Hey there, Kelsey.
It’s obviously tough to tell what is going on from afar, so it’d be wise to reach out to a certified dog behavior consultant and have an evaluation performed (especially given the eventual size of your pooch).
It sounds like she *may* be dealing with some fear issues, so, while you’ll still need to speak to a behaviorist to be sure and to develop a good plan of attack, desensitization and counterconditioning are two techniques that are often used to address these types of issues.
Best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

I have a 1 year 3 mo old female Belgian malinois who up until about 3 weeks ago wanted to go up to every dog we passed, with ears back and wanting to play! Very submissive body language. However, we’ve had some recent incidents where she got snappy with a young dog who came in with high energy and made a sudden movement, as well as when we walked into a coffee shop and there was a lady and her dog right by the door and her dog immediately approached mine. Kora gave off a few “go away” barks as we walked away. She’s also started barking when we’re out somewhere and she’s laying down when a dog walks nearby. With that being said, I take her to CGC class every week, she’s gone through training since having her as a puppy, and she’s totally fine with other dogs around her. It’s certain triggers she loses it. What do you suggest for this?

Hey there, Carol.

We’re so sorry to hear about the challenges with your pooch. But we applaud you for all of the effort you’ve put in so far and for working with multiple behaviorists.

At the end of the day, no single approach works well in all situations or for all pups. And for that matter, it’s not always possible to correct every behavioral challenge dogs present. Sometimes, you simply need to accept that your dog has a behavioral quirk and use management techniques to work around the issue.

And you’re right that some dogs aren’t very food motivated, so you simply need to find something else that motivates him. My own dog isn’t very food motivated, but she loves scritches/love/praise, so that’s what I use when training her in many cases.

Have you increased the amount of exercise he gets? The “a tired dog is a well-behaved dog” adage is certainly a cliche at this point, but there’s a reason for that: It’s true. It certainly isn’t always feasible to take your dog on a 2-mile jog before navigating a busy street or going out for a simple walk, but it is usually a viable solution for occasional situations, such as vet visits.

We wish you the best of luck in your search for a solution that works, but we’d just strongly urge you to stick to positive, non-aversive strategies; the alternative is simply cruel and often serves to increase a dog’s anxiety, stress, and frustration.

Hey there, Kerry.
As the owner of a dog who’s also dog-reactive, I certainly sympathize.

Aside from some of the tips Kayla provides above, you may want to start trying to use desensitization and counter-conditioning to get your doggo used to seeing other dogs and then exhibiting a different response to those he does see. This won’t be a quick process, but the sooner you start the better.

Also, because it sounds like he may be a bit of a nervous pooch (that may be why he’s always “on alert”), you can also try increasing his confidence level. I know that sounds kind of strange, as he looks like he’s trying to start trouble with the other dogs, but in truth (and assuming my reading of your situation from afar is correct), he’s probably frightened by them and trying to scare them away.

Best of luck!