Help with a dog who goes nuts on walks whenever he sees other dogs

Hi, I have recently decided to help out my boss (and give myself some much needed excercise and "doggie time") by walking her dog for her. The dog belongs to her son who has moved out and left him behind and she does not have the time to give this very energetic dog enough walks. He is a beautiful mix breed (looks like maybe some leopard hound is in the mix) and truly a good dog,but he has spent most of his life as an outside dog, although now is inside and it doesn't look like he received many walks as a pup so now at five years old he is still learning proper manners.

My problem is that when we are out walking he barks excessively and pulls on the leash every time we come across another dog. It's to the point that I can barely walk forward because he is freaking out so much and trying to get to the other dog. The dog doesn't even have to be doing anything or even noticing him. I don't think its an aggression thing... more like extreamly over excited. And it seems almost impossible to get his attention when he does this. If the other dog is not responding to him I can get him to sit and calm down then try moving forward again but as long as the other dog is in view I have to do this every few steps, if the other dog is barking then then he doesn't hear me at all.

This is all very new to me, I've had many dogs before but non with this problem. And I find it kinda hard to train a dog thats not living with me. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this?

have you tried treats?

whats a leopard hound?

The dog has not been socialised with other the dogs so he is either going to be great with other dogs, scared of other dogs, aggresive with other dogs or what your saying just excited to be with other dogs. What you have not explained is, what is the he like when he gets close and sniffing and interacting with other dogs?

Hi Jocelyn, and a warm welcome to Dogsey. You are sure to get many replies and not all of them the same

At five he is well into adulthood and thus not so easy to train but not impossible.

I'll leave it to more experienced people to give advice and I'll just mention that maybe he hasn't had much opportunity to meet other dogs and this is just curiosity. Is it possible that (if the other owner agrees) he could be allowed to approach the other dog and get to know it

You say he barks, but what is his bark saying there are (allegedly) ten different types of bark, and each has a different meaning.

Hope you have some success with your new pal

I have been re-enforcing him with treats when he's good but I'm afraid that if i use them to get his attention he might think I'm rewarding his bad behavior

The full name is Catahoula Leopard Hound, sometimes Catahoula Cur, or Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog since thats where they originate. Its not a common breed but I have seen quite a few adds for the breed or mixes of the breed in my area so I figure theres a good chance that he could be mixed with it, he's got rather unique coloring that I've only seen in that breed, although it is also simmilar to Australian Shepherds and Blue Heelers...I think his mother was a lab..but i'm not sure.

One dog did run right up to us and he was fairly well behaved, although his hackles were up... he sniffed the other dog and then kinda jerked forward suddenly as if to snap when he realized the other dog was sniffing him too, I gave a quick tug on the leash when he did that and he stopped. I get the impression he is really under socialized and just has no idea how to behave around other dogs. His owner has told me he plays well with her friends dog when she comes over.

When he barks it sound like sheer desperation, he is not a small dog but his bark is like a high pitched yap..almost a yelp.

Funkybee you are doing the right thing by not rewarding him when he is barking/yelping. You need to socialise by meeting and walking with as many dogs of all sizes either by getting him in a training school or by yourself in parks etc. I think it would be good for you and the dog to get training by a good trainer.