I can see both sides of this having a sometimes dog aggresive dog and a wimp who loves everyone.
I did go to obedience classes and my Rottie x GSD done very well there during her puppy years. However quite a few dogs as they walked past her would nip at her and it made her quite nervy and then she started to bark at these. Also as we moved up a class and done our off lead stays a couple of dogs would suddenly occasionly get up and attack another dog as this was badly affecting my girl and I didn't want a big dog like her aggresive I left.
However since then she has had her tongue badly bitten by a border collie that lunged at her while she was sitting panting minding her own buisness and she has had a couple of staffys have a go at her so she has become dog aggresive unfortunatly to Border Collies and Staffies.
If a dog is friendly and doesn't growl, or nip at her then she is very friendly in return and will happily play.
She goes to agility now which is held outside and most of us know who we can mix our dogs safely with and who we can't.
I don't want to see any dog aggresive dogs banned as long as thier owners take resposibility and adequate precaution and face up to the fact thier dogs may nip or snap etc. So many i come accross say "Oh thier fine they won't hurt anyone" and the next minute they have a snap at your dog. This then sets my girl off and really annoys me. I am always honest about my girl as she is far from a saint and give other dogs a wide berth unless I know they are extremely friendly and won't pick on her and always warn new people unless thier dog is a real softy at all times to keep space between us.
Also the handlers of agressive dogs should be alert and aware at all times so thier dog does not have the chance to hurt or frighten another, if they can't be that and responsible to protect others from thiers they should not be there.
I do not take my girls temprement lightly and I want her to mix with as many really gentle friendly dogs as possible to give her positive associations with other dogs as she is only 15 months old and as I say won't hurt a gentle kind dog unless its a border collie or Staffy which after her experiences she is not willing to wait and find out if they will bite her or not. These breeds I keep my distance from at the club and ask owners to keep thier distance from me. Out walking its a different story it just seems many owners don't care and let thier off lead dogs run up to mine have a go and then when my girl, on lead, retaliates its her they moan at.
So basically I have no problems if space can be left so they don't worry another dog and the owner is alert and responsible to keep his dog from hurting or upsetting others and the trainer does not force dogs to be close to these agressive dogs. Aggresive dogs made my girl aggresive to some. I won't her allow her to carry on that chain to others.

I'm sitting on the fence..it's getting busy up here!!!!

I think there should be a limit of perhaps one dog aggressive dog per class and that dog should only be allowed to join in once it's had some one to one training with the trainer in the class.
I think that because to just put it in the class could make things worse...for everyone.
I think more than one dog aggressive dog per class is asking for trouble and isn't fair on anyone (including the dog aggressive dogs).
I've been in a stituation with a dog who was pretty perfect...not my doing, just his nature and there was a dog aggressive dog at one of his classes, which took a particular dislike to him.Not good. It put him off, he still was perfect, but I could tell he was nervous and unhappy. Not very fair on either of them asd the dog aggressive one was getting more and more wound up.

I think one per class and only after some training...as long as the trainer is experienced and competent...

Trouble is I have found that the worse dog aggresive ones that do the most damage are not the noisy ones but the ones who sit there sweetly and have a sly bite or jump forward and grab another dog silently.
These seem to go un noticed by many trainers unfortunatly as there is no display and often the owners don't even seem to notice what thier dogs just done they were so quick and its these that have made my girl the way she is.
But as I said earlier if another dog truly is friendly then she is just a big old softy with them and happily plays or stands with them without a murmer.

I've had reason to rethink the difference between a dog being aggressive and a dog being dominant today. How do we, or a trainer, know the difference with respect to dog training classes?

By asking the owner when and how the aggression started, observing the dog, [ in relation to the handler as well as other dogs ], and asking how the handler has dealt with various aspects at home and what the results have been :smt002

Sometimes its like getting a blood out of a stone especially if the owner did not recognise their dog developing issues if a slow build up from several instances of other dogs eyeing up to lunging at their own dog making it become insecure and fearful.
In other cases like Madmares dog it was very clear what the trigger was and her dog does has two distinct breed specific dislikes, [ seen this for myself at class and I would say its breed specific `concerns` more than dislike as she is absolutely not one to start anything but she is understandably `wary` of the two breeds ], so I know not to have her waiting in line with a Staffie on one side and a Collie on the other

A good measure actually, for people with an aggressive dog which they want to get in to classes [ obedience or whatever activity concerned ], is whether or not the trainers ask about the beginning of the aggression in the prospective students dogs.
If they dont ask about it, then they are not equipped or knowledgeable enough to help improve it imo, [ very generalised comment I know, but hopefully it gets across what I`m meaning there ].

My pup has fear aggression and is currently as some of you know embarking on a programme designed specifically for her. Once she has made progress with this she'll be participating in classes organised by her behaviourist (where there's a maximum of 8 dogs). But she'll also be joining sessions whereby the other participants are fully aware of her 'issues' and have agreed to be there to help her and us.

I absolutely agree that 'aggressive' dogs are given a chance to socialise but it should be under controlled situations. Perhaps normal classes where there isn't other support aren't the right environment and it could cause further problems.

Thanks Patch . Hmm dislike of certain breeds - I can relate to that!

Which brings me onto a question, which I'll post somewhere else.

As long as the owner has control over their dog, I don't have a problem with it (mainly because I have a semi leash aggressive dog myself). People with 'aggressive' dogs take them to obedience classes for socializing in a controlled environment a lot of times. Obedience classes helped Tango and I immensely...not that she was highly aggressive to begin with but she was a bit. If the dog truly is very aggressive and the owner is having a difficult time controlling it, then I'd rather that dog be put into private or small group lessons (maybe 3 dogs max.) but other than that I think any dog should be allowed in obedience classes.

It rather concerns me that some owners bring their aggressive dogs into a training class to 'socialize' them when the help that the dog needs to overcome its aggression is counter-conditioning or desensitization, not socialization. In a class situation rarely is the time or space available to begin a desensitization program let alone help the dog and handler right through it. Even the important task of eliciting details from the owner of what, when, how, why, who, can itself be a major, time-consuming exercise as it is vital that nothing be overlooked.

Very often placing a dog that has aggressive tendencies (for whatever reason) into a necessarily confined area, be it inside or out, with other dogs raises its stress levels and serves only to increase its reactivity.

I totally agree, especially as most people who attend training classes aren't expecting "aggresive" dogs to attend.