I can't remember who sent the original message about the dog on dog aggression, but have you tried good old fashioned classical conditioning?  The idea is this: get some really salient food rewards (something that the dog NEVER gets & something that is REALLY special). Then, whenever the dog is in the presence of strange dogs, he gets this super special treat. Everytime he looks at another dog, give him a treat (no clicks at this time because you are not shaping a behaviour yet). Everytime another dog passes by, give him a treat. At this point his behaviour is not important. You give him the treat REGARDLESS of what he is doing. You are simply trying to make an association between the strange dogs and super special treats.  Dogs learn through association. What you are trying to do is to change the dogs 'perception' of the strange dogs. Instead of getting upset at the approach/presence of other dogs, the dog learns to anticipate good things. You want the dog to learn that, "When other dogs are around - good things happen TO ME!" A very important rule when you are doing this: Whatever the treat is that you are using, your can NEVER present it at any other time. It has to be associated exclusively with other dogs.  Let's take a minute to put it into human terms: If there was a person that you really didn't like much, but every time you saw this person they gave you $10, after awhile you would start to like this person because you come to associate them with the $10 bonus. You look forward to meeting the person because you look forward to the $10. This is exactly what you are trying to condition in your dog. You want him to look forward to meeting other dogs because they represent good things.  Once the dogs perception of other dogs has changed (ie: he is more focused on what he is going to get than he is on the other dogs; or he looks at them without "looking" [evil eye] at them), you can start to teach him some mannerly behaviours to perform in the presence of other dogs. For example, ask him to sit before you give him his special treat. Now you can C/T for compliance.  As far as hackles are concerned, it is important to remember that hackles are not always a sign of aggression. They can mean excitement, curiosity, wariness, fear, etc. I have several dogs, and when I take one or two dogs out to the training hall, everyone has their hackles up when the dogs return home. It's all part of their greeting ritual -- no fights, no growling -- just hackles as they sniff each other over in greeting.  When you are embarking on the classical conditioning program, know where your dogs comfort level is with regards to proximity to other dogs. DON'T take him closer than this. Begin at a level where he is comfortable, and then go "a little bit" closer. Never put the dog in a situation where he will back pedal into a state of full blown aggression. This would be akin to putting a claustrophobic into a closet.  While you can change a dogs aggressive attitude towards other dogs by teaching him an alternate, non-compatible (to aggression) behaviour, or by suppressing aggressive behaviour (through positive punishment), you don't deal with the underlying emotion that is triggering the aggression. In order to learn, the dog must be in an emotional state where learning can occur. Once he reaches a state of aggression or precursory anxiety, he is not in a place where learning can effectively occur. However, by using classical conditioning to change the dogs 'perception' of other dogs, and then switching to an operant approach, you can treat the underlying emotion as well as teach mannerly behaviour.  Hope this all helps Jackie

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