Behaviour changes when out walking.

We have 2 cats and have only had Oscar our dog for about 4 weeks now. He has done really well and although the cats hiss if he gets more than a few inches from their nose, they will quite happilly sit on the rug together in front of the fire and if anything the cats were more aggressive than Oscar when he first arrived.
When we take Oscar for a walk he can be aggresive to other dogs, I'm pretty sure this is fear aggression as he is a rescue and has scars which may be where he has been bitten. But yesterday when we returned from our walk one of our cats was at the end of the drive and Oscar started snarling and barking and pulling on his lead as if he had never met our cat before, the cat was just led down curled up, so wasn't looking aggresive ar anything.
I really need to train Oscar to walk well on his lead as he really pulls but its like he's a different dog once he gets out so I'm struggling with any training whilst out too as he won't even take a treat. I can't let him off lead yet as I'm told by his previous owner his recall is zero and as he is aggresive I daren't till I know I can trust him around other dogs etc.
He has some basic training like sit etc but when we are out he completley ignores me.
Has anyone else found that their dogs behaviour changes when they are out like this?

Ah, Kitty I feel for you! I kno exactly what that's like!Bella is the same! At home, and at training classes she is great, but out somewhere exciting it all goes out the window!
I have been working realy hard with her over about a month now. I make sure ahe has extra walks each day devoted mostly to training. I started off walking her round thevillage to work on issues with lead work and pulling and traffic. 4weeks later she is MUCH better!At first though she was totally overwhelmed and NOT interested in treats of any kind.But I just persisted. Start short and gradual. So initially it was just 10 mins round the village,lots of praise etc...Now we do about 1/2 hour at a time. We work on loose leadwork, not pulling to greet dogs/people etc and now I randomly ask her to sit/watch/down etc and she is so much better and more reposnive and will take treats etc...
Now...when we go somewhere new and exciting it is back to square one...but again I am just persisting in slow gentle introductions to new situations then increasing the ammount of training we can do in thoise situations...
I think you need to start with short spells,build up gradually...
and I think ...don't be put off by a bad day...I have a lot of good days then baddays..and I do get down...but then next day she is great again...
Just keep at it...with loads of patience and you will get there!

Thanks Loupoppins!
Its good to know there is hope I will get there in the end. I suppose one of the main things then is just patience and keeping things slow with small steps.
I'll have to check out some high value treats and maybe keep those seperate for training. It just shows though, because I know this will take time, I keep thinking how will I fit it all in, but with only small sessions to start with it should be fairly managable. Also I bet it gets good when you can see its working (on the good days at least) Maybe it shows how, like us, sometimes they just have off days where they can't be bothered.
Its sounds like it certainly working well for you, Thanks very much for your advice!

Lovely to hear you've taken on a rescue dog with a few issues ~ well done. I hope you have many happy years together.

Loupoppins advice is good & your reply shows you know what to do & won't expect too much too soon.

Your experience is very common with rescue dogs ~ they can be just great at home, but have a different response to things when out & about. If you think of it this way ~ the home is the comfort zone where the dog can relax, sleep properly, feels safe & secure, gets fed & is with people it trusts. But take it out of its comfort zone & suddenly the dog is so anxious & worried about lots of things, e.g. traffic, people, other dogs, strange smells & noises etc etc. It would be very hard for anyone to concentrate on being taught something completely new in those circumstances ~ no-one can learn much if they're too worried about everything going on around them.

It will be the same for your dog, so taking it slowly & gradually & building up to being able to teach your dog what to do when out on a walk may take a bit of time, & you may have to go back to basics when you face new situations & locations.

It would help your dog very much if you did a lot of basic training using reward-based methods at home & in the garden. Getting your dog to walk on a loose lead round the garden (or even off lead & getting him to follow you around) will help him learn, plus sits, downs etc ~ anything you feel like teaching him. If you set it up carefully so your dog can be successful in earning treats, this will help enormously in building his confidence. Once he can do these basic things at home & in the garden, then you can practice them out on walks when it is quiet with no distractions around, then with distractions a bit closer.

Best of luck with him

Sounds like how my Cherry used to behave! She used to be very fear reactive but is very well-behaved 95% of the time.

Walking on a headcollar can help as you can then break eye-contact if they start to react/obsess about another dog or cat. We saw a behaviourist who taught me calming touches for Cherry when another dog was near and high-value treats for being calm. She is much better now and even has her own doggy "friends" which I never would have thought possible!

Keep persevering-it is not an overnight thing but when you look back you can see the progress you have made if you use positive methods.

Thanks very much Wilbar and Kerryowner.
Its so good to get advice from people who really know and have been there.
You have all given me some fantasic advice, I feel more confident to start trying a few small things now, and its a really good idea to start trying some basic things in the garden.
My friend took Oscar from the RSPCA about 12 months ago and with one thing or another her circumstances changed and she was even considering sending him back to the RSPCA, but I couldn't let him go back, he is such a lovely dog, there is some evidence he has had a hard time in the past and considering what he may have been through he is really gaining trust in us and it would have been awful to send him back and lose everything he has gained in the last year.
I know rescue dogs aren't for everyone and everyone loves puppies but having Oscar has shown me that it is so rewarding to give a home to a lovely dog who just maybe hasn't had the right start in life.
Thanks again!

Hi
he probably hasn`t been allowed to meet / play with other dogs when young so he is unsure of what to do.
I would join a good training class - make sure it`s one run on positive lines that will let you take things slowly with him. A good class will let you sit with your dog quietly watching other dogs till he`s calm enough to join in.
Do loads of positive training to make his bond with you stronger and it will also increase his confidence. This will help.
Don`t force him to go near other dogs - keep a distance till he is calm then reward the calmness. You will find that as time goes on this distance will decrease.
This is a common problem with poorly brought-up dogs, but one that can be solved with patience.