Thanks so far for your help, for those of you who havent read my last posts requiring help, we have a young lab whos has come from a rescue center.
So far she is doing so well (only a couple of mishaps - like chewing through my telephone wire and me wondering why i didnt recieve any work for three days!! )
I had a few problems with her jumping up alot , which thanks to your help here on CD she is slowly improving and only jumping a fraction of the amount she was.
She is now getting fitter (was very unfit) and is becoming more part of the family (very nervous around my partner) every day but she has got one issue i feel i need to deal with before it becomes a problem.
When walking her she is absolutly fine until we see another dog as soon as we see a dog she will stand and bark her head off, i feel it is down to her being nervous but im not sure and i want to handle it the right way so it doesnt become a big "issue".
does anyone have any advice on the best way to deal with this and thr best way to introduce her to other dogs in a succesful way so that she starts to have a positive feeling with other dogs, she is fine with my GSD at home.
Thanks in advance
Donna

I would talk to a behaviourist - without seeing her in action, so to speak, it's not a good idea for anyone here to give you advice on this IMO.  I will, though, give you a brief ramble about my own experience with a dog like this, though it's limited.  Just to give you an idea.  I've just started walking my brother's dog, and she is exactly as you have described - and over the last couple of days I've been watching to see what my actions did:

The first encounter - a staffy, up the town.  Tia was on the opposite side of me, I kept walking and told the other dog to back off (it was off leash and wandering ofer to say hi), the owner called it, and not a peep from Tia; she did stiffen up though, but was (luckily) distracted by the exciting environment.
Second - a collie, on a footbridge over a railway.  We had nowhere to go and no space between us and the owner and the collie, she started to growl and bark a bit as we got closer, and tried to leap at the dog - I had to pin her against the wall of the bridge to control her, and as soon as I did that she went crazy.  and I mean crazy!  screaming, thrashing around and trying to slip her collar (I have her on a harness just in case).  The collie, btw, didn't react at all!
third - this morning, at a little nature park.  tia was on flexi, unlocked, and a little dog came running down the hill to us - she ran straight back past me and up to it before I could lock the flexi.  But she didn't get nasty - she actually started playing with it, so I got a bit of praise and some liver in sharpish!
fourth - another collie, up the local playing park.  It was quite a way away, and Tia was only bouncing a bit and woofing, she was on fulle extension on the flexi, but the instant I locked it and tried to guide her the way we were walking she atrted to leap around and growl, hackles up.

These are only three encounters, but they tell me that if she has room to move around she's fine; if I don't react (except to praise) she's fine, as she can't see anything to be worried about (and defend against).  From the past, I know she always goes nuts if we are walking down a particular 10-minute walk which my brother always takes her on, every 2-4 days for the last 2 years - so I assume it's a territorial reaction.  Incidentally, when Tia first came home 5 years ago (to a different house, brother's ex's place) they called a behaviourist, and he told them to ignore her and keep walking - apparently it worked, for the little time they bothered to do it).

That's my experience at least - ignore her and make sure you have plenty of room, don't restrain her, at least you might keep her stress levels down while a solution is sorted out.  Do call a behaviourist though, you really need someone to watch her react in various situations so they can advise you how best to go on.

The main thing is that you want to get association with other dogs as a pleasant thing.
I'd recommend a good book by Jean Donaldson called "Dogs are from Neptune" which explains so much of what dogs do and how they can be worked on/with around other dogs. Many reputable people will use her methods or similar as they are based on classical and operant conditioning and how dogs learn :)

I have used her "bar open, bar closed" method with much success on both my own dog who was attacked and went through a defensive phase, and with other dogs i've helped.

good luck

Lindsay
x

Hi Bazndon,

I have one little piece of advice - take your lab to a training class - preferably one that is 'rewards' based.  We have a 16 (or is it 17 now?) week old lab puppy and socialising her with other dogs from 8 weeks old has probably been the best thing we've done for her!  Our trainer traines guide dogs for the blind so he's very familiar with labs and always comments what 'enthusiastic' paly mates they are with other dogs.  You can join classes for all ages of dog and it will help your dog to learn how to interact with other dogs - I guess speaking to a trainer near you would be the first step as they might well be able to give you some 1:1 advice first.

I guess is she's from a rehoming centre she's grown in to the habit of barking at other dogs.

Good luck
Nx

PS Aren't they just soooooo adorable I love my puppy to bits!!

If i am to consult a behaviourist is their a someone who can tell me of someone in my area that is any good please, North east Lincolnshire, last meeting i had with a so called "behaviourist" didnt turn out to well, so i am slightly worried about approaching another one.

I thought about some classes for her to mix her, but i wasnt sure if it was wise to throw her straight into a room full of dogs so to speak.
She is a very quiet dog and she seems to be fairly nervous (to be expected given her history) so i was dubious about taking her to a class and basically making her face "all" her fears at once, i thought maybe trying to introduce her to one dog at a time initally might be a better route for her and maybe a little bit less "scary" for her. (if that makes sense)
All advice is appreciated i just want to make sure she is happy.

Thanks
Donna

Hi Donna,

The best way to find a good behaviourist is through your vet. Ask your vet to refer you to a qualified behaviourist. You can also ask exactly what qualifications they have.

Jean Donaldson's books are great! She is my favourite author. However, it will help if the aggression is diagnosed first based on a whole bunch of information, your lifestyle, training style, etc, etc

The behaviourist will also want to see what you do when the dog is displaying the aggression and will show you exactly what to do in those circumstances.

All the best,
Patty

I think you are right to leave the training classes for the moment, for the reasons you state.

Hope you find a helpful behaviourist.  I would try to find someone registered with the APBC.