If you have a social, yet frustrated dog, simply turn and walk him away from the source until he is calm and only allow him to greet when the leash is loose. Do not punish a dog that lunges on the leash for any reason, especially if the cause of the behavior is insecurity, which is the case for most dogs.
Turn to Treats to Distract. In the meantime, start decreasing your dog's frustration when he's on leash and spies another dog by removing the tension from your leash. To do that, you're going to teach your dog that when he sees another dog, he'll be rewarded for looking at you.
Most dogs don't want to fight, so they display a number of behaviors designed to prevent it. These distance-increasing behaviors includes barking, lunging, or growling — anything to make the threat go away.
Dogs who may normally be friendly with other dogs can sometimes become reactive and aggressive when attached to a leash. This behavioral trait, known as leash aggression or leash reactivity, is most frequently triggered by fear or frustration, although a high prey drive can lead to aggression when leashed as well.
Leash aggression is solved by a strategy called desensitization and counter-conditioning, which is trainer-speak for reducing your dog's reaction to the offending trigger (other dog, bike or cat), gaining your dog's attention and training a new behavior instead.
Is training an aggressive dog possible? Yes. Aggression in dogs, whether it be toward a dog's owner or other dogs, is a serious behavior that should be adjusted with the help of a professional dog trainer.
If the dog has a reactive behavior, it means you moved too close too fast. Don't punish; simply turn around and calmly walk back to the beginning to start the process again. Continue to reward them when they look at you instead of at the stimulus. Reacting anxiously or punishing your dog will undo your hard work.
Reactive behaviors usually crop up in adolescence around 6 to 18 months of age and tend to get worse as the dog reaches social maturity around 2 or 3 years of age. Your pup will not “grow out of” this behavior.
If his growl doesn't mean a bite is imminent, stop what you're doing but stay where you are. Wait until he relaxes, then move away, so you're rewarding the relaxed behavior rather than the growl.
Don't Punish Growling
Hopefully, you now recognize that you should never correct growling. It's either benign or a symptom of stress in your dog. If you punish your dog for growling, you will only inhibit growling. You won't have done anything to address the underlying issue.
If you punish a growl with a reprimand, you are adding something unpleasant on top of an already unpleasant feeling, which will only make your dog feel worse. If instead, you teach your dog to look forward to the things he was previously afraid of, your dog will stop needing to growl! Happy Training!
Reactive dogs become overly aroused by common stimuli. They may lunge, bark and growl, becoming so preoccupied with whatever is triggering the emotion that they can be difficult to control and move out of the situation. A reactive dog is usually a fearful dog.
Aggression in dogs commonly includes body language or threat displays such as a hard stare, growling, barking, snarling, lunging, snapping, and/or biting. Aggression can be a normal form of communication in dogs, yet the display of aggression toward a person or animal is often considered undesirable or problematic.
The most common reasons dogs growl are fear, possession aggression, territoriality, and pain. Some dogs also growl when playing. Play growling is often seen when two dogs are having a safe, healthy play session. In this case, the growling does not necessarily indicate aggression.
Best case scenario if you growl at your dog — you'll get his attention because you've made a novel noise. Worst case scenario – you'll get bitten in the face. I used another example to illustrate the fact that growling at your dog is not only silly, but dangerous advice.
Most dogs assume a neutral or submissive role toward people, but some dogs will challenge their owners for dominance. A dominant dog may stare, bark, growl, snap, or even bite when you give him a command or ask him to give up a toy, treat, or resting place.
Lead Walking Training
Hold the lead in your left hand and treats in your right hand. Use the treats to lure your dog round to your right-hand side so they are standing, facing the same direction as you. The lead should be crossing over your body and held loosely with your left hand only. Feed them a treat.
To be assertive without being aggressive or dominating, you need to understand your dog. Communicate with him so he knows what is expected of him – such as not jumping up on people when greeting them – then praise him for complying.”
Social aggression usually develops in dogs between one to three years of age. It's important to realize that the complexities involved in social aggression are poorly understood and hotly debated by behavior experts.