We call this puppy power surges in our place and sometimes, like in your case they are perpetual...

Okay the butt up sign is the sign for play, and he just is trying to get rid of all his pent up energy, You are right not to play with him when he is like this, especially tug of war. Everytime a dog wins at tug of war, they move up (in their own minds) in the ladder of who is boss. HOWEVER, his racing around in his perpetual puppy power surge mode is a good thing if you are strying to get his energy level down. I think taking him for walks more frequently and for a bit longer (I know, I know) but it will help him focus.
These are rules in my place for walking behavior. Come to me to get the collar and leash on. Sitting down while I get them hooked up. Stay sitting when I open the door. I go out, dogs follow. They sit, I close the door and we are off. Me first, Im top dog and those Im walking need to stay in heel. First 5 minutes of walkies are scratch, sniff, touchdowns and pp outsides. The rest of the walkies is walkies, no stopping every couple of minutes on each bush, we are out for a walk, dog needs to stay focused. Chokecollar on Angie, she is the hypie one, needs to ride high up on her neck - the second she responds to something she is not suppose to I either tell her to leave it, or pop the collar quick. She is learning to settle down - these things dont happen overnight. These sessions are not yelling and jerking the dog around, they are calm assertive walkies and they work wonders in helping her focus and helping her settle down.
Your dog is smart and he only wants to do what is natural, he might need some playmates to get rid of all that energy NOT GOOD DH BEHAVIOR. I
Any time you lose control, you lose and so does your dog. Your dog needs to get out, to run, to play etc. I have an idea, is there someone nearby with dogs you could call and see if your dog can play with them. Then take your dog out for walkies or start training sessions. It sounds like your dog has been sitting around way too much, he does not understand proper discipline, and you guys sound intensely frustrated - which is not good for anyone. I wish you lived near me so I could come and help you out.
He is not being bad, or horrid he is trying to get your attention, and he needs to get out and walk, walk, walk, and he needs some guidance. Teaching him without hitting him, without screaming at him, with positive reinforcements will get you more of what you want faster and it is better for all involved. Can you sign up for training classes. Probably the first best step, to teach you how to understand your dog.

Shock collars sicken me. It means the owner is not willing to put into the dog what it needs in training. Both you and your dog just need some guidance. If you can let your dog run off leash before you start training that would be good, or to let him play with another dog for awhile - it is easier to train a tired dog. So let him run around a bit, take some small bits of kibble out there and teach your dog to sit, stay and heel. If you find you are getting frustrated, take a moment and start again. Your dog is smart, and I think it might help if you can remember that we need to teach him our language, but we need to be patient in that. Picking up your dog like that and tossing him into the barn is going to make things worse, possibly even teach hime to be afraid of you. Call the local animal services and get into some classes. It is going to take some work, but in the end it will all be worth it. In the mean time, teach you dog when ever you have the free time.

Dogs are a unique species. Other animals may learn that humans are a source of good things, but dogs actually include humans in their social structure. Buster is just a high energy dog who is relating to you like he would relate to any other familiar dog in his "family".

It also sounds like he needs more exercise. A tired dog is a well behaved dog.

You need to establish some way to play with Buster that isn't painful or frightening for you. Could you teach him to retrieve? That's a great way for him to interact with you while burning up a whole lot of doggy energy. Could you get another young dog? My young dogs spend an enormous amount of time wrestling, jumping, and biting ... each other and then come to me when they want some quiet time. Could you take him to a dog park? Also another fine way to use up young dog energy.

It sounds like most of the problem is that he is jumping up on you and probably grabbing at your hands. Two methods that have worked for us are a well timed spritz of water from a spray bottle and replacing jumping with "sit" and tricks ("Gimme five!" and "Which one?" being the favorites) and treat rewards. I own a bunch of little spray bottles that when needed are deposited in various spots around the house. Unfortunately, you have to have it in your hand before the dog starts to jump.

Also, if you are having trouble controlling him on a leash, think about using a "Gentle Leader" or "Halti" type head collar. That should make controlling him easier so that you can walk him. He'll mature and stop acting so silly in good time, but meanwhile you need to train him to walk nicely on a leash, sit, down, and all of that good stuff and that's easier if he's getting enough exercise. I prefer the treat method to the choke collar approach to dog training, but it all works in the end. Look around for a training class in your area. The SPCA, the local pound, or a big pet store like PetSmart should be able to help you find one.

Thank you both. Yes, I know we need training. Obedience class started last Thursday for the people, and dogs go next week. We really look forward to this. We plan to get him tired first so he is more relaxed.

(DH didn't pick him up, just held his collar up high and tight so he couldn't grab it and walked him fast back to the barn. I said 'heaved', but I didn't mean he threw him, just moved him in there fast.)

We are teaching him to retrieve - oddly enough, he's not a ball dog, but he does like the ball that flashes and will run after it and (mostly) return it. And last night and today DH took him to the neighbors, who have a big energetic dog too, and they played like crazy. So we are trying as many ways as possible to tire him out and train him at the same time.

I got a Halti (on the advice of the obedience teacher), and have had it on him twice for a short time. I'm hopeful about this too.

Much of our trouble is that we are so used to our old low-energy dog, and we are having to re-learn working with an athlete.

I'll try the spray bottle and more treats. No shock collar.

Advice is so much appreciated! It either gives me new ideas or helps me see that we're on the right track, even though it'll probably take a while.

You have been given great advice here. I really don't have any to add. This has always been known as FRAP around our house. Frantic rapid activity period. Supposedly, puppies are supposed to outgrown this by the age of two. Unfortunately, no one informed our 14 1/2 year old of that. She still has FRAP's a couple of times a day, although they don't last nearly as long as they used to. Good luck with your training.

How old is the 'puppy'? Keeping him on leash is the only way to keep control of him right now, and I would start using a choke (nylon) collar when walking him. It has a terrible name and it should never be used to 'choke', but it a very efficient way to train when used correctly. As Mazer mentioned the collar needs to be high on the neck........between the ears and the neck bones that you can feel right behing the ears. It's a sensitive area and one only needs to do a jerk/release during training. Your obedience class should show you the correct way to use the choke collar. Never leave it on when not in training.
I can't comment on the halti collars since I've never used them............which one works best will depend on the dog.

I know of no way to keep a (untrained) dog in control with a typical, buckle style collar. As far as your hubby putting him in the barn.........the dog doesn't have a clue as to why he's in the barn, but I can understand DH's frustration.

If the dog as ever slipped out of his regular collar he'll continue to try it, which is another reason to use a choke collar. I do hope DH is going to the obedience class with you since it's much easier to understand the goal when you hear it directly from the trainer! ;)

Yes, sounds like you are on the right track.

When he's really spun up, try not to further excite him by grabbing at him or flapping your arms. Stop moving as much as possible and make a point of avoiding eye contact. That may help slow him down. Slowly and deliberately turning your back too him may help him get the point, too. We have two young dogs and refer to their manic periods as "poodle wrestling".

FWIW, I haven't used a choke collar for years and train with a regular flat collar and treats as positive reinforcement rather that neck jerks as negative reinforcement. Obviously both techniques work because a lot of dogs have been successfully trained both ways -- a testament to the flexibility of dogs, but for me the treats work better. I usually train "heel" by starting off-lead and using treats. It works remarkably well. Treats even work for the picky eater in my household. Of course she's so old that we usually just command her to "fluff" or "shed" (she's a collie) and hand her the treat.