1st question, how long have you had the dog? If you just got him don't worry about training, work on socializing him. If you have had him for 6 months you can start slowly training.
A few things to suggest...
This will sound crazy but hold your dog's mouth open and spit in it. Wolves do this in the wild with their puppies. It sets pack dominance. I thought this sounded crazy too, but it was suggested on a bird dog training site. I had a friend try it with a problem child bird dog he adopted and according to him it worked. You aren't out anything if it doesn't work.
I have also read where some men will go out and urinate above where the dog urinates, especially if he lifts his leg. Just don't do it in public and get arrested. Again, I thought this sounded crazy but I know a hunting/training acquaintance who tried this and claimed it worked.
When you are away, keep the dog kenneled, always.
When you are home, supervise the dog constantly. Don't iet it jus roam the house. You don't need to be mean, just consistent.
Don't be affraid to buy an e-collar. I would suggest a more robust, hunting style e-collar. Our goal is not to electrocute your dog. The e-collar allows you to control the dog off of the lead and it can keep the dog safe. The key is to introduce the e-collar properly. Go buy the George Hickox retriever training video. The idea is to teach the dog to "turn off," the stimulation by doing as they are told. Also, the stimulation level is set on the absolutley lowest setting. E-collar are humane if used humanely.
Good training takes more than just a weekend while boarding the dog. It could be weeks or months. You are going to have to continue doing yard work, reinforcement, once the dog comes home.
