Why is my dog crazy around other dogs?? :(

[KoalaDownUnder]

I'm at the end of my tether with my dog today.

She's 2, a greyhound X. She is a loose cannon around other dogs. Okay, sometimes she is okay, but - it's unpredictable.

I've reached the point where I'm afraid to take her to a dog park or dog beach. She goes wild with joy and excitement and stirs other dogs up. At the beach, she charges into the water and tries to get at swimmers and other dogs. She does all this with her tail wagging, she never snarls or snaps. But she frightens and upsets people, and other dogs. Then the other dog snaps at her, and it ends up in a whirlwind of mutual chasing and snapping and barking, which k have to then physically break up (and risk getting bitten by the other dog). It's embarrassing and horrible.

I know that by failing to let her off-lead anymore, I'm probably making things worse, as she is not being socialised. But letting her off is just so incredibly stressful.

I walk her on-lead for at least an hour a day, every day. I spend as much time with her as I can.

I've been to two training courses with her. Her recall is still shit, as her prey drive is so strong.

She's a rescue and I love her to bits. I would never give her up, but her terrible manners around other dogs is making our lives miserable.

Can anyone help, please?

With my DDog we found training classes and even agility training worked wonders. She used to be terrible at listening to me when other dogs were around, and training at a place where other dogs were present helped her learn to keep listening to me despite the distractions.

I see lots of greyhound and lurcher types with muzzles, it is almost always to protect wildlife because of a strong prey drive. Don't think people will assume your dog is aggressive

We managed to transfer DDog's prey drive onto balls instead, and nowadays she totally ignores squirrels etc. She is older now, though, and that helps a lot, when she was 2 she was bonkers

No, really UtterIdiot - all advice gratefully received, theoretical or otherwise!

Mewling, I might try classes again now that she's a bit older. Well, a few months older. Last time, she was just crazy. Distracted the other dogs, totally refused to lie down for 'quiet time' with her stuffed Kong, leapt vertically in the air like a demon.

Luckily, I love the silly beast to bits.

Well if it helps, people usually ask why mine is muzzled rather than take it for granted that it's because he'd bite.

Though apparently because he bites isn't the answer they were expecting, so I don't know why people assume dogs wear muzzles, lol.

My dog would bite other dogs and while he's never quite tried to bite a human, he isn't keen on ones he doesn't know, so I don't really care what impression he makes tbh as long as I can take him out safely.

My dog is a collie a skittish neurotic bolter he is never off lead we tried a few times its just not safe or worth the hassle

I have found my people!!!

We have a staffy x lab bitch. Rescue, though we've had her from a pup. She's now 11 months old, and just so excited by other dogs that like others here, I mostly seek out dog free places to walk her offlead.

She has excellent recall with no doggy distractions, and actually has sometimes come back well when we have bumped into other dogs, but (a)has also gone selectively deaf and needed us to walk right up to her to get the lead on, and (b)is always the dog that rushes up to the other.

Which puts us into the annoying owner category mentioned here by other posters, which we are only too aware of, hence seeking out quieter places to walk.

I probably need to take a look at Total Recall, as walks are going to be either very restricted or massively stressful for evermore...!

My dog is a ridiculous creature who used to get massively over excited around dogs. He still does on occasion (he has a bromance with a local Labrador), but his recall is generally pretty good. Generally. Ahem.

It took years of training - literally two years of weekly session - before he calmed down enough to be let off the lead reliably.

Jaydog hates the yorkie over the road she is a lovely old dear and blind he will lunge at the window if she is out we walk him another way so he has never come face to face with her yet wags his tail and gets excited at another neighbour s dog I don't understand it