Thank you! Can I ask, does this stop them from pulling you? And does it work for training? I want him to sit, stay, heel, etc. This guy might be tough to train. He has a mind of his own and the size to make things difficult. 
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Yes this is the main reason we got it. Works really well with Gracie who is young and about 70 lbs, all muscle. She walks really well now right beside my wife. I walk our other dog. When you give it a tug it gets their attention back on you. When we bought it the woman at the store told us if it didnt work we could return it. It worked for our dog. 
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Thanks man! Iām all for learning more about dog training. I assume more times than not itās the trainerās issue more than the dogās. Iāll take a look at those sites. Super appreciate it! Sure wish my old trainer was still teaching. She was the best!
On a side note, the invisible fence is working so far. I was drinking coffee with him this morning and three deer ran across the property. He chased them to about 20ā of the flags and stopped.
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Thatās great, heās paying attention to the boundaries.
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The expressions on their faces are priceless!
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So Iām super depressed right now. Donāt know why Iām posting this, but what the hell. This dog has been out of control. I understand he was in a shelter and has had a traumatizing experience. However, heās causing me severe financial and emotional issues. I have worked every single day for over 3 weeks trying to get him to ride in the truck. Two days ago, I got him in the back, everything was cool. I rolled the truck back ten feet and he dropped his pig ear, started whining and looking for a way out. Yesterday we regressed to not even being able to turn the truck on without him getting upset. The vet gave me some anti-anxiety meds for him. If these donāt work, Iām gonna have to take him back. He has behavioral issues, which I could deal with if I could exercise him, socialize him and get him to a trainer. But he wonāt ride - deal breaker. 
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That really is sad. 
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Some animals do not like car rides. Plain and simple. He may be associating the ācar rideā with going back to the pound. Or something else negative.
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Have you tried getting him to ride in the truck with you? I got my dog when he was about a year old and was found in the woods, someone had apparently dumped him there. He was a hand full in the beginning, scared of everything, see something and take off with me chasing. Gradually those inclinations subsided and he has turned out to be a terrific companion. I applaud you for your commitment both emotionally and financially. You are the best hope for him and I know it IS frustrating, but it will get better. Hang in there!
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Yes, that is unfortunately how this whole mess started. When I brought him home from the shelter he rode in the front seat - I only have a cab (not extended) and it freaked him out. He wouldnāt go near the truck for almost a week. So I put carpet in the back of the truck, weighted it down, made him a ramp and have been working him into the back of the truck.Iām just being impatient because Iām going to have work coming up, and I really need to get things figured out with him so I can make the money to pay for all this stuff.
I put his crate together today and thankfully he walked in it no problem. Iām just leaving the doors open for now. Right as I was doing that, the dog trainer who I thought was going to blow me off called back and I have an appointment for an evaluation on Tues (the other guy was two weeks out). I talked to her for a bit, and watched a lot of videos on youtube. I do feel a little better about things.
If yaāll have seen lion king, meet Edā¦ this pretty much sums it up.
Heās super cute, but thatās 110lbs biting. 
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Agreed that all the efforts youāre putting in to make it work will only serve to strengthen your bond with him and will most likely be worth it in the long run. Hopefully the trainer can provide some good insight and approaches for dealing with the issues youāve noted.
45sec video that may or may not be interesting on the subject of conditioning a dog to accept being in a car :
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That is pretty much where I am at now. I have been feeding him in the truck everyday, almost every meal. He gets the A+ treats only in the truck (pig ears, kong stuffed with soft food, etc). The vet gave me some anti anxiety meds for him. I really donāt want to give a dog pharmaceuticals, but for a short period Iām going to try it. Sure calmed him down yesterday.
So this was new to me, but I took some kibble, a little soft food, a little water, mixed it in a bowl. Then I stuffed the kong with it, froze the kong and itās his dog food popcicle. He freaking loves it. I give it to him in the back of the truck to chew on.
I really like the videos by Zak George. This video helped with logic behind his style of training.
Making progress, just really slow.
Edit: Yes, thatās my kitchen rug on the tailgate. My other kitchen rug is on the plywood ramp. 
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Hang on man, your all that big boy has.
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Thanks man, Iām really trying. Been working with him multiple times a day, every day. The truck just really doesnāt seem to be progressing. Hopefully the trainer will have some advice (other than get a new vehicle lol). I swear, he knows when I whip out the phone to take pictures. He doesnāt dig that either.
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Your both in the feeling out process. Heās learning every day just like you are. If heās showing affection to you, heās already accepted you. And after things go bad this is a big step for a dog. Hang in there brother your doing great. The payoff will be there!!!
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Went outside to play with him at lunch today. Itās really nice out. I put on a ball cap instead of my normal stocking cap. Walked over to the truck, picked up the leash from this mornings walk, bam heās at the door crouching, wants to go inside. He is absolutely freaked out by me now (I immediately took the hat off) he wonāt eat anything and hasnāt come out of his crate in the bedroom for almost three hours. Heās been here almost four weeks now. Is this normal behavior for a shelter dog? I know there is going to be a transiting period. I guess I just didnāt expect it would be quite like this?