Why my dog attacks other dogs

My dog often goes for other dogs for no apparent reason it does not happen with all dogs and they can be male or female my dog is female. This is happening more often and it is turning into a nightmare to take her out.

Hi, sorry to hear about this.

How old is your dog, and is this a new behaviour from her?
I take it she's not been attacked or anything like that?

Wys
x

hi she is 4 years old got her from dogs home she was great until she had a phantom pregnancy then she changed

Firstly I would get her to the vet for some thorough healthchecks - if she's in pain or isn't quite "right" then this could be the cause of her change in behaviour.
Is she spayed? If not, could she be due into season soon?
If health issues are ruled out then I would recommend a behaviour to come out and give an assessment and to help you deal with this. The APBC website should provide some contacts for local behaviourists near you - http://www.apbc.org.uk

In the meantime you want to make sure she can't hurt anyone's dogs. If you can't predict when she's OK and when she may attack, don't take the risk. Keep her on a lead and use a longline and harness to give her a bit more freedom without putting other dogs at risk. Get her fitted for a muzzle but remember to introduce it slowly so she doesn't hate it - try Youtube for videos on how to introduce a muzzle slowly. If she is a big dog then consider a headcollar to give you a bit more control over her.

Perhaps get a notepad and write down anything you notice to try to see if there's a pattern. Does it seem to be a particular size or breed dog? Is there anything in common, e.g. colour? Black dogs can be harder to read because the colour makes subtle bits of body language a bit harder to see. Ditto with docked dogs or those with floppy ears - the subtle raising, lowering or wagging of a tail, or the movement of ears, are all little bits of communication between dogs. Are the dogs young or old? Some dogs take a dislike to puppies because they smell and act differently to adult dogs. Do the owners of the dogs she attacks mention that other dogs seem to pick on theirs? Some dogs just don't throw out the right body language and find themselves picked on for it. Is it a particular time of day? Maybe her eyesight is failing (though a vet check would help to rule this out) if the attacks are more common when it's darker outside.
Also do they happen when she's on-lead, off-lead or both? Some dogs can behave differently on-lead - their "fight or flight" reaction is limited by the physical restrain to just "fight".
Does she actually jump on the dogs and bite them? Or is it all barking, lunging, etc. to look scary. It could be that she's a bit afraid of dogs herself and has learnt to attack other dogs before they get the chance to attack her. Or it could be a bit of barrier frustration - she's eager to get off-lead and see the dog but gets frustrated by being on-lead and the lunging etc. starts, which can look quite aggressive.

You may also find it helps to teach a few useful commands. Do you clickertrain her at all? I have a fear-reactive GSD and I'm teaching him "watch me" which is where he makes eye contact with me, the idea is that he will look at me instead of focusing on the dog he is about to react to. Some people teach a "watch that", where the dog looks at the other dog but learns to just calmly sit and watch it until it's gone, rather than feeling the need to lunge and bark. Another is a "touch" - get the dog to touch its nose to your palm and walk past the other dog with your dog concentrating on maintaining this touch, so it doesn't acknowledge the other dog.
There's lots of way forwards with aggressive or reactive dogs, I think the first step is to find the cause because the methods vary slightly, and I would definately recommend the vet check and behaviourist to get you started. Good luck! It may also be worth a read of this thread, just as a little boost for your morale, lots of us have been through/are going through the same thing with our dogs
http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=132580

I advise the vets, but also, if you arent already, then keep her on a lead until this is sorted

I would recommend you keep her on leash until this is resolved.

Or, if you are determined to let her off leash, consider a muzzle.

Because frankly this sounds like an accident waiting to happen and it's unfair on the other dogs.

Is there a behaviourist or experienced trainer in your area that you could call in? I really think you need some outside help to sort this out - best of luck

In order to retrain your dog, you will need to address basic training issues in order to control your dog and also work on a programme or with a trainer to improve her socialisation. In the meantime please muzzle your dog (use a Baskerville or plastic `cage` muzzle) and keep her on lead around other dogs.
If you let us know what area you are in perhaps someone can recommend a trainer. Otherwise, you can go on the APDT website to see if there is one near you.
A good book on the subject is The Dog Aggression Workbook by James O`Heare.
A good book on basic training is The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson.

Get her spayed

I'd go with this as the problem really does sound hormone related (if indeed it coincided so clearly to the phantom pregnancy).

You would then need to address any habit that may have formed.

Whether this dog is muzzled or not, please do not let it off the lead (esp if your recall is iffy) there is nothing worse/scary than being attacked by a muzzled dog!