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OMG! I cant take it..that was the saddest thing I have ever seen in my life. Im at work bawling my eyes out..the way they just toss them in the back of trucks and drag them across the floor like they are nothing just makes me sad and REALLY REALLY pissed off at the same time. I dont know what else to say. Gus is getting lots of loving when I get home.

Don't blame the shelter workers for "treating them like they are nothing" they have to, or they wouldn't be able to get up and go to work the next day. I've stood in dead dogs up to my knees, dogs I killed myself. I couldn't take all of them home, and there was no place else for them to go. You have to distance yourself from it, or it will kill you. Shelter workers and ACOs burn out really fast anyway, it's like trying to bail the ocean with a paper cup, not enough people listen. Too many insist that it's "other people's puppies" that end up like that, but their Poopsie Woopsie is so sweet that even if she's only pet bred the pups that she and the dog down the street have will of course never end up like that. The best you can do is each and every one who cares has to step up to the plate and send out videos like that to everyone, to speak out everywhere-give to spay and neuter programs til it hurts, and then give a little more. Volunteer at the shelter. And oh, next time you see the Animal Control truck, or visit the local shelter, stop and THANK those of us who are toiling in the trenches, make sure they know you understand and appreciate the job they do- it might make the good ones who really care able to get through another day.

I've found that grabbing the paw and squeezing gently (not enough to hurt, but to squish their toes) while saying "NO FEET" works, nobody at my house is allowed to express themselves with their big feet.  I had one adult rescue who was really bad about "punching" in your face, with him I had to resort to pinching him between his toes (you have to be quick and time it right).
Earnest knows a feet command, it's for playing soccer or other games with at big ball, we roll the ball and say "just feet" and he knows to knock the ball around with just his feet and not try to bite it.

This has got to be the most ridiculous dog park experience yet. Most of you know how much I just LOVE the dog park
The boys haven't gotten out much lately, every now and then I get a stupid attack of guilt and think they need to, which is dumb, because they'd both rather stay home and lay in front of the fan, or romp with each other in the play yard.
So, when I got off work unexpectedly early Monday, I took them to the nice dog park near the reservoir, which is pretty much empty mid-day. They just kind of wandered around, the pointer that doesn't like Earnest was there, but that's fine, I stay on one side of the park, he stays on the other.
This is a BIG open park, we were down toward the back and off to the west, keeping our distance from the pointer. There's a metal bench I make "home base" with my water and collapsible dishes, and my poop bags- I bring extra and fill the receptacles. A lady with a young? (year, maybe a little more) Lab arrived. She didn't have a lead on the dog, and it was being goofy, running back to the car, and then to the lady as she tried to open the gate. She held the first gate open and the dog finally ran in.
Meanwhile, Earnest walks away from the bench where I'm sitting and Phyfe is laying in the shade, and dumps a huge load of Great Dane cow pie. So I grab a bag and head to clean up. Earnest is watching the lady and the new dog, I send him back to down stay by Phfye until I can assess the new arrival. As soon as the woman gets the second gate open her dog takes off like a shot. She is leisurely walking behind, there is no way she will keep up. I'm standing by the pile of poo, but haven't picked it up because I don't want to get caught off guard, I'm watching the pointer as well as keeping an eye on my dogs. I'm thinking Earnest will get a good run out of this, Phyfe really doesn't like to play the kind of games Labs play. This dog runs right up, through the poo with all fours and then LAUNCHES at me, pooey feet all over my shirt. I say "OFF" with a push, and the dog gets down, bounces in the poo some more, and comes up for another jump. I grab him by the elbows on his front legs and overbalance him so he falls, - and yes, sometimes God smiles  he falls right in the POO! About this time the lady finally catches up, and the dog runs to her, she puts her hand down and rubs it along the dog to see if it's hurt, and gets ....(you see it coming, don't you?) a big smear on her hand. By now I'm cracking up, and I don't care about poo on me (after all it's an occupational hazard) and it's WORTH IT to see this. The lady starts yelling, Phyfe starts barking, and Earnest is up with his tail wagging, just waiting to "break" and join in the fun. So far the lady hasn't said anything, because she was catching her breath from chasing the dog. I say "please hold your dog while I get mine, so this doesn't get worse" and I'm still laughing. She starts something about "hurting her dog and it's only a puppy and doesn't understand, and has a problem with jumping and" ....... but she's hanging on for dear life, so I go leash up the boys and head out - on the way I meet the Pointer and his owner, and HE'S cracking up, too (I like this man, our dogs just don't get along so well) so he says "bye" through a fit of giggles, I hang back so he can get out, then I go out. I load the boys in the back of the car, then am walking around to unlock the front when the goofy dog comes running up again-in the parking lot- the lady hasn't finished with me. Phyfe goes nuts because he's territorial, he noisily protects the car. Earnest starts his annoying high pitched want to play bark because it's a Lab, and they're fun. The lady again wants to argue about me "manhandling" (isn't it "doghandling?") her dog, then make nasty remarks about "aggressive" dogs not belonging. The Pointer guy pulls alongside in his SUV and says "I saw the whole thing- if it was me you'd be paying for a new shirt- I suggest you take your dog to obedience school before you come back here." This gives me time to hop in the car and go. NO MORE stupid park for us, I've been too lazy- it's back to hiking the off lead, no bicycle trails- I need the excersize anyway. Of course, I might go again... if I need a good story!
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I get whole cow femurs from the butcher, here a whole femur is about $8, they sell them by the pound. That's a whole cow legbone, from the hip joint to the hock joint. They're about 2 feet long with a big knuckle on both ends. I freeze them solid (cooked or smoked bones can splinter, raw just sort of crumble). Earnest is only allowed to have a fresh bone on his rug in the bedroom, it usually takes a day or so for it to dry out and get de-greased, then he's allowed to have them wherever he wants. He understands the command "too messy" it's funny to watch him decide which he wants to do more, come out and visit or stay in the bedroom with his bones. Here, where the climate is so dry, they last at least a month. Phyfe is bone-possesive, he's only allowed to have them for short periods and then they go back in the freezer until next time- Earnest's are stashed all over the upstairs part of the house (Phyfe lives primarily in the downstairs rooms with my son).
A friend of mine brought a new boyfriend by for me to meet, he wasn't very talkative and acted kinda weird. Later when I told her that's what I thought of him she said "he was scared, on the way home he told me he was terrified because Earnest was laying in the corner gnawing on a bone that was bigger than the bone in his (the boyfriend's) leg!"

Don't get on your high horse, make an offer. It's not the dog's fault the people are stupid, it's not the dog's fault they're making her seem like "just an object".  You're a good home, right? If you get snitty with the people about the way they're going about this, the dog may go to someone who will BREED her to death in their back yard, or worse. Offer what you think you can afford, what you would pay if they asked, and take the dog away from that situation.

Earnest's quirk is that he loves big machines. Like track hoes and bulldozers. I've never seen a dog so fascinated. If he hears a machine anywhere in our neighborhood, he'll wag at the door begging for a walk- "let's go see!" This from a dog who at any other time says "walk? now? but Lassie's on TV- aren't we going to eat popcorn?".
Once he lied to me, jumping up and down doing the potty dance by the door at an odd time of night. I took him out in the front yard, and he stood still staring off down the street. I had no idea what was up until the flashing lights started coming up over the hill- he didn't have to go potty- the big street cleaning machines were coming! That's a part of our routine now, he hears them coming and instead of "lying" he has a particular ears cocked, questioning expression that means "can I watch them clean the road, please?" If we've already gone to bed he parks his chin on the windowsill and stares from there. 
They're building a new house behind the house next door, facing the next street over. A dream come true! Earnest hasn't barked to come inside in weeks, he won't come in until the construction workers go home. When they brought in the big crane to hang the roof joists he went nuts with excitement, running around the yard and tossing toys in the air, then he settled down on TOP of the dog house to get the best view, and watched all day long. If we should encounter a parked machine anywhere we MUST sniff it all over, and examine the cab- I swear he's just like a five-year old skin kid, wishing he could drive the thing!

I just got 3 GLs in the mail this past week.  Carter fought it for about a minute, then just accepted it and walks like a gem!  It took a little learning but he didn't fight it except for a few times pawing at it.  I think with him the pulling was just a habit, he'd never been taught otherwise.  When you start to learn and are already HUGE, it is harder for the "mom" to gain the upper hand.  I haven't tried it on Katie yet.  She only pulls when she sees something exciting so I'm not sure I need to do it.  I think I'll wait a bit until Carter is completely under control for a while (he still gets to increasing his speed walking and needs to be drawn back) and see if she doesn't continue to improve.  She's improved so much already in the weeks we've had her. 

Then there is Eider.  You expect a Pyr to be hard headed.  You expect a Lab to be soft and willing to please.  Eider is generally pretty responsive to me and almost always listens the first time I tell him but this GL thing is WILD.  He fights, rolls, rubs, pulls, you name it!  It is absolutely incredible.  I've never seen a dog so adamant about not submitting to it.  He was more trouble alone on the GL than Katie and Carter were together when Carter was learning what it meant.  I tried to walk him once on it but ended up stopping the lesson once he submitted and acted polite for all of a half a minute, then tried it again for a short session the next day.  Put it on and go until he cools off and walks nicely for a minute and then take it off so we can end on a happy note.  Every time it goes on though, the fight begins!

http://www.flyingdogpress.com/headhalters.html

http://www.flyingdogpress.com/prong.html

A GL or Halti is not as appropriate for a dog that lunges, like the ones that only do it when they want to go after something, the sudden snap of their head up and back, or to one side, can be very damaging to their neck.
My Earnest is like your Elder, he absolutely hated the GL he's 1/2 Lab, 1/2 Dane, and he layed on the ground, hollered, and clawed his face up. Phyfe will tolerate it, but it's obvious from his demeanor that he hates it, he's just a more tolerant dog. I use a prong on Earnest, it worked like majic from the first day, like the article says, it gave him a signal he could feel so we could work on voice commands. Phyfe wears a prong, too- not because he pulls, but he is very protective, and although he's fine with other dogs if another dog gets in his face I need some insurance to be sure he doesn't protect us too well.

What source is the reading from? I totally agree with its observations, I want to share them with some friends who still have this idea that it's essential to dominate your dog to get good behavior.  Unless I back it up with the source, they'll say "oh, it's another one of your nutty friends, THIS is a real expert.