Getting to my wits end!

[Adrienne]

Gunnar has plenty of socialization with other dogs, the other two in our house, the five at my aunt's, my friends dogs, etc. but he is driving me nuts on our walks! He goes absolutely nutty when another dog is by us. If I let him go and say hi he is great, just wants to play, thats all he wants to do but he is so nutty about it. Him being so big doesn't help much either, it is intimidating to other dog owners when they see a GSD going ballistic. I have tried using the focus command, leave it, just ignoring the behavior and pulling him along behind me, using the pinch collar, a check chain, and the halti. We will be starting classes this Sept but does anyone have any more ideas for me to try before then? I know it is selfish of me but I don't want him acting like an idiot when we get to dog class, he is so wellbehaved at all other times. We have also tried the desensitization by sitting in the park, at petco, etc. and just watching, he is good but you can see his wheels turning, him just waiting for the dog to get close enough to bark at and lunge towards. What else can we do? I am out of ideas. Just so everyone also knows, I know the correct way to use all of the tools I have used, he just "loses" his brain when another dog is around.
Thanks!

[bubbatd]

School will be good for him....not much longer.

[Renee750il]

Sounds like you got dem ol' adolescent, male GSD blues . . . They really, really do suffer from chronic brain spasms when they're adolescents. You just have to be consistent, firm and patient . . .

Oh, and did I mention you have to have the patience of Job?

[Doberluv]

Keep practicing desensatization. Go to a parking lot at Pet Smart or a park and stay way back so he can see the dogs but not too up close. Get his attention before he alerts. Praise him for "leaving it" LOL. Gradually get closer. I'm not talking in the same day. I've been working with Lyric, who has the same problem for about 6 months. When he is close to another dog now, he rarely lunges, but I do tell him ahead of time while he's looking, "YOU LEAVE IT" in my serious, I mean business voice. I make him sit. I tell him, right soon before he gets a chance to "go off" "gooooood leave it." And give him a treat. I try to reward him quickly before he goes nuts so he can see what it is he's doing that I like. He's improved a whole lot but is not perfect every time. It takes a long time to modify this behavior and modify it so that the dog is USED to seeing other dogs and controlling himself, not just stopping that behavior out of fear of getting punished. They have to get habituated to it in order to really solve the issue deep inside. They may never love other dogs or if it's not that, but just wanting to play, but they can learn to sit quietly as you want them to and mind their manners.