Hi everyone,
So I posted a few weeks ago now cos I got a head collar for Dan to try stop him from pulling and lunging on the lead. Since then I've been training him around the garden and house with it and he seemed to be making progress.. so today I decided to take him a walk. All the progress we made before just got blown out the water.
He is really stubborn, the whole time he just resisted the direction of the lead by holding his head really still and strong, then he decided he wasn't to bothered if he had to walk with his head side ways so long as he was a meter in front of me and taking charge, he was quite happy. I've been keeping things positive like giving treats when he walks nicely beside me but should I be firmer and say no when he starts this carry on?
Thank you in advance for any suggestions an advice

Tell me about it! I`ve got a Dobe X and have been engaged in a daily battle on just this for 3 months - and am finally winning.
I stop or weave when he starts being difficult. For really manic behaviour I took a tip from Jean Donaldson`s new book - you decide a point (a gate post or whatever). Every time he starts being a prune and leaping you return to that point. Eventually he gets the message that if he wants to go walkies he has to walk properly.
I have trained all sorts of dogs and |I must say this breed is the most resistant to common sense I have found yet. But we are getting there, so I`d say grit your teeth and keep going.

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Every time you train something without distractions as soon as you add the distraction the training goes out the window. You have to take a step back and proof the training with whatever distractions you need the dog to work with.

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Thanks ClaireandDaisy, I'll try this.
Hawsport...I think I understand. When you say 'take a step back and proof the training with whatever distractions you need the dog to work with.' Do you mean distracting him with my attention or outside distractions?

With outside distractions. You have taught him to walk nicely in the garden, now take him out somewhere reasonably quiet and start all over again with him using the same methods. When he has got that, you take him somewhere busier and go back a few steps again.
Thats the way I teach everything whether its heelwork, stays, recalls or anything else. Teach with as little distraction as possible and then add ever increasing distractions until I'm confident the dog can perform in any situation he might need to

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Outside distractions.

For example, if you were teaching "sit", for us as humans a sit is a sit regardless of where the dog is asked to carry it out but for the dog a "sit" in a quiet living room is completely different to a "sit" in the back garden, which is different to the front garden, which is different to the road, which is different to the park.

In each situation there are more and more distractions - smells, noises, sights etc - to capture the dog's attention whereas in the living room the owner + treat is just about the most exciting thing happening.

Therefore with every behaviour it has to be proofed against distractions, so sit means "sit when I say so, whether we are in the house/garden/street/park/playing/offlead sniffing about or whatever

So with the leadwalking and headcollar thing, doing it the garden is one thing, doing it outside is quite another. I would try building the distraction levels gradually. Go back to the garden, then try early morning or late evening when there are less distractions, then build up to a quieter time of the day and so on. I walk my Dane on a dogmatic and if he pulls ahead i just stop and ignore him until he comes back to my side then we set off again etc.

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Now you get the idea. Teach and then proof but always be ready to go back a step each time the distraction level is increased

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Thank you all so much. I get i now!

One last tip. When you up the distraction, up the reward for a while

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I used to go to my local Homebase car park after they were closed. Then progressed to a quiet corner of the car park while they were open. Then the slightly busier Tesco car park. And so on.