http://www.bargraph.com/gentleleader/
Found the link! One warning though - the testimonials on this site are sickeningly cutesy. Try to ignore that, and you’ll find out how it actually works.
LifeOnWry - I’ve seen both Gentle Leaders and Haltees at PetSmart. However, it specifies that they’re to be used as training devices (i.e. - on lead while being walked) only. It’s very like a horse’s halter, using the same principal - where the head goes, the body must follow. They’re very good products, or so I’ve heard, but I don’t think they’ll help my particular situation.
StG
I must admit that by the time I posted about the halters, I’d mentally lost track of the original situation. I am easily sidetracked. Sorry 'bout that.
What about one of those electrical fences? Would that be an option for containing the escape artist?
StGermain, what about an electric fence? A smart dog will only have to get shocked once or twice before they learn not to challenge it.
And the gentle leaders are good training tools (when you pull on the leash, you force the dog to look at you, so it’s easier to get the dog’s attention). But in my experience, it’s pretty easy for the dog to slip the collar.
-lv
<B>Lord Vor (shall I call you Miles?) & LifeOnWry** - I was thinking about a hotwire around the top and bottom of the pen. I’ve tried invisible fencing, but the dog found if he hit it hard & fast enough there was a risk/reward ratio he found acceptable.
Hijack - LV - I have a dog (the doberman) named Simon after Simon Illyan. 
StG
Lord Vor (shall I call you Miles?) & LifeOnWry - I was thinking about a hotwire around the top and bottom of the pen. I’ve tried invisible fencing, but the dog found if he hit it hard & fast enough there was a risk/reward ratio he found acceptable.
Hijack - LV - I have a dog (the doberman) named Simon Illyan.
StG
Gentle Leaders are great for leash-training and for all-around training, but you should never leave any kind of leash or training collar on your dog if you’re not closely supervising him. You’d be amazed at the dangerous situations this can lead to. Only a flat buckle-collar should be used when you can’t watch your dog, and it shouldn’t be loose enough to slip over the dog’s head or lower jaw. Being able to get three fingers between neck and collar is a good rule of thumb.
St. Germain, you could be right about the dogs never having spent time indoors. You’re going to need to convince them this is a good idea- try it when they’re tired out after a long walk, a hike, or a long game of fetch or chase. Then start feeding them indoors- right in front of the door if you have to, slowly moving the dish further into the house over a period of about two weeks. Make sure to praise good behavior- never miss an oppurtunity to tell your dog he’s doing the right thing.
Crate training is an excellent idea. Yes, it will contain him- he won’t be ripping up your furniture or mauling your cats. But if you use it in the proper way, you can teach him what is and is not acceptable behavior in the house. When he gets rowdy, crate him for a few minutes, and let him back out when he settles down. It’s not a punishment so much as a guide. You want your dog to think “If I behave calmly, I get treats and petting and long walks. If I act like a fool, everyone ignores me. Best to behave myself so I can get what I want.” You can also feed him in the crate- this will let him know that the crate can be a good place to hang out. Give him some safe toys to play with in there, too- Nylabone makes great toys for this that are safe and well-nigh indestructible, and they’re available everywhere.
A mid-day break is necessary- if you can come home at lunch for a potty-break and some interaction, that’d be great.
Also, I can’t stress enough the importance of mental and physical exercise. A tired dog is a calm dog. An exhausted dog is not interested in tearing up your house and terrorizing the neighborhood. I’d recommend at least one good, long walk a day- maybe even a jog, plus some interaction/training time. A lot of people think training is some big affair that you get all set up for, and work at for a few weeks and then your dog is trained and that’s that. This is not the case- training is a life-long thing, and you can do it every day in completely ordinary situations. Does your dog come up to you and nudge you to be petted? Make him sit before you pet him. It’s such a little thing, but it reinforces so much- that he has to listen to you to get what he wants, that you’re in charge, and that good behavior gets him attention, while bad behavior gets him ignored. Is he jumping around and acting like a fool? Keep a leash on him in the house with you- teach him to learn to follow you and watch what you’re doing, so he can take his cues from that. If he keeps jumping, step on the leash- he’ll figure out fast that jumping gets him nowhere. When he stops jumping and calms down, immediately praise him with petting or a treat- you just reinforced good behavior and taught him that acting like a moron gets him nowhere. It’s just little things you can do everyday at a hundred different times. It’s like raising a child- everything can become a learning experience. You don’t up and say “I’m going to raise my kid today”, do you? So why would you say “I’m going to train my dog today?”
A good training manual is Good Owners, Great Dogs by Brian Kilcommons. It’s simple and precise, with lots of good training tips.
About the electric fence: I think it’s a good idea if you absolutely can’t keep him in the yard or in the house with you. You might also want to bury about two feet of chain link in the soil beneath the fence so he can’t dig his way out. If he’s going through the invisible fencing, electricity may be your only recourse. It may seem cruel, but what would be crueler: a shock when he tries to escape, or letting him roam the neighborhood, killing other people’s pets and being exposed to a million dangers: cars, animal control, wildlife, angry neighbors with guns…
Really, I’m hoping so much for the best for you two. He sounds like a great dog, he just has no self-sontrol. That’s what training will do for him. You can do it. I’m sending good vibes your way. Keep us posted.
ratty - I already expect (and for the most part get) good behaviour, especially with the inside dogs, who have the benefit of more attention. They don’t jump up, I won’t tolerate it. They sit on command, always before things like going outside. I don’t really let my dogs get away with much. If they’re going to be with me, they have to behave in a way that makes me want to have them here. I believe that every experience is a learning experience, either for positive or negative.
StG
StGermain, you’ve mentioned trying to fence him in, and also trying the invisible fence. What about a combination of the two so that the invisible fence runs just inside the real fence thus making it uncomfortable for the dog to spend enough time at the fence to get out?
My dog just farted!! Little terror!! Osama Bin Fartin’ we call him
I’m bumping this for weekday opinions. Thanks for all your suggestions so far - any other great ideas?
StG