Sudden Aggression Towards Other Dogs

[cococabana]

Hi all! We've had our girl Coco for 4 months now. She's 3 years old and an ex-racer. She's settling in well - super affectionate, has started playing with toys and air snapping/barking when she wants to play, coat is healthier etc. 

One thing we've noticed over the last few weeks is when we're out on walks with her and other dogs are either passing or approaching to say hi, she growls at them and sometimes lunges and barks.

Big dogs or small dogs, it doesn't matter  She did this to a Pitbull puppy today and we're a little worried it's becoming a habit. She didn't act like this up until now, maybe 1 in 5 dogs she might have reacted to with a little growl but now it feels like real aggression at most dogs.  

Is this to do with mood or could this become a permanent behaviour? We were going to wait until 6 months in until we took her to some training classes but I wonder if we should do it now? She's a very sweet dog otherwise and absolutely adores people. 

[Onyfalk]

Have you tried distracting her as you approach other dogs? Usually I can just put myself between my girl and the other dog and try to keep her attention. If I sense trouble I call my girl to me for a treat so that her tail is towards the other dog. She will even let them sniff if bribed/fussed sufficiently and not on a tight lead.

We are working one to one with a trainer but his advice is to avoid other dogs and continue obedience training which doesn't help in the short term. 

Watching this thread with interest as I would love to see my girl getting on with other dogs.

[BatterseaBrindl]

I know it's hard to find training classes these days so you'll need to practice your 'watch me' and 'leave it'  skills at home where there are no distractions.  Use the best treats ever!  

Patricia McConnell has an excellent booklet 'Feisty Fido' that has some excellent suggestions.

I know others will chime in with other suggestions.

[HeyRunDog]

Dogs take their signals on how to react to other dogs from the person on the other end of the lead. If you react when you see another dog by altering how you are walking and tightening the lead they'll think there's trouble ahead and go into defence mode. Keep walking as if you haven't seen the other dog, keep the lead slack and talk calmly to your hound about anything that comes into your head. Don't forget to praise and or a treat once you've passed each other.

Where I live most dog owners shout a cheery greeting to each other when we pass. This also helps to signal to the dogs that there is no threat there.

[greysmom]

It's called "leash reactivity" and it's pretty common.   It's an expression of anxiety and NOT aggression.  As said above, there's a great training booklet out by Patricia McConnell called "Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash Reactive Dog" that many people have found very helpful.  

It's also helpful to remember that greyhounds have likely never had *any* exposure to other dog breeds prior to being adopted.  They don't understand that other dogs are dogs like them, and they don't recognize them at all.  The other dogs they meet don't respond properly and don't speak their language.  This causes some to have a high level of anxiety when they encounter other dogs whilst out and about.

Your girl is settling into her new home finally and more and more of her true personality is beginning to emerge, along with her feelings of anxiety over these weird other creatures.  

Distraction and redirection, along with lots of yummy treats, will get you started.  If you know some people with calm dogs of other breeds, walking *together* (everybody going the same way instead of head on meetings) can be helpful to get her used to being around other dogs.  Start with dogs her size, and see how she does before walking with smaller or larger breeds.

Be aware that she may never be super chummy with dogs that aren't greyhounds.  Some will work through it and some won't, and the best you can hope for is for her to tolerate meeting and being around other breeds without being reactive.

[cococabana]

All of the advice so far has been great and Coco has been a lot better. We have a session booked with a trainer who specializes in helping greyhounds adjust to home life so hoping that will help too! Will update with any advice she gives. 

Remaining relaxed and not changing my behaviour when passing other dogs has helped -- didn't even realize I was subconsciously tightening the lead or getting anxious. She's also been getting used to being around my boyfriend's parents' retriever and terrier. She seems to just tolerate them for now but that's all we really want as long she's relaxed