[fostermom]

This question is for my son, not me. He called me the other night. His pup is proving to be quite a challenge. She is VERY headstrong and determined to do everything her way!! He took her to puppy classes the other night and she was the "bad girl" in the class, barking, jumping on top of a little pug. If she doesn't get her way, she'll growl and jump/nip. The instructor, who is totally into positive reinforcement only, recommended giving her treats if she did ANYTHING appropriate during class!!
He asked if it would be ok to use a prong, something recommended by a Nutro's rep at the pet store. He said he's tried using a flat buckle collar and she just pulls until her front feet are off the ground and she's gagging/throwing up. He said they put a prong on her at the store and the difference was like night and day. I suggested he do the "make like a tree" approach until she stops pulling and he said she just won't stop!!! I suggested the "stop walking and when she looks at you say in a happy voice to come, turn and walk the other direction" approach.....he said she won't....she'll just stay where she was and make you drag her. I suggested pumping treats into her when she's anywhere near your side and he said she'll ignore treats and just start pulling (plus he said the treats are giving her diarrhea!!). I asked if he's tried a no-pull harness which he's looking into. But I didn't know how to answer the prong question as I've never used one. So is four months too young???
He's worked with her extensively...she's housebroken, knows all kinds of "tricks" (roll over, speak, sit up, shake, fetch). When we picked her up from the breeder both his and my impression was that she was probably the dominant pup in the litter (even though we had asked for an "easy" dog for him). She is VERY bright and apparantely determined to do everything HER way. He's really open to any suggestions. Thanks for any replys. I've run out of suggestions.