Boxer aggression, well kinda ??

Question
I have a 2 1/2 year old fixed boxer male and he is sometime's aggressive. I am confused because I socialized him lots when he was a puppy. It seems he is only aggressive some time's and only towards other dogs, but not all dogs, this happen's especially when he is on a leash he will lunge at another dog. If we are in a dog bark he sometimes gets in fights..well kinda I mean he has yet to actually bite another dog. I want to be able to not be worried that he will lunge at a dog and take him to public dog parks and places but I fear he might start a fight with the wrong dog and end up getting hurt. What can I do ???

Answer
Hi Michael,

It's really hard to advise without seeing the dog in action; leash aggression is fairly common, because a leash removes a dog's option for 'flight' rather than 'fight'.  However since he's not yet bitten another dog, it may be that he's actually communicating appropriately and the other dogs are simply being rude.  This article goes into that concept a bit more:
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/sayhi.html

Your best bet really is to have him evaluated by a qualified behaviorist who can observe his interaction with other dogs and determine what, if any, is inappropriate.  There's are some listings here to get you started:
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/behaviorists.html
http://animalbehaviorcounselors.org/cgi-bin/members/acabccounselors.cgi?lookup=f...

You can also work on developing your relationship with him and letting him know that you are the one who sets the rules, and that you are the one who will protect him if the need arises.  Suzanne Clothier's book, "Bones Would Rain From the Sky", and Patricia McConnell's book, "The Other End of the Leash", both address this area and offer ways to achieve a mutually beneficial relationship with your dog.  Also, visit http://www.clickersolutions.com training articles for specific ideas on leash walking, aggression, "leave it", etc.

Good luck!