My dog is lunging and trying to bite people's ankles - any advice please?

[doghelp2]

My dog is two. He's the size of a bischon. He is a rescue from abroad but we've had him since he was 5 months so a blank slate really.
He has a habit of suddenly lunging at people and trying to bite their feet/ankles. I thought he'd grown out of it as he was doing this early last year but it's started up again. He did it in a few shops last week, despite me having him on a really tight lead, he's so quick.
He did it to a visiting relative yesterday. I could see he kept looking at his feet, so I was distracting him with treats, calling him over to me, making him sit, giving him a tiny treat, to keep him focused on me and forget about the visitor. As soon as we went in the house from the garden I could see he was really focused on his feet/shoes. Sure enough after a while he lunged and snapped.
I'm really at my wits end with this. Of course I realise the seriousness and implications of this behaviour.
Is there any way to train this out of him?
I've ordered a soft muzzle which I will use but it doesn't solve this behavioural problem.
Can anyone please offer advise?

My advice would be to pts. It's an aggressive dog.

You need to engage the help of a professional trainer, trying to sort the problem out yourself clearly isn't working. It won't be cheap, but it may be possible to turn him around. I'm afraid, if not, the only other answer may be to PTS, he's only a small dog, but if he was to get a grip on a toddler's leg it could cause some nasty damage. I hope you can help him.

Firstly, please don't use a soft muzzle on a dog while out on a walk - it's incredibly dangerous. They need to wear a basket style muzzle so that they can still pant, drink and take treats.

Second, if your dog came to you at 5 months of age he will have been the complete opposite of a blank slate. A dog's' socialisation window ends at 16 weeks of age so he will have already had all his formative experiences by the time he came into your life.

You need to get your dog to the vet to check for any physical issues like pain - then look for a qualified behaviourist (not a trainer, they're very different) who can come and work with both of you in person.

Good luck!

graeme hall covered this on Dogs behaving badly, C5, recently. You can probably watch it on catch up. He is amazing.

There is an excellent Facebook page called ‘Dog training advice and support’ run by professional dog trainers. They publish guides to behaviour management including one for rescue dogs, then if personal advice is needed, the trainers will answer. Highly recommend.

Graeme Hall is not a qualified trainer.

Really! Wow, he's impressed me whenever I've seen his program.

Nope - he's just some bloke who makes good TV. Please take everything he says and does with a massive pinch of salt.

I don't think he's a bad man with bad intentions but he has no qualifications and puts 99% of behaviour down to attention seeking and soft owners. He also never tells owners to check for pain or underlying issues that could cause a behaviour which should always be the first thing anyone working with dogs suggests.

Have a read of these articles:

https://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/why-does-my-dog-attack-peoples-ankles

https://blog.spotdogwalkers.com/dog-thoughts/dog-biting-my-feet-when-walking

PTS! Oh my god do you really have to ask???

I know you have said his size, but what actually is he ?

PTS is not the answer, find a good force free qualified trainer, this can be worked on.
Do not use a soft muzzle your dog cannot pant in it, they are only for very short use at vets, a baskerville is the best as he can pant and drink in it.

Posted too soon, it's a very common issue in dogs with herding breeds in them, it's not necessarily a sign of aggression, god knows why the hysterics reply on dog threads when they seem to know little of dog behaviour.

I have an aggressive dog (triggered by someone who came into my house). I got behaviour training via a vet referral. It’s made a huge difference. Vet was able to confirm there was no underlying medical issues and do the referral to the behaviour therapist. I only paid the vet fee plus the excess. She recommended a Baskerville muzzle and we use distraction technique with Primula cheese 🙂
You need professional help with this dog.