I need some suggestions and input to see it I am handling this problem correctly.

I have an 19 month neutered male GSD who is everything that I've wanted and expected from his working line genetics. He's fearless, hard as a rock and has a great temperament. While he's been maturing, I've noticed that he's become more protective of myself and the house and yard. Not that I find anything wrong with that as long as I still have control. The problem I'm having is when we are on a walk, there are two dogs from the same household that give us problems. He is great with the "leave it" command on any other dog in our neighbourhood except for these two dogs. I believe that the reason for this is that as soon as these two dogs see us coming they charge up to the chainlink fence like two bats out of hell and do their best to get a reaction out of us. My dog goes into a frenzy and will try to get to the fence and wants to literally kill them. I tell him to "leave it" and he will 95% of the time. If he continues with the antics, I give him a correction and he will stop and let them bark at us while we walk by. After we walk by I praise him for not barking and play a little tug with the leash. Personally, I would like to kick both the dogs, but that would get me in trouble.

Now just yesterday, I was thinking, maybe I shouldn't have given the corrections. Maybe my dog was just trying to protect both of us from these two dogs that were charging. Then I think to myself, NO, this is dog to dog aggression as he is anticipating this confrontation since he knows the house where these two dogs are and his hair and tail are starting to stand up on end when we approach.

NOW I"M CONFUSED!

What does anybody else think??

K.D.

Ken
I go through the same thing and I think you did the right thing, with command, corection and distraction. I think you need to add before he starts barking (when you see his hair and tail stand) use the "leave it" command and 'its ok". This lets him know that you see the threat and it OK, so don't react. It makes him trust your decision making. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I get the same thing from these two German Shepherds behind a chain link fence. Before turning corner they will brussle up and I'll say "good watch" meaning Ok you thinks its a problem, I recongnize it. Then I say its "Ok", which means stand down I got, back me up. Then as things has gone on I use the other barking dogs to teach control. I have my dogs sit in street and watch these dog go off, it gotten to the point were I can down them with there back turned to these dogs. They trust that I want let them get attacked from the rear, and I want. We are a team I protect them and they protect me.

We can now walk by any barking dogs as long as they don't get too close to me, without a problem.

This is from a laymens position I'm not a professional trainer. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

i think a couple of things. first is that your boy is the dreaded "teenage dog"! He's probably gotten more territorial, more defensive & more pushy. second, if you gave him a "leave it" and he didn't correction was the right thing to do. these dogs are no true threat behind the fence, but they are jumpin' bad at your boy and he feels the need to respond. with continued 'leave it' reinforcement, he can learn to ignore them.

have to ask.... do you need the hassle of walking past them? maybe take a different route now & then. this would help avoid a reinforced tough-guy attitude from your boy when out walking.

You are right to give corrections, remember, you are the alpha.

I encounter a lot of dogs on my walks, loose and behind fences. Only one got my GSD's goat, the Mal X who aggressed at her when she was younger. I was careful with her exposure to other dogs as she was maturing and when walking one day, my neighbors had this dog on a lead. My pup was in a sit when this dog suddenly lunged at her. That was it, bad blood ever since.

Keep it up with the leave commands and keep walking. Do not give the other dogs any of your attention either, your dog will pick up on this. Walk on the other side of the street (from the start, don't let the other dogs think they chased you over there). As soon as your dog starts to show aggression to the other dogs, give your command and correction and keep walking. If he stops, give a good correction and keep going. And of course, praise for when he listens to you.

Keep this as normal as the rest of the walk, only correcting his behavior for not responding to you. I have had good luck so far, we are now at the point that my pup's fur will raise slightly at passing the Mal X's property when he barks at her, but she won't look at him. A far cry from the all out barking, lunging, wanting to tear out his throat behavior. Good Luck.

Thanks for the input everyone. I had a sense I was doing what was right but I guess I ended up second guessing myself to the point of no return.

I do take alternate routes everytime that we go for a walk. It's only every once and a while that we have to go by the house. It's funny though, there are alot of dogs in our area and he knows every house where there is a dog.

Ahh, but he's a gem!

K.D.

My daughter was having this problem wioth her APBT. There was only one dog my daughter had trouble with on her walks. My suggestion was to walk on the other side of the street till her dog, Spirit, was under control. She would give the dog a "watch me" heel command when going by the dog in question. Spirit is very good at attention heeling, and would be corrected for breaking eye contact when they went by. Once she mastered that from across the street, my daughter would then cross the street going away from the dog in question. As things progressed, she can now walk Spirit right by this yard, and Spirit now goes into a watch me heel position almost without cue.