[nagdu] reactivity toward other dogs

[Danielle Sykora]

Hi all,

Recently, I have noticed my dog has started to become reactive around
certain dogs. Probably 95% of dogs we pass he ignores or is only
mildly distracted by; however, occasionally he reacts pretty strongly,
to the point where he is lunging and growling. I'm not completely sure
why he finds these specific dogs threatening all of the time, but I
have noticed he is more likely to react to a dog which is very vocal
and is either very close to the sidewalk or runs toward us (when there
is no fence. I was very surprised when this first happened because he
never showed any negative reactions toward dogs in the first few
months of our partnership. It seems as if he is becoming slightly
protective around other dogs now that we have actually developed a
bond.

I'm hoping to work on ignoring somewhat aggressive or hyperactive dogs
now that the weather is nice enough to find a lot of dogs outside.
Obedience, treats, and the Halti seem to work best with distractions.
I will contact my school if this issue persists but I figured it would
be helpful to hear your thoughts.

Danielle and Thai, who turned three today