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Aggressive Behavior- HELP!

Hello!  I am at a loss as to what to do with my 2 year old Shih-Tzu.  He is our 2nd dog; the eldest is an 8-year-old Shih-Tzu who is a mellow, loving, friendly dog, and they get along great.  My 2-year-old is a great dog- full of energy, very playful, and is great with people (though a little excitable).  Our only problem- but it's a major one- is that he is terrible with other dogs.  I initially thought it had to do with having him on the leash for some reason, as every time we take him for a walk, if he sees another dog, he goes crazy.  We cannot let him near another dog because he has bitten another dog before.  He barks, growls, and sounds like a wild animal- so embarrassing! There are many other dogs in our area, so we encounter this daily.   Last week, he jumped out of the car after we parked in the driveway, and ran across the street and bit our neighbor's dog.  It's a good thing he's small, but this is still a big problem for us.  He never bothers his "brother" at home.  He was neutered at about 1 year old, and was just slightly aggressive before that, but he was usually okay once he was around other dogs after sniffing them for a minute. We even had friends over with their dog and they played wonderfully.  Now I am embarrassed to take him out, and we don't want to just let him at another dog in hopes that he won't bite!  Can anybody possibly tell me how to fix this nightmare?  Thanks!
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931697 tn?1246242383
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Dogs that are aggressive to other dogs usually require quite a bit of work, and it would be best if you could find someone to work with you in person.  Check certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com and veterinarybehaviorists.org to find someone near you.
Do NOT work with anyone who tells you this is a "dominance" problem.  
A good resource is Patricia McConnell's book "Feisty Fido - help for the leash aggressive dog" which you can find at     http://sn.im/oc4ib

To better manage your dog I would suggest a Snoot Loop (www.SnootLoop.com)  or Gentle Leader (available at most pet stores)  when you walk him, and a Calming Cap  ( you can find this at http://helpingfido.com/trainingaid-calming-cap.htm)

These 2 pieces of equipment should help him be less agitated (calming cap) and allow you with proper use of your leash and head collar turn him in the other direction, away from the dog.

You can also see if you can find a place where you can sit down with him and watch other dogs from a distance using this training equipment and pair the presence of another dog with a goodie for him.  You can see that your dog is not lunging by sitting on the leash so that he must remain more or less stationary while he gets the treats.  If he isn't interested in the treats and continues to bark, growl, etc. then you have to find an easier starting point.   These are counter conditioning and desensitization techniques, and you can learn more about how to implement them with our DVD which you can find here
http://animalbehaviorassociates.com/mp3-counter-conditioning.htm

Hopefully that gives you some resources to start with
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
Thank you so much for the answer(s)! I will be contacting somebody soon.  This is not only embarrassing but I feel like he's missing out on a lot by not being able to play with other dogs.   I have an aunt with a feisty terrier, and she uses a gentle leader as well, and tells me it works great.   Will try that, too.   Thanks!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I have used Gentle Leader in many many cases and had great success!!  
Helpful - 0

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