[Shasta220]

My boy has very similar problems (he’s a herding mix, probably Aussie and Kelpie). He is aggravated by almost /any/ motion. He is only aggressive to dogs, but it’s a fear-anxiety driven aggression. He tries to chase cars, people, anything that moves…

I find the best thing for dogs like this is to give them a LOT of stimulation. How much exercise does she get? I find with some dogs, you can run them all day long, and they still have their aggravation issues. The fact is, mental stimulation is much more draining than physical exercise, so my boy’s mental stimulation is a pack walk – teach your dog to walk at your side or slightly behind you. There should be no leash-tension (except the correction tugs), no sniffing or marking. You’ll know you have her full attention when her ears lay back and she gets a relaxed state. Pack walks take a whole lot of experience and practice to master, so try to make it a part of your daily routine. Other mental exercises include brain-teasing treat toys (like stuffed Kongs), sports like agility, and daily trick-training sessions.

Try to get into a routine of at least an hour of running her daily, and an hour of mental exercising. See if she progresses and gets calmer in a month or two. I’d agree with Patty in teaching her a solid sit/down/stay, and my boy uses his “leave it” command many many times (those darn chickens are so fun to chase…), that is one of the most important and life saving commands he knows.

Sadly, a lot of anxiety issues are deeply set in, and are temperament issues that are difficult, if not, impossible to remove. I wanted to get my rescue boy socialized with dogs so we could do agility together. After taking a group class, his dog aggression didn’t improve, in fact, got worse. I talked to a VERY professional trainer (she went and studied with Cesar Millan. Yes, I’m jealous LOL!). She told me it’s a temperament issue that was engrained in his mind from when he was young (I adopted him at 2y.o.), and she said it would take a lot of rehabilitation, which she was retired from.

Sorry for being long winded, but like I say – I’d suggest getting into a good routine that will help to keep her stimulated, drained, and therefore calm. Make sure she knows her commands well. Possibly get her into a group obedience class to expose her to new things. If none of that is helping, then possibly look into a professional trainer.

Hope you can find something to help her improve!