What should I do about my dog-aggressive dog?

Question
I have two beagles, one 9 and one 7. When we are out on walks, and we see other dogs walking, the 7 year-old one gets aggressive. There is no growling or snarling, or any obvious signs of aggression, but when she first sees the dog she will stop and look at it intently. She will then start barking and pulling towards the dog. Pulling her back does not dissuade her. Occasionally, she will run between my legs, as if trying to back away. Generally there is a lot of agitation.

She only got this way a few months ago; before, she would pull towards the dog a bit, but relent when I continued walking. She doesn't do this to dogs who are behind gates when we walk by other houses, or to dogs who she sees being walked when she is behind our gate.

After I have walked away from the other dog, or the other dog has gone by, she will continue to be quite agitated, often trying to turn back to go the direction of the other dog and just generally acting very excitable.

She will continue to be this way for the rest of the walk.

I'm wondering if this could have been because she was only recently spayed (I know, very very late). What should I do to control and prevent this behaviour? So far, I do not consent to her efforts to get near the other dog, and I try to calm her down by sitting her down firmly, but it doesn't work.

Answer
Hi Melissa, The key to getting your dog to listen to you is for you to correct her immediately, so she does not even make eye contact with another dog. If you have her at a controlled heel, correct her if she even looks away. She should be paying attention to you alone. Keep walking as if you did not even notice the other dog. Putting her in a sit is fine once she is past this phase, but for now, sitting her only allows her time to focus on the other dog.  Heel her along at a quick pace, correct her every time she looks away and keep going without giving her praise, just a simple "heel girl, that's it". Once she is completely paying attention to you at the heel, you can ask someone to pass you (person to person, with the dogs on the outside), exchange a quick hello and keep going. She will soon realize that the other dogs do belong on the street as well and she will look to you, her pack leader, for assurance and confidence. Do not stop her at all at this point, just heel and correct her gaze at another dog. The fact that she will get between your legs could mean that there is a fear, which  as you may know, can lead to aggression. Be sure not to send any nervousness or hesitation to her through the leash. They can read us like a book. Find someone in your area who is an evaluator for the AKC Canine Good Citizen award. They can quickly teach you how to properly heel, sit, down, stay...when there are other dogs present. Leave me some feedback and a follow-up. I am glad you wrote and look forward to hearing about your success in her training. Regards, Susan