Dog to Dog aggression

Question
Hi
I have a two year old Dalmatian bitch who has been neutered. Recently she has had a number of issues of aggression with other dogs where she is clearly the aggressor. She has been well socialised and I have calculated that she knows 60+ other dogs and has no problem with them. The problem seems to be with dogs that she has not met before - where her reaction is completely undeterminable. This morning she met a friendly 7 year old labrador whom she attacked after 20 seconds of sniffing each other... My concern is that I find that I am having to leash her every time I see a new dog which is limiting her walks and also inhibiting further socialisation. What can I do to break her out of this cycle which almost seems to be like 'bullying'?
Thank you
Regards
Craig

Answer
When you say she attacked the Lab, did she do damage? Break skin? Send him to the vet? Or did she just shout and spit at him. Displays may look very scary but not be actual aggression. And like humans, dogs can have very different senses of personal space, and not all dogs are going to enjoy meeting every dog up close and personal. You may have to consider who your dog is, and modify the social situations to make her more comfortable. 20 seconds of sniffing is a LONG time. Most dogs would not do that for more than 5 or so. Here's a great article which presents it from a different point of view than the way you are looking at it. http://www.flyingdogpress.com/sayhi.html
There are several other good articles there which may be helpful to you. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com