Hmm. I have been rereading my thread here, and I think I may have been unspecific about the big problem I need help with. (Yes, I need to address the dog-food aggression at home, but that's not the "big" problem at the moment.)

Most of the replies seem to be addressing the only (or mostly) the dog-food aggression, but the "big" problem to me is the dog aggression with strange dogs outside the house. The BRT bitch is dog aggressive to strange dogs, the pit-mix dog is not.

I do understand that most of the advice given will help with my "big" problem, but I just wanted to clarify what I am wanting help with so I can get some good advice that directly addresses it.

So, here are my questions that are still unanswered:

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What kind of anxiety do think it could be? What do mean by submission possibly only "working most of the time"? Are you referring to Oxz being submissive? Oxz is above McCaskey in the pecking order, and they are both below me.

Asked in response to this reply of Connie's: "The thing is that at least one of these dogs is living with anxiety. Maybe submission "works" for the dog most of the time, but not always (and maybe sometimes the dog just has had it up to here), but this isn't how you want your dogs to live."

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What should I do in the event we come across another dog on our walk? What is the appropriate correction or action on my part?

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What should I do in the event we come across another dog on our walk? What is the appropriate correction or action on my part?

Tiffany, do you use the "Watch Me" command? If not, I believe that is a good place to start. When you are out walking, you want your dog to learn that she is to pay attention to you, you are in charge, you will handle all situations that might come up. To teach "Watch Me," it is imperative that you use marker training, so I would highly recommend reading as much as you can, getting the Leerburg marker training DVD if at all possible. You've probably heard of clicker training. Well, marker training is clicker training without the clicker.

Now, I mention "Watch Me" because it will go hand in hand with what is generally called the back-away. I have always used the back-away to distract my dogs from other dogs, bikers, skaters, etc. that we may encounter on a walk. Funny, when I took some training classes with my two current dogs, they taught and were firm believers in the back-away, too!

It's simple. You are walking down the sidewalk, path, street, whatever, and a person is coming the other way with a dog. Now, just passing this other dog like two cars passing on a road is inviting your dog to focus entirely on the oncoming dog. You want to redirect her attention to you. Instead of proceeding forward, take firm hold of the dog's leash (don't jerk, just hold it close) and back up so that your dog has to move from a position at your side to a position facing you. This is where the watch me command is helpful. Don't be afraid to use lots of treats to keep your dog's attention on you. If she is still struggling to turn and look at the other dog, just keep backing up. It's helpful, in fact, if you can actually back up at a right angle, so you are off the sidewalk or path and have put some distance between you and the approaching dog.

I enjoy going for walks with my dogs, always have, and reactivity to other dogs is something I have always nipped in the bud by using this technique. I hope I have explained it in an understandable manner. I'm not a professional trainer, by any means, but I just know this has worked for me and it has been recommended by several well-respected trainers I have worked with.

Tiffany,
Here's the short term solution, I'd correct the dog for the unwanted behaviour. If the dog keeps getting success it will keep acting out. Seek out other dogs to be in the vicinity (not to close but close enough), do simple ob and reward But FIRMLY correct the dog for dis-obeying a command he knows. Don't over think it just do it, the dog will figure it out. A video would be MOST helpful. This is what I'd do.

I wouldn't be "backing up" when you see other dogs, it'll play into the dogs behaviour. Correct and continue on. It's up to you how hard the needed corrections are, we can't see the dog.

 Quote: al curbow

Tiffany,
Here's the short term solution, I'd correct the dog for the unwanted behaviour. If the dog keeps getting success it will keep acting out.

I forgot to say "me too."

But you have some work to do (fun work), which is going to result in a dog focused on you and not other dogs.

Sorry, I may have been unclear. It's me backing up, not the dog, and if there is space to do it, it's not really backing up directly, it's simply moving off to the side of the the path. "This way, Fido!" the dog comes with me, facing me, so I can attempt to engage the dog and have him focus on me, not the other dog. Some of the park paths I walk on are narrow, and I've always felt it best to put a little distance between me and the person coming the other way with a snarling, lunging dog or a dog on a long flexi.

I'm simply redirecting the dog's attention and asking him to focus on me, and in the beginning, I encourage that by having the dog turn away from the distraction. I will gradually move from this exercise to simply asking my dog to sit or down when another dog passes, and then practicing the "Watch Me" or "Leave It." If my dog ignores my requests for his attention and continues to focus on the other dog, then of course a correction is used.

 Quote: connie sutherland

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Your goal is for that dog to march right past the strange dog or to focus on basic ob off to the side. I prefer marching on by, but both are the same result: Your dog is doing what you want and ignoring strange dog(s).
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I'm re-typing the bare-bones gist of what has been explained in detail in three or four long threads about desensitizing dogs who are dog-reactive because I think you're perceiving these answers as not related to your problem.

So,
"Have you read any of the desensitizing threads here? This doesn't sound like humongous reactivity, but the protocol is the same."

And PS: "Marker training" was also directly on topic: It's the best and easiest way to get this bullet-proof basic ob underway.

Yes, that is my goal precisely. That is the exact behaviour she used to present towards strange dogs.

I knew there was a question of yours I forgot to answer in reply to that post! Sorry about that. The answer is no, I haven't yet, but I have added it to my list.

Also, I didn't mean to imply that the replies thus far have been unrelated to my problem, which is why I mentioned that I understand that all the advice so far is to build a solid foundation and will help with problem long term. My concern was we seemed to be veering off and focusing more on the food aggression problem. I was just wanting to get some, um, "direct" advice regarding how to handle a meeting during a walk (thank you, Al!). Not a quick fix, you understand, just the best way to handle said situation while still working on the long term solution.

Cheri, yes I do use the "look" command. Oxz used to be very good with that command, but she's a bit rusty now. I've been working with her on this recently and she is improving.

Oh, Connie, you also didn't mention what you keep in your dog training log/journal - I'm very interested to know what you think is important to keep note of and track. I mean I have a vague idea of what I should be keeping track of, but, as I say, I would really like to know how you keep yours.

PS - I hope you don't think that I don't appreciate all the advice I have received, because I do and very much so. I'm absorbing everything and referring back constantly - I really am getting a lot out of this thread.

Why can't all new posters with aggression or related issues, be this logical and approachable?

Not that I am in any way on par with the really experienced and knowledgeable people here .... BUT -

I picked this up from one of Cesar Milan's vids when passing by a barking dog: Walk near (but not too near at first) the barking dog and have your dog sit with back toward the "offending" one with eyes averted.

When I walk with my two or three dogs we pass a house where the owner ties a really agressive shih tzu to a tree in the front yard many times. We pass by across the street and I have my dogs sit and stay with their backs toward the little bugger. This has proven to be a great training opportunity. My smallest dog is no longer belligerent although he does start breathing faster. After a few seconds he calms down, too. The other dogs just ignores the shih tzu - generally not even looking.

Holy wow, everyone. I just had the most fantastic walk with the dogs. (It was one at a time, as I have only one prong collar - and I say "just" but really it was 3am Monday lol I've been trying to find the time to actually write this post...)

Now, we didn't actually meet any dogs on the walk as it was 3am and just up and down the drive. I started watching my Leerburg Basic Ob DVD at about 20:00 Sunday night, and when I finished I just kept going back over certain areas (walking on leash, down, place, collars, etc.) I bought a prong collar about 8 years ago for an extremely fear aggressive Great Dane/GSD mix, but of course I did not know how to use it correctly so it was only semi-effective, some of the time. So I played around with the links and fitted the collar to both dogs (Oxz needs 6 links in, McCaskey needs 5) and then I took them each out for a "test drive". And as I said already, it was BRILLIANT. For the first time in a long time I had 100% control without my arms aching like mad. So, here sits a bona fide "prong collar convert". Although, that is not to say I was ever against them (apart from when I was 7 years old and really had not a clue...), but it certainly makes a world of difference when you can see the results so clearly and definitively. (Ed was right: prong collars are power steering for dogs!)

I have also been dutifully reading the marker training ebook. (Please don't laugh, but I actually printed the ebook -4 pages to a page and front/back- so I can bring it with me and read when I have the time.) I have not made it all the way through yet (I think I'm on page 59), but so far it is very interesting. And I was thinking today during my commute: how do you train the "leave it" command with markers? Do you mark for focusing on you, and then gradually add distractions to have them ignore? Or is the "leave it" command outdated and handlers simply use "look", "come" or etc.?

My next reading material will be the "My Dog is Dog Aggressive. What Can I Do About It?" article. After that, at Connie's suggestion, I will search and read up on desensitizing. Next will be "Dealing with the Aggressive Dog" ebook. After that I will see where we're at. I have ordered two dominant dog collars (to use with the prong collar). Although, I may need the dominant dog collar for McCaskey when I address his cat problem - but I think I will need to start a new thread for that one...yikes.