Our yellow lab is 1.5 years old. While quirky and energetic, he is sweet and friendly as can be. At the off leash dog park near our house, people often comment that he is the friendliest dog in the park - to both humans and other dogs. He always has a big smile on his face and greets all comers. When off leash, any dog we encounter he trots up to with his tail wagging in the air and a big smile on his face. But...when on leash, he is with greater frequency taken to lunging and snarling and bearing his teeth to other passing dogs. Not all dogs, but there is no rhyme or reason to which ones he chooses to behave this way towards. It is happening with greater frequency and is a relatively newer behavior; he has not always done this. Has anyone else experienced this and suggestions as to how to deal with it? Thanks.
Hi there, welcome to the forum This isn't an uncommon problem in dogs, and it's often called 'leash reactivity'. Dog have quite a ritualised way of greeting each other, and it can be stressful for a dog on the lead to encounter another dog without being able to perform that ritual properly. Your dog might also be anxious because he knows he's not free to make decisions about how to handle a social interaction. You can read more about reactivity in dogs in this article. We usually overcome reactive behaviors by using counterconditioning to change how a dog feels about the trigger. The article has more information, and a force free trainer can help you get started. In the meantime, try to avoid walking him when/where other dogs are around, to prevent the problem getting worse. Good luck, and let us know how you get on! PS. I've deleted your duplicate thread, so that you'll get all your replies in one place!
Mason has the same problem but I can finally say that with lots of training it definitely gets better. Tips that I have found helpful are teaching the leave it command, avoiding high traffic dog walking areas, when you can’t avoid try to add distance from oncoming dogs, get your dogs attention as soon as you see an approaching dog, counter condition using lots of treats when he sees a dog. It definitely gets better but you definitely have to work at it. Good luck!
