How do I keep my dog from fighting with other dogs when she first meets them?

For starters, don't let her meet other dogs. Everyone thinks that their dogs have to "meet." In fact, it is not a natural thing for adult dogs to "play" and there's no reason why she has to greet other dogs. Then, find a professional trainer in your area for some tips on how to curb some of the behavior and how to establish dominance.Good luck!

Obedience school is a great idea. Many, many dogs do not have the good social skills to do polite introductions, and that does not mean we shouldn't help them learn. Previous posts suggested that you should keep her away from other dogs, but that's the last thing you want to do. Do keep her out of situations where she gets to practice rude behavior, but the more time she gets to spend in *polite* behavior, the faster she'll learn how to do it on her own. A well-run obedience class is a good place for dogs to learn how to be around each other in an environment where they all have another job to do and don't get to interact directly. A qualified instructor can help you evaluate your dog to make sure she's ready for group class.There are some circumstances in which it is okay to let dogs "sort it out" and some in which they should absolutely be expected to be polite. If there are ever times when blood is involved or if this is happening with stranger's dogs, you probably want to get a handle on it without letting the dogs deal with it themselves. I do competitive obedience and agility, and our dogs must learn how to be completely calm and polite when crammed into a small area while waiting their turn to perform. This includes hyper dogs and dominant dogs and scaredy dogs and all other sorts of dog. It is their job to be polite to each other. Some dogs take longer than others to learn this, but they *can* learn it.You didn't mention if this problem is on- or off-leash, and that can make a big difference. Most dogs have a harder time greeting on-leash, because the leash restricts their ability to communicate with each other or to control how much distance they put between them. Assuming you're working on-leash, one thing you can start with is do something to keep your dog's attention when she is meeting other dogs. Ask her to sit or do some other activity that requires her to pay attention to you. If she starts getting crazy at 50 feet away away from the other dog, then stop and do this at 50 feet away instead of letting her get closer. On her own, she is choosing to do a behavior that is not (in your eyes) acceptable, so the best thing to do is give her something else to do instead. You will probably find that after a few minutes of this, the new dog is not as new any more, and she will be more likely to make polite choices. Over time, this exercise will teach her self-control around other dogs and help her learn to meet them much more politely. If you're working off-leash, you may want to practice getting self-control on-leash for a little while and restrict her access to new dogs until you're better able to get her focus onto you around strange dogs.Suggestions for how to strengthen leadership as you're working through this:http://www.blackacorndogs.com/train_nilif.html

find an obedience school that specializes in aggressive dogs.

tie her up

An obedience school might not be the best answer as it can make some bad behaviour worse. Just imagine how stressed out your dog will be if she thinks she has to take on all the other dogs at the class.There will obviously be badly behaved dogs there as well (which is why we take them) so they might be having a go at her as well.You should be pack leader in any case and be able to call her away from other dogs but you might need some help. I would suggest you try to contact a dog trainer who does one on one lessons.Make sure you get someone who knows what they are doing - there are a lot of unqualified people out there setting themselves up as dog trainers and dog behaviourists.In the UK there is the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. They also operate in the States as the American Association of Pet Dog Trainers. You should be able to find their websites and they will have lists of local trainers.My young dog tried to have a go at another dog today. I was able to stop him with a 'leave it' command immediately followed by 'down'. So training does work!All the best.

You have to show her that you are the alpha dog for one. If she thinks she's in control there is nothing you can do. Obedience training can help as well. However, some dogs just don't get along with other dogs and you may need to keep her away from any other canines for the rest of her life. If you ever get another dog as a puppy in the future, make sure to socialize that new pup with people and other dogs. Even cats if you are able.

When she first meets a dog she automatically tries to establish dominance. If the other dog is submissive, things are fine, but at times she just doesn't get along with others--especially if it's an adult dog. Is there a way that I can be the dominant one and keep her from doing this with other dogs or do I just need to let the dogs work it out.

Obedience school.