I am new to the forum. I have 10 yr old sheltie x (M) and a 8 year old golden (B). We got the golden when we had the sheltie x (we also had an older golden at that time who has since passed on). When B was less than a year old, he got attacked by another dog (a mastiff or rottie) on a walk with my MIL (we were out of town at the time) - the other dog drew blood and he needed medical help. Not sure if this plays a role in his behaviour now or not, but putting that out there.

He's the usual golden in our house and with M - they rough house play but don't aggressively attack each other. He's likes to snuggle and is friendly with people in our home - he will carry shoes and other things around the house. We used to go to off leash parks, but there were a couple incidents off leash that caused me to not trust B with other dogs (particularly any dog of similiar or larger size) as he would aggressively attack. So we don't go to off leash parks and stick with only onleash walks in our neighborhood.

We avoid meeting any dogs on our side of the street - so we will cross the street, etc when we see another dog being walked. They will bark and lunge at other dogs behind fences who are barking - I attempt to keep the leash short and keep them 'in control' but I will admit that I don't always succeed.

This morning was particularly upsetting. We rounded a blind corner that has a hedge on that corner and met another dog - about the same size in height, a bit thinner. I immediately tried to move my dogs away but B size was too much for me to pull back and he started to attack this dog. It was so horrible - within a few seconds (seemed like an eternity), the other owner and I got the dogs seperated and she said that her dog was ok and thankfully didn't freak out - I asked her a couple of times if her dog was ok (as I was putting B into a sit and holding him down) and she said her dog was.

I just don't know what I can do. My husband and I are thinking we will take them for seperate walks (since it'll be easier to one-on-one focus on him) but I would appreciate any other advice. We use just a regular flat collar and non-retractable leash, but after this incident (because this was the first 'on leash' type attack), I will get him a choke collar? I welcome any other advice or suggestions.

A choke collar will not help this situation. I don't have a lot of suggestions, but I agree you should walk him seperately so you can control him if you need to. I'm sure more experienced people will post with good advice.

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I have a boy that is like yours. He is a rescue and was like that when we got him. He has gotten better over time. What has really helped was being in obedience classes. He has learned he can be near other dogs without lunging and biting at them. He had a particular problem with German shepards. If you do sign up for classes let the instructor know what your problem is before you start. They may suggest a few private sessions before starting classes depending on how serious his problem is.

Ask your vet for the name of a respected behaviorist/trainer so you can have a professional help you with this.

Firstly - fit your dog with a front clip harness, EasyWalk or Sensation and walk him separately from you other dog. I have a dog reactive dog and the front clip harness makes a world of difference in being able to manage him, should we encounter a 'hot spot'.
Also strongly advise getting the help of a certified canine behaviorist, ( Dogma Training and Pet Services, in Calgary) this is not something you should be trying to manage on your own. His encounters in the past have set up a defensive reactive pattern, which drives him to 'attack' before he gets attacked. A certified canine behaviorist will help you learn how to manage and work with him.

Thank you for the replies and suggestions. Greatly appreciated!