aggression to other dogs

Question
Hi
I have a beautiful 18month old male desexed german shepherd. He was raised with another dog, socialises regularly with my families other dogs and also has a dog who comes over to play with him. He is great with all of them. Problem is when we go out walking and encounter other dogs on street or behind fences, he barks and tries to pull towards them. People get intimidated by him. What can I do?  

Answer
The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  Here is another resource for learning the top dpg role,
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

Controlled walking on lead is a very important part of obedience.  One advantage of a good class is the opportunity to discipline him to stay on task around other dogs.  Beware of classes that are too much about the dog getting a treat.  

You may want to switch to a head collar.  The leading brands are Promise,  Haltie, and Gentle Leader.  They have a strap going around the dogs nose looking something like a muzzle.  They work by pulling the dogs head around.  No other way gives you such great control with so little force.  The prong collar is now a  dangerous relic of value only for its macho looks.  Do not consider using one without hands on instruction from somebody with plenty of experience with them.  You can buy a head collar today and have him under control today.  Just read and follow the directions.