My Husky is aggressive towards small dogs

Firstly, thanks so much for all your replies – I couldn’t have asked for more!

I’ve bought a muzzle for Svenn and I’m currently getting him used to wearing it, making sure he doesn’t see it as a form of punishment. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t want him to have to wear it permanently on every walk; I just feel that after this incident, it’s important to protect other dogs from his behaviour which (even if I have theories about past trauma) is still inexplicable to me.

It’s also worth noting that I’ve already booked an appointment with a behaviourist for next week, who should be able to give me some pointers and help me through the process.

I’m well aware that a Husky isn't really a flat dog. Ours actually isn't that active when we're at home; he plays a bit, sleeps, and comes looking for cuddles. I’ve known Huskies that were far more hyperactive and they didn't even get out of the house.

Our routine allows for about an hour’s walk every day (split into two) in the fields and woods near us, always on a retractable lead – it’s a 9m one (as you can imagine, given his behaviour, I don’t let him off the lead anymore). Svenn has never seemed particularly under-stimulated. I’m not even sure if this incident was down to a lack of walks or needing to blow off steam.

When we're out walking, he does pull a bit; he sort of listens to "heel", but we often have to correct him to get him back into position. He’s trained not to walk in the road and won't set a paw on it unless I give him the okay. He also understands "leave it" when we pass houses with barking dogs, but sometimes the urge to have a scrap with certain aggressive dogs gets the better of him and I have to hold him back.

Thanks for the great advice!

To be honest, my partner and I weren't really fans of the choke chain method. The idea of hurting your dog or even making them uncomfortable just to teach them how to behave didn't feel very constructive, and we didn't like the approach. However, during a conversation one day, someone convinced us to try it to help with the fact that he pulls so much on his lead. It didn't work, and I actually think it makes him more nervous when meeting other dogs (I see a mate, I pull, the collar hurts, so I get wound up = I associate the meeting with pain). I’d seen that logic mentioned on this forum and I think it has definitely played a part in Svenn’s behaviour. That’s why I’ve also bought a standard collar so we can get back to basics (as a harness isn't really the right fix to stop a dog from pulling).

Of course she let go of the lead! (It was actually the owner's girlfriend who was holding him, which was a massive mistake, by the way.)

@patou, those are my words and they've been taken out of context....😒

That’s your interpretation, not mine.

I'm in total agreement with Caroline: "a muzzle is the bare minimum when you've got a dog capable of killing another" and Kainate's advice is spot on. In my opinion, getting help from a qualified behaviourist is also the absolute minimum!

To get back to the OP...

Follow kainate's advice!

Does that seem "doable"?

Is he already muzzle-trained?