Sisco....another book that might help you understand the concepts is Click to Calm, by Emma Parsons. She describes a desensatizing program, step by step, phase by phase. I have used these and like methods myself successfully. You can not start the dog way beyond his threshold, as Kayla and Dekka described. I recommend that you stay out of dog parks or other highy populated-by-dogs areas for now and find one or two friend's dogs, preferrably a couple that your dog likes all right to practice with if that's available ...if they'll help you. But when you go to someplace where there are loads of dogs up close, that is over-whelming for him and you can't work with him effectively that way. Once he's alerted and beginning to tense up and react, it's too late. You can't reach him. He's tuned you out. He can't help it. So you must find the distance, whether it's 100 ft, 200 ft or more where he can see the other dog, but not alert. That is where you want to try your starting place. There are other tricks explained in that book.
If done systematically, from well calculated distances and gradually, your dog can actually....instead of having that awful feeling that other dogs are going to take his treat (if that's what you mean is happening) your dog can come to learn that other dogs are good news because on account of their presence, he GETS treats.
It's true, everytime he reacts and manages to keep other dogs away, that reinforces his belief that the behavior works well to keep them away. He needs to have his mind changed that dogs are actually not a threat and in fact, "cause" good things to happen. I put cause in quotes because he "thinks" they cause good things to happen.
I agree that neutering sometimes makes a big difference in some dogs. It did in one of my GSDs and he was neutered a little on the late side. But it doesn't always in every individual. Sometimes those behaviors get so engrained in their brain, that even removing the hormones doesn't help because those neural pathways are so well formed. I don't know why it is effective in some dogs, but not others. But that's what I've noticed. It sure would be worth a try.
A poor early socialization history is indeed extremely difficult to work past, sometimes you never can if the pup missed out on ample socialization with other dogs between birth and 4-5 months.... and I agree that if he experienced other things which were initially alarming to him, but was able to bounce back right away, got use to things that initially alarmed him, then found out that they were okay after all, this process is probably doable, at least to some degree.
If done systematically, from well calculated distances and gradually, your dog can actually....instead of having that awful feeling that other dogs are going to take his treat (if that's what you mean is happening) your dog can come to learn that other dogs are good news because on account of their presence, he GETS treats.
It's true, everytime he reacts and manages to keep other dogs away, that reinforces his belief that the behavior works well to keep them away. He needs to have his mind changed that dogs are actually not a threat and in fact, "cause" good things to happen. I put cause in quotes because he "thinks" they cause good things to happen.
I agree that neutering sometimes makes a big difference in some dogs. It did in one of my GSDs and he was neutered a little on the late side. But it doesn't always in every individual. Sometimes those behaviors get so engrained in their brain, that even removing the hormones doesn't help because those neural pathways are so well formed. I don't know why it is effective in some dogs, but not others. But that's what I've noticed. It sure would be worth a try.
A poor early socialization history is indeed extremely difficult to work past, sometimes you never can if the pup missed out on ample socialization with other dogs between birth and 4-5 months.... and I agree that if he experienced other things which were initially alarming to him, but was able to bounce back right away, got use to things that initially alarmed him, then found out that they were okay after all, this process is probably doable, at least to some degree.