MinPin Aggression

Question
What is the simplest most effective way to calm my MinPin when he growls, barks, aggresses towards other dogs when i am walking him?  He is on a leash when i walk him but he goes crazy and hard to calm down when we walk by another dog even if the other dog is on the other sid of the street.  I want to get my point across to him immediately that this is NOT O.K.

Answer
Well, the more you correct a dog for this sort of behavior, the more reason he has to worry and react. For some dogs, a tightened leash is a signal to blow up - and punishment is associated not with his own behavior, but with seeing a dog approach. Look at it from the point that he is a very small dog, and when you are walking, he is "trapped" on a leash - he can't run away or avoid the scary dogs so he has to convince them that he is big and bad. At the basis, it is usually a fear reaction, but may be combined with being excited by other dogs. What you need to do is be able to change his need to react. A couple of excellent books I would recommend to you are "Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons, and "Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt. You will not get a "quick fix" but you should get a lasting improvement in behavior. Sandy Case MEd, CPDT www.positivelycanine.com