How do I stop my dog attacking other dogs?

hunni.bear: How do I stop my dog attacking other dogs?
Whenever I go for a walk with my dog, a Jack russell cross, he tries to attack other dogs. I got him from a cats and dogs home a couple of months ago. I like to let him off for a run around because he has a lot of energy. Most of the time there’s another dog in the field and he runs off to it. He won’t come if I call him if there’s another dog and he tries to attack it. A couple of dogs he seems fine with, he sniffs them, then he suddenly tries to attack him. I want to let him off for a run around but theres nowhere else I can do that apart from the field. I want to do something before he gets hurt.

Answers and Views:

Answer by witch(^_^)
well u gotto put him a tie so he cant bite other dog.

Answer by wafflesbee
What you should do is over a while when he is on a leash pull him away from any other dogs and make sure he doesn’t attack them. If he manages then give him a dog treat. Over time keep doing this and he will probably learn not to do that.

Answer by Blue D
If you know your dogs fights with other dogs, why would you let him off his leash?

He will get hurt one day. Be safe, keep him on a leash (even if it’s a very long one).

Answer by Exist
Kick him in the nuts.

Answer by trickster_19
Get in contact with a qualified trainer or behaviorist who can evaluate him.

In the mean time, do NOT let your dog loose without a muzzle. It would be terribly irresponsible on your part if he attacked another dog while you allowed him to run loose. If you muzzle him he can have a run and you don’t have to worry about him biting. Of course, even with the muzzle, you should call him back to you and put him back on his leash when you see another dog coming in which case a reliable recall is MUST. Even muzzles can come loose so they are no guarantee.

Your dog is far from being a lost cause, but you should really seek help from a ‘real life’ professional. You would not want anyone to give you wrong advice over the Internet.

Best of luck.

Answer by Karen W
Is he neutered?
A good obedience calss will help you teach a reliable recall and a firm leave it, but unfortunately JRT’s were bred to kill vermin and be independent thinkers so you have your work cut out for you. Big dogs in little bodies. Where I work we refer to them as our little red-necks.
Perhaps after obedience you could go on to do agility work with him, that will burn off some of that excess energy.
In the meantime keep him on a lead as he is a danger to others and himself. You could get sued or he could wind up dead after tearing into the wrong dog.

Answer by Suzi
You are completely responsible for the actions of your dog. Letting him run, unleashed, with full knowledge that he is aggressive to other dogs, is negligent.

If he bites another dog, you are responsible…for the vet bills. You can be sued.

You need to train your dog. This issue is more with you, than with the dog. If you allow the dog to run, and attack – then you are ALLOWING this behavior.

Please learn how to safely socialize your dog, without risk to other dogs, yourself or other people.

Answer by Cheech
When he does this, tug on his leash, call him by name, have him sit, and shhhh. If he attempts to bark, tug and shhh. If he tries aproaching another dog, while walking, walk right in his path and give him a little tug to get going.
Jack Russell’s are known for this type of behavior and can be very aggressive. You just have to let him know, you’re the boss, he’s not the boss. You’ll need to be consistent and firm. Dogs are much better pets when they know they have boundaries. This also makes them feel they have a job to do – – – listening to you, their Alpha Dog. LOL

Answer by ginbail
Here’s how to train a dog …
If your dog acts in an unacceptable manner, correct him immediately. When your dog acts appropriately, praise and reward him immediately. Try to anticipate unacceptable behaviors before they happen and squelch them before the dog even has a chance to act.
Apply this logic to an attacking dog, or a dog that won’t come back, or a dog that pees in the house, etc, etc.
Don’t unleash your dog until he earns your trust in situations where he might misbehave.
Practice every day and you’ll have a well behaved dog soon enough.

Answer by Dodi L
This might help,
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Answer by Dogjudge
Gee doctor, it hurts when I do this. Doctor to patient, then don’t do that.

From your post.

Your dog will attack some dogs when there are other dogs in the field and then you let your dog loose.

First. If your dog is loose you are liable for ANYTHING that your dog does. ANY damage.
Second. I wouldn’t leave my dog loose, but if I did, and if I was having your problem, I wouldn’t let my dog loose when I saw that there were other loose dogs around.
Third. What would you do if your dog was loose and another dog came running up to your dog and attacked it? I bet you’d try to protect your dog. Right? Now if you were protecting your dog, the other dog got hurt, would you feel that you were liable or the other person was liable? The other person since THEIR dog attacked yours.
Fourth. While your dog is loose, you apparently have zero control over your dog. What happens if your dog chases something other than another dog and gets hurt while doing it? Whose fault is that?
Fifth. You can’t get your dog to come to you when it is attacking other dogs, so what makes you think you can get him to stop attacking other dogs while he is off leash?

You need to take your dog to an obedience instructor to teach you to teach your dog BASIC manners.

If you want your dog to FEEL that it is loose, but still under control, get your dog a retractable leash. It’s better than nothing and better than what you are doing now.