Lead aggression :(

Hi all, sorry for being away for so long. Working 11hrs a day, have time for nothing.
I think me might have a problem with Debo being lead aggressive. There is no way he will say hello to another dog while on the lead without showing the other dog that one wrong move and the poor dog's gonna be eaten alive.
With some dogs even when passing by there is lots of growling and shownig whos the boss.
I wanted to take him to some classes but because of that issue we aren't alowed. And in Swindon there are no doggy park
I really dont want him to turn in to a dog that doesnt like dogs.
I mean when he's off the lead and meet another dog is fine, he will still try to show off his muscle but when called back , he would come.
He's nearly 3, in 2 months.

Hmm my Flo used to be a little like that when on lead. We put it down to her feeling restricted but since we gave her more off lead time she settled down. Can you use distraction when he gets that look about him ? Or perhaps get Debo to focus on you. We use distraction which never fails when she rarely gets That look.

We've had this a bit with Chaos, through nerves rather than anything else. I tried a couple of different things - getting him to look away made it worse if anything - but have now hit on a method that suits and is paying dividends almost immediately. It's called Look at That, and what it does is gets your dog to use another dog as a means of geting a treat. Other dogs therefore become positive things and the reward after looking also helps with the fixed stare problem.

This video shows how you set it up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU1gAI42MH4

I always have a clicker in my pocket and my treat pouch with me. Any dog at all that Chaos looks at at the moment gets a click treat, whether I ask him to look or not. We still have our problems, if a dog comes right into his space or runs towards him, but calm dogs can now be passed without him worrying.

I can understand that some trainers might not want a dog with Debo's current behaviours in a class, but a good trainer should be able to suggest alternatives that will help you both get to that point. Have a look on the apdt website to see if there's anyone that could fit the bill for you:

http://www.apdt.co.uk/dog-owners/local-dog-trainers/wiltshire

Above all, don't lose heart. You can both do it!

Hi, thank you so much for all the tips. I think thw main problem is that I want to fix the problem, just simply dont spend much time with Debo. Its my OH , who do all the walks , I only do morning and evening. And my OH , sadly, believes that its just Debo character. I think first I have to train my OH.

Now that is a harder challenge!

It really is.