Hey ya'll! I have a 10 month old Belgian Malinios male. So far in his life, he is very positive towards other dogs! He loves to play when I allow it, and is never aggressive or reactive, even to dogs that are aggressive toward him.

He just recently started putting his hackles up when dogs pass us on walks, and now when they pass our front window. If I allow him to meet the other dog, he automatically gets into a play bow and insists on being friendly. The problem is that people think he is aggressive, and I don't want him to respond to their negativity and become a dog-reactive dog.

Is there any way I can train him out of this? Right now he has a "settle" and "chill out" that I use, and he usually responds by putting his hackles down and looking up at me. It usually takes him a minute or so, and by that time, the other dog has already passed.

He's also starting to growl some of the time when dogs pass by our window.
I'm not sure how to read his body language anymore, as I'm not sure if it is aggression or just an excitement respose.

We go to a dog class twice a week, and he goes in with hackles up but chills out fast, but if a new dog walks in, hackles go back up and sometimes a growl, then he chills out. He will do this with every new dog that enters the room.

I understand they are guarding breeds, I just don't want the behavior to escalate!

Any feedback would be great!

I'd probably do desensitizing work. I don't want excited response to other dogs; I want much closer to calm indifference. I'm 100% with you about not wanting it to escalate (or even continue).

Have you read any of the threads here about this kind of work with reactive dogs? (There are some very detailed ones.)

And maybe this is just me, but this: "He just recently started putting his hackles up when dogs pass us on walks, and now when they pass our front window. If I allow him to meet the other dog, he automatically gets into a play bow and insists on being friendly. The problem is that people think he is aggressive, and I don't want him to respond to their negativity and become a dog-reactive dog" is a kind of scenario I just wouldn't enter into. That is, if my dog is hackling and has focused on another dog, I am not allowing a meet and greet. I have probably already allowed too much focus on the other dog.


I'm pretty much thinking that I don't much care about the actual trigger, but again, it's JMO. I don't want that excited response, period, and desensitizing work is going to address it anyway.

You mentioned "settle." Do you have a focus word too? I'm thinking that you have such a perfect setup in you own home for doing desensitizing work right now: He is growling at passing dogs. I'd combine that with controlled desensitizing work outside (using focus and basic ob and fabulous rewards at the outside edge of the closeness that causes his hackling).

Yeah, he knows "look" and maintains eye contact, but usually he keeps the hackles up as he is watching me for a good minute or so. I wasn't sure if correcting him would be a good idea because I don't want to intensify the behavior.

Today we were practicing obedience out in the parking lot and a dog was passing by while we were playing tug. He got distracted and outted, but I called him back and he immediately started to play again.

I think you're right though, I just need to work on it harder, and stop allowing him to socialize afterwards unless. I haven't been letting him meet other dogs on purpose... its more or less my apartment and people letting their uncontrolled dogs run loose up to him.

Maybe this calls for a good cane to keep them away! Lol

I don´t have anything to add but I have been doing desensitizing with food and engagement with my puppy and even though it might seem like it is not working at first, just keep at it. Work on engagement all the time and try to set up situations to work on it with other dogs in distance- close enough so they get your dogs attention but far enough that the desire for what you have and the play with you overrides it. As you progress you will be able to get closer and closer. I have a dog agressive doberman and I can work her in group trainings side-by-side with GSDs (the worse kind of dogs in her mind) without hackling. On the streets I can´t always control the other dogs so the results are not nearly as good but I have set the bar for her to be under control and not look at the other dog. Her hackles are up but I can live with that. Taking how bad she was and how bad I handled it at first, I am sure that if you get a grip on the situation from the start I am sure your dog will be completely fine.

Thanks Jaana! I'm going to keep at it!