why attack some dogs but not others and how to stop it

Hi! I have already had some good advice on another problem but need help with others. As I have said, Tigger is a rescue, approx 12 to 18 months old and a female. When i first got her she was in season so did not let her off the lead on outside walks. In that time I practiced getting her to come back to me in the garden, after this I let her off outside for a minute or two at a time to make sure she would still return. This went well and I thought I could fully let her off. No problem at first, the few dogs she met, she played with but very soon there were dogs she would go for in a very aggresive way. Off course, this makes the other dog and especially the owners very distressed, quite rightfully.
It is very important to me to be able to let Tigger off the lead as I feel she does not get enough exersise if she is always on the lead. I now watch up ahead for other dogs, when we are out and put her on the lead so that i have control of the meeting but some times she see's one first and goes tearing off and no longer listens to my commands. This makes other owners think I have no control, which at the time, I dont. I want to have full control of her so that our walks are a good experience for everyone. The dogs she goes for are varied but are usually female and little spaniels and toy size dogs are most common. So, why some dogs and not others and what do you advise that I do? Are dog training schools a good idea and do they make the dog listen to you even when they are in the "adrenalne zone". Alot of online training sites guarantee this but Im not sure. Please help, I want to be proud of my dog and me.

Ok first off i don't think she was ever fully trained to come back to you, I think the 50m/or longer lead would suit you well in this situation, that way you still have control if she doesn't listen, you can work with her with it to improve her recall training. Same sex conflicts are very common unfortunatly but it can be control to a point she is not trying to attack the dog but will just act neutral around it, Control her play with other dogs is important as if she get to boisterous she can apply this to bad energy dogs. I say bad energy dogs because they dogs you mentioned do tend to have bad/negative energy, from nervousness to dominance and if she doesn't like the reaction she gets from them, her being dominant she will want to put that dog in its place.
Using an extension lead will help you greatly in many of the situations you have described.
My boy had an aggressive nature I used an extension lead and a head halti, so this way he could approach the dog and greet the dog (naturally) and if i seen any bad body language (also very important for you to learn) I could pull back which immediatly pulls the dogs head towards you (not the strange via the collar looking at the other dog, which would cause more problems ) and you can then real them in, or give correction and it will also close their mouth id you pull upwards on the lead, so they can not attack.

Hi I think you have a duty to keep your dog on the lead if you are in any doubt that your dog may act aggressive and simply ignore your call.
I have a very dominant dog and he stays on a 20ft long lead so I have full control he gets to run around the garden and other areas and hasnt missed out on walks we just go a little further.
You could try your girl with training and meeting other dogs but be prepared that she simply does not want to mix with certain dogs some are just like this.
Its a shame I know but you would feel terrible if she were to do damage to another and you dont have her under control.

Thank you for your candid advice Gem and Miss Rogue. I see that you are correct in saying Tigger was not fully trained to come back, although the only reason I trusted letting her off in the first place was that she had returned to me 100% of the time in the two weeks I had been traning her. I, perhaps wrongly, assumed this was long enough and wished to see how she would get on fully off the lead. I do find it hard to see how you can be sure training is working unless you give your dog the chance to show you. Of course, as soon as there was a problem, I realised that Tigger and I needed more training, which is why I joined this forum so I could get your valuable help. I cant say how much I appreciate it. I totally agree that if in doubt, it is your duty to keep your dog on a lead. I have had dogs all my life (first staffie though) and hope I have not said anything to make you think that I am not a truly conscientious owner. I would be devastated if Tigger harmed another animal/person or was hurt herself.
Now, about these long leads. Do you mean retractable ones? I have already read other comments online that say that they are not suitable as they are not strong enough and once fully extended offer very little control when trying to reel them back, also they constantly get wrapped around trees, lamposts etc. Can you clarify this for me as you have both found them to work well and sounds like it could be just what I need. What brand/style to you suggest and do they still work with a halti when fully extended. Thanks.

I use a lunge line that you would use when training a horse these are reasonably priced and very strong and I sometimes get wrapped up but id rather that then have my boy in any trouble.
Good luck with the training shes still young and maybe can overcome this just take any meeting very slowly and calmly but never be complacment

Tigger wrote:Thank you for your candid advice Gem and Miss Rogue. I see that you are correct in saying Tigger was not fully trained to come back, although the only reason I trusted letting her off in the first place was that she had returned to me 100% of the time in the two weeks I had been traning her. I, perhaps wrongly, assumed this was long enough and wished to see how she would get on fully off the lead. I do find it hard to see how you can be sure training is working unless you give your dog the chance to show you. Of course, as soon as there was a problem, I realised that Tigger and I needed more training, which is why I joined this forum so I could get your valuable help. I cant say how much I appreciate it. I totally agree that if in doubt, it is your duty to keep your dog on a lead. I have had dogs all my life (first staffie though) and hope I have not said anything to make you think that I am not a truly conscientious owner. I would be devastated if Tigger harmed another animal/person or was hurt herself.
Now, about these long leads. Do you mean retractable ones? I have already read other comments online that say that they are not suitable as they are not strong enough and once fully extended offer very little control when trying to reel them back, also they constantly get wrapped around trees, lamposts etc. Can you clarify this for me as you have both found them to work well and sounds like it could be just what I need. What brand/style to you suggest and do they still work with a halti when fully extended. Thanks.

You probabilly did train her well with her recall but did you include distractions aka dogs/birds/people? many people forget about this part its a common mistake, One i made with my female (she is simply too great with people and dogs she darted off)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/sis.html?_nkw=5+Metre+Long+Line+Training+Lead+Train+Puppy+Dog+Social here is a link to the training lead that i mentioned, of course they can get wrapped around things like all leads, so it important to use it in an open area, reel it up as you go along following her etc.
The reason i mentioned the halti is to prevent pulling when she does see something and for the other reasons i mentioned.

Some of them just don't get along real well with other dogs. There is also the possibility that she will get along with some dogs and not others. You can certainly try a class if there is a good one in your area and a vet should be able to let you know. When meeting a new dog for the first time we usually talk to the handler to see how their dog is with others. We also watch the body language of both the handler and dog. If either one seems nervous we will avoid them. If not we will shorten the lead and let the dogs introduce themselves while keeping a watchfull eye. If you are just doing this to be social it's a good technique if you are wanting them to play offleash there are some extra steps.

I'm by no means an expert but this has worked well for me through the years. Good luck

Yeah we use a 50ft/20 meter lead like this one: http://www.discountedpetproducts.net/COTTON_WEB_5_8_TRAINING_LEAD_50FT_-_RED-UKP61057.html

As Molly's recall is still terrible if she has a distraction like people, dogs or birds. She is soft as they come so know she would never harm anybody but carnt have her just running upto people and dogs, never know if they are scared of dogs or they have a dog aggressive dog, ect. An certainly dont want her chasing after birds then getting lost or run into a road. So we tend to keep her on some sort of lead 99% of the time now.

We still train and train recall an she is great on the long lead but soon as she is off lead she knows the difference an if she decides to go to greet people/dogs to the park or chase after birds no amount of calling her works. I do keep meaning to get a whistle and try that get her trained to come back on whistle as she seems to respond to that better when I whistle but not great at doing it though and proper whistle would work better I think/hope.

Thanks for all the feedback and helpful links to the leads you suggested. Im going to get a 50 metre one. I will let you know how it goes with helping to train Tigger. I think I am going to take her to classes also as I would like to try anything that will work. She is not agressive with people and is good with alot of dogs, she is playing in the garden now with her pal Bandit, who is a Jack Russel. I would really love it if she could be totally trusted off the lead but will use the long one if there are still issues. Thanks again.