Quote Originally Posted by BC_MoM
Hey Sarah....Molly's having the same problem. Except once she gets up to the dogs, she's fine and happy again...she's fine offleash... But being far away, onleash by other dogs drives her nuts unless she can go up to them. It's very embarassing and everyone thinks she's vicious now.
I saw this problem once on the Dog Whisperer (with Ceasar) he said its because the dog dog is on a leash and so it dose something to them to make them lunge out and attack, its like its because its restraining them to the other dog. If I remember right when another dog passed he would make the dog sit and kept just saying shhh really fast and giving a tug of the choke chain (or that collar/leash thing he always uses) as soon as the dog calmed down he continued walking, and when the dog was walking he would make it stay at his side so that he could lengthen the leash so the dog would feel less attached to something. But he had to also train the dog to always stay in a heel right beside him.

Also, it doesn't sound like you can necessarily handle both Rita and Sadie at once. I suggest walking them separately so that situations like the one aforementioned NEVER has to repeat itself. Additionally, do you tense up once Rita sees a strange dog? If you tense up, pull on the lead, and speak to her in angry tones, she is going to instinctively associate negative connotations with strange dogs.
I agree , and if you get all tense she can sense that and it makes matters worse.
Always think of something to just clear your mind and be calm.