How do you exercise a dog aggressive dog?

[katdog5911]

I have a 120 lb newfie/lab that has been dog aggressive a loooong time. He wasn't always this way....had a dog park incident when he was younger, but that is for another thread.) Fortunately he has "made friends" with Stella, my 7 month old GSD. He is the sweetest dog until another dog dares to come into his view! He has mellowed quite a bit as he has gotten older. One activity that is basically a one dog at a time sport is nose work. Both him and Stella have been doing it the last few months. He never has to be in contact with another dog and he really seems to enjoy it. I used to try to plan his outings when I didn't think I would see other dogs too much and took advantage of fenced in areas. But like I said, he has mellowed out some. I have taken both dogs together for walks and when we see another dog I just go in the other direction. I am sure we are quite a sight....me and 2 big, crazy dogs....with Stella barking her fool head off because she wants to play with the other dog and Ruben barking because he wants to eat the other dog! And I wonder why I have back and neck pain............

[Brian84]

How does the dog act if someone else walks him? Sometimes part of it is leash reaction. For example: my dog xena has high prey drive and also fear aggression. She used to hunker down and lock eyes with whatever was moving, including other dogs and as soon as they passed she would lunge. Since I take her for walks every day, every time someone is coming towards me I would pull off the path and put her in the down position and tell her to "Leave it". Once it passes and she doesn't react, she gets a reward. I told my gf to do that but she gets all nervous and the dog can tell and she reacts.
I was watching some new people at my training facility and when other dogs would walk by they would tighten up the leash, which in turn caused the dogs to react and lunge.
Like the others said, try redirecting the dogs attention and try and remain calm. Hopefully with some work you will be able to walk your dog in peace.

[Bridget]

Thanks for the good ideas. Loki does ok with on-leash dogs as long as they are several yards away and we say "leave it" before he becomes all revved up. Mostly it is loose dogs I am worried about. We don't have any completely fenced in areas around our neighborhood except the dog park (haha). The tracking idea might be helpful and I will mention it to my husband (Loki is technically his dog). In the meantime, I think I will check into a muzzle so I can walk him. At least we can try it. If it makes Loki so miserable that he doesn't enjoy the walk, then I'm just back to square one.

[jocoyn]

Google italian basket muzzle

Get him used to it first in the house and make it a happy thing for putting in on.
Once they get used to not fighting it and supervise while getting the dog used to it - I just leave mine hooked and slip the strap over the head and feed the ears through it. Kind of like a nylon crate (psych barrier)

One of my dogs has been wearing one for an extended period of time due to a wound she will NOT leave alone.

All my dogs are conditioned to accept a muzzle. Well, Beau is learning, right now I am feeding him treats out of it but not putting it on. Just take time.

To me for an agressive dog, part of the value of the muzzle is the comfort it gives YOU so you can relax more and not send tense signals down the lead. They are not good for training neutrality though because they are hard to deliver treats or toys through.

[fgshepherd]

I don't have answers for you, but I understand your fear of walking your dog. Rocky is only 75 lbs, but he LOVES people and he LOVES to chase other dogs. Or cats. Or squirrels, etc.... I walk him all over with a prong collar. He likes wearing it, and he behaves, but he barks his crazy head off if another dog comes into view! I also walk him at a cemetary, they allow dogs and it's always quiet, not other dogs around. I don't take him to a dog park because he just can't control himself around other dogs. He won't hurt them, but the other dog owners are scared that he's going to eat their terrier or something. I don't know. So I just avoid them and 'the looks' from others. Good luck. I've not tried a muzzle, but it might be something you could look in to.