Use your head, dogs aren't really that complex, though they can be frustrating. I tend to study my dogs, reinforce there strong points and damper the bad ones. They all have tendencies and talents.
Dogs and man share many common agendas, some we don't, learning which is which helps understand them better. Dogs aren't people, but we do share a lot of tendencies, parallel agendas.
Simple trick, if you usually walk him on the right. Change to the left, keep the leash really short and use a good bit of force. Be careful, dogs have glands in there necks that can be damaged with too much force.
Lay on top of your dog, a simple dominance game that works on most all of them. Kind of ease into it, until you eventually pin him, so he can't escape. It has the dual benefit of asserting dominance and avoiding problems, like him snapping at a kid if he is inadvertently sat on etc.
I don't use a one size fits all method of training, I try to tailor it to the dog. I had a Shepard that came from German Police dog stock. I trained him to attack shoes instead of people. He wasn't the least bit vicious, but would take your shoes off when commanded to do so.
If your dog isn't a total bone head or the stubborn type, changing the leash to the left and then introducing a new way of doing things, should show good results in a couple of weeks or even days if he is the eager to please type.
All of my hunters are trained to a two tone whistle. One tone is lay down and freeze, the other is return. Cheddar cheese can work wonders.
No matter how physical or stressful the training gets, if you forgive the dog soon after the exercise, they seem to stay well adjusted. Prolonged scolding and isolation seem to cause them damage.
All of my watch dogs have learned not to bite kids or women. They are often sensitive and learn a lot just by how tense you get and by example. It was more training by osmosis than actual training. Very low key and gradual.
After a minor catastrophe with a retarded girl (woman) wandering in yard once and getting chewed on pretty good. I changed my training, they will let you in now, but won't let you leave.
The books by the dog whisperer are pretty good. Though I don't often agree with his why explanations, much of his stuff is valid.
Dogs that have a job seem to be the more well adjusted. My son has trained one of my Jack Russels to hit on women for him.
