name, and when she found us rewarding with a treat worked wonders!!
From her obedience course (10 week couse from APDT) we would do it the way of Matt holding Mitz, I would step away backwards holding a treat, get a way away and then I would call her and Matt would let go, she always came bolting over, maybe use that method?

SBT's are easily trainable though, so we are lucky!! :)

I think a long line would be advisable too!  If she met up with my dog and did this she wouldn't know what hit her and losing her for half an hour is very worrying.

Hope you get it sorted out soon.

Thats true! :)
Extended leads are great for training, When we get our new pup we will do the same with him as we did with Mitz.

We had Mitz on an extended lead walk until she was around 8/9 months old as we wanted to be absolutly sure she would come back on recall before we let her off, including seeing other dogs recall.
Our friends kept saying 'let her off she'll be alright' wasnt theyre dog that would go missing tho was it?

Keep her on an extended lead and do more and more and more training (The methods I listed before really are brilliant, fun and easy to do)and until your absolutly sure she will come back, dont let her off, its not worth the risk.
It worked with Mitz and she has a perfect recall now (Well near enough! :D)

I don't use extended leads, I do not like them and they are used incorrectly by many pet people.  A long line is different but again needs to be shown the proper way to use it or you can end up injuring your dog or even yourself.

I find control on a Long line far harder to get, where you can brake on the Flexi.  I only put any of mine on a long line when I know they are not going to dash or jump up at people/dogs.  Only use them in recall training to teach the independent spitz to learn to keep as habit a closer distance to me than is in their natural inclination, and that I can enforce my recall command at 30 feet. 

Seems to be working quite well with my pup, though her grandmother is the best and most obedient creature on a long line or flexzi, but as soon as it comes off, or if trailing is more than 30 feet in front she knows it and thumbs her nose at me.

Flexi's or long lines need to be used carefully so they don't trip othertructions.  Best used in a large open space.  NEVER EVER ON A ROADSIDE PATH.

Once in motion getting them to do the exact opposite can be near impossible.

I find it very useful to teach a 'steady' command, and also 'walk on'

If I have been to slow with a recall command and the dog is/are already moving in the direction of the distraction, a command of steady will at least slow them down,a nd allow me time to catch up and then use the walk on command to keep them moving.

How I train steady is in all sorts of circumstances when they are pulling up or down steps, trying to push past through a door , or heading toward me to quickly.

The walk on is quite easy as if they don't you catch up with them and can give them a light slap stern word what have you and push them on past using their collar.

The instant down can also stop a dog in its tracks.  You train the dog that going down quickly on command is a great game, and they will get a huge fuss.  I have seen it trained almost like musical chairs where you get the dog to go down faster than you do.

Shouting down just might stop the dog in it's tracks.

With any of these commands you need to back the command up with your presence or the recall as soon as their attention is back with you for a split second.

Henry used to be like that, I had to spend the entire walk scanning the horizons for any dogs, and often putting him back on lead while approaching any corners in case he spotted a dog. He did grow up by the age of around 2ish (he's a Cavalier) but OH still isn't keen to let him off lead as he does act up. I agree with the general advice to practice with long lines, and perhaps use an extending lead when your OH comes out with you, just to save the arguments about the running off we always used to have! I also find Henry responds better to commands like 'steady', 'nicely', rather than 'stop', 'no', or 'come'. Attempting to stop him altogether doesn't work too well, whereas encouraging him to think about just toning it down a bit works better! :-)

I also find that these sorts of commands set the other sogs owners or the peopel at ease.

Thank you everyone.  I have ordered a very long lead and we've been taking treats out with us for every walk and calling her randomly to reward her for coming.  I had just been using her name to call her but now we say 'Poj, come here.'  I'm REALLY hoping she will grow out of this so thank you to everyone who said their dog did.  I think the things we're trying at the very least make my other half feel that we're being proactive about her 'problems.'

Name shoulds be used only to get attentiona dn then a command, come sit down what have you.  Good luck.

desperately need some advice and practical suggestions on how to help Poj, my eighteen month old lab, so that my husband doesn't refuse to come on walks with us.
I walk mine on a lead when my hubby is with us and just let them off to play ball. And I train them and let them off when I am on my own. You already have plenty of advice for that. Good luck and lots of patience.

Your dog will not grow out of bogging off, why should she?  Every time she rrehearses this behaviour she gets rewarded for it by increased freedom, and play time with other dogs.  One day she may also get bitten by a somewhat less than social dog or get run over.

You need to go back to basics and get reliable recalls in the house, the garden and the open before you introduce distractions.

You must not allow her to pra ctice bad behaviours.

There are plenty of recall training days around, look on the APDT site and go somewhere where someone can show you the techniques that work in the real world.