Q: I have a Lab/Pit Bulldog mix that we adopted after finding and locating his owner, and they asked if we would keep him. He just turned a year old and evidently he was on the streets for the first 5 months of his life before they got him, and he kept bolting out the door every chance he got. We had him neutered in January and I have been training him to come, stay, sit, and back off. He learns fast and is very eager to please. He just has 1 problem.

When I take him to the park where I take my other 2 dogs, he plays with and gets along with almost every other dog. However, when a non neutered male comes into the picture, he tends to get aggressive. He has never bitten but he growls and goes after them. I have been putting him in a down stay and also spraying him with water. He is 75 percent better, but I would like to know if I am doing the right correction or is there something else I should be doing. I would really like to cure him of this. He will be missing out on a lot of fun if I have to keep him on leash all the time or when I'm tired I just leave him home. My other 2 dogs are a pleasure to take to the park.

A: Dog parks where dogs mingle with other dogs are popular, but they are the wrong experience for a lot of dogs. If you continue to take the dog into this situation, he will only get worse. It sounds like you can currently control him around strange dogs and take him for walks without him constantly lunging at every dog you pass. However, the dog park experiences can create this additional problem. Then he's going to miss out on even more fun because it will be so difficult to take him anywhere.

Since you enjoy the dog park experience, it is fortunate you have 2 dogs who can apparently handle it. This dog sounds intelligent and willing to please. Perhaps you could take up another activity to do with him instead of the park outings. This is stimulating the wrong instincts in him. I hope you can find a way to spend time with him that further enhances the good training work you've done.