Quote:
Originally Posted by
Chewbecca
If we meet a DA, loose dog on the streets, it doesn't matter HOW her behavior has changed/not changed towards dogs, she's screwed anyway.
Completely agree! Non reactive dogs would very likely react in this situation and for good reason.
I agree that most dogs will
want to react to a DA dog. But a reliable down stay works wonders for controlling your dog, calming the approaching dog and freeing you to chase off the loose dog rather than fighting yours. I lived in LA for years with a dog who would like to fight and only once had a dog fight in spite of the constant barrage of out of control, off leash and, yes, DA dogs running at me. (The one fight happened when I was not paying attention and puppy Marco was attacked by a stray chow chow- surely did wonders for his future attitude towards strange dogs
)
Another example- I trialed my dog at the world championships for schutzhund. Before the trial, all the dogs have to participate in the parade. We had 80 or more intact male (mostly) malinois on one football field, lined up within 3 feet of one another. I only saw one dog aggress on another dog and none of the dogs around him reacted. Training. Almost all of these dogs will fight if not under control. But the control is there and the dogs know that fighting is not allowed.
My point is- control is possible. It may not be easy, it's not the same thing as a non-aggressive dog who will not fight, but it's a heck of a lot better than nothing. I'm excited to hear that the CAT is working - it is such a smart way to change a dogs attitude about neutral dogs - but I think you may want to consider some additional training for those times when the dog is not neutral. I can't imagine how many fights Marco would have had in LA without his rock solid down. Talk about a crazy place to live with a DA dog. I have had only a handful of these incidents since moving to Phoenix. In LA it was a weekly, if not daily event.