Bird Freak wrote:
I'm not going to say it should be put down but it is clearly a threat to other animals and people if it turns on its owner to get at another animal. I would never take a animal like that out in public.
From the description the dog isn't "turning on its owner to get at another animal." What the dog is exhibiting is referred to as displacement aggression or (much more accurately) as displaced reactivity. It can happen any time a dog is excited, frustrated or feeling stressed or uncertain. It's a common problem with multiple dogs who are fenced--they'll often get excited by something like a person walking by or someone going by on a bike, and in a split second they're growling and snapping at each other. It's a way to channel strong emotions. It doesn't necessarily indicate true aggression. But only a trained professional who can observe the behavior in person can make that call.
