I have a 4 year old yellow lab named Atlas. Most of the time he is very good and does what he is told. I take him to the local park to run with me. Most of the time the park is empty so I let him off the leash. He stays with me but if he does wander off, he comes right back when he is called. Occasionally someone shows up before I can put him back on his leash. This is the part where he is bad. Sometimes if it is just a person walking, I can get him to come to me and ignore them. If you factor in a ball the chances of getting him to listen decrease significantly. If there is another dog, he doesn't listen to me at all. We have an invisible fence in our yard and it is the same thing. If someone is walking their dog past our yard, I don't have a chance of getting him to obey. When he is disobedient, he knows it and will not let me catch him. He dances around, runs wide circles around me and even taunts me. I have tried the reward option when he obeys but he has a hierarchy. It goes something like this: Water(as in swimming), Dogs, people, owner with a treat or praise. I am at a loss because he knows what he is supposed to do and he knows when he is bad. He is a very active dog and I would hate to keep him on the leash all the time. Any ideas?

I know you like thinking he is "trained" but he is not. if he were he would always come when called. it is one thing for a professional trainer to have a reliably trained - quite another for the average person.

have you had him through several levels of obedience classes?

of course he will do all those things if you chase him, it's a game for him. he's having a great time. if you run away from him he will chase you.
labs are friendly, outgoing dogs & want to talk to everyone

as for the Efence - many dogs will take the shock & keep on trucking, & they aren't coming back inside. do you check the fence & collar daily? was he properly trained to it? is he periodically retrained to it?

you are taking huge chances with this dogs life by allowing him off leash or letting him in the yard. IMO no dog should be off leash unless in a securely fenced yard

very few people have their dogs trained to such a high standard that a distraction while offleash,will not put a dog off a command by its owner.
it really takes serious time and dedication to have a dog that will respond to you fully no matter the circumstances,this is usually out of reach of the average owner.
you want your dog to be totally reliable on the recall,i know lots of responsible dog owners with great knowledge of dogs that wouldnt dare let their dogs offlead.
for me a dog has to be let offlead regulary,its up to the owner to find the right circumstances if it is not so good at the recall.

He is not professionally trained by any means. However, he knows the difference between good and bad, He knows when he is being bad. He is good the majority of the time. I am selective about when he is allowed to go off the leash. If I leave a short leash trailing, he responds to a recall. Most of the time even if he does not have a trailing leash, he responds to a recall. It is just in the case of the surprise distraction that shows up before I can get him back on the leash, that he does not respond well.

In the park, when he was taunting me, I did not chase him. I stood in one spot and called him. I should clarify that he did come back to me but not close enough to be put back on the leash.

He has not gone through the Efence since he was initially being trained. When another dog passes by his yard, he stands at the edge of it and barks until the other dog leaves. The recall does not work immediately in this case either. He does not go near the road when he is unleashed unless he is given the "ok". I do not believe he is a danger to himself or others--just a nuisance occasionally.

What I am looking for here is ideas to work on training him for an emergency recall. Perhaps I might be better off just getting one of the videos available out there and working with that.

My dog Rex had terrible recall. I bought a 30 foot line and started working everyday with him. First, we worked as much as possible without distractions. Then, our other dog, Baby was allowed outside while we worked. It felt like we were back at the beginning. We were back! I taught a reliable down/stay, and made sure that I had some part of the long line within reach. He did have a training collar on, and a quick jerk and release taught him that even though I was across the yard, I still have control.
Next, I taught him to down whenever I said it. Be it running, walking, or even with my back turned. One whole summer he dragged that line, we went to parking lots, and ball fields, and anywhere I could think of. When we went where there were distractions, we started with the downs, and short recalls where I would use the long line if he didn't listen right away.
Then we would be walking along amongst a lot of people I would say "Down" and keep on walking and he would wait for me to come to him.

This year, we started letting him loose at home while outside with him. His down is so perfect now, that he spotted a deer across the road and took off to investigate. I yelled "DOWN" and he dropped like he was shot. The deer left quickly, and Rex got his treat.
Start everything with a lead, so he understands that you have control, start with no distractions, and start adding them as your dog listens. It takes dedication, but if you put the time in, you and your dog will bond, and he will just naturally listen to you.
Good Luck!

Thank you for the advice. Atlas and I are going to start training this morning. Wish me luck!

GOOD LUCK!!
And remember, it sometimes is 2 steps forward, 1 step back! But keep at it!