Socialization

Question
We have an English Labrador who's almost 1 year old, 85 lbs, and he's really well behaved.  We have play dates for him (yep) since other neighbors don't have fenced in yards.  Our dog gets so excited when they come by to play that he sounds ferocious and you can't get his attention at all.  Once he's outside playing he calms down.  However, when we go for walks and he sees another dog (not his playmates) he goes psycho, tries to lunge towards them, & barks ferociously.  We've started going to a dog park and he's great when he's there but psycho right outside the gates.  How can we help him to calm down so everyone else doesn't think he'll rip their dog to shreds??

Answer
The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

A head collar should help withthe lunging.  The leading brands are Promise,  Haltie, and Gentle Leader.  They have a strap going around the dogs nose looking something like a muzzle.  They work by pulling the dogs head around.  No other way gives you such great control with so little force.  The prong collar is now a dangerous relic of value only for its macho looks.  Do not consider using one without hands on instruction from somebody with plenty of experience with them.