Ask the AKC Animal Behaviorist - My Dog Lunges and Growls at Other Dogs

May 5th 2010

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Director and Paw Nation's new expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has over 25 years of experience working with dogs and she is one of less than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of ten books including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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I hate to walk my dog because he always barks at the other dogs that pass by. Charlie's a very sweet, 6-year old, neutered corgi, but when other dogs come near, he starts pulling at his leash, snarling and barking. I yell "No!" and pull back on the leash, but that only mildly reins him in. He's never attacked another dog, but he does scare them and their owners. I don't know why he does this; he's nice to my friends' dogs when they come by. Do you have any advice to help make walk time less stressful?

There are a number of reasons a dog will lunge and bark at other dogs while on a leash. It sometimes happens if a dog is particularly aggressive, but this doesn't sound like your corgi, as you say that your dog is nice to your friends' dogs, suggesting that his problem is specifically with unfamiliar dogs. Other reasons a dog might behave this way could be fear, acting protective of its owner, wanting to play, or a lack of adequate socialization with other dogs.

You mention that you've tried an approach that involves corrections -- yelling "No!" and pulling on the leash -- and this hasn't worked for you. Don't worry, there really are ways to make walk time more fun. Below I've given several approaches to try to make life easier for you and Charlie.

1. Consider enrolling Charlie in a Canine Good Citizen class. Teaching your dog to react appropriately to other dogs is one of the core parts of this program and a class would give you and your corgi opportunities to practice and learn this skill with other dogs.

2. Another thing to try is to only move toward another dog if your dog is behaving acceptably. If he lunges and barks, turn around and go back in the opposite direction away from the other dog. When he settles down, you can turn him around and try again. I've had good success with this procedure.