We were told in our training class that some dogs won't know that another person or animal is safe until you let them know they are safe. They said the best way to do that is for you to make physical contact with the other person or animal. In class, we would walk up to someone and shake hands or pat the other person on the shoulder to indicate to our dogs that they were safe.
Our dog Errol is quite aggressive towards other people and animals when he first spots them. He calms down noticably when we touch whoever he's upset with, so you might try that. It's a little awkward when it happens around strangers, but most of them are quite understanding if you explain why you need to shake their hand! |