pitbull post

[Throttle]

So, I'd like to appologise for my ranting earlier about pitbulls.
I was a little caught up in the rage.
I believe that owners should be more responsible for their animals (not specifically pitbulls) and should be held accountable for any vet bills caused from an animal attack.

Fair enough?

[canucksafari]

A dog is only as good as its breeding and the training and care its owner gives it. Even then under certain conditions any dog can be unpredictible. That said, as a dog owner, I would have no problem with someone killing my dog or putting her down myself if she ever showed signs of unprovoked or uncontrolable agression. Use to be it was legal to shoot dogs on sight which you found running game in the bush. I'm not sure about it now. Unfortunately many people look for dogs with high aggresion traits to look cool or be a Mr tough guy. They don't take their responsibility to properly train, care and control their animal. Hope your family member sues the owner for every thing they got and wins.

And bubba, take a happy pill and work on your logic. Last I checked, dog does not equal human.

[jeeper]

A dog is only as good as its breeding and the training and care its owner gives it. Even then under certain conditions any dog can be unpredictible. That said, as a dog owner, I would have no problem with someone killing my dog or putting her down myself if she ever showed signs of unprovoked or uncontrolable agression. Use to be it was legal to shoot dogs on sight which you found running game in the bush. I'm not sure about it now. Unfortunately many people look for dogs with high aggresion traits to look cool or be a Mr tough guy. They don't take their responsibility to properly train, care and control their animal. Hope your family member sues the owner for every thing they got and wins.

And bubba, take a happy pill and work on your logic. Last I checked, dog does not equal human.


Whats this world comming too? Twice in one day Im agreeing with Canucksafari :)


A little story about dogs once having shown signs of agression to humans , My ex sister in law got a dog from someone , it was a boxer , and as I love boxers, (ive had 3 ) I thought it was great ! Then one day when it was at my place (dogsitting) the boxer took a bite outa my brother . He was ready to go get his shotty and put it down on the spot , but he relented and we left it up to my ex sister in law to deal with the dog !


Well from originaly wanting to put the dog down their tunes changed to --"The Dog must have been provoked " So of course they didnt put the dog down :(


I made it clear that taht dog was not ever welcome at my home again .


Well , go ahead a few months and this same dog took a bite outa a child ! So finally this time they put the dog down , after doing a bit more research into the background on the dog they discovered these two events werent its first !


I will not put up with a dog bitting under any circumstances as once it has it will bite again !


As My cousin will attest to with his biter !


Bruce

[Throttle]

A dog is only as good as its breeding and the training and care its owner gives it. Even then under certain conditions any dog can be unpredictible. That said, as a dog owner, I would have no problem with someone killing my dog or putting her down myself if she ever showed signs of unprovoked or uncontrolable agression. Use to be it was legal to shoot dogs on sight which you found running game in the bush. I'm not sure about it now. Unfortunately many people look for dogs with high aggresion traits to look cool or be a Mr tough guy. They don't take their responsibility to properly train, care and control their animal. Hope your family member sues the owner for every thing they got and wins.

And bubba, take a happy pill and work on your logic. Last I checked, dog does not equal human.


I completely agree. I have a 2 year old boxer. For the most part to be good tempered dogs. Although if he ever attacked another dog I would not hesitate to pay the vet bills, and that would be the last time he went off-leash. If he attacked a human, he gets put to sleep that day. I know people are going to say 'Ha ha easier said than done' but I plan to have kids eventually, and there is no possible way I would keep a dog that was unreliable.

To re-iterate what I wrote earlier, I got a phone call last night saying my brother in laws dog got attacked by a pitbull last night while they were out for a walk. Pitbull was offleash with owner watching, while my brother in laws 10 month old lab/retreiver cross was on a leash when he got attacked.
That was the second time THIS YEAR our family have had pitbulls attack our dogs. Each time, the pitbulls were offleash and ours were. So from now on when I take the dogs for a walk Im going to carry my police batton and knife, and if another pitbull decides to lock its jaws onto any of our dogs again, I'm going straight for my knife. The reason for the knife you ask? Because obviously the owner of the dog is not responsible, and it will just happen again to someone else (or maybe your very own child?).

Believe it or not, I have met friendly pitbulls. I take my dog to the local dog park where he regularly plays with a pitbull that goes there to. Do I trust the dog? No. However I don't have plans to destroy the dog, unless it started to get aggressive. Just like canucksafari wrote... people use them for intimidation and to look cool, instead of a proper dog owner that decided to get a pitbull and try to prove to people (such as me) that the dogs can be well tempered.

[HEAVY METAL]

i have a pitty that is terrozing my neighbourhood. ive hit with my axe twice but it keeps comin back trying too break into the yard and attack my danes. my female is a very agrressive 160 lb dog..not too worried about her. but iam concerned for my neighbours dogs. i seen the owner oncce.. looked lkike a crack head ( imagine that) and had no control over the dog as it took off from her.i have talked too all my neighbours, knocked on doors, called the spca and the cops... which they told me they arnt gonna do anything till the dog attacks.. fukin dumbasses. im gonna shoot the fuking thing if it comes back...it has turned out neighbourhood a very unsafe place where i cant even play with my 10 month old in the front yard...really pisses me off. i really want too find this dog .

[HEAVY METAL]

and throttle... wicked post bud.. totally agree. my dane attacked a jack . well my dane was off leash and so was the jack whne it ran over nad bit my dog first. well you can amignae what happened between a great dane and a jack russel. cost me 1500.00 and i voluntarily put my dog on spca dangerous animal list .( if shes gets in another fight she is gone) . now she never leaves the house without a muzzle. and is NEVER off leash.. never. i have learned too respect the power of my dog.

[Moose good]

'Aggressive dog' threads always interest me. I've been training dogs for a while, fulltime for a little over a year now after a career change. Money isn't great but the work is and no boss...

Anyway, I've found the conventional wisdom to be true that chronic biters tend be caused by two things. One is dominance (as with 90% of 'negative' behaviour) The other is fear/uncertanty.

The first is a no-brainer. At what point did this dog learn that it was ok to bite a person ? And yes, some breeds are more prone than others, but not by much. All can be corrected with training...think 'boot camp for dogs'. Two years ago I was able to help a family that had had rescued a Dob from a grow-house and it became a great pet. One of the breeds I work with all the time is Rotties and anyone who knows the breed knows this to be true. Some dogs need a firmer hand.

The second point is fear and uncertainty, which is a little tougher to spot and correct. More importantly, the original source of it is. Most of the time it comes from an inept owner giving the dog inappropriate or conflicting training.
For example, dogs are coprophaegic by nature (look it up, I'll wait...) Why would 'rubbing their nose in it' be a negative stimulus ? It's the owner's (negative) voice they're responding to. See the conflict ?

Got to got to work now (woohoo!) but I'll leave this thought that can prevent most problems while you're training them:
Dogs don't handle stress very well - they aren't used to it the way we are.

That being said, I'm no expert (though I'm trying to get there) I've just seen what works...
There's WAY more to it but I'm outta time.

[canucksafari]

Moose good, I agree with you 100%. But there are just too many people who don't commit to training their dog. You can help train a dog but you can't be the alpha all the time. If the owner doesn't accept responsibility to train and to be the alpha, then the dog is a lost cause and potentially dangerous. Some dogs and breeds just have to have a strong alpha aound them all the time. I don't see much of a difference of someone allowing an aggresive dog to be unsecured than to someone leaving their loaded hand gun lying around. Sooner or later they are both going to go off and someone is going to get hurt. More criminal negligence charges against dog owners might make "normal people" think twice about their responsibilities.

[HEAVY METAL]

moose ,my female dane was also rescued from a grow op...left for 3 weeks, no food no water, broken leg. the rats and mice chewed her elbows. she was an absolute mess. and crippled because of it. it took ALOT of work but is now the best dog i have ever owned. very protective when im not home ( ie dont bother trying too come in) she absolutly loves my 10 month old baby, her only issue is other animals. ive tried and tried.. its just the way she is. all i can do is respect her and the general public by muzzling and leashing her. and if ya know her ya know what a good dog she is.

[desteurm]

I adopted my dog from the SPCA about 7 years ago now. He is a yellow labrador cross and is an excellent dog. The first thing I did was enroll us in 'positive reinforcement' dog training class that lasted seven sessions. It was the best money I have ever spent on a pet. It built a bond between us immediately and gave me the tools to train him. Still to this day there are some issues that are unresolved. He hates cats or other small animals that are not dogs. He will chase and they run. I would credit socializing him in a controlled setting with people and other dogs as being one of the best things you could do with your dog.

I have been bitten twice, once by a friends dog and once by a staf terrier. Both bites were because I was breaking up a dog fight. Obviously the dogs were scared and any scared dog immediately has its survival instincts kick in and they will bite.

Any breed can be aggresive and bite. Animal behaviour cannot be predicted no matter the animal.

I strongly feel that any dog owner should be required to go through basic training with there animal. While I do not like over regulated beauracracy, I think it is time that the government start to initiate this mandate. Socializing a dog in a controlled environment is paramount to correcting bad behaviour before you let it loose in a park or if it escapes from a yard.

[Throttle]

moose ,my female dane was also rescued from a grow op...left for 3 weeks, no food no water, broken leg. the rats and mice chewed her elbows. she was an absolute mess. and crippled because of it. it took ALOT of work but is now the best dog i have ever owned. very protective when im not home ( ie dont bother trying too come in) she absolutly loves my 10 month old baby, her only issue is other animals. ive tried and tried.. its just the way she is. all i can do is respect her and the general public by muzzling and leashing her. and if ya know her ya know what a good dog she is.

I've got the same problem with my boxer. He's fantastic around people and little children (even when they pull his jowls and hang off of them), but every now and again he gets very dominant over other dogs and will try pinning them to the ground and just standing over them snarling. He has never bitten another dog, but is just very vocal. Friends of ours know he's not going to bight, but those who don't know our dog get a little freaked out about it. We discourage it everytime he does it. Its almost like he's playing with the dog, but just sounds really bad. He will mouth the other dog, but never actually put any part of the other dogs body in its mouth. We take him down to the dog park and he has a great time there, but every now and again he will do it, and I instantly grab him and put him on his leash to discourage it.

[desteurm]

I've got the same problem with my boxer. He's fantastic around people and little children (even when they pull his jowls and hang off of them), but every now and again he gets very dominant over other dogs and will try pinning them to the ground and just standing over them snarling. He has never bitten another dog, but is just very vocal. Friends of ours know he's not going to bight, but those who don't know our dog get a little freaked out about it. We discourage it everytime he does it. Its almost like he's playing with the dog, but just sounds really bad. He will mouth the other dog, but never actually put any part of the other dogs body in its mouth. We take him down to the dog park and he has a great time there, but every now and again he will do it, and I instantly grab him and put him on his leash to discourage it.

Try taking him for obedience training in a group environment. My lab loved to harass little fluffy dogs until one day in class. The instructor's german shepard was sent/told to "work" and intercepted Cooper while he was chasing a little dog. The shepard cutoff my dog mid chase and basically told my dog that it was unacceptable, in dog language, and he has never done it since.

Your boxer needs to learn how to play properly in a controlled environment. Sounds like he is trying to dominate the other dog by putting his head on the others back, trying to get a higher position, or initiate the hump stance, etc. Mouthing around the other dogs neck is pretty normal playful antics.

The obedience school was called Dog Smart Systems and I highly recommend it. Best investment you can make for you and your pet!

[Moose good]

Just got back from another fine day 'at the office', lol.
Anyway, some great points here that I'd like to bring up now that I have a bit of time.

canucksafari, your post is 100% bang on. Unfortunately, some people have kids who probably shouldn't as well. The ONLY remedy I see is, as you suggest, make dog OWNERS accountable for reparations at the very least and I don't think criminal negligence charges are unreasonable in some cases. You don't park a truck on a hill in neutral without the brake on...

HEAVYMETAL, your dog sounds like an exceptional case and good on you for taking her on. My own dog (5yr old SPCA Shep/Elkhound) was a pup when I got her and the mom was a mess. Grow op as well I suspect, but I can't say for sure; she lived on a chain outside an empty house though. I recently bumped into the new owner at a beach and was amazed at how successful he had been simply by reading the dog. I can't offer any suggestions or advice, sounds like you've got her sussed though.

desteurm, looking at it from the outside, the obvious point to make is that it IS a retriever (not knowing what the cross is). Same reason you wouldn't work a lab as a guard dog or a beagle as a seeing-eye dog.
IME, positive reinforcement is A1 for training. The old arguments against techniques like treat-training exist only because it doesn't work if it's done half-assed. Inconsistency is a HUGE problem in owners training their own dogs. That's probably the most common thing I've corrected.
Dogfights: here's an interesting bit that I didn't know till I started working with many different dogs. First, dog fights are about dominance, pure and simple. Unfortunately, some dogs don't seem to know when they've been beaten. Working in a kennel it happens sometimes when a stud gets into an adjacent pen. It's fortunate our runs are pretty large because the smaller the space the more aggressive the scrap.

Like anything else in life, there's a most-effective way. Given what vets cost, I picked this one up pretty early. It might sound harsh, but it can take an entire litter of puppies to recoup the cost of one fight. Anyway, it's back to my point about being the alpha.

STAY BEHIND THE HEAD or you'll get bitten every time. This gives you time to see them swing their head to the side if they're going to bite you. If you can get their butts on the ground, the fight goes right out of 'em - it's amazing to see and tough to do, especially when their muscles are locked and the adrenalin's pumping. As in everything you do with a dog, tone of voice is key as well. Being a big guy and former grunt, I can bellow pretty well when the need arises. I've found a rattle or growl from the back of the throat is pretty effective as well. At the risk of someone trying it and getting hurt, I'll say here that there's more to it and leave it at that.(rest of this para deleted).

With due respect, if your point about animal behaviour being unpredictable was intended to apply universally, then take issue with that. If you put the word 'wild' in there somewhere, I could see it. It's unpredictable only if you don't know what you're looking at. Dogs are actually pretty easy to read - they have only a few 'tells'. I'd take part in a dog's poker game any day, lol:redneck

Remember too that dogs don't initiate fights with other dogs out of fear, it's out of dominance. As people sometimes display particular actions at inappropriate times, so do dogs. This is especially true for dogs that haven't been socialized much with other dogs - the instincts are there but the timing sucks.

But you're thinking of an example of a scared/startled dog snapping ? That's dominance: you're suddenly in its space and it didn't smell/hear/see you coming. That's the same reason old, blind dogs get snappy - it's the only way they can keep (unsensed) threats at bay.

On the political/legislative side of it, problems from dogs are rarely first-time events and no ethical dog owner would be blind to this behaviour. I've been wrestling with the mandated-training argument myself for a long time and I don't have an answer

deusterm, your last sentence belongs in every dog owner's handbook it's that true.

I just want to bring up one more important thing re: mouthing then I'll back off.

Mouthing is normal dog behaviour and I've been asked to correct 'biters' that were just mouthing. Unfortunately, because it starts as a puppy it can be tough to break if not corrected early. My outlook on training is that dogs should be allowed to be dogs, so my dog is allowed to mouth my hand while we're playing because it reinforces the bond like nothing else. There are very clear boundaries on when it's ok and it stops with a word.
What's worked with my own dogs is to clamp down on it (no pun intended) when they're pups and gradually re-introduce it later.

Throttle, how do you scold/recall your dog when he dominates ? Does he return with his ears and belly down or does he look at you like he's waiting for a command ?

As I said before, this is all based on my own personal experience over the last 15 years or so, so it ain't gospel. Find yourself a trainer whose methodology you like and if your dog responds the stick with that.

Sorry for the hijack Throttle, but I thought it was important. I missed the first thread, but good on you for posting this one.

[HMFI]

Dogs are great. Mine is a 6 year old lab/great peranese cross, 120 lbs. She is awsome with people, kids, and little dogs. Most big dogs she gets along with, as long as she isn't cornered or confined (on a leash) for the first encounter. She is very protective when the wife has the kids and her on a walk. She doesn't pay any attention to the little yappy dogs, just the big ones.
She had a bad first encounter with my sisters bull mastiff, cornered by a rottie, the mastiff and a hyper lab type puppy. Those dogs never got along since. We tried a few times with us around, things were a little tense, but got better. As soon as we went inside, fight's on.
Both dogs are great, never hurt a human, unless they need to. My sis's kids used that mastiff as a step ladder to get on to the couch, she didn't care just wagged her tail.
Our kids play around our dog all day, she loves them, even though she should be jelious as the wife used to walk her every day. (not so much now, but the neighbor takes her every morning with his dog).

Bottom line: Even the best dog can be bad. We have a highly trained dog thanks to my wife. This dog listens and knows hand signals, but I know it will chew on some else's big dog, because she has in the past. (Sisters "dog killer" mastiff)
So we control her when needed.

[HMFI]

Moosgood, good info.
When I play ruff with my dog I put the gloves on. When the gloves are on I shove her around and she comes back mouthing and playing hard. Take the gloves off and she immediatly stops the mouthing/play biting. I think that's a good way to teach the difference for people who just play ruff with their dogs all the time. I know of a drunk guy that thought he was playing with a fighting dog, the owner kept asking if he wanted the dog called off he said no maney times, and ended up fairly chewed up when he sobered up - idiot:laugh

[HEAVY METAL]

Moose.. Brian.. thank you for your posts...

[jeeper]

a great topic with people that are concerned for animals !


Why cant there be one time when this issue comes up on the news that it isnt discussed like this?


Bruce

[Moose good]

Glad I could help and, jeeper, I'd like to see that too but it always winds up turning into a 'bad breeds' argument. That bugs me.

[Throttle]

[QUOTE=Moose good;853967]
Throttle, how do you scold/recall your dog when he dominates ? Does he return with his ears and belly down or does he look at you like he's waiting for a command [?QUOTE]

When he does this, I can usually call him and he will come back all happy as if he did nothing wrong.
I don't think I've ever seen my dog look sad/scolded for doing anything other than getting into our garbage can in the kitchen. Even then, we don't have to say anything, we just catch him doing it and he scurries off ears back, and looking sheepish.

[Throttle]

[QUOTE=Moose good;853967]
Throttle, how do you scold/recall your dog when he dominates ? Does he return with his ears and belly down or does he look at you like he's waiting for a command

When he does this, I can usually call him and he will come back all happy as if he did nothing wrong.
I don't think I've ever seen my dog look sad/scolded for doing anything other than getting into our garbage can in the kitchen. Even then, we don't have to say anything, we just catch him doing it and he scurries off ears back, and looking sheepish.

[desteurm]

desteurm, looking at it from the outside, the obvious point to make is that it IS a retriever (not knowing what the cross is).

I think he is crossed with a meatball:soso Could be 1/2 yellow lab, 1/4 mastiff & 1/4 Staff Terrier.


STAY BEHIND THE HEAD or you'll get bitten every time. This gives you time to see them swing their head to the side if they're going to bite you. If you can get their butts on the ground, the fight goes right out of 'em - it's amazing to see and tough to do, especially when their muscles are locked and the adrenalin's pumping.

Tried that and the coon hound still got me in the fore arm. I never thought a coon hound had strong jaws and was that quick. Holy %$^&#! This dog eats black kongs for breakfast.




With due respect, if your point about animal behaviour being unpredictable was intended to apply universally, then I take issue with that. If you put the word 'wild' in there somewhere, I could see it. It's unpredictable only if you don't know what you're looking at. Dogs are actually pretty easy to read - they have only a few 'tells'. I'd take part in a dog's poker game any day, lol:redneck

Millions of years of evolution are not predictable. While a dog may be able to learn commands from a human, you can never change the primordial instincts of survival that have been programmed into them for millions of years.




Remember too that dogs don't initiate fights with other dogs out of fear, it's out of dominance.

A couple words comes to mind "PACKS" and "HIARCHY"



When I play ruff with my dog I put the gloves on. When the gloves are on I shove her around and she comes back mouthing and playing hard. Take the gloves off and she immediatly stops the mouthing/play biting.

Similar to the playing with your gloves story...I only play with my mutt when he has a toy in his mouth and encourage him to get his toy if he wants to play.

[ChevyBeast]

So our 11 month old Boston Terrier always tries to dominate our 1 year old Bugg. He (the boston) takes every toy from her (the bugg), bites her when we pay attention to her and generally acts like an a$$hole towards her. He only does this with her, no other dog. In a group setting, he just follows the pack of dogs around, never tries to interfere. Weve tried giving him lots of attention, weve tried giving him no attention. He has gotten better but hes still does it. Any suggestions?

[Moose good]

Throttle, interesting examples that make a good point. When you recall him, he comes back 'happy, like nothing is wrong'. It sounds like he's just being a dog and doesn't see anything wrong. More importantly, he sees that you condone what he's doing by giving him the chance to take the dominant role on behalf of his pack, if that makes sense.

When he's into the garbage, it sounds as though he's testing his limits (kinda like a kid): he'll push and push and push until you shut him down...The only thing I could suggest is the obvious - cut off his access to it


Tried that and...
Just out of curiosity, was he turning to snap at you and that connected or did he actually bite you ? (was it more of a puncture or a tear). I'm filing this away in the ole memory bank to watch for next time I bust up a fight.


...you can never change the primordial instincts of survival...To be sure we're on the same page, when I say 'tells' I'm referring to the lead-up to a fight, not the actual scrap itself. Anyone who's seen it knows that a normally sweet-natured dog can change completely in a fight. From what I've seen, when to dogs are running toward another you can ALWAYS tell if it's going to be a meet-n-greet or a scrap by reading them. If one is openly aggressive, then that's the time to recall your dog - before contact between the two is made.

The innate aggression is definitely there, as you suggest. As the 'pack leader' it's up to you to channel, direct, and where necessary unleash it (no pun intended). I believe this is the methodology used to train 'attack' dogs as well.

Should mention here that packs and hierarchy are actually the result of dominance. Dominance is the glue that holds a pack together. Effectively assertive owners rarely see behavioural problems in their dogs because it provides what every dog is happy with: a place in the 'pack' Doesn't matter what that place is, as long as it's in there somewhere. The last bit is what neutering a male provides, otherwise they are instinctively driven to assert themselves.

The dog fights I've seen have little to do with survival and are more of a behavioural issue, like an introvert who hasn't learned how to behave in a group.

To use Throttle's 'garbage dog' scenario as an example, training him to stay out of it won't work long-term because it's a behavioural issue. (Assuming he's not doing out of hunger of course). Not sure what his need is to get into it so I don't know what to suggest.

ChevyBeast, it sounds like the Boston is just growing into his nuts. He's at about the right age for it. When he does it, try teaching him that it's up to YOU to sort out dominance in your 3-dog pack. Try flipping him on his back, holding his throat with one hand (firm but not dangerously so - dogs actually have a delicate voicebox) and the other hand holding his muzzle shut. Stare him down and growl from the back of your throat. I know it sounds flaky as hell I know but it works like a dream, on every dog I've done it to. You need to do it EVERY TIME, especially when it's your own dog. You want to cause unease (not pain!) that the dog can't get out of until you decide. Those roles are yours to establish, not his. With my own dog, that growl is actually a severe correction without the need to flip anymore.

As mentioned, there are wide differences on thought about this stuff and I don't mean to sound like an expert in spite of how I may come across, lol. It's important to know what works with YOUR dog and use the owner/dog bond to drive it's training and motivate its behaviour the way YOU want it to be.

[desteurm]

Just out of curiosity, was he turning to snap at you and that connected or did he actually bite you ? (was it more of a puncture or a tear). I'm filing this away in the ole memory bank to watch for next time I bust up a fight.

The two dogs were going at it... two freaking coon hounds. I was house sitting for some friends and looking after there two coon hounds. I also had my lab there and he was in the kitchen eating his dinner. I had already fed the two hounds. They were standing on the edge of the kitchen side by side and at first it was all good. Then the one that always starts $ hit turns to the other and growls a little. The other, more dominant B itch takes exception, and growls back with posturing. I knew then I was in for an ordeal. Next thing I know, there was lots of growling (from the chest), yelping and biting. I come from the side and grab the one that started it by the collar and then go for the other hounds collar, trying to get behind her head like you have suggested. She turns and latches into my arm and sunk all four canines into my forearm right above my wrist. She let go quickly but too late. Meanwhile, my lab is just eating his dinner like nothing is going on. I now have both dogs by the collar and pin them against two adjacent walls in a corner leaning all my weight into them with each arm as I hold their collars until they stop snaping. Now what. I take them both towards the bedroom, put one in there then close the door. The other one I haul downstairs, I don't think her feet touched the floor the whole way down to the room in the basement. Toss her in the room. Then get the other dog outside. Great seperated! I assess the damage, drive to the hospital, get patched up three hours later while my lab waits in the car. I get back to the house and let the dogs out and the little $ hit disturber goes and tries starting it up again. I booted her ass outside so quick. I then praised the other dog for not responding and played with her a bit.


To be sure we're on the same page, when I say 'tells' I'm referring to the lead-up to a fight, not the actual scrap itself. Anyone who's seen it knows that a normally sweet-natured dog can change completely in a fight. From what I've seen, when to dogs are running toward another you can ALWAYS tell if it's going to be a meet-n-greet or a scrap by reading them. If one is openly aggressive, then that's the time to recall your dog - before contact between the two is made.

The dog fights I've seen have little to do with survival and are more of a behavioural issue, like an introvert who hasn't learned how to behave in a group.



The hound that bit me was a rescue dog. She had been mistreated and beaten badly before. This is where I feel it was her survival instincts that prompted her to bite me. She saw my hands coming, thinking I was going to kick the **** out of her and she bit me. I don't blame her, she is actually a great dog but has a bad history.


Sorry for the novel:sorrysign:

PS... Coon hounds are good for two things, barking and treeing cougars. They have no place in a family home no matter how damn cute they look.

[Moose good]

Once you mentioned 'rescue dog' it made sense. Personally, I can forgive a rescue dog of damn near anything. Kinda like the analogy of old blind dogs getting snappy.

If I had to guess, I'd say that it REALLY messes with a dog's head head when their 'pack' turns on them, be it a human or canine pack. I think your conclusion that she was reacting to a threat is probably bang-on.

From the story of that scrap, it's tough to tell whether it was you or the dogs who had the most adrenaline pumping !