Aggression and whining on walks

[Peterc]

Hi guys first time post here - so we have a now 7 month old black schnauzer and his aggression and whining on walks is getting worse - from the time we had him 12 weeks old , we’ve always exposed him to other dogs and he always wanted to play and was very boisterous- but now that is turning to aggression - so now our average walk consists of putting the lead on and he starts whining and pulling after a few minutes - then if another dog approaches we let him sniff but as soon as he is face to face he start yelping and jumping up at the dog and barking aggressively and we have to pull him away still yelping and barking. Some dogs he is “ok” with but for the most part we dread taking him for walks - other than walks his wonderful and we’re trying to arrange a trainer to help - but wondering is this a phase or any advice would be appreciated, we’ve never had an aggressive dog like this before

[zeta1454]

Hi Peter - some of the boisterous behaviour may well be just adolescent hyper-excitement and this will be a phase which should settle as he matures.
For the present, I would try to avoid allowing close contact with other dogs until you have advice from a canine behaviourist. You do need someone who can observe the behaviour and assess your dog so you get specific advice rather than just generalised training.
Although you say that he is OK with some dogs, it will be better for now to avoid any situation which could get out of control in the way you describe. I would let your dog see the other dogs from a distance but try to keep his focus on you and reward him for doing so calmly. Many dogs find on lead close contact with other dogs stressful and are much better in situations where they can play together off lead so, if the behaviour is happening when you have him on-lead this may be a factor. There is no need for dogs to get ‘close up’ with other dogs any more than would happen with people. Most people will say ‘good morning’ or similar as they pass someone on a walk but wouldn’t feel the need to get into a close conversation with everyone they see and dogs are no different in this respect.
The important thing is to have a dog that will walk calmly on lead and will focus on you when you call his attention (and reward if need be). Once you have established this focus on you, it will be easier to control situations where your dog might become overexcited. It is also the case that not all dogs you meet will want close contact with another dog either. Some dogs do not want another dog near them and, even if they do, it is advised for contact to be very brief - the “3 second rule”. This quote from the Battersea website:

“Keep introductions short by following the “three second rule”; count to three as the dogs sniff each other, say thanks or nice to meet you to the owner, and then excitedly call your dog away and continue your walk. Keep praising your dog for walking away with you and reward them with a tasty treat like chicken for coming away from such a tempting distraction! By keeping interactions short you can make sure the experience stays positive for both dogs.”

https://www.battersea.org.uk/pet-advice ... our%20walk.

[Peterc]

Hey zeta1454 thanks so much for the reply - will put the 3 second rule into affect ( first time hearing it ) and try to avoid situations where he may end up face to face till we get some help - in terms of the whining do you know is this normal or signs of stress etc
Thanks again

[Dawnspell]

As Leigh said I would keep him away from other dogs and seek help. He hasnt learnt how to greet other dogs properly. A chain of events should happen. They should approach then go nose to nose to sniff, then move to the rear to sniff each others butt, then one of two things should happen they should either walk away from each other or engage in play. His chain is broken at the nose to nose, the problem is when you meet another dog who doesnt know how to greet it makes matters worse. Jasper still has problems if we see another dog and it is a long walk towards each other. He starts thinking something bad is going to happen. Meeting a dog suddenly around a corner is fine but hes a strange one.

[Peterc]

Yeah Ollie’s greeting is definitely broken he sees then starts whining and pulling up onto 2 legs to get to them - we’ve booked a trainer for this Sunday ( house visit first) and we will see how that goes - I was doing some hand stripping with him today and found out he loves smoked salmon ( joys of Christmas) so that may be a Distraction on walks for him ( all other treats he pretty much ignores when another dog is around ) that and the fact no one will come near me smelling of fish so that would keep the dogs away as well