My dog, now 3, was well socialised as a puppy but has become aggressive towards other dogs.  I have had 2 different behaviourists both very helpful.   The problem is he is quite fearful of other dogs (a lot of dogs don't like him and are aggressive towards him first) and also became dominant.  When he was off the lead he used to pounce on them and pin them to the ground snarling and growling.  He never bit or hurt other dogs but scared the life out of them.  After talking to the trainers I now know what to do but the problem now is he needs to be socialised around other dogs.  But what was once his problem has now become mine and I'm so afraid of meeting other dogs I do the worst thing and avoid them. 

I dread taking him out but used to love our long walks together meeting other dogs and their owners.  I don't have any friends who are dog owners so the problem has just carried on.

Can anyone suggest anything?

I have a feeling if your dog was  well socialised as a puppy you didn't carry on all through his life  making sure he was walked near dogs meeting dogs going to training class etc.... probably because of the stress this behaviour was causing you.   And you would have friends with dogs who cold help you out.  Many people lack understanding but many are happy to help if they see you making the effort and taking the behaviour seriously and once you get these people on your side they will help you out and defend you if other people moan about your dog.

You could do with starting off by getting him to a good training class where he can be walked near other dogs and you can get to make friends with dog owners and find people with the solid steady dogs who can then help you with this issue.  I think if you have been given advice by good behaviourists you will have been given exercises, distraction training etc and you should be able to use these techniques in a training class.  At clubs the dogs are socialised   by socialising this means the dogs are walked around other dogs on the lead and they learn to ignore other dogs and focus on you and this is where you use the techniques the behaviourist will have shown you.

You should be firm with him too on walks. Even if he is higher ranking than other dogs he should not be higher ranking than you so if he starts at a dog you should be able to call him off...toy do this he needs training as well as the socialising..again a good training class will help.

Keep him on a lead.. ideally a long lead so you can relax the tension to imitate off lead walking and build your confidence knowing nothing can go wrong because you have him on the lead. When you see other dogs use your training methods before you have an issue to prevent the behaviour and develop the confidence of both of you.   

I think boy dogs this age can get rather full of themselves even if they are technically wimps...and if you don't nip it in the bud as a teen they can develop into thugs, so ring some dog clubs up... they normally cost about £2 to £5 an hour and if you go prepared to really work your dog through these issues over time  you will make progress.

Thanks for this, but I'm not sure this is a good idea.  He used to go to a training class when this first started, there were some growly dogs there and the first behaviourist I had advised me to stop going as this was probably encouraging the problem.

I think maybe what I need is to go walking with maybe just a couple of other dogs to start with and see how he reacts.

what kind of dog is he?  I've got a staffy who got a bit like that when she hit maturity.  She was great and very sociable as a pup but then when she turned 2 became a stroppy madam.  A few months ago I changed her food and this appears to have helped as she is now more likely to play with other dogs but still finishes any fights any dogs try to start with her - well she would if she was given the chance :rolleyes:

do you know of anyone (maybe even a dog trainer) who has a bombproof stoodge dog that could be used to get your dog used to other dogs in a non threatening way?

Do you have a choice of training classes?  I can see a good behavourist might suggest changing club and refer you to a more suitable one, or have a feew weks off to establish the techniques they are teaching yiu before applying them in a cluass situatiin  but to tell you not to take the dog to trainig class at all?

If there were several dogs growling in the class and none of you knew what to do about it it sounds like you weren't being taught the skills you need to handle the dogs... a different class would show you how to deal with the don and employ distraction techniques to gain the focus of your dog onto you and not onto the other dogs...even if they are snarling and growling.

The difficulty in taking a class is thee is not the time to give people the one to one time they need if they are having difficulties with their dog. Most trainers will be happy to give one to one advice free of charge at the start or end of the class and a little bit in the class but if that isn't enough they will arrange private one to one training sessions to provide you more training in the methods you need to be using in the class... but the methods vary widely with each trainer! So this is more to check out.

You might have a top rate behaviorist but not all are that great and after all they want money from clients and training clubs make their role in society quite difficult.... the two are in conflict with each other because training clubs do not make profit..you just cover the cost of renting heating and insurance etc.  The Behaviorist is profit making needing clients for their income. Both have a place but a good dog trainer is worth their weight in gold because of the years of practical experience as well as knowledge in theory and increasingly you will find good proven dog trainers working as private behaviourist which is ideal and imo they really should be paid for the work they do..but not some of the prices I've seem some of the less able type of behaviourist charge.

On the whole right ow in the UK ( assuming you are local ) most dog trainers train for free. They are people who over many years have gained valuable experience in training and handling and possibly working dogs and training people and overcome a wide variety of issues. A behaviourist may well have the same practical experience but that may be book knowledge people with a lot of theory and not much hands on experience. Any person can become a  behaviourist ..please be aware they are not always experts we think they are so just make sure the people you are using are giving you the techniques and guidance you need to train the dog to be safe around other dogs.  

I have several clubs I am a member off and I used them for socislising some are better in some aspects and others in others so depending on what I want to socialise train my dogs in will dictate which class I take them to.  If my dogs develop an issue I will take them to a class and explain something happened and if it's okay that is what I intend to work on train them. So if a dog went for one I would take them to a class with aggressive dog or two and socialise away from that dog building up to being closer .  If a person went for my dog I would go and ask people to pet my dog and possibly give them treats.   I pay my fee and use the clubs in the way I feel will benefit my dog which in each exercise is not to do a sit or heel work etc..those are incidental..but to keep the dog focused on me and not on the dogs or a person who spooks them etc... slowly this builds up until out in the real world your success rate goes from 0% to 90% and then hopefully with success you deal with the last %.
You can get a person to provide a distraction dog but many dogs quickly accept one dog and from that you will need to move on so it is a good starting point..but getting people to regularily give you this time might be more difficult than actually training the dog! Certainly get out there and walk your dog on a loose relaxed lead around other dogs. Waling on a street is normally a good way to make sure the other dogs are also on leads which helps..but sometimes dogs are worse on lead than off.Many people have dogs with this type of issue and people soon know if they can be near them with their dog or not and you will also work out which dogs are fine and which are not.

There are many clubs around and just as you would look carefully before selecting a nursery or school for a child you should choose a training class with equal care.  Same with behaviourists..it is like selecting a private tutor... you must always check are they actually good at what they do?  I just feel if the ones you used  were good you wouldn't be on here asking what to do.

Sorry that got rather long explaining about the different trainers clubs etc... there is just such a vast amount of difrences out there between each of these and theories on training/behavior etc... which makes it difficut but on the plus side it means there will be something that suits you and  your dog if you can find it if you want to get to grips with this issue.   Anyway, good luck. 

I agree with tenaj - it is best started within the more controlled environment of a class, with an experienced trainer to oversee things.  I would be concerned about the unpredictability of going for a walk as well as the type of dog you will be walking with and the experience and knowledge of those owners too.
  Some good trainers have 'grumpy dog' classes specifically designed for this kind of thing and or have stooge dogs that are steady (and worth their weight in gold).  Where abouts are you?

Has he had a thorough vet check - including a thorough physical exam (not just a once-over but manipulation of joints etc), and a full blood panel (including full thyroid panel)?

Any dog that becomes aggressive after previously being of sound temperament - unless he went through a particular trauma that you've not mentioned - should go to the vet as the first port of call.  Many medical issues - notable thyroid problems or pain - can be the root cause, or at least a contributing factor to, aggression.  As an example - I have a 6yr old dobe bitch, had her since last Dec.  When she came to me, she was very aggressive on furniture and fear aggressive to other dogs.  Eventually I realised she was in pain, near her hind end, and from there found out that she had a rotated pelvis.  It was treated by an animal chiropractor, and the improvement was fantastic - much, much better on furniture, a lot better with other dogs and happier generally.  It even cleared up a bald spot she'd licked on her front foot!

Had I not realised she was hurting I wouldn't have had the progress I've had with her issues; I do regret not getting her that thorough exam right back at the beginning.

Otherwise, the first thing to establish is his comfort zone - how close he is to other dogs before he starts to react (i.e. anything more than just looking at them).  Then you can reward heavily for any good behaviour, and gradually get closer to other dogs.  This is how I've helped my dog - and she's gone from going ballistic at somewhere between 25 and 40 feet - sometimes a lot more - to actually being able to meet other dogs sometimes and sniff.  Still tense, but the difference is dramatic.  She has always been fear aggressive (not socialised as a pup) so I would think that a dog with a history of being well socialised would have a head start!  Do be careful where you walk - unwritten rules can often mean some areas are more likely to have dogs running up to other dogs.  It's a problem I've had with mine, most decent walks round here are like that.

Go for the vet though, definitely a good place to start.  Even if nothing turns up and he's totally sound - better to spend a few quid to know there's nothing wrong, than to potentially spend nothing and have a dog that's in pain, or has hormonal imbalances etc.

Your dog sounds like mine.  I used to love walking mine (I still love to walk, but am always happier when we are on our way home), until he was 15 months old.  At 15 months one day he played with a labrador and they got a bit rough, and mine makes loads of noise and the man said he was attacking his dog, I got my dog and put him on the lead and the man threatened to punch me and followed me to my car.  I kept saying to the man, check your dog, my dog was not attacking him, I looked at his dog, my dog has never attacked another dog but after that day I have kept him on lead and only let him off if no one is around.  My dog will be 4 next February.  I think his rough play came from my two friends dogs who he walked regularly with, they played quite rough - a staff and a rottie.  We went to different training classes, but as you say, there were dogs there who would growl at him and that would set him off.

I do think the lead makes mine worse though.

I live in Bexley in Kent, if you were near me we could try to walk them together.

the man said he was attacking his dog, I got my dog and put him on the lead and the man threatened to punch me and followed me to my car.  I kept saying to the man, check your dog, my dog was not attacking him, I looked at his dog, my dog has never attacked another dog but after that day I have kept him on lead and only let him off if no one is around.

you hit the nail on the head with a big cause of these type of problems...its not the dogs but the people.  Dogs are dogs..they act like dogs! People with dogs really should get to grips with what a dog actually is! Once a person knocks your confidence you can easily be fearful and you transfer this to the dog. It is a shame more people don't love all dogs instead of just their own dog and then they would be more understanding. All dogs can be naughty in some way at some time and it people worked together these problems could be worked through instead of blown out of portion.  I hate dog snobbery!

Thanks for all your comments,  I live in Surrey and the part of Surrey I live in there are very few training classes, and I also don't think I am brave enough to enter a hall full of dogs with mine.  I was thinking more in the lines of a
supervised controlled walk outside to start with.  Unfortunately I can't find any near me.

It's nice to know that there are other people in the same boat, it's not just me.

Your in fact far better off in the controlled environment of a class.  contact the organisers who will want to help.

They may suggest coming before the class starts so that your dog is settled before the rest of the class arrives, and then work on keeping the dogs attention on you using positive reinforcements at a distance where the dog is not too stressed.

Our trainer will often dogs with dog dog problems come to one of the more advanced classes where there are usually more experienced handlers and well trained dogs, so she can do some one to one help during the class.

Remember it is important that you can be relaxed as the dog will pick up on your nervousness/lack of confidence.

Would it be worth asking yuor vet - they may know of someone who has a bomb proof dog who would be willing to walk with you in a controlled environment.

You have faced the biggest hurdle already - realising that you have a problem and determining to do something about it :)

Maybe someone on here with a quiet dog who won't react to yours if he's aggressing would come for a walk with you if they live in the area :)