pulling, barking, grunting, growling when passing other dogs!

I am starting to do the "go in the other direction" when the behavior becomes to elevated. Though, she still tries to look back over her shoulder, we just head in the other direction.

I've tried the sit-stay-treat as the other dog passes, but that doesn't even work anymore, I can't break/keep her concentration. Its very frustrating, becuase we do attend obedience classes, and she pays perfect attnetion to me in the class even with other dogs around.

What is a strict NILIF protocol?

 Nothing In Life Is Free. Your dog has to work to get to do the things she likes. Dogs need boundaries, just like kids. She doesn't tell you, you tell her.

I would just Google NILIF.  The basic principles behind it are that your dog has to work for anything good.  Like, having your dogs sit-stay before you set the bowl of dinner down, or having them down before throwing the toy.  Really any kind of trick or exercise works, just as long as you ask the dog to do it before you dispense the reward. 

mydog4ever

I've tried the sit-stay-treat as the other dog passes, but that doesn't even work anymore, I can't break/keep her concentration. Its very frustrating, becuase we do attend obedience classes, and she pays perfect attnetion to me in the class even with other dogs around.

And real life is much more exciting and stressful than a classroom setting.  Don't focus too much on how good she is in class, as in a class setting usually all the dogs are pretty focused on their handlers. But out on a walk, your pup is receiving and reacting to all sorts of signals of interest/play/curiosity etc. from other dogs that are much more compelling to her.  Keep working in tiny increments, desentisizing.  If you're consistent and make sure not to up criteria too fast, you should start to see improvement.

And if the change in direction works, keep it up!  Do you reward her when she refocuses attention on you, or when she stops trying to pull in the opposite direction?

 You need to turn around BEFORE the behavior elevates. Do not allow her to practice this undesirable behavior. Have you been to an obedience class? It sounds like some help from a set of outside eyes would be extremely helpful. It helped me, a LOT, to have a trainer handle my dog, so I could see exactly what was going on.

You mentioned that your dog had been somewhat fearful. If so, it makes sense that she's calmer in classes, because class is a "known environment", expected behavior is clear, the unknowns (and surprises) are few ... thus, a fearful dog can relax and develop confidence. On the street, with a revolving cast of characters, everything is new, and there are lots of surprises your dog may feel she needs to "manage."

Keep up the good start on eliminating opportunities for your dog to become so excited that you can't control him. You can move closer to other dogs when she shows he can handle it. Infiniti's advice about counter-conditioning is excellent. Put in the time, learn to read your dog's early arousal signs. I found it helpful, at first, when my dog was super squirmy, to get her physically turned away from the other dog, and get her attention on me. NILIF will help you establish a "look to mom/dad" default in your dog. But don't stop there ...

Something that worked brilliantly for my dog was daycare. If the daycare is run and staffed well, it's an excellent place for a fearful/unsocialized dog to learn to socialize properly. Much better than a dog park. A good daycare gives the dog loads of monitored playtime - which means lots of opportunities to learn to do it right. If you choose to try this, be up front about your dog's behavior, and interview the people running the place so you know they will provide your dog with awesome experiences.

(ps, I read in your profile that she's is a shepherd/heeler mix, so's mine. They tend to have rough play styles, so the more she can learn to cool it, from other dogs, in controlled settings, the better. Be careful when leading her away from her rush towards other dogs that you aren't gruff, hard, or negative, you don't want to mistakenly teach her that you fear other dogs, or that they are bad, you simply want her to tone down her behavior, and defer to you - keep your voice soft and up beat. Make it about sticking with you, not about avoiding other dogs.)
 

I'm curious how YOU react to the other dogs you see.  Now that you know your dog is reactive, do you tense up, pull the leash tight, somehow convey to her that there's a reason to get overly excited?

My dog had mild reactivity issues when I first got her and they got worse after a couple dogs attacked her (one was off leash, the other the guy brought over to meet her while we were talking to someone and his dog was NOT friendly).  I found I was getting really tense as soon as I saw a dog, pulling the leash up tight and speeding up, which was a signal for her to look around and find what it was that she should get excited about.

Like your dog, she's not aggressive.  She wants to greet.  BADLY.

I've made a conscious decision to relax, to talk quietly to her when I see another dog, I've been saying "sloooooow" or "relaaaaax" in a very low, quiet, calm, voice.  And instead of reacting, she usually looks at the other dog, looks interested, but continues on her way.  She still has her moments (usually if the other dog starts going nuts), but in general she's MUCH better.

So while you're focusing on her reactions, you might also try to hone in on your own and see if they might be making the problem escalate.

 I would say no to a shock collar for the same reasons mentioned above.  I would say no to a pinch collar for the same reasons. 

I doubt very much that dogs think: "ow! my neck hurt when that other dog appeared, he must have bit me!".  More likely they make the association that the appearance of other dogs makes their neck hurt and therefore they dread other dogs and try to drive them away.  At the moment, it sounds like a friendly (if uncontrolled and frustrated) display - apply pain to the situation and it could well become an aggressive display.   If she is actually lunging on the end of the lead, then a check chain or prong collar could really hurt her, and do serious damage.

A big fat YES to NILIF

You are bang on target by moving away when other dogs are around, but you need to move away EARLY, before the behaviour starts, so that you can reward her for good focus, and, hopefully carry on rewarding her!  In time, her "safe distance" will decrease.

Another thing you can try is enlisting the help of a friend or trainer who has a socially sound dog.  If she really WANTS to meet and greet that dog, she can learn that the only way to make that happen is to control herself and be polite and calm.  If she manages to stay calm and keep listening to you, then you gradually move closer.  The moment she doesn't listen, or becomes tense, excited..... turn around smartly and move away and don't let the inappropriate behaviour start.  You need to "read" her quite well for this to work - you need to see the moment it's going to all start unravelling and act quickly to avoid her repeating the unwanted behaviour.  Every repetition is "practise" and make sit more likely she will do the same thing again.  If she is actually fearful and would rather the dogs were not in "her space" then this is NOT a good idea, because you are effectively punishing her for behaving as you want her to.  So it's important to really have a handle on why she is acting this way, because it's easy to get wrong - get a trainer on board to help you and make sure that you are reading her signals correctly.

How you act is very important when you see another dog.  Keep the lead loose, keep your tone of voice calm and light and keep your pulse rate down!  Straighten your spine, put your shoulders back and walk tall.  Place yourself BETWEEN your dog and the other dog - this is pretty universal body langauage for, "I've got it under control and I am checking it out".  Essentially, it is your JOB to check stuff out - see if it's friendly or threatening and what the next course of action should be.  

crysania

I'm curious how YOU react to the other dogs you see.  Now that you know your dog is reactive, do you tense up, pull the leash tight, somehow convey to her that there's a reason to get overly excited?

crysania

I've made a conscious decision to relax, to talk quietly to her when I see another dog, I've been saying "sloooooow" or "relaaaaax" in a very low, quiet, calm, voice.