| Chuck,
See, that's why I asked you for the additional information. That helps others help you identify and correct your problems easier. Both Vivianne and Miabella make very good points. The shock collar is not the correct solution to your problem.
About the phone book, I hope that wasn't the trainer who suggested that either. This does set your dog up for failure because it could make her more fearful of cars. This in turn could make her more aggressive towards them as a fear response to the situation. It could also take away her confidence when you and her are out in the "real world" away from home, and you do not want that to happen either.
The best solution is to find a new trainer and get her into obedience class once again. Personally, I have never needed a prong collar, but I know they work for dogs that are difficult to handle and are recommended by a lot of great trainers. I think the important thing is to work her slowly by taking her to a street that has very little traffic and putting her in the sit position at the heel. Whenever a car approaches, you must be prepared and correct the problem before she lunges by keeping her in the sit/stay position. If she makes a move, correct her firmly and be very consistent. Consistency and firmness is the key. And by firmness, I mean by giving a leash correction with a "sit" command or a "heel" command or a "no" or "stay." Whatever you decide will work for you best, and whatever you will stick to. It's important that she know what you mean when you correct her, and she needs to know what you're correcting her for. When she exhibits the correct behavior, you must also praise her for that behavior.
I'm sure that I've left a lot of holes in my advice, but that's what the forum is for, and I'm positive that you'll get many more tips that you may be able to use that can help you stop this behavior in an effective way.
Mark  |