My dog is a jerk towards other dogs

[rmungall]

Hi
I have a 5 year old American Eskimo who we got from a shelter a year ago. He loves people and our cat, but when it comes to other dogs, he is instantly aggressive towards them. I have only so far gone through the "knowledge" section of the trouble shoot and believe that he is mainly showing fight drive "I'll get you before you get me" & Territorial issues which seems to be a breed issue.

I don't know anything about his past, but I am thinking he hasn't had much interaction with other dogs, would it help to bring him to a dog park but keep a mussle on him? I don't see any other way to get him in contact with other dogs as he has tried to nip, growl, snarl, bark and charge others dogs pretty much every time I take him for a walk.

An one more thing I find odd, he "nibbles" on the cats fur with his front teeth and the cat loves it, is this just grooming or could it be something else?

Thanks

[Mike D'Abruzzo]

The nibbles do sound like grooming. I would avoid putting this dog into a dog park for now as it could be overwhelming. To troubleshoot you can go to a dog park and allow him to meet dogs from the other side of the fence on a loose leash. If he acts normally once close to the dog and able to sniff, you may be dealing partially with barrier frustration. If he still looks like he wants to fight - it may be mostly fear related.

[EarlDunnCFDT]

I agree with Mike. You first need to determine the root of this behavior. If the behavior is fear based, you will need a multi-tiered approach which includes desensitizing, counterconditioning, and long-term management. Keep us posted on how you make out