fear agression, in male rescued Boxer!

Question
Hi Kristen
Ive had my Boxer for a year now and he is extremely agressive with other dogs, I try and make him sit but he leaps around and is very strong and scarey.
Every walk is a bit of a battle with him
Can you help?
Susie  

Answer
Hi, Susie. Let me just say that I know EXACTLY what you're going through. My dog, a chow/pit bull mix, used to behave in exactly the same manner with other dogs. I can give you first-hand experience here.

Since he's already at this point, correcting him during his displays of aggression will more than likely only make his behavior worse. If he's like my dog, once he sees/focuses on the other dog, nothing you can do can distract him - be it a toy, treats in front of his nose, stepping in front of him to block the other dog from view, etc.

Now, before I start actually dishing out advice, I need to know a few things:

1)You say you've had him for a year, but do you know approximately how old he is?  
2) Is he neutered?
3) Have you gone through any kind of basic obedience courses with him? Does he know any basic commands? By "know" I mean he will obey the first time you issue a command, EVERY SINGLE time, with the exception of when another dog is in the picture
4) Has he ever actually gotten into a fight with another dog? Are there have any dogs that he gets along with?
5) What do you use when you take him out? A flat collar? A choke chain collar? A harness? A prong collar? Etc.

Knowing the answers to the above questions will greatly help me to be able to help you. It will take work, but you CAN work through this! Granted, he *may* never be able to be allowed to meet and greet new dogs, but you CAN get him to the point where he doesn't act like a maniac when you encounter another dog. He should be able to walk past another dog without growling, snarling, barking, or lunging at the other dog.

Kristen