My rescue dog is making walks a nightmare (lunging at other dogs)

Hi, I'm new to the site and need some advice.I have a border Collie who is 18months old and good as gold, two weeks ago we got a rescue dog a Jack Russell that was going to be abandoned, he lived on a farm with three big dogs and i presume that he had to fight for everything,First time he met our other dog he went for him and we had to introduce them very slowly, now they are best of friends and stick up for each other and spend their whole day playing and snuggling up together.The trouble is that when he sees a strange dog he goes mad, snapping and jumping around barking and growling, we never let him off the lead but i'm very wary of other dogs not on leads that come close to investigate, how can i calm him down and get him to realise that not all dogs are going to hurt him?He seems to calm down quicker if the other dog is on a lead but still has the same initial reaction.We introduced him to my fiances mothers two Jack Russells at the weekend and after ten minutes of snapping, snarling and trying to go for them (he was on a lead and had muzzle on)he was running around and playing with them. I don't have the luxury of the ten minute introduction with dogs we meet on walks.We have a field opposite our house where i take them for a walk but unfortunately we never seem to see the same dog twice so he can't get used to them. Walks are getting shorter and shorter coz it's getting more and more hard work and more stressful.HELP!!!!

It would be helpful to know exactly what do you do when this behaviour occurs.

You will need to take lots of time to desensitize him very gradually. You will have to keep him within his comfort zone and progress slowly, slowly.

This Dogweb article, which deals with dogs that are nervous with humans, can be adapted to your situation: http://www.dogweb.co.uk/talkdogs/des...dogs_8050.html

Also, try to relax on walks. If you tense up as soon as you spot another dog the JR will pick up on this immediately and it will reinforce his notion that there is something to be wary about. Teach him to 'watch' you. Reward him liberally for giving you his attention.

I'm not qualified to give definite advice, so these are my thoughts only...

When you had him on lead to meet the other dog and he was muzzled was he really close to the other dog?...Being so close without wanting to be that close with a muzzle may have made him feel very restricted so his only option is to lash out to try to communicate that he does not want to be that close.

I think the fact that he does settle down and then interact well with other dogs afterwards shows that he doesn't actually want to fight...It seems to me that he just needs to realise that he is safe when onlead...Maybe because he lived on a farm he didn't do to much socialisation in public, staying mostly on territory he is sure of and maybe he isn't very used to lead walks?...So now when you take him out, first of all he isn't on his territory and he is trapped on lead...I think you will just have keep taking him out and don't make the mistake of going out less as you want to get him used to it all...In controlled environments do try it without the muzzle, just the lead...Stay calm everytime you see another dog and as soon as he tenses up walk him away, stay happy and at ease and don't tell him off.

Without the muzzle I would, keep him on lead but have him much further away from other dogs and work on getting closer bit by bit, as soon as you can see he may react badly move him away and then get his attention fixed on you, you may have to go so far away that you can't even see the other dog. Then once he has calmed down and is focused, praise him loads and start out again, hopefully with alot of practise and patience the distance you get near other dogs should become shorter and shorter.

He is small so at least you have no fear of being pulled with him if he starts to lunge...My boy gets on great with other dogs off lead but onlead he feels insecure about other dogs near him and he lunges, but he is 90lbs and because head collars make his reaction alot worse (more restricted / trapped) I have to make sure I can fully control him!...A quick and sure change of direction stops his momentum and takes him out of the situation.

If you feel you can though I would really try all this in a spacious area, so you can keep your distance from other dogs when needs be and without the muzzle because I think it may just be adding stigma to whole issue he has....Although you will be the best judge of that.

Could it be, as was discussed in another thread, that due to his nervousness he's feeling stressed by meeting the other dogs on lead and with a muzzle on? In other words, he feels he's got no way of running for it to get out of what's, for him, a tense situation.

Obviously, you'd need to test that possibility carefully with a dog/owner you know...


edit:
Looks like Mys posted pretty much what I was thinking, but in more detail. At the same time.

I only muzzled him when he met the dogs at the weekend and only because it was in an enclosed environment, as soon as he was used to the dogs we took the muzzle off and then after about half an hour he was even off his lead. I do try to pull him away and distract him when we see other dogs but he stands on his two back legs and just keeps growling at them. i thought about getting a halti collar for him so i could actually turn him away. any views on this? The trouble is like i said i try to change direction when we see another dog but if the other dog is off their lead i think they see it as a 'challenge' to see how close they can get. I've only had one person that called their dog away and put it on a lead because of how Bo was.

I think it sounded as if that was fine, how he met the dogs at the weekend and sounded as though you got a good result. Ok yes he wore the muzzle to begin with, but he did get the reward of having it removed after he had shown he was going to behave well In this case I think that was good

Would it be possible to walk him where other dogs will definitley be onlead, road side walks to begin with?...That way you will not have the problem of any loose dogs coming up to you while you practise

In my personal opinion I think it can be done without a halti...A halti may well work wonders though, you could give it a go. But I think because of the size of a JRT you should also be fine without one. I know he rears up, but a very light tug on the lead and a change of direction should really be enough to lead him away.

Minus other dogs does he walk nicely on lead?...

He does tend to pull quite alot but with him living on a farm and then being at the rescue centre he isn't used to walks really. He was abandoned on Valentines day and we only got him two weeks ago so he was in kennels for a while. When we were at the rescue centre with our dog we were asked to just take them for a walk down the lane together then returned to a small paddock to get them closer to each other, although by then he was fine with Sky (our Border Collie) If he caught sight of another dog he would get quite snappy and nothing would distract him, as soon as the other dog was out of sight you could see him relax instantly. I don't feel that i know the dog well enough to know how he would react with a strange dog so perhaps am over cautious and tense as soon as i see a strange dog too. Thats a good suggestion about taking him on road walks where other dogs would be on a lead, I'm sure we could find plenty of lanes to walk, then at least we could all relax a bit more!

I think this will really benefit him I guessed he was not used to the lead because of his farm life the road side walks will give him a chance to get used to the lead and to meet other dogs on his own terms, so if you spot him get uncomfortable you can take him further away from the other dog...That way your little guy will start thinking you are taking control of the situation and he can trust and depend on you when he is on the lead which will result in him becoming much more relaxed then in time as he gains confidence on lead and can relax he will be able to get closer, but it will be all at his own pace

I'm pretty sure it's because he is not used to meeting dogs while on a lead which is the only reason for his behaviour so you really just need to work on getting his trust sohe knows that you wont put him in any situation he doesn't want to be in, where he can't escape to safety when he is attached to the lead.

I'm quite sure you will be ok with him

Exactly...You are both on a learning curve together and are both trying your best to read each other signals...Do try to stay relaxed and he will be more relaxed as a result, show him the way and he will start to work with you and you will soon know each other well

Great advise being given here.

I am no expert but will give my opinion anyway. If it were me I would practice with him at home first of all. Not even on lead, just with a treat in hand so i had his full attention and then some heal work around the house. You are relaxed in your own home, therefore he will feel relaxed too. I think he may just be a little overwhelmed, nervous and confused. With some time and patience and consistency you can work wonders. Then maybe move out into the garden and practice more heel work, working on recall also. When you feel confident here then I would move out into the big wide world. Once you have gained his confidence and trust he will look to you in times of trouble or stress. If you show you are not worried and relaxed then he will feel the same. Hope this helps a bit. There are alot more qualified than me on dw. Best of luck. Keep us posted.