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

I haven't read your other posts, so I may be missing some info. Having a dog that you cannot control is very dangerous - for you and the dog. Especially if it is a big, strong dog.  You can go down real easy and cause serious injury.  The fact that he seems friendly with these dogs is good, but just because he's friendly doesn't mean the other dog is.

I did find the harness better for MY control, but did not lessen the behaviour.  I know a few people on the board  use or have used  a pinch collar. I never had, so I can't really comment. I don't think anyones 'likes' using them but for safety reasons it's been effective. Just a thought?

yeah the harness definitly helped on our walks today, it was way easier for me to control her and it did help a little with the behavior because i was able to pull her along and pull her entire body/chest rather then her neck (and possibly slipping out of the collar again)

I wonder if something like a small little zapper would help control the behavior? ive seen someone use it before for his dog, but im not sure how effective it is? like hold a remote in my hand and have it attached to the dogs collar and give them a little zap when they start to be too concerned with the other dog. maybe it will help them corespond that behavior with someing negative?

 NO!!!!!!!

Shocking a dog who is "attacking" another dog will often cause the dog to get worse. The more pain you put on a dog who is engaging in that behavior, the more it associates other dogs with pain. 

Systematic desensitization is your best bet.

Please don't use an electronic collar on a dog in this scerario.  I would recommend a one on one consultation with a trainer qualified to show you how to teach your dog how to react at the sight of another dog.  If you punish a dog for his normal reaction of wanting to greet other dogs you may very well may create a dog who associates other dogs with pain and this you don't want.  You want your dog to consider the sight of an oncoming dog as the greatest thing in the world.  It won't happen overnight and requires committment on your part to teach your dog a new way to behave. 

jennie_c_d

NO!!!!!!!

Shocking a dog who is "attacking" another dog will often cause the dog to get worse. The more pain you put on a dog who is engaging in that behavior, the more it associates other dogs with pain. 

Amen.  I have no qualms using e-collars appropriately but in this scenario I wouldn't be surprised if the dog whirled around bit the owner.

Honestly there is no tool that is going to fix/correct this.  A tool is just something for better control.  It's going to take a lot of time and patience and effort, both desensitizing the dog and also building a neutral or more positive association with passing the other dogs.

The no-pull harness is a good tool but not really intended for this.  For one the dog can easily slip it.  Two, I think it's intended more for general pulling and training the loose leash walk, which are training issues, than dealing with dog reactivity, which is a behavior issue.

Liesje

Amen.  I have no qualms using e-collars appropriately but in this scenario I wouldn't be surprised if the dog whirled around bit the owner.

Absolutely. Attention training, in a quiet environment, and strict NILIF (to gain focus) would be my first steps. I would never allow the dog to engage in this behavior, literally. 

Ok well I'm definitly not getting one,i just thought id throw an idea out there (because like i said i saw someone with it once and they said thats how they used it)

My dog is definitly not in "attack" mode eaither.. its more like "doggy doggy i want to play come meet with me noooww!" i definitly don't want to be making the situation worse either so I am just looking for steps that are headed in the correct direction to help the problem over time.

I definitly understand it will take time and patience, and we work on it every day...

so what exactly would be a scenerio for systematic desensitization? And what is negative reinforcement?

what is the best way to act/respond when aproaching and oncoming dog and my dog already has it in sight?

I usually just do the "no" "lets go" "com on" and pull them along...

 I use the gentle leader on my dog.  It helps tremendously when passing other dogs.  I am very careful not to hurt my dog's neck.  I did use the pinch collar for a short period of time.  It was recommended by a trainer.  Unfortunately it just fell off at the park (when she was relaxed and not pulling).  She took off.  I would never trust it again.  Especially since hearing that yes, they can fall off. 

Yes the pinch collar can break apart or fall off, though I've never seen it happen when fitted corretly using a good quality one.  If I'm worried that it will happen, I also use a fursaver or slip collar and attach the lead to both.  I think most of the times they fall off are either because they are not fitted properly (too loose and/or the prongs are too large), the quicksnap breaks, or the owner always takes the prong off by pinching the same link and over time that link changes shape.

mydog4ever

My dog is definitly not in "attack" mode eaither.. its more like "doggy doggy i want to play come meet with me noooww!"

One method that reeeeally worked for Honor was a combination of clicking and treating for calm behavior, and by removing her from what she desired when she lost control.  We practiced this a lot whenever we went to Petsmart or another place where you'd very likely run into another dog.  As we walked toward the dog, I would keep a close eye on her, gauging her excitment and her threshold level.  When she was calm while we approached the other dog, I would c&t her frequently to reinforce that THIS state is a good one to be in.  If she started to get too revved up, I would immediately turn around and go in the opposite direction (away from what she desired).  Wash, rinse, repeat.  Even if the two of you only get within 25 feet of the other dog the first time, that's ok, with consistent training maybe you'll get within 24 feet of the next dog.  And closer and closer.  Don't get discouraged, desentization can be a long process for some dogs.  Honor happened to pick up on this quick, especially since the c&ting made the calm behavior super clear. And of course, the ultimate reward for her was being able to interact with the other dog.

The reason why I stress the observance of the threshold is that I found with Honor that if she crossed that line from "OMG so excited!" to "AGHHHHHHH MUST PLAY NOW!!!!!!!!!! AGGGGGHHHHH!", that she could not even listen to a word I was saying, so at that point any training I wanted to do was null and void.  If I removed us from the siutation before she got into a tizzy, she seemed to be able to take that in, like "Ok, light bulb, when I go nuts, the dog goes away" (if dogs could talk, lol).

Like others have suggested, desentization will be your best option.  I'm a big fan of clicker training, as my dogs respond very well to it, and I find that it makes training extremely clear to the dog, which usually speeds things up.  If you're not comfortable with it, even employing a marker, such as "YES!" - then treat, could be very helpful to you.  Just remember to reward the behavior you want, and to be observant of whether or not your dog is still actively involved with you and the training.

Good luck!  I know how frustrating this kind of behavior can be, but it's SO rewarding when your dog can approach others calmly!

 Have you ever done a basic obedience class? That sounds like a great place to start.

jennie_c_d

Shocking a dog who is "attacking" another dog will often cause the dog to get worse. The more pain you put on a dog who is engaging in that behavior, the more it associates other dogs with pain. 

Even when i agree a shock collar it's not necessary for this, the above statememt is not how dogs relate corrections with other dogs on the street. The dog's brain will never make this association because in nature for you to hurt me you have to touch me first. There is not "pain by distance" association, i use leash corrections with my dog when he is paying too much attention to another one on the street and my dog has never become aggressive towards them. He knows that he should ignore them instead.

 What do you mean grunting? As soon as you see an approaching dog, put her in a sit-stay and treat until the dog passes. Or change direction, if she can't behave maybe a strict NILIF protocol will work. Start at home. All this is my opinion.