Is loud barking aggressive or....

Hi there, new to the forum, just wanted to ask a question about socialising.

Rio is a 3 year old rescue dog with no previous socialising. He whines and stares at dogs who come near him but generally just walks on. He will bark very loudly at them if they come into his space though.

We tried to introduce him to my friend's dog, granted it was a pug so a bit small, but Rio just barked and barked so loud at him, we held him back as i honestly don't know if he'd ever go for a dog, although when he did get near, all he did was sniff the dogs bum. Thing is his teeth were not bared, his shackles weren't up, he wasn't 'mouthing' trying to bite or anything.

So i don't know whether to take it as aggression/ excitement/ warning? Should i ever risk him getting near a dog? He hates his soft muzzle by the way, it really distresses him having it on.

Any help from previous experience would be appreciated!

If it was aggressive, you'd see more than just barking. You really won't mistake it when you see it. Just barking could be excitement, it could be uncertainty, it's hard to say without seeing it.

Rather than hold him back, try walking side by side, but at a good distance so that Rio gets to see and smell the other dog. Make sure you're armed with plenty of treats and give him lots and praise and a treat any time he's not barking. If he relaxes, try getting a bit closer. When you're close enough to go nose to nose, give him a second to sniff the other dog then call him away with a treat.

Try to avoid pulling on the lead as much as you can as that will only create a sense of tension and make Rio want to pull against the pull.

Where in Essex are you, Kerry? There's a trainer I could recommend who does very general classes in Witham and Messing, and she also does non-competetive agility too. She's very good at behaviour in general, and her classes aren't expensive.

http://www.athenae.co.uk/training/dog-classes.htm

See that's what i thought as well, like i'd see more growling or something. We took him outside to cool off after and he was doing his mouth thing that he does when he's worked up and excited, just a mixture of signals really. I think that because he was so loud and he's such a strong boy, it was odd to see him like it as he's so calm and quiet normally.

Yeah i think i'll try that but with a really good treat like chicken, maybe that'd grab his attention more too?

Ah see we're in an odd situation at the moment as both Adam and I have just qualified as nurses but i'm military and awaiting my posting in march, which is when we're renting. But until then, i'm living at home in essex and Adam is living at home in milton keynes which is where Rio is now.

You're asking the wrong person! We keep chickens so that's off all of our menus. Let's say I know a lot of people who use it successfully.

Bo very rarely barks but when he does it's normally because he's being held back from meeting a dog he likes, or he wants the other dog to play. A couple of days ago he met another Staff (rare around here) and he barked like mad and his eyes swiveled lunatic fashion like they used to when he was a pup. When I allow him to approach with no tension on the lead he just sniffed the other dog's nose and play-bowed and the barking stopped. Normally he doesn't bark at all but he must recognise a Staffie brother!

I'm buying a long training lead next week and think I'm going to give him more freedom to greet dogs but still having control if i need it. He's been doing really well so i'm interested to see if it's just because he wants to greet the dogs and smell them

Here is a link on how to read body language that should help

http://staffy-bull-terrier.com/dog_body_language

If you can walk him with an older well socialized dog that would help or at least walk him before attempting socialization. The long lead is a great idea as is carrying a can of pet corrector spray.