Me and Mrs. Craig too... perhaps that would explain the four dogs of our own (two of them are rescues), plus one foster dog we're working to socialize so that she can move on to another home. (Not to mention the three cats, ferret, gerbil, turtle, and fish tank... we're critter people!)stevie_d_64 wrote:I happen to have a soft spot for dogs...
You're absolutely correct. Any roaming group of 3+ dogs is a pack, and it doesn't matter if they're chihuahuas or rottweilers; they'll play off each other, and as soon as one senses fear, they'll swarm. It doesn't matter if their target is a horse, cow, deer, cat, another dog, or a human: it's all about the fear scent.I've lived with and trained dogs all my adult life and consider aggressiveness to be a matter of conditioning and environment...I do not fear even the largest or most agressive of breeds, and having no fear (concern at times, but not fear) is not a bunch of bull that animals cannot sense it...Fear permiates very much in outward appearance in your sweating, breathing and the way you move and or stand...
Fear is a primal trigger that animals who naturally capitalize on that condition hope for, either for them to establish a dominance (alpha male etc etc) or to attack for food...
The worst combination of roaming dogs are intact male littermates with no socialization. They won't fight each other, but they'll fight anything else. Like teenage boys with whiskey, they go looking for trouble. I've noticed that many of the pit-on-human attacks involve intact mail juvenile littermates who are left free to roam. Gee... anyone else draw the parallel to "dogs in the hood"?
Now, as to pits (my generic term for pit bulls, AmStaffs, American Bulldog, and any and all combinations thereof that are historically bred for fighting)... Fighting dogs are bred to be aggressive against other dogs, but are also bred to not be aggressive against people. I abhor the blood sports, but I know enough to understand that any pit dog that turns on any human must be destroyed on the spot; otherwise, their handlers can't trust them to focus on the other dog. (Again: I abhor dog fighting, cock fighting, Ultimate Fighting, and all other blood sports, but at least the humans have a say in the matter.)
I've never met a pit who wasn't all tongue and tail, a big slobbery wagging goobernut. Except for those few who had been abused into being aggressive towards people, that is. In those cases, I'd prefer to put down the owner, and see if the dog could be rehabilitated. I have known rotties who are naturally aggressive towards people, but I respect them for doing their job. If they leave their territory and enter mine and still think they're in charge, then they're fair game.
Dogs do have instincts dictated by their breeding: herding dogs herd, tracking dogs track, bird dogs point, and companion dogs flop in your lap. More important than doggie DNA is owner attitude, and training.
Disclosure: I don't own a pit. Our Alpha dog is a 10 year old Standard Poodle. We have a 12 year old Australian Shepherd-German Shepherd cross (rescue dog); a 3 year old Border Collie cross (rescue); and a 5 month old Shih Tzu puppy. And, a gorgeous little blonde terrier mix who's longing for a home, as soon as she realizes that people aren't necessarily bad.
Kevin