My rescue has turned aggressive...

[InvisibleMoonDancer]

I adopted a male jack Russell cross in March 2019 who was perfect for our family. He fitted straight in and settled very quickly.
He was lovely with other dogs although he was quite reserved with strangers (especially children).

Last year I took him for a walk through the woods and a little terrier shot out of a gate which leads on to the track and immediately started attacking him. I managed to pick my dog up and then the terrier grabbed on to ds's Wellington boot. I reported this to 101 when I got home as I was worried about someone else's child or dog been attacked.

All got sorted out and I thought that would be the end of it but ever since then he is an absolute nightmare to walk. The second he catches sight of another dog he immediately starts barking like a maniac and snarling while pulling on the lead. It really embarrasses me and I'm sure he can probably sense my anxiety which probably makes things even worse.
I always cross the street if I see a dog approaching us but it doesn't make a difference to the way he reacts. I've also tried distracting him with treats but he's so worked up he's just not interested until the other dog is out of sight. It's made me dread walking him now which is such a shame as I used to really look forward to taking him to the park where he would play lovely off his lead with other dogs. How can I help him? I wanted to see a behaviourist but with current restrictions it won't be possible. Has anyone had a dog with aggression issues and managed to resolve them? I just want to enjoy taking him out again.

You can see a behaviourist - get someone to film you and your dog when another dog appears and send the film to the behaviourist for advice.

I don't think this is straightforward aggression - it sounds like reactivity to me. It is scary but they are quite different things.

Look at it this ways Your dog was wandering along on his lead, minding his own business and he got attacked, hurt and scared. Unfortunately he now associates other dogs with this fear and pain, as well as his lead as it was attached at the time.

A big problem with leads is that they can be quite restrictive to dogs and stop them behaving normally and displaying normal body language. So the dog feels the only way he can show how he feels is to snarl and lunge - which generally works as the other dogs or people keep away, so he thinks "okay, to keep them away from me, that's what I need to do" and it reinforces the behaviour.

Behaviourists can still work so don't let lockdown stop you getting in touch - they may be operating mostly via zoom but they can still work outdoors on a 1-1 basis with distancing in place.

I don't really want to give you practical advice on what to do next, as it would be irresponsible having not seen your dog. Please speak to a professional who can see your dogs' behaviour in person and advise you on what best to do next. Good luck!

Your dog is reactive (mine is too, by the way). Essentially, as far as your dog is concerned, other dogs are now REALLY scary. Every time he sees another dog, he wants to make sure that there isn't another repeat of the attack. So, he does the doggy equivalent of shouting "fuck off, don't come anywhere near me or I'll facking 'ave ya". Unsurprisingly, this is quite successful at keeping the scary thing (dog) away.

This is something where you really do need to see a behaviourist. This is an issue where you should be able to have an initial phone conversation where they issue some "first aid" advice, and the in person sessions can easily be conducted at a 2m distance outside.

I'll note that dog training and behaviour is an unregulated industry, and there's a lot of utter charlatans out there (red flags: talking about dominance, alpha dogs and pack leaders). You really want to go for someone APBC or CCAB qualified - they're highly qualified and will use positive reinforcement methods only.
Www.apbc.org.uk/help/regions
Www.asab.org/ccab-register

In the meantime, try and keep him away from other dogs as much as possible - they only raise his stress level and help him to practice the behaviour. You may like to consider hiring a secure dog walking field periodically, when you want a stress free off lead walk!

This is a behaviourist's bread and butter. Find a qualified one (as advised above) and they will be able to help.

In the meantime...

I always cross the street if I see a dog approaching us but it doesn't make a difference to the way he reacts

You are still too close (for your dog). If he reacts, the distance is not great enough. It's a pita but if he reacts when you cross the street then you need to find ways you can create even greater distance between you and other dogs. Wide, open fields are useful but it may also mean doing a total u-turn and taking a totally different route, away from the other dog.

Every time he reacts, it becomes more of an ingrained habit so is really worth you doing all you can - while you find help - to avoid any situation at in which he reacts.

This is a great page to help you understand a bit more about what may be going on for him: www.brilliantfamilydog.com/growly-dogs

No need to join their online course (don't) but the read itself is useful.

ok so exact same thing happened to my dog, he used to be reactive in an excited way & lie down hoping, as it usually worked that the other person would bring their dog over to him. Then he got attacked while he was on lead & now he lunges and woofs basically telling all the trigger dogs to fuck off.
We immediately got in touch with our behavourist, sent her some videos of him reacting & she gave us advice of where we were going wrong, our timing, letting him look for too long etc.
We now take steak with us on our walks (even though most of it gets thrown cos goes out of date) he only ever gets steak when we see a dog. The second he sees a dog we say good boy & steak goes in the mouth, like streaming steak into his mouth & always he's a good boy, don't say anything else other than you cue word. If he starts reacting at all or can't take a treat you're too close, get them away until a distance they can hear again. Some days & some dogs we can get relatively close too other days he needs miles of space. Eventually he will begin to look to you straight away for his best treat & seeing dogs will be a good thing.
It's not a quick fix by any means but our dog is slowly showing progress & even allowed a much hated dog to pass him the other day. We've been working at it months & have made small progress but still progress. Some days he can tolerate dogs passing & other says he can't even the same dog that passed the day before.

I would not call it aggression. You dog is warning other dogs to stay away after hes been attacked. I'm not sure when behaviourist are back up and working but I would prefer hands on and seeing a qualified behaviourist in person. Check their qualifications too many are doing these online courses and are thinking they are behaviourists. If they are not properly qualified they can damage your dogs behaviour further.

There's an excellent facebook group called 'Dog Training Advice and Support' that is run by behaviourists, highly recommend it.

@CityDweller

There's an excellent facebook group called 'Dog Training Advice and Support' that is run by behaviourists, highly recommend it.

Make sure they are qualified. I've seen far too many behavourusts qualified via the Internet on a course anyone can do.

We've adopted a lurcher who was basically very nervous of everything, especially anything new. He's settled well into our family, grown in confidence and taken his rightful position as beloved baby/boss {smile}. He loves playing with other dogs offlead but reacts to any dog he doesn't know on the lead.
I bought 'Inspiring Resilience in Fearful and Reactive Dogs' by Sally Gutteridge on Amazon . It explains how a reactive dog needs a certain amount of space around him or he'll feel threatened, and to teach him to associate other dogs with good things ie treats. Also trigger stacking ie little incidents building up anxiety. The book goes into detail on what your dog is feeling and helps you get inside his head.
As she warns it's a very slow process but I've found ours is definitely improving. I always plan walks around quieter times and more spacious areas where I can, but inevitably you have to go through some narrower spaces. If I see another dog approaching a 'bottleneck' I go a different way or even turn back. It's still exercise and fresh air for both of us even if we've not gone where I planned. Mine reacts to dogs on the other side of the road - I treat him and block his view by stopping behind a parked car. He completely ignored the treats at first but now when he sees another dog he'll often look up as if to say 'where's my treat?'
I also use the 'watch/look' command when I treat him to encourage him to concentrate on me, not the other dog. It also means I'm concentrating on my dog, not other dog owners so I don't get half as embarrassed as I used to.
I honestly don't think people do judge in this situation half as much as we think, as long as their dog isn't in any danger. I always try to tell people mine's a nervous rescue, if I get chance, and they're usually sympathetic.