growling at other dogs when on leed

Hi, i own a very friendly male (full) who has been well socialized and gets on great with other dogs and people. But recently ive noticed he has taken to growling at other dogs whilst he's on his leed, if a dog starts barking or growling at him/us he does it backand i dont know why, it's almost like he mimics what the other dogs are doing, he's never shown any aggression when he's off leed and will play,play play with every dog he can when he's in a field or park and love's playing with other dogs. So why when he's back on the leed does he show signs of aggression. He's 14months old so would like to get it sorted whilst he's still young. Any help would be much appreciated.

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Is he still ok off lead? What do you do when another dog growls at him, or if he growls at another dog? Has he had any bad experiences with dogs recently?

Sorry about all the questions! 

Thanks for replying, he's still all good off lead and getting better on lead about 2months ago whilst walkin him we were taking a stroll down the canal and a dog off lead proper had a go at him, it all happened so quickly but basically the other dog just lunged at mine, had him pinned to the floor and was about to rip him to pieces but as my dog was on a lead i was able to intervene but the damage had already been done i noticed later that day some gaps in his coat on his back and saw some scabs starting to appear !!! Ive recently moved house and only noticed his attitude had changed since movin, it started a couple off weeks ago but it's only older, bigger dogs he has the occasional growl at. He's always havin dogs growl, bark etc and most of the time he doesn't react so ive started taking treats everywhere we go now so he gets a treat and a fuss if he doesn't react, he's not an aggressive dog, luves playing with other dogs but sometimes he starts trying to dominate other dogs which doesn't go down well, the other dog will warn him if he tries but then my J will keep goin back for more until im shouting at him to leave it or stop. Im planning on getting him castrated soon so hopefully that will help him chill a bit as the old humping business is getting a bit much now aswell, he just luves life and dont want to change his character, just some of his behavior. Am i doin the right things ??

Hi,

I just posted a new thread on exactly the same subject - I should have read this before. Theo, my 3 year old staff has started doing the same thing - someone has suggested using the leave command and rewarding with treats so I am going to try that.

Maybe we can compare progress in a couple of weeks!

Emma

Our Poppy does the same,growls at other dogs (small dogs that is) but she does not do it to large dogs,it's a mystery to us why she does this,as she is a good,gentle dog in all other ways...she is a rescue dog we have had for just over a year.

Moo is a pain on lead, I think she feels threatened or restricted. Off she is perfect and thankfully unless walking through town she is always off so not much help! But your not alone Xx

Pleased we are not alone in this.Shame though she does this,as we hate to think other dog owners might be thinking she is an aggressive dog,when she is not at all.
Thanks for your post janey x

She has a great play mate in the woods, but if we meet them when they are both on lead Moo starts pulling with hackles up! Most odd, but she isn't like it with all.....something I never been able to explain.

You could try the watch me command but in all honesty Moo isn't on the lead long enough when we are just walking through town XX sorry I was crap help but I get it Xx

Darcy is the same as moo, I too think she feels vaunrable on lead. She can be a little unpredictable on lead.

Just read your comments and feel I'm not too alone, I have a 6 year old male staffy with nervous aggression, I keep him on the lead at all times yet find people allow their dogs to run at him, he has been attacked while on his lead by dogs that didn't respond when called, I then get the verbal abuse, it's very upsetting and intimidating when walking on your own! He is a lovely family pet and great with our children and friends! I have taken him to puppy training, socialisation classes and paid for behaviourists , he can be fine passing dogs and walking with others but find he just doesn't like them too close?! I've been told to get rid, muzzle him etc! What can I do if others have no control over their dogs. Don't want to muzzle him and find he's in a situation where he can't defend himself! I wouldn't let him do that to any animal but because he's a staffy ignorant people don't see it as him being nervous.

Unfortunately there will always be ignorant people all we can do is educate them about our beloved breed.

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Hi..sorry i haven't been able to update or post comments recently but im still havin same problems with my dog being aggressive whilst he's on lead. Ive established it's fear based aggregation & am at a loss at how best help him overcome the problem. He's been attacked a couple ov times when he was younger whilst on lead which i now know is the reason for his behaviour when we go out for walks. It's so frustrating as he's a completely different dog when were at the park or fields etc where he can b let off his lead & will quite happily play with pretty much every dog we com across & shows no signs of aggregation at all. He actually runs the other way if a dog starts being a bit full on or starts to show signs of aggregation towards him. He will b 18months old this month so he's still young & learning different things every day, he's very close to his sister who came from the same littre who he sees quite frequently but she is so chilled on/off lead & they play really well together, she even puts him in his place when he gets a bit full on & he always submits to her & has never shown any form of aggregation towards her. Also ive noticed when out walkin when it's dark he gets very nervous which also leeds to him showing signs of aggregation. Im due to get him castrated soon which should help calm him a little but obviously won't get rid of his fear based aggregation so any help or advice wld b much appreciated

Hello! Sorry to hear your boy's finding socialization hard, it's a real pain! My girl is the same. Aggression is really something that should be observed by a professional, as body language could be missed and we could be advising you about wrong behaviours! However, I can tell you what I do with Biscuit; I have found that controlled meetings/walks/playtime with steady, calm dogs and confident dogs helped her own confidence heaps and bounds! Do you have any friends/family with calm, friendly dogs? Or are there controlled socialization walks in your area that you could attend? Where abouts in the world are you?

The hardest part is people out of control of their own dogs that come bouncing up to us, I do muzzle Biscuit when we're street walking, but mostly because she's also very scared of men and will defend herself if she feels threatened. Do you exercise JJ completely off lead? Biscuit is always on a 50ft long line, so that she can still have her freedom, but I can call her back in and keep hold of her if a situation arises; because she can be unpredictable it would be irresponsible for me to let her off completely. This gives me more confidence also. If your dog is under your control on lead, and another dog approaches yours, that is the other owners problem, as harsh as it sounds. Biscuit has never bitten another dog (since she has been in my care, she is a stray with unknown history) but she has pinned them if she feels that she has to, and will lunge/growl/snap. I hate for her to feel that she has to defend herself, so I have done LOTS of obedience training; if an off lead dog approaches us I ask her to sit, stand in front of her and hold my hand up to the dog and say NO/STAY whatever stops it in it's tracks. If the dog continues to approach I talk to it in a silly, happy voice, hold it by the collar/put my hand on it's chest to keep distance between them and Bis, and treat it as if I know it, this seems to calm Biscuit a bit, much more than panicking/shouting etc would anyway! When the owner arrives you can then verbally take your frustration out on them > (as calmly as possible as not to upset the dog!!)

Biscuit is also much worse in the dark, so I do her main walks when it's light, and only walk her when it's dark if it's very late and quiet. He sounds like a lovely boy, just a little underconfident. It may just be him, and he may always be like it, but there are things that you can do to manage it. Good luck!