Debo is getting dog aggresive.

hi everyone, sorry for not being around. A lot has been going on.
You might remember Debo from my previous posts. Well, he's gonna be 4 next month, he's still intact. From the very beginning we had him, we socialized him, trained him. He's not perfect and a lot cold be change but it's nothing that really bothers us or others around Debo. Since he was puppy, he was very dominate dog, we tried to stopped every unwanted behaviour, he was amazing with puppies and other females, with dogs it depented on the other dog, if he ried to dominated Debo, Debo would tell him off. With time he started to act diffrent on the lead, off the lead he was fine with males, on was different story. Ii really didn't have time due to my work to train him, so told my husband what to do, he did and it worked ..... for him. When I walk Debo, he would tird to have a go on every dog with passing by. Even dogs my husband said Debo is fine, when he walks him. Yeaterday we went to pets at home, I was getting soem food and my husband was holding Debo. Then a couple showed up with 7 mnths old, very friendly male and stopped to say hello to debo, they were between me and debo ( i was minding my business), then I heard a very deep growl from debo and he went for the dog ( just showed teeth). My husband pulled him away straight away and Debo growl at him, like he tried to tell mu husband off. We were both in shock, I holded debo, while my husband went to say sorry anf check if everything was ok.
All the way from the shop we walked him on the lead, at home he wasn't allowed on the sofa, basicly we gave him cold shoulder.
Is it me, am I the trigger? We dont know what to do? We talked about castration but would that solved the problem? I think we need a behaviourist but dont know any in my area?
please help. I love my abby to biys, he's changing, growing up...

I can understand why you would be upset with this behaviour. You aren't the only one that has this trouble rest assured. My Flo was exactly the same on lead, off lead she was completely fine.

To resolve our issue we changed harness and in time this allowed Flo to walk nicely with us and no pulling, this resulted in us being calm which in turn made her feel calmer.

In your case it seems clear that being on lead makes Debo feel constrained which makes him agitated and wanting to warn every dog to keep away. You hinted already at the solution that comes to my mind with getting him to walk nicely with you on a slack lead and therefore no tension from you, I suspect your OH is far more confident with Debo which is why he only reacts with you.

Try getting back to basics with him walking on lead with you, remain calm and confident and build his confidence that way before you call in the behaviourists or have him relieved of his dangly bits

I think you've got a lot going on here.

Firstly, it's possible/probable that him being entire is influencing his behaviour. There is no guarantee that castration would be the answer, in fact I'd wager that it would not be the whole answer, but for me it is worth giving serious consideration to as part of the answer.

I also think there are two other being elements we need to look at. One is how he is viewing the lead and the other is how you are 'stopping unwanted behaviours'. To the 2nd one first.

The definition of punishment in behavioural terms is something either added or taken away that will deter a behaviour from recurring. So you can give the dog something not nice (a sharp word, a yank on the lead) or you can withhold something, like attention. They can both work (even if I wouldn't recommend the former) but in order to do so they have to be very clearly paired in the dog's mind to their actions. For this, they need to be immediate, even 5 seconds later is usually too late. So giving him the cold shoulder for the time it took to walk him home, then banning him from the sofa, would mean absolutely nothing to him in relation to his earlier behaviour.

You are better trying to find a way of a) managing the situation (avoiding males, muzzle training Debo), while you work on training him in a positive manner. Pulling at the lead makes it worse as the dog learns to associate another dog with a nasty yank on the lead. There are different methods you could use instead. Using treats to keep the dog's attention is tried and tested, and it's one I recommend you look at.

At the same time as this, you need to look at how you feel when you are out with Debo. If he is reacting differently with you and with your husband, there is something you are transmitting that is different for him. Do you feel worried? Do you maybe hold the lead more tightly? It's hard to do, but relaxing yourself can often help the dog enormously.

In the meantime, I'd suggest avoiding situations that are potentially difficult, especially those in more confined spaces such as shops. It might be that Debo finds going into somewhere like that stressful or exciting (regardless of how we think they feel, dogs often find these places quite stressful), and then adding one tiny thing on top might be the last straw that makes him snap. You also need to be aware all the time of what is going on around you, avoid possible triggers, and be really careful about standing between a dog and another - it's a great way to get bitten and dogs do sometimes redirect their feelings towards another being if they can't get to the one they want.

You are right that a behavioural trainer would be a good idea. Have a look here
http://www.apdt.co.uk/
or here:
http://www.apbc.org.uk/

Both have lists of members and, although you can never guarantee what an individual will be like and how well you will get on with them, they are both generally well respected organisations who are picky about their memberships.

Thank you Ian. It's just really upsetting to watch your baby act that way. when you know you tought him different. I think you right, I've lost my confident with him, it was me who trained him all the time, until I've changed my job and dont se him very often during the day. Will try your way.

Thank you Liz.
You are right. My husband he thinks Debo is great with every dog and his body says the same when he walks Debo. Me , on the other hand, I assuming straight away that Debo is going to go for another male, so Im getting more tense.
We are trying to avoid doing his bits - cause well, we dont have problems with him , apart from this one. But now we starting to think it could help, not solve the problem.
When that behaviour happens, both of us, give him sharp no and remove him from the situation - like you can't behave , no play time.

hiya i always find a man has a more authoritative voice which makes the dog sit up and take notice technique i used and sometimes still do is hum a tune in my head and keep my arms by my sides when i first got mia the lead was far too long she was a puller and distinctly remember me going to the docs with a pulled shoulder . until a behaviourist has assessed his needs id avoid confined spaces too for the time being

Rather than give him a sharp no, just take him away quietly. In dogs' minds, the negative response from us can very readily be associated with what else is happening at the time, e.g. the other dogs. So if you see another dog that worries you (and a lot of what appears to be aggressive behaviour is in fact worry), and that is then followed by a yank on the lead and a reprimand, you worry even more. I know it goes against our instincts and feels upside down but it does work.