Dogs barking and lunging at other dogs when on the lead

Hello,

I have 2 dogs both females, approx. 22 months old.. we have a choc lab and a new addition a collie cross rescue we have had her for 3 months.

We are struggling with a couple of issues with her; 1st - she barks, pulls and lunges towards other dogs when on a tight lead, this has now started to make the choc lab copy this behaviour... note - if I put the lead on extendable she is usually fine with most dogs as long as she can approach them and have a sniff etc...... (however she does have a particular dislike for collies).

2nd issue is that as soon as we let her off leash she can disappear, seems so interested in the smells of rabbits etc...we have tried doing this gradually using a training lead with a limited amount of success.

I think with issue 2 it just needs more time and effort investing in her and use of the training lead. However the first issue is the one that is causing most problems as it can be very difficult, noisy and stressful for all walking passed other dogs, particularly when both my dogs are on their leads..

Any help/advice would be appreciated.
Thanks

I do sympathise because I have the same problem to a slightly lesser degree with one of mine. His recall is good but having been attacked when he was younger he is very wary of any other dogs near him when he's on lead. It is fear aggression. I have worked really hard on it and if I can, I try and ask if they'll let me walk along with them for a couple of minutes because as soon as he realises that the 'other' dog isn't going to attack him he is fine.

I initially got professional advice and was advised to try and avoid walking near unknown dogs and if it wasn't possible to use the 'watch me' command and get his attention on me rather than the other dog and then give him a treat.
It has worked really well and he is so much better than he use to be. It may be that your collie had a bad experience when on the lead and it is much harder when walking two dogs at a time.

My two are brothers (both just turned 3) and I do try and walk my fearful one alone at times as he is then much better. His brother does tend to try and 'protect' him too which doesn't sound good when an unsuspecting dog and walker are passing

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Thanks for the advice. . It can be upsetting when things don't go well.. it is exactly correct what you said about walking with other dogs as I have done this and after say 2 mins she is fine, it is just the initial meeting. . Thanks again. I will let you know how we progress

When we had a lunger we used a head collar (halti) fitted properly they worked wonders as he could not lunge forward he ended up facing e each time. Saved my arms being pulled out of the sockets too ! But I emphasise fitted properly as fitted badly they rub the skin under the eye.

Hi, I feel your pain. My dog does the same thing. Has anxiety and leash excitment which turns into leash aggression at times if i hold him back. He is fine though after about 1 min of meeting a dog on the leash as long as it doenst turn into a fight (i dont let it get to that point). Anyway this has been a struggle for a long time and the best thing i can say is bring your dog to an area that is far enough away from other dogs where it will notice the dogs but not get arroused enought to stiffen and posture or get excistied. When it ignores them give it treats and praise. Once that works move a little closer same thing. If you get too close you will know as the dog will lose control. As soon as your dog notices the other dog the slightest (Look for the slightest sign) call your dog to you ( you can move hte other direction) and praise and give treats. Keep doing it until the dog is counter conditioned. By the way your gonna want to use a lot of treats. I also do walk buys at a good distance and loop back around a few times past a person walking a dog and the instant he trys to motion towards the dog i call him and keep walking as if its no big deal and reward. Somone said to get a good "watch me" command that is also helpful to get your dog to focus on you.

My guy I'm pretty sure is insecure around dogs he doesnt know so he is a bully right up front. It's very hard to deal with and disheartening at times when you want to be able to just walk by a dog without inciddent.

yeah, it may help