8 Month Old Puppy Issues - Walks are a Living Nightmare!
I have a beautiful 8.5 month old male Lab. He is amazing in the house. No destruction, no accidents. He is very obedient. He's wonderful with our 8 year old son and he's very affectionate. However, over the last 2 months taking him on a walk just down the block has been physically and emotionally stressful for both of us. First, he pulls like crazy. I've literally been taking him on daily walks since he was 8 weeks old and have attempted to train him in loose leash walking (with the help of several trainers) with zero success. I have used positive reinforcement/clicker techniques. I have used a harness...no luck. Martingale collar...no luck. He is 69 lbs and the pulling and yearning desire to mark everything in his sight (not neutered yet) has become so intense that it was become a safety issue for me. He pulled me down a very steep hill a couple of weeks ago that terrified me. I'm now using a head halter over the past week which has been a nightmare. He spends most of the time rolling in the grass trying to rub it off or crying/whimpering the entire time its on. Or he will glue himself to the sidewalk and refuse to move despite trying to lure him with high value treats. We can only make it to our neighbor's house because he gets so frustrated. I've left the head halter on him in the house during the day for a few hours to try and get him used to it and he looks downright depressed with it on - to the point he won't play or take treats. His demeanor completely changes (in a negative way) when I put it on.
His world has become much smaller over the last 3 weeks because I literally can't take him on walks because he his so strong and bolts to a tree or telephone pole with no warning. I have tried to have him sit, make eye contact and then do a "gentle sniff sniff" when he wants to get to something, but that only works about 20% of the time. He gets so aroused so quickly that any loose leash walking he could do in our backyard and driveway is completely gone once we are on the sidewalk. I've been doing this for months.
The trainer I have now says I have done everything right as far as my clicker mechanics with loose leash walking, but she said he has a low arousal threshold and a low frustration threshold to the point where his brain can't grasp any training once we leave our property. She recommended medication (i.e. Prozac). I then went to my vet who said this was "normal adolescent lab behavior". She said he does not need meds because he is fine in the house and can settle down in public (for brief periods). She just said to use the head halter with a very short leash. I tried this and he cried/whimpered/froze the whole time. I fear he will become scared of going on a walk.
So...is the normal adolescent lab, stubborn behavior? Am I doing something wrong? Is this a phase? Should I stop walks all together until he's older? He gets an hour of play in our yard (which he has been getting bored of lately no matter how exciting I try to make the play). We don't have dog parks nearby. Doggie Daycares I have investigated require him to be neutered. Vet doesn't want him neutered until he is @ 16 months old. Ugh!
Any advice or insight would be appreciated. I feel bad for the little guy. I hope I'm not screwing him up!