Hey guys,

Kygo is such an amazing dog!! I adopted him from a rescue last Friday and we had a wonderful weekend together. He is very smart and learning fast. There is one issue that the shelter warned me about and that I found out myself on Saturday. He can be selectively aggressive towards other dogs. The shelter told me specifically smaller dogs. I am unsure if he is being predatorial and really wants to hurt them or if he is just too aggressive in a playing manner. Saturday I met up with friends who just got a corgi puppy (9 weeks). I was worried how it would go. I had Kygo held tightly and crouched behind him as my friend brought his pup closer (holding her). When they were within reach, Kygo lunged hard directly at her and she screeched. He never growled, hair didnt stand up on his back, and the rest of the time he just looked at her uninterested (unless they got too close and he would try again). I realize after doing some reading, that it could be my fault for how I acted too. Apparently, I should have kept walking normally with Kygo past the puppy. The next day, I walked him downtown on a nice long walk where we passed by many dogs. A few, he would try to lunge at but others he wouldn't care. I did my best to keep walking and praise when he ignored them. On a couple, he would obsess slightly and keep turning to see him as we walked past. There was a unleashed 150lb Cane Corso he tried to lunge at which thankfully, didn't respond and we kept walking. Obviously I really want to break this as I want to be able to have him at dog parks unleashed but not sure what to do. Again, he never growls or seems like he wants to hurt them, he just lunges hard like he wants to jump on them.

I do have a free 6 week obedience class and signing up for an 8wk course from an experienced military, police, and show dog trainer that I will be utilizing.

I would explain to the trainer some of the instances of lunging and the aggression that the shelter told you about and see if perhaps you could meet with him before the course to go through a few things. My girl is leash aggressive and gender aggressive. She is fine with male dogs when she is off leash but could never go through an obedience class with other dogs unless she had met all the other dogs first off leash and had time for introductions. Finding your dog's triggers prior to going into a class will help you know whether the class will really be right for you. My girl always makes a lot of sound and is growling and snarling when she has intentions to get another dog and it's possible that your dog just really wants to meet some dogs more than others but until some work has been done in a controlled environment it is hard to really say. Huskies do have a propensity to have their play style misunderstood as they are rough and often vocal while playing. When my two play there's snarling and growling and all kinds of racket, though very different sounds than when she is ready to attack. Huskies do have a high prey drive and smaller dogs and cats could be at risk. This is something I would check with the aid of your trainer as I doubt your buddy with the Corgi will want to revisit with his dog as a guinea pig, perse.

Dentonate, I agree with Jenn pretty much completely with a bit of an expansion.
On the one hand, since there are no warnings that your dog is going to lunge at the other dog, it tends to sound like a desire to "meet and greet" the caveat, however, is that some dogs have learned /been trained to be silent and then an attack is completely unexpected.

As an example, if you have a dog who is aggressive and growls prior to attacking and the dog is continually punished for the growl then they learn to not growl but just attack - potentially a very dangerous combination.

When your dog lunges has it ever actually made it to the other dog? Mine does that sometimes, but if he does get to the other dog, it usually turns out that he just wants to sniff them and "say hello." It doesn't really sound like aggression, but more excitement. I wouldn't necessarily see that behavior as a reason he couldn't be off-leash at the dog park.
If it turns out your dog is actually trying to attack other dogs, well that would be a different story. I know it isn't great to have dogs interacting with one another on a leash as that can increase their excitement when they pull but aren't allowed to go near the other dog, but it might be helpful to see if someone has a dog that yours pulls toward and observe how the interact meeting on-leash without actually restraining them. If it goes awry, you would at least have the ability to separate them as they are on-leash, but you would actually be able to know if it is just typical excited greeting behavior vs. aggression (and it really sounds like the former to me).

yea, i plan on introducing him to other bigger dogs of friends. one is a beautiful black/white husky who has the same issue. when he lunged at the corgi, i think he may have it her face, not sure.

If you can get someone to take a video while it's happening I would love to give you my professional opinion. I have been training with aggressive / anxiety dogs for over 7 years. I have a husky of my own and I know first hand that husky charateristics are MUCH DIFFERENT then any other breed.

I always highly recommend getting a trainer when it comes to possible "aggression" however when it comes to husky, please do your research and find someone who knows them.

I had a trainer who was "certified" who told me my husky was being aggressive because of her pilo-erection (neck hair raising), I asked him if he knew huskies and he said hes trained dozens, I don't know about you, but ANY husky I've ever seen always gets so excited their hair raises.

Anyway, if you want to shoot me a video you can get a hold of me through PM or my website Rochester NY Dog Obedience Training

this is great, i definitely will