Aggression? Maybe..

[erinjayne]

It has only been happening recently.. but when I take my dog biking or walking, if she sees another dog, she goes absolutely nuts. She will bark, and pull to the point of embaressement on my part. Normally, she is very friendly with other dogs, and if we ever go up to the dog she is very friendly! So I find it very weird.

I have tried pinning her to the ground, ignoring her, holding her muzzle closed, scolding her, etc. Does anyone have advice on how to curb this awful habit?

[luckypenny]

It doesn't sound like aggression...sounds more like she's getting herself really worked up wanting to meet the other dog and then getting frustrated because she can't. Pinning, holding her muzzle, and scolding will only serve to have her associate other dogs in her vision with you reacting negatively. In fact, you may contribute to any future aggression if it does arise by your behavior.

Have you taken her to training classes? Many positive approaches will teach you how to keep her focused on you. It takes a while but, with lots of practice and patience, you'll both get the hang of it and cycling/running will become that much more enjoyable for the two of you.

[Macomom]

From my humble experience, behaviour which is triggered by something- is best dealt with the moment your dog initiates it. As soon as you see the reaction starting, redirect and focus your dog back on the task at hand, in this case walking.

When I walk my dogs, there is a split second or two where they sense the other dog, kind of fixate on it, and then get excited and will want to pull, or run or bark.
If I can catch my dog and break that moment of fixation, redirect her back to my attention and to walking or to a treat, or a sit command- then they don't freak out.
I have taught my dog a watch command where she has to look up at me and this seems to help stop it before it starts.
After a little while my dogs have started to treat the walks as work, where they have to pay attention and may not bark at other dogs or freak out. We are adding a backpack to our walks (one the dogs wear, not me , again just to up the work level. Playing with other dogs and socializing is not part of the walk, we do that separately like at an off leash park.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
joanne

[lUvMyLaB<3]

it could be leash agression, sometimes the frustration of being on the end of a lead not getting to what they want, especially some breeds/temperments, can trigger the agression. I would work with a good trainer or behaviorist and start working to get over the issue, it could escalate into worse. Make sure while calm, you notice the first signs, hackles up, perked ears, stiff tail, ect.. and calm her then, not punishing her like that after escalated. Good luck, I hope you find some help for her!

[Bailey_]

LP has given some great advice here. It doesn't sound like this is aggression, just frustration at the fact that she can't meet & greet other dogs when and how she wants. It is extremley important to learn how to redirect her behavior into something positive because leash frustration can easily turn into a form of aggression if delt with incorrectly.

The best thing to do in your case would be to seek the help and advice of a proffesional who can show you how to do that.

[MyBirdIsEvil]

Originally Posted by erinjayne

I have tried pinning her to the ground, ignoring her, holding her muzzle closed, scolding her, etc. Does anyone have advice on how to curb this awful habit?

I have to emphasize that that's absolutely the wrong reaction and agree that I can serve to make the situation worse or actually CAUSE aggression where there was none in the first place.

I agree with seeking a professional (make sure they're reputable and have lots of references - maybe even call owners that have used them to make sure their experience was a good one - a bad/inexperienced trainer could make the situation much worse). The best way to learn how to handle the situation would be someone showing you rather than having to read it on here and figure out how to do it yourself (it's hard to be objective without someone watching and guiding you).

For now cease with the negative physical contact. Try redirecting her attention to something else BEFORE she goes crazy. Like if you notice her even look at another dog, since you already know where that will lead, redirect her attention to something like a toy. Be very very excited about it and make sure you make her excited about what you're trying to redirect her to (squeeky toys can work good because they make a distracting noise). You can use treats once she redirects her attention completely away from the other dog.
Generally DON'T try to give treats TO redirect her attention. Usually in this kind of situation the dog is not interested in eating until they've already been redirected to something else(if your dog is very food motivated it may work though).

Once the dog is already near, if you haven't succeeded in redirecting her attention and she's freaking out, then you're kind of past the point where a toy, treats or any kind of deterrence will work because she's now fixated. Continue walking your dog past the other dog and stay very calm. Once you're past the dog and your dog has calmed down you can give treats/praise. Anything the dog likes a lot can be considered a treat, btw. One of my dogs LOVES to run and speeding up the pace and allowing her to run is a motivater for her.

Another thing that can help is exercising your dog BEFORE you put them into that situation. If you're using the walk FOR exercise, your dog is already in excited mode. Your dog is ready to go, ready to use her energy, ready to play. This is certainly not going to help when she sees another dog she really wants to meet. If she's already been exercised she may be in a much calmer state and ready to learn something rather than just ready to go go go.