My male malteses aggressive behavior under certain circumstances.

Question
QUESTION: My question is regarding my dog's aggression towards me only when in certain circumstances when he has had time to free play w/ out leash's w/ other dogs and he gets attached to one dog in particular...when this happens he see's me as a direct threat & ferociously tries to keep me away from his new friend. I don't even have to be that close to them playing. But he will single me out and attack me. when i try to use some tips learned by books or the dog whisperer..they go awry because I'm either not doing them correctly or he is so wound up & gets very angered and almost psychotic. I can usually get him restrained or his leash put back on and his energy redirected by leaving the dog park or place I'm working where he has been socializing w/ my clients pets. The amount of aggression he displays i know is a direct display of his thinking he is the alpha male and not seeing me as the pack leader and all that. I have tried to nudge him by his shoulders or even hold him laying on his side w/ the help of a vet tech before. All of these times he refused to back down and continues to growl & show teeth and increase his volume & pitch ..So instead of making him give in & be submissive he only grew more angry and showed no fear. I'm at an odds as to how to handle this behavior correctly. I know an obvious suggestion would be to not let him play w/out his leash as so he would not be able to build up an affection toward any dog and then in turn get aggressive w/ me..but does it have to be so drastic..? He is such a good boy w/ other dogs while on walks & other social situations. He always likes to be friends w/ other dogs..even if they don't want to be w/ him..he always will try again. He is always social w/other dogs. Not so much w/ other people unless you are a human closely related in my life; if you are not- then he could care less about other humans. I love him for his always getting along w/ dogs..even though he has been bitten by about 3 dogs throughout his 9 years. he shows no fear or memory of these unfortunate incidents. he is good w/ kids, unless they're are too many surrounding him at once or they try to pick him up..then he'll voice his opinion. I always supervise and make this point known well in advance. Anyway I'm getting a little off subject. But i just thought I'd give you a rounder perspective of his nature. Any advice you could share would be greatly appreciated: as i have found nothing on the web similiar to my predicament.

ANSWER: I think the "drastic" approach is the absurd "dominance training" you've attempted (not your fault, like many others you've followed the wrong advice).  This sort of "training" is the product of small, uneducated minds and went out of "fashion" many years ago with the advance of behavioral science.  Those who "design" this sort of "psychology" know little or nothing about how, and why, canids display submission: it is NEVER FORCED (even in a situation where two clearly "alpha" males are fighting, submission is VOLUNTARY.)  By forcing a dog onto its side or back, holding it down, growling at it, etc., you are essentially teaching the dog you are not to be trusted: your actions are so contrary to the dog's natural instincts that the dog CANNOT use cognitive ability to comprehend them and obtains a fear response.  Snarling (showing full upper dentition) is a FEAR behavior; true "alpha" aggression involves a display of the upper and lower dentition ONLY and usually is accompanied by other postures such as stiff legged walking, hackles raised, etc.  The so called trainer to whom you refer uses abusive and counter productive techniques such as PROVOKING an aggressive response with the dog restrained on leash and then "correcting" the dog by popping the collar.  This is Neanderthal, beyond stupid and it doesn't work.

This dog is a MALTESE; "alpha" is NOT part of any facet of his behavior.  True dominance and related aggression is extremely RARE and found only in certain breeds and their first generation mixes.  THIS DOG does NOT "think he's alpha";  he most likely doesn't think YOU are either, given the methods you've used, but this is NOT dominance behavior.

Your dog is not "building up affection" for another dog; this is not how dogs think or interact, you are anthropomorphizing and not understanding his culture and basic nature.  When two dogs interact, even in the most benign and seemingly friendly "play" behavior, they are in fact testing stamina and strength in an attempt to sort out their respective "rank" with ONE ANOTHER.  Your dog appears to have a high anxiety quotient when interacting with other dogs; your interference is further confusing him and he is most likely redirecting his aggression toward you.  This has nothing to do with YOU, per se.  You say when you forced him over he "grew more angry and showed no fear" but that's EXACTLY what you're seeing: FEAR.  The dog is confused, being managed inappropriately and may not be properly socialized to other dogs.  I can't SEE that from here but I DO know what you're doing is seriously harming this dog's temperament.

You need to find an experienced positive reinforcement trainer who can teach you how to interact with your dog in a manner that TEACHES him, not COERCES him; you also need to STOP taking the dog into situations that provoke aggression of any sort, especially toward yourself.  Provoking aggression, as seen ON TV, is counter productive and teaches the dog that he DOES need to defend himself and how best to do it. You cannot trust everything you see, or everything you read: TURN OFF THE TV. Learn about dog behavior:
Dr. Ian Dunbar's "Dog Behavior: An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet" and Dr. patricia McConnell's "For the Love Of A Dog."  Learn about how to REALLY read your dog's body communication from Turid Rugaas' "On Talking Terms with Dogs", and learn about how best to avoid aggression in Brenda Aloff's "Aggression in Dogs: Practical Management."

It flies in the face of common sense that you would consider the clear and immediate (short term) remedy (removing the dog from the situation that provokes aggression) to not be acceptable while at the same time persisting in using Neanderthal "training" techniques.  Until you know far more about dog behavior, don't even THINK about getting another breed.  Start reading, find a good and experienced trainer who understands dog behavior and can teach YOU how to teach your DOG:
http://www.nadoi.org/
your dog will thank you for it and you will have an entirely new companion.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I want to thank you for your extremely fast reply to my query. I would like to explain a little more in depth exactly what iam seeing being exhibited from my dog; as well as give you a little bit of history on how i came to own him.
I know it may not be affection like i said. It may be he is having sexual possessiveness over this other dog. He is a dog whose last name is Humperdink. He has always been a humper dog. If he thinks I'm going some where & he wants to come he humps my leg. No penis is out of sheath or anything but the actions of him humping w/ grip. I have to nag him to stop it. Also while I'm sleeping occasionally i will wake up to a weight & a grip on my shin..which i shake off to realize it is him humping my leg while I'm not coherent. That is sneaky...I'm not anthropomorphizing am i? So to go on about his sexual humping antics. Whether girl or boy dog he is interested to try & hump. I know this is a dominance --submissive dual between all dogs when not fixed. Am i right?  But only w/thin last 2 years has he turned his wanting to have his humping thing w/ a dog around towards aggression toward me. He displays a keep away type body language, growling @ me if i even make eye contact w/ him when he is in this mode. He nervously keeps his eye on me & then to his focused humper pal.In a almost frenzied back and forth diligence; as if i was threatening his chances of a sexual mate.  Whether or not the other dog is going along w/ it or not he is somehow possessing & guarding his possession. When i tell him No! & make somesort of hand motion of in charge-ness he attacks my hands and legs meanwhile standing a firm ground between me & his bitch (lets say). This is the behavior I am not understanding and what do i do when this arises.?
Firstly I forgot to mention 1 MAJOR BIT OF INFO!! My dog is DEAF!! The previous owners failed to tell me this. I thought he had a bit of that selective hearing or was a snooty type, as this was my first time to own a  small breed. But as time went on a few months I realized he was not reacting to normal sounds, didn't know his name, & loud sounds if not close enolough to be felt by vibration were not evident to him.
This explained his jumpy-ness and his need to always see me , I assumed- as I was his owner, who fed him & who he always must be w/ in eye-sight view of or he cannot rest easy even if it is only the bathroom I'm going to ..he'll scratch at the door to come in ..to stay ion close proximity.
In thee beginning he displayed major timidness to human contact & to the outdoors. I believe he was fed and cared for cleanliness wise- but was not socialized or interacted with much; I believe he hadn't even been outside due to his  the way he reacted to walking on grass  and a just very shy and shocked at the outside world. He got over that very quick- due to how much walking i did during his first 4 years w/ me, we walked all over..city, hiking trails, the beach..he was an all around town socialized dog. Never once displaying any aggression toward any dogs of humans.
  He was afraid of backpacks, statues, & large garbage bags for awhile. He would cower a tad when you would pet him or pull the opposite way when being lifted up. He also has separation anxiety and is very attached to me & also my business partner; Who has watched him for extended periods when I traveled or am unable to bring him to an event. I know allowing him to get excited upon our re-uniting is something I've been told was not a good idea. # I'm sure I'm wrong as w/ all my other beliefs which you shot down!)Because he will go on and on and even nip me a little on the leg or cheek while jumping around on hind legs voicing his un-happiness at how long i was gone. (again I'm sure you'll blow that one out of the water as well. Anthropomorphizing again?!) But he is just so darn cute that it is hard to not let him express himself the way he wants. Plus i know its mine & my partners starving ego's that are sucking it up that a little creature could display this much missing & longing & show this much carrying on on my or his behalf. To feel so loved! I'm probably promoting a negative behavior i know or i don't know!
   
He does not know his name, he is very alert because of this to not be left behind, he is never left alone because of a place i was living when I got him @ 5 months old , Was not to keen on the continued barking so i adapted to this behavior issue and revolved around having him baby-sat by  a few friends & later having a job that could manage him coming w/ me daily.  
 I'm going to have to continue this later. I have exhausted explaining our past and have not explained why i wish a follow up.
    I feel your response was very educated and affirmative of your dedication to the understanding  of canine behavior. I feel like your militant style of judgement is more to negate and belittle me as a owner than to help me to understand what are the issues I am incorrectly promoting. I know you take it seriously an animal's welfare, but I am not by any means an imbecile who could care less about my dog. I don't think reading or seeking advice about anything should be put down as if i ignorantly didn't care. I don't feed my pet anything you can get @ a walmart, i don't use any products made my Sargents, Hartz, or Pedigree...like some other in the dark pet owners would. Please if you could offer a step by step route on how to handle my dog during a time when he is displaying aggression towards me. It would be most helpful. How am i to know who is a good reliable obedience person in my area. Like you said there are so many wrong methods being doled out from small minded people. I don't believe you to be one of those obviously, but downgrading my actions doesn't teach or share with me how to help the situation.


Answer
This is a pro bono activity for me; I charge $150 per hour for clients and I give more than two hours a day for FREE to people on this site.  When I state an opinion, it's done with care, tremendous thought and a boat load of education and hands on experience.

Having said that, my opinion remains the same.  This dog (through no fault of yours) was not socialized to other dogs; no matter how heavily you attempt to desensitize a dog to other dogs (or for that matter just about anything that he fears), there's always going to be a tad of response perseverance.  By mounting other dogs he is expressing his fear/anxiety/inability to communicate properly through body language (a by product of having been removed from dam and litter mates -- if he even had any litter mates being this breed -- far too soon and then not being exposed to other dogs in order to learn how to communicate and read their body signals.)  This is a frantic little dog who, as you just informed me, IS DEAF.  Over attachment and separation anxiety go hand in hand with most dogs who have been rehomed; the dog's frantic greeting of you (which you should discourage absolutely by training a "sit" with positive reinforcement and insisting upon that before greeting him) is a by product of his anxiety.  You've used enormously psychologically destructive aversives (holding him down forcibly) giving him extremely mixed signals regarding your intention; dogs have no way to determine our ability to "lead" except from their own perspective, and from a dog's perspective psychological mismanagement indicates inability to lead.  

I've given you a plethora of sources for education regarding dog behavior, psychology, body communication and aggression.  Unless I can SEE with my own eyes what's going on, I'm left depending on anecdotal information to treat a very serious problem: active aggression.  Professionally and ethically I am constrained by this fact and cannot advise you in this venue, except to
: urge you to read and study as I've suggested
: stop using awful "training" techniques
: stop exposing the dog to a situation which provokes aggression of any sort, especially toward yourself, merely because you think the dog will suffer without being able to interact with other dogs; this is clearly not the case, he is confused and anxious; dogs do not "fall in love" and his mounting behavior is a frantic effort to establish some dominance between himself and the other dog because he cannot use normal canine body signals to communicate
: find a very experienced positive reinforcement trainer to teach this dog, using hand signals (since he's deaf)
: now that I know he's deaf, familiarize yourself with how to live with a deaf dog
http://www.deafdogs.org/training/
http://www.deafdogs.org/training/clicker.php

If the dog is offering aggression (or pseudo aggression) under circumstances other than the dog park, you will need the in person evaluation of a certified applied animal behaviorist who is experienced in working with deaf dogs and has substantial experience with active aggression.  The following site has behaviorist membership in the US and internationally but I have no idea of their educational or professional credentials; this is something you will have to check yourself.  Ask for a strong veterinary reference (every working behaviorist has at least one veterinarian who refers clients to them and should be able to offer reference) and three client references; be certain this professional is experienced with fear aggression and understands clearly that this dog is handicapped:
http://www.iaabc.org/

Not to be nit picking or INSULT you, it appears that you want a quick fix and hope I can give you some easy suggestions; this isn't possible.  I can't see any of what's going on from here; the dog has to be personally evaluated.  Your dog is anxious and he needs help.  If you want to help him, and it appears that you genuinely do and are trying, READ the sources I've given you, find a trainer or consult a behaviorist.  There is no quick fix.  Your dog CAN become a calm, secure companion, even with his disability.  Follow the links to the deaf dog sites.  It doesn't do anyone any good for you to take your frustration and anger out on me; it certainly doesn't help the dog.