Possessive behavior

[EWO]

This is one of the more interesting topics for me. It is funny how I once had a steadfast rule on human aggression and as I got older it lightened some, maybe even lightened quite a bit.

A number of years ago it was anything that I thought may evolve/grow into a man-bites/human aggressiveness was given a vitamin that prevented that behavior right there on the spot. I mean 'zero-tolerance' in every sense of the word.

As I got older and more experienced I began to have more latitude with the very few dogs that show some signs. I started to try to figure out the "why's. when's and what for's" and if those were not going to end up with me being bit then it became a 'no harm-no foul' mind set.

I have only put down a couple-three since the early 90's. If those same scenarios popped up today it would only be one. As the others would have been 'avoidable' now but at the time it was that 'zero tolerance'. The one was a Jethro/Mayday bred male. Lots of times I feed in the dark due to work schedule. He was fine, out going, super puppy til he was about 16-17 months. As I came thru his spot he grabbed by pants leg/top of my boot and I took it as playing. I brushed him off, fed him and all was well. The next night he put his mouth on my calf as I cleaned and filled his water bowl, slight pressure just enough to let me know he had an issue with me. Again, I took it as playing as he was a springpole/tug maniac. The third night he met me at the end of the chain for 'no apparent' reason and would not let me in. I mean teeth showing, snapping, etc. etc. I then fed him the vitamin that prevents all human aggressiveness.

To the original poster, yours is a simple fix. If he is worth keeping, keep him on a lead so you are in control. Period. Private beach or no private beach (and I have never seen a private beach that had fences to the water) pit bulls must be restrained 24 hours a day. That may be a chain, a kennel, a fence, a crate, your front door, but there has to always be a barrier between the dog and things he can hurt. Every bad story starts with, "He never did anything like that before", or, I let him run free for a few minutes everyday". People quickly forget these dogs were bred to basically kill shit, other dogs mostly, and there is no magical switch that turns this off and on at the owner's whim. Sometimes these dogs will re-direct their 'skill set' without warning and with the ever most subtle of signs. Barriers prevent the re-direction from being on the evening news.

I would simply keep him away from the things he has possessive issues with, thus a six-foot lead is the cure for that ailment not the vitamin I spoke of. EWO

[Officially Retired]

No dog aggression towards me or any human being period for me. I'd shoot it if it was mine.

I'd rather work with other great dogs without the human aggression.

Other great dogs?

Have you ever owned/fed a truly great dog?

Most truly great, seriously badass dogs are "great" because of their intensity and their refusal to be dominated in any way

Jack

[bamaman]

I'm sure some of you probably had this happen and its happened to me a couple times.When I was young I had a litter and I was going to pick one up and didn't realize another one of the pups was going after the one I was picking up and at 6 weeks old he did a little numbe on my hand .I sat back and thought about what happened and realized I wasn't the intended target.Well I was able to fange him and he turned me loose.Never another incident , but me being young I could have over reacted to that.Like EWO said u have to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident and then make a decision.A lot of times I found I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Officially Retired]

Yeah, I've been bit "unintentionally" a few times too.

These dogs get GEEKED UP and sometimes go in another world.

Red Sonja and Bandana were like that. If you flirt-poled them, "the whole world" (that moves) became the flirt-pole.

Bandana took me down with a calf-hold once, shaking the bejesus out of my calf, when I "forgot" how she was, and stepped inside her chain space whilst flirt-poling her. Bandana meant to grab me, she was shaking the bejesus out of my leg, and I was torn between laughter and anger ... because it hurt like hell, but it still was funny looking into her beady little eyes, seeing her intense, happy face, and watching her tail wag furiously because she "got something" and was relishing her "victory" ... while I was laying on my back watching her pummel my leg (fortunately, she was a little dog, and I really wasn't in danger, and was able to get her off me pretty easy).

There was nothing "mean" about what she was doing, she just was "in the zone," GEEKED-UP, and whatever was moving was getting nailed. Bandana was a farking intense, intense dog ... and once that switch went on, anything living was fair game. (And I still have the puncture holes on my calf to prove it, lol)

Her half-sister Red Sonja was the same way. She grabbed her own stifle in a roll once, she would grab the pit wall if you came too close to the corner, she'd the grab carpet if there were folds, she'd grab your hand if it went in front of her, whatever was moving (or available!), she would get it. She wasn't "panicking," but in fact was SO HAPPY, SO ENERGIZED that she was just "after anything that moved" too.

One of the funniest visuals/stories I can remember was when I sold Red Sonja to Conan Kennels. Conan was a big dude, like 6-2, 240 lb, and decided to take the tiny Red Sonja outside to do some flirt-poling. Sonja was indoors in her crate, and Conan picked-up the little 27 lb dog under his arm and carefully carried her into the kitchen (where the flirtpole was on the sink) and then he picked up the flirt-pole ...

Conan had just opened-up the door to go outside, and as soon as Red-Sonja saw that flirt-pole in his hand, she went out of her flippin mind, latched onto the door, grabbing it with both paws and her mouth, and started shaking the shit out of the door, suspended there 3' off the ground

Conan had to break Sonja off the door with a stick ... who then chased his ass all over the yard as (in Sonja's mind) IT WAS ON!

He called me all out of breath, alarmed, and after getting over the shock, we both laughed

And then I said, "Oh yeah, one more thing about Red Sonja ... don't get near her if she gets geeked-up."

Jack

[EWO]

Never knew Red Sonja or experienced her, but there are lot of places where she would have been no more. Zero tolerance. I was there for a time, a number of years ago.

We were rolling dogs one day and in the break, once my dog was clear I pulled him back. The other guy pulled back and his free hand got near my dog's mouth and he got hung. Of course that automatically dubbed him a man-biter. I told him the dog was not the problem, he basically stuck his freakin' hand in the dog's mouth.

It's funny because as friends it has been a funny story for a long time. He called my dog a man-biting piece of cur shit out of anger. I called him a dumbass. That was years ago. Even today when it comes up I tell him that dog went on to win two, and a GIS,
http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum...p?dog_id=42272
, and never bit another soul. The dog proved he was not a man-biting piece of cur shit. I tell my buddy since then you have failed to prove you were not/are not a dumbass.

[bamaman]

I got a young nephew who don't always listen and he will nod his head like he hears you.Well I told him I said don't walk in front this dog when I turn him loose.So he nods like he understands and I let the dog go and he walks right in front of him.I can bet you none of those little hot girls he chases made him come out of his pants faster than the dog did.

[Bingo]

Other great dogs?

Have you ever owned/fed a truly great dog?

Most truly great, seriously badass dogs are "great" because of their intensity and their refusal to be dominated in any way

Jack

Exactly what I was thinkin when I read his post

[Officially Retired]

I got a young nephew who don't always listen and he will nod his head like he hears you.Well I told him I said don't walk in front this dog when I turn him loose.So he nods like he understands and I let the dog go and he walks right in front of him.I can bet you none of those little hot girls he chases made him come out of his pants faster than the dog did.

[Officially Retired]

Other great dogs?

Have you ever owned/fed a truly great dog?

Most truly great, seriously badass dogs are "great" because of their intensity and their refusal to be dominated in any way

Jack

Exactly what I was thinkin when I read his post

[Officially Retired]

Never knew Red Sonja or experienced her, but there are lot of places where she would have been no more. Zero tolerance. I was there for a time, a number of years ago.

That is because too many people in dogs basically don't know shit about dogs, basically understand nothing about dogs.

The Old Man I knew was the opposite: he wouldn't trust any dog that was "too friendly" ... or would NOT get into that "Zone" ... where they were almost insanely high/drunk with intensity

And I totally understand his point. We expect these dogs to be 100% dead game, to have a level of intensity and focus that cannot be discouraged ... not by fatigue, not by punishment, not by domination, etc. ... and yet these guys (mostly green/mostly stupid) expect them to be completely gentle lambs "with people" no matter what. It's really kind of retarded

The more experience people get, the more they realize MOST dog bite incidents involve owner stupidity, of having NO CLUE about how geeked-up these dogs can get (like they're supposed to) as opposed to being truly mean dogs.

I am all for putting down a truly man-aggressive dog ... but there is simply a difference between a geeked-up, game (but otherwise sweet) bulldog that's "in The Zone" ... and a truly malicious, dangerous dog ... and a dogman knows the difference ... whereas a novice does not

We were rolling dogs one day and in the break, once my dog was clear I pulled him back. The other guy pulled back and his free hand got near my dog's mouth and he got hung. Of course that automatically dubbed him a man-biter. I told him the dog was not the problem, he basically stuck his freakin' hand in the dog's mouth.

It's funny because as friends it has been a funny story for a long time. He called my dog a man-biting piece of cur shit out of anger. I called him a dumbass. That was years ago. Even today when it comes up I tell him that dog went on to win two, and a GIS,
http://www.thepitbullbible.com/forum...p?dog_id=42272
, and never bit another soul. The dog proved he was not a man-biting piece of cur shit. I tell my buddy since then you have failed to prove you were not/are not a dumbass.

Lol, yep.

People who don't "get" these dogs in the most basic of ways, typically have zilch for a record to confirm their lack of understanding in other ways ...

Jack