1. Find an appropriate training class and professional to help you. If s/he shrugs this off, or makes you feel more distressed...find someone else.
2. In homes with kids, the dog is actively training with the kids or behind a barrier/on leash even in the house. The kids should not have a chance to be getting worried, the puppy should not have a chance to play inappropriately.
3. Use all meals for training sessions or from food toys (like the "Tug a Jug" or "Kibble Nibble"
4. Wear a treat pouch around the house and on walks, toss kibbles and treats for good behavior.
5. On walks, start to reinforce every 2-3 steps starting a ways before the normal place where your dog goes wild. You can also change your walking path for the first week to decrease the liklihood of wildness.
6. Seriously consider stopping the us of sprays, shake cans, etc.. punishment can increase frustration and aggression...and we don't want either of those to increase at this time. (Review the AVSAB position statement on punishment:
http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonl...Statements/Combined_Punishment_Statements.pdf)
7. Spend more time training. Teach your dog skills that you will use (polite walking, recalls, hand targeting), and silly tricks. Learning can be a substitute for exercise when you are absolutely exhausted or when it's way too cold to go out (...below 15, two of dogs think it's too cold to walk!). Training will teach your dog appropriate ways to get attention.
8. Reinforce appropriate ways to get attention -very- heavily for 2 weeks. Wear your kibble-filled treat pouch throughout the house. Toss kibbles for chewing on toys, lying quietly, watching you, sitting.
9. Consider using a gentle leader/head halter. Properly teach your dog to wear it (...put it on for some yummy treats, then remove. Teach your dog to put his nose through the loop on his own.). About 60% of dogs you can stick them on and go...but wild puppies tend to fall in that other 40% of dogs.
10. Bring a super high value chewy on walks. A little ways before the wild spot, stick the super valueable chewy in his/her mouth and then keep walking.
11. Find an appropriate professional/article to teach your dog how to tug. A big part of tug is that the game is active and on when you are actively tugging. When you hold still...your dog should let go. This transfers over very well to letting go of the leash/you when on walks. If you have not taught your dog that the game ends when you are still... holding still on walks may not work for you until your dog has learned this game. Get someone experienced to help you here as it's all about timing.
12. Teach your dog to remain in front of you while you move backwards. Think of your dog in front of you...you move backwards...he is moving forwards to maintain position. Play with this in the house. Initially feed him a treat every step or two. Add in a lot of sits. Play this a lot in the house. Practice this on quieter times during walks. Practice in the house. Then try it -before- you approach the wild spot and through that area. Your dog will be in a different emotional state while working than when he's 'not working'. Best results really key off of starting -before- you get to that space on your walk. Many dogs are conditioned to go wild at specific locations (.... a quarter way back of our regular walking route makes Luna go wild! Every time! I love it...but if I'm walking multiple dogs....we go a different route to avoid that space!).
13. In your training session work on self control. A specific resource would be a book called "Control Unleashed." Leave it, stay in position, Susan Garrett's "Crate Games" are all very useful in helping with overall self control.
14. Practice all your "wild dog" strategies at home, at times when your dog is calm. Practice during calm parts of the walk.
15. Change your walking path. Go on more shorter walks, use other exercise methods, until you have practice/trained alternate responses. It is not good for you or your dog to continue having these types of experiences.
(I'm not sure why I numbered these..hmm.....!)