Terrible agility session.. snarling and lunging

Took Kestral to agility for the second week tonight.
She was ok when we first entered and said hello to a lab but a minute later a cockerpoo from last week came in, and all of a sudden she started growling and lunging at it.

After that she went in to a mad frenzy snarling and lunging at every dog, and then barking at people.

I have no idea what caused it. I left the class after 2 rounds as I didn't want her to practice the behavior. I sadly don't think I'll be going back as it obviously stresses her out.

The only things I can think of as triggers are
1) I think the bitch was due in season (although proceeded to snap at every other dog)
2) She was probably nervous in a new setting (although was ok last week)
3) She got a bit grouchy at the GSD puppy yesterday who would not stop grabbing her trying to play

Would you put it down to nerves? How should I go about testing how she is with dogs on walks tomorrow?
Or should I let her calm down for a couple of days.

I know she can be bad around people, but its been getting better and I have never ever seen her like this around dogs.
Advice appreciated, am feeling a bit demoralised

Is it training indoors?

I won't train indoors as in my opinion, it's too close proximity to have a bunch of excited dogs

Yes it was in a large sand arena place.
She was ok last week thats the strange thing, and she is ok in an indoor church hall training class

Wonder if she just got spooked by something, or another dog's conversation with her?

Bless her (and bless you)

If she were mine, I'd be tempted to go back next week to see if it was just a one off, but if not, then I wouldn't want to go again.

I don't know what it was, just stressful to see behavior like this from her.

I can see your point about going back, but I guess in reality perhaps agility was more for me, and I need to accept she's a sensitive dog and these things are going to be stressful for her.

I just hope this doesn't happen out in parks, I dont think I could deal with it!

I wouldn't be able to take Harley into an indoor agility situation as it would stress him out too much too.

At least if it happens in parks, she has a bigger escape route, so shouldn't be as bad as in a confined space.

Oh I am sorry
Agility can be quite a charged environment for dogs, excitment, running about, new things, new dogs and all in close proximity

Would the class let you go but just observe from a quiet corner??
Or take a few private lessons so she gets to understand what fun agility equipment can be without the stress of other dogs there

I deff found the first lessons are the worst as the dogs dont really know what is going on and there is zoomies and badly behaived dogs. After a few weeks they begin to focus on the agility and less on the other dogs

You know your dog best. I would see how you feel she is tomorow, if you feel she needs a day or so to drop the stress levels then keep things quiet, then see how she is with dogs/people in a calmer environment

You may be right that agility isnt for her, be again who knows, I doubt I will ever get Mia in a comp - but she has now pretty much decided that dogs at agility are nice and dont need her shouting at them - last week the big GSD she has had some nasty fights with in the past walked right infront of her - and she was happily wagging her tail

Thanks both. I can see why indoor group agility can be stressful.

Its just so strange because she did agility before just under a year ago indoors, and was good last week. She is generally ok with most of the equipment, and I thought she reasonably enjoyed it.
I just dont think I can cope with the potential that it could onset MORE behavior issues so I'm not sure its worth the risk for me
I am just so worried that she will behave this way around dogs again now.. I am so hoping it was isolated to that location but I just dont know given her temperament.

Oh dear! Know exactly how you feel as I used to do agility with Cherry and some days I used to go home in tears!

She was like that little girl in the poem-"When she was good she was very very good and when she was bad she was horrid"

When we had a competition with all the various level classes in (after she had only been doing agility for 6 months) she can 3rd out of everybody so she could be really good.

I gave up in the end as I realised that although she was brilliant at it it wasn't a good environment for her reactivity with other dogs charging about and stressing her.

It culminated in the last lesson we had when she decided she was not going to do the jump but she was going to go and "sort out" the Parson JRT who was staring at her and even though she was muzzled what happened was that the owner picked his Parson JRT up to stop it biting Cherry and it accidentally bit his thumb

I really couldn't cope with any more after that but I am sure your experience can't be as bad! (can it?)

Thanks, that does sound like agility with cherry was rather stressful!

The reason I'm so stressed by it is that she has never shown any DA previously so I just hope this isn't something that will happen again

Seems that agility isn't for every dog eh?!