Angry Border Terrier

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timleese1

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Hi can anyone help please?
I have a 5 year old male Border Terrier, over the last six months when on the lead he has become very aggressive towards other dogs, snarling, raised heckles and showing his teeth. When off the lead he is friendly and plays, when in the house he is loving and like to sleep across my lap. We have my 13 year old daughter in the house and a cat which he both loves to play with and to have attention from.
Please can any forum members help with any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
 
Hopefully someone will come along with some good advice but I think it’s important to mention he’s doing this because he feels threatened when on a lead. Has something happened to worry him? I think dogs tend to make things so much bigger in their mind than they need to be when they’ve had a fright, especially terriers.

My sisters dog is very similar but he wasn’t socialised too well as a puppy before she got him. If only he’d realise it’s counter productive because he’s more likely to attract trouble by being so aggressive! He has improved though and this is becaise she never puts him in a position where he feels the need to defend himself. If a dog is coming straight towards her she’ll turn and go a different way or cross the road with a cheery voice to her dog “Come on, this way”. without giving him time to be aggressive. He was awful with black dogs in any circumstance but has overcome this with the same method. He’ll also now accept walking behind a dog if he’s on a lead so I think it’s a case of not putting any pressure on him and letting him decide for himself that it’s not so scary. Like yours, he’s very good off lead but I think that’s because he knows he can get away from trouble if he needs to.
 
I hoped someone more knowledgable would answer this. Has something happened to make him get defensive? I think Maleeka's advice is spot on, distract and avoid.
 
If he's that age and it's only come on recently I'd get him to the vet.
Might be a pain issue, maybe straining against the lead is causing him discomfort and it has created a bad association.
 
BTs are quite sensitive dogs and IME tend to have long memories. Is it possible that he's had an aggressive encounter either on or off the lead which is making him defensively aggressive? One of my previous BTs was attacked by a black lab when he was off the lead and although he was fine off the lead, if we met a black lab when he was on the lead he could be quite nasty. His view seemed to be, attack was the best form of defence. Although he did get better over time and his bark was tons worse than his bite I was always careful when he was on the lead and took avoiding measures, off the lead he was absolutely fine. However, I'd also get him checked over for pain, BTs are very stoical.
 
Our Border Collie can be very aggressive to other dogs when on a lead but is fine off the lead. He is a rescue and was bullied as a pup so we know the reason.

As we do not have a reliable recall our dog has to be walked on a lead away from home. We have found that leaving the lead slack and saying hello in a positive voice to the other dog has solved the anxiety our dog feels. They are so sensitive to our reactions that if we tense then the dog feels it through the lead looks for trouble.
 
as many have said- being reactive on lead is common- its is threatening when you can't move away. Personally- my last dog was reactive, especially bad on lead- but a harness with a long line attached helped as then he could meet other dogs on a lose lead without tension and still be easily held if needed
 
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