My dog hates other dogs

[Silverotis]

I have just adopted a new dog. He is a Beagle X. He was starved and neglected before we got him. He actually looked more like a greyhound than a Beagle that is how skinny he was. The foster family that he was with said he was good with other dogs and that was the only requirement I had when I agreed to adopt him. I got him home and they had more than lied to me. He is very dominant and aggressive with other dogs. I stay calm when i am walking him. I recite my grocery list while we are going by other dogs just to stay calm and relaxed but it doesn't work the second he sees them his hair stands up and he is ready to fight. He is a jumper as well so he can clear a 4 foot fence without trying. He got out one day off leash and I almost puked I was so scared of him attacking another dog. What can I do he is rubbing off on our other dog and she is becoming aggressive as well. I am sad, I have never owned a dog for less than 14 years. They have always went everywhere with me and I feel like these dogs that I have now have no life because of their aggressive behavior. What do I do?

 

[SisMorphine]

Contact your rescue. It sounds like this is NOT the type of dog that you wanted. Sometimes this can happen as it can take rescue dogs a while to come out of their shell, especially if they had been starved and/or had health issues when immediately brought into rescue. Tell the rescue about WHY this isn't the dog for you, and don't hold anything back.

 

[Silverotis]

It is just so sad because he is great every other way. We have him on an agility course and he loves it. He plays with my kids and loves them. He loves to walk and run behind the bike. (I take him to a parking lot on the edge of town in the late evening) I even love it when he snuggles with me at the end of the day. My kids are getting to old for snuggles but I love them. I did contact the rescue society and they said oh ya we meant to tell you that he barks at other dogs but his bark is worse than his bite. I was shocked.

 

[SisMorphine]

Have you seen this dog offleash? Could it just be a leash aggression issue or do you think it's an aggression aggression issue.

 

[Silverotis]

No it is aggression aggression. The vet thought he was an intact male because of his cocky attitude. He is worse off leash you can tell he is just looking for a fight. He will run around the park looking for other dogs. I took him to the park before I knew he was aggressive. That is actually how I found out how aggressive he was. I contacted our local SPCA and one in the city by us hoping that I can get him into a behaviorist so they can train me and him. I am going to search for a couple more months before I give up on him and send him back.

 

[Tazwell]

Thanks for spending the time and resources on trying it out before returning him without a second thought He's lucky to have you for that. Is there a reason that he needs to be good with other dogs? If he's reactive, I'm sure you can train him to the point that he can ignore dogs he sees when on walks, and it won't be a problem. Just about any trainer can help you through that, depending on the severity. However, It doesn't mean that he will enjoy every dog he meets. If you can see a behaviorist, they should be able to give you a relatively good estimate as to where the training can take you