Lead Aggression

We rehomed Scooby, a two-year-old Deerhound-Greyhound cross six months ago, and we are pleased with the way he has settled down with our other Lurcher, Honey. However, we do have a couple of issues that are now becoming problems.
When Scooby is running free he plays happily with most of the dogs we meet, but when he is on a lead he will bark at any approaching dogs and will lunge at them if they walk past sounding really aggressive. In turn this starts Honey off and ends up with them both getting so fired up that they turn on each other, which is horrible as they usually get on so well together.
We are becoming very upset about this problem as I am sure everyone is starting to think that Scooby is aggressive when really he is so friendly. We have tried being stern with him, but because he is so strong I am finding it harder than my husband to control him and I'm not enjoying our walks at all.
He also goes absolutely mad when he sees a cat and I just can't seem to control the situation. I would appreciate any help.
Therese Taylor, by email

Carol Price, trainer and behaviourist, says...
Goodness me, I can understand your concern, as nobody wants to spend dog walks -which should essentially be a pleasurable activity - feeling and looking more like a cross between a lion tamer and a water skier!
The behaviour you describe in Scooby clearly stems from the frustration of being restrained on a lead and not able to properly interact with other dogs he passes. This in turn gets externalized into the aggressive behaviour which then sets Honey off. It is also likely your own response to this e.g. tensing when other dogs approach, tugging on the lead or shouting has made the problem even worse.
You desperately need more help with the training and handling of your dogs. You could start by fitting Scooby with a headcollar device—if you haven’t already done so—like a Halti or Gentle Leader. This should immediately make it that much easier to control him.
Thereafter, rather than just becoming heated and upset when your dogs kick off, you need to teach them alternative ways of reacting instead when other dogs approach and pass by - like the ‘sit and watch me’ exercise - in return for really tasty treats and praise. Begin teaching this exercise first where there are no other dogs around to distract yours. Only when this exercise is well trained in, use it when passing other dogs.
You will also have to learn to far better anticipate when your dogs are just about to kick off, and get in there quick to give them an alternative ‘calming’ command before they do so.
A good trainer should show you how to do all this, and also be able to organize other owners and dogs to help you. Such helpers should have calm, non-reactive dogs and keep walking past and around Scooby and Honey while you teach them calmer ways to behave. Ideally this should be done in the context of your normal walks, and not in some indoor training hall, which is a somewhat artificial atmosphere.
Unfortunately owners like yourself can so often get caught in a Catch 22-type trap, in that the more their dogs get frustrated and lunge/bark at others, the more other owners and their dogs will avoid them. This then greatly limits the quantity and quality of their interactions with their own kind, as well as their chance to learn better ways of behaving around them.
When owners start getting tense, distressed or angry at their dogs’ behaviour towards other dogs, this can also quickly escalate the problem, leading to negative/hostile associations with other dogs, in their own dogs’ minds, that were not there before.
For all these reasons, as I said, it is very important to find yourself a good trainer/behaviourist who can teach you how to handle your dogs that much better in these kind of scenarios, as well as show them how to be more confident and calmer in the presence of their own kind.
If you cannot find a good one locally, try any of the following organisations: The UK Registry of Canine Behaviourists: 01535 635290, www.ukrcb.org or Association of Pet Dog Trainers: 01285 810811, www.apdt.co.uk.

Vivian Silverstein, COAPE Association of Behaviourists and Trainers, says…
This is actually a very common problem. Re-directed aggression is often the result of frustration when a dog cannot approach another dog fast enough or is apprehensive about being on a lead, unable to run for safety. Without a thorough assessment of the dogs concerned I would hesitate to say which of the above is causing the problem.
When a dog is off lead he is very much able to move towards or away from other dogs freely. Nor is his body language inhibited by any owner interactions and use of lead. Therefore he feels more in control of a situation and is more able to deal with it calmly.
I would recommend that you fit both dogs with a Gentle Leader. This will help to calm the dogs and prevent them lunging. This should help to prevent the re-directed aggression. Also I recommend you enroll on a good clicker training class, which should help you to use appropriate skills to reinforce any good behaviour increasing the likelihood of it being repeated. Most good classes will include 'Meet N Greet' which shows you how to deal with your dog in these very situations.
You are likely to be up against genetic 'hard wiring' regarding his reaction to cats. His breed type could mean that he just can't help himself from reacting as he does, but you can learn to manage the problem to a degree with the training.

Gail Gwesyn-Pryce, Dogs Today Advisor
This is a very common problem when dogs are on the lead. They are not able to exhibit normal body postures which can then be misconstrued by another dog. This is generally made even worse by the handler's reactions. Going to a good training school (or having one-to-one training) to teach the dog how to concentrate on you as YOU are in control will help. Dogs off-lead will never approach head-on, yet when on-lead we are constantly asking them to do this.
When training a new dog you need to have it away from your other dog until you can control the behaviour, then work with the two together. However, if the older dog has also not been trained to a good standard then you also need to work on her too individually. It sounds like the older dog is taking over trying to control the new dog because she knows that you are not able to.
In the meantime you need to avoid the incidences that are creating the problems as otherwise they will only get worse - try and walk the dogs at a distance they are comfortable with then other dogs are around.