You have gotten some great advice here so far.

Kaige is going through that stage right now. I am hoping it is just a stage anyways. We are working very hard on it so I am sure we can nip this in the butt.

Quote Originally Posted by slleipnir
I understand that yelling at him when he came to me is just saying "hey! don't come to me! bad dog!" but at the same time, isn't it like saying "Hey, you ran off, good dog!" ? It confuses me.
Nope, its like saying "hey you came to me, good dog"!

Let your anxiety go (I know it is HARD) but instead of being firm & upset be REALLY happy & goofy when he comes, see how much a difference that makes after a week or two of training. You should see a big improvement.
You need to be funner than the object that is occupying him. Its hard but you have to do it.

Instead of having him off lead have him on a long lead, 30 or more feet. This way you always have control over him yet he can't run away.
Call him ONCE, if he doesn't come call him a second time & pull him into you. You should only give a dog ONE chance at any command, the second time you help them.... there is never a third time.

Good luck!