Dog growling when meeting others on walks

Hello everyone,
I wonder if someone might be able to help. We have very recently adopted a 1.5 year old podenco cross. He previously lived (I believe) as an only dog with a family. Before we picked him up he was in foster with 8 other dogs with no issues - although he occasionally tried to assert himself (read; "hump") the other dogs quickly taught him his place and he was very respectful of them!

When we're out on walks he pulls on the lead to try and meet other dogs - however when we do let him he meets them head-on and then growls at them. We quickly correct this and he stops, but then becomes nervous if the other dog still tries to come over and sniff him. I dont know if this would become aggressive if left unchecked, as I dont really dare to leave him to see what would happen! What should we be doing? He is neutered (albeit only very recently) and is otherwise very healthy (if a bit thin - needs fattening up!).

How lovely of you to take on a rescue dog ~ I love to hear about these cases, it restores my faith in human nature.

Obviously you are concerned about your dog's reaction to other dogs & don't want this to escalate ~ this is perfectly natural. But you know from his behaviour at the foster home that he can cope being around other dogs & doesn't need to resort to aggression.

I think that his reaction to other dogs when on a lead & out on walks is very common. Many dogs display aggressive-type body language when they meet other dogs on a tight lead. If the lead is tight this distorts a dog's body language, so other dogs can't read his body language correctly nor can your dog do the same if the other dog is on a tight lead. Plus being restrained on a lead means that the option of avoiding or going away from perceived danger (flight) is taken away from them, so the only tactic they can resort to is fight, i.e. start with stiff body language, maybe hackles raised, growling etc. No doubt at this stage you take him away from the other dog before it gets worse.

Do you ever let him off the lead? What is he like with other dogs at these times?

If you don't let him off lead, then you need to find someway for him to meet other dogs so that you can see his reaction, but in a way that won't worry you & will be safe for all concerned. Is the foster home he was in very far from you? If not, what about contacting them to see if you could meet for a walk with their dogs. You would probably feel safe letting him off lead with the other dogs & could see how he reacts. It would help build your confidence in his interactions with other dogs as well.

Alternatively do you have friends/family/neighbours with a dog (even better if it is a calm, neutered, older dog with plenty of experience around other dogs)? Perhaps arrange to meet them in a neutral area & see how he behaves? If you don't yet feel confident in letting him off lead, then try a harness & long line, but also try to ensure that the line doesn't go tight so that he still feels he has the freedom to move away & express normal body language. If you are still very worried, then even muzzling him temporarily may increase your confidence that he can't hurt another dog.

In the meantime I suggest that you try to avoid meeting other dogs when your dog is on a lead. If necessary cross the road, or choose another route. The more he engages in the aggressive behaviour, the more likely it is to get worse, & the more likely he is to start thinking all other dogs are unfriendly.

You also say that he has only recently been neutered & it takes a while for the hormones to settle down after neutering (sometimes weeks/months) ~ he probably still has male testosterone levels so will be inclined to show male behaviours, including all the posturing that goes with being a testosterone-fuelled adolescent!! This should calm down after a while.

Best of luck with him ~ I hope you have many happy years together.

Our Kerry Blue bitch we took on through rescue used to be bad when meeting other dogs. I used clicker training (via a behaviourist) and taught her the "watch me" command when another dog was near and she sits and watches me and gets a high-value treat (ham/cheese). This worked brilliantly but you have to be consistent.

Another thing that helped me was Cesar Milan (although I'm not a big fan of everything he does) but he said with reactive dogs you should never let them meet head to head as that is antagonistic. If Cherry is calm and the other dog is calm I let Cherry approach from behind to sniff its bum. This really helped as before she would make eye contact and then decide she didn't like the other dog whereas now she has a sniff and gets a treat for being sociable.