Possible aggression starting to show in rescue dog

[fingersandthumbs]

We took on a rescue Springer Spaniel in May last year. He is now 2 1/2 years old and is a fantastic dog in many ways.

However, he has recently started to display some behavior that I don't know how to deal with and I would appreciate your advice.

Off the lead he is friendly, ok with other dogs (bigger and smaller) approaching him, doesn't mind being investigated by other dogs and is really enthusiastic about playing chase games.

Over the past couple of weeks though, when he is on the lead and sees another dog he barks in, what to me, sounds like an aggressive way - as though he is warning someone off - he hasn't growled but has strained at the lead and made what I thought was an attempt to nip/bite another dog he met. He has also started to do the same bark with dogs that he "knows" when he meets them and he is on his lead. I have tried crossing the road to avoid other dogs paths but the barking and straining continues. I have tried stopping and getting him to sit and waiting for them to pass but he is too "pent up" to do this for long.

We met the same dog who he was aggressive towards on the lead again today but they were both off lead and there was no hint of aggression, they just had a good sniff and then a play.

What can I do to change his behavior whilst on the lead , or what am I doing that may be causing this?

Any advice would be appreciated.

If your dog is usually positive and social with other dogs then I suspect that this is not aggression but over-excitement/boisterousness. Your dog gets very excited to see other dogs but can't get to them which is frustrating, this combination of excitement and frustration often manifest in the way you describe.

To manage this behaviour you need to start in he home (in a quiet environment with no distractions) and train him to focus on you. So eye-contact sit and wait. Praise quiet calm behaviour. Then once this is reliable on command, try this with some minor distractions. Start with him on lead a distance from other dogs so he knows that they're there but is not reacting. Give him the command for calm and reward this. Move closer. keep decreasing the distance and rewarding the calm behaviour. If he starts barking lunging and will not respond to the 'calm' command. then immediately turn and move away from the dogs. Thus teaching him that excitability is not rewarded by social contact.

Keep practising and rewarding calm behaviours. If he stays calm, reward him with off lead play. He'll soon get it
Good luck

You may just have hit the nail on the head SunshineAndShadows, thank you. He is boisterous and does get excited about lots of things, I put it down to his breed and his teenage enthusiasm. So your comment about frustration sounds like it really could be that. It explains it perfectly to me.

He is bright and picks things up quickly so I'm going to give your suggestions a go, starting tonight.

Thank you

when I first got my rescue dog I did notice how all dogs seem more agressive towards other dogs when on the lead and I think this is due to them feeling not in control of the situation because of being on the lead i.e. if they get frightened they can't run away. I found much less agression when 2 dogs met and both were free.

I'm currently working on lead reactivity with my 11 month old.

The method I'm using is essentially the same as the one Sunshine suggests. I give her lots of room on the lead but stay well away from other dogs - a wide open space with lots of dogs coming and going is good for this. When she sees a dog, I make a kissy noise to get her attention then when she turns to me I mark it with "yes!" (you could use a clicker) and an immediate food reward (usually cheese or meat). Now she's learned this she turns to me when she sees another dog and awaits her reward. I keep on rewarding her for looking back to me repeatedly when she sees a dog, but only if she doesn't react. Barking or pulling go unrewarded.

In the last few days I've been able to get closer to other dogs and even passed a couple at just a few metres without any reaction. It's taken a lot of perseverance and we're not out of the woods but she's much better :)

Exactly what dunelm says. I was discussing this very problem with highly qualified behaviourist recently and her advice was literally to throw food down. And yes, meat and cheese were what she suggested. A dog's sense of smell overrides all the other senses, dog biscuits just don't cut it.

That's a good suggestion, Bohemian - a dog which is sniffing around for food is throwing really relaxed "I'm no threat" signals to other dogs as well :)