So, I'm a crossover trainer and have 3 personal dogs (2 Beagles and an Estrela Mountain Dog), but what I'm seriously struggling with in the force-free dog training world is the wide-spread misunderstanding of dogs of this certain breed type despite the statistics - yes, I'm talking about the "maulers", as literally, that's what they were bred to do for hundreds of years now. And we all know how powerful genetics are, especially in combination with owners who don't understand just how crazy strong the drive to maul and kill is in those animals.
I'm mind-boggled by the continued advocacy by alleged dog lovers for a type of dog that continues to attack and maul other dogs. Other people's beloved companions and best friends. Their lap dogs, their kids' playmates and family members. Mauled to death so often, or gravely injured. I just posted the screenshot to give an example of how even famous trainers can't prevent maulers from mauling... I had watched that video a few years back, and the scene where the Pit goes after that poor other dog still haunts me... That Shepherd needed emergency veterinary treatment after.
I guess I'm biased from personal experience: Twice in my young teenage years, I had to get an AmStaff off a German Shepherd, simply because the "dog lovers" in charge (the local shelter staff) did nothing but scream and freeze when the AmStaff tried to unalive that poor Shepherd.
Who needed emergency care as well, but luckily survived. Another experience, in the same shelter I volunteered in, was the death of my favorite dog there, a small Schnauzer-Mix called "Max", who was mauled and killed by "Angel" the shitbull.... Still gets me emotional just thinking about it. I wasn't there when it happened, and the staff member in charge took a knife to the fight, but was too late to safe Max. Needless to say that the shelter had a bad rep for the sheer incompetence of the staff, but then again in their defense: Had both attacking maulers been of almost any other breed type, none of this would have happened. A scuffle perhaps, and stitches needed in the worst case, but not tragedy like this.
I sincerely wish that potential owners of the breed type will find this group and take the time to read what is being presented. If they fully grasp the facts and carefully study the incidents that have been recorded and are accessible on social media... I don't think they'll go for a dog of the breed type. I hope they won't. The issue I'm seeing is that "Pittie Moms" are seeing those canine dog-killers through rose-tinted glasses. "It's how you raise them". "If they're socialized from puppyhood onward, they'll be safe". "It's the owner, not the dog". "Just let them meet plenty of other dogs when they are young and they'll be fine." NO! This is just simply not true. No amount of humane, force-free training (for which I fully advocate) can take the insane drives to chase, grab, maul and kill, out of dogs that were selectively bred to do just that.
And before anyone from the training world goes into the balanced vs. force-free controversy: The difference in opinion we have when it comes to training methods are not relevant to the subject-matter. I don't believe that any training style can "train out" those exaggerated drives; some aversive methods may suppress them for a while, but what happens if the dog gets triggered and driven into killing-mode by someone's pet - and the trainer or owner isn't there, or doesn't have certain equipment on the dog when the triggering happens...
(This blog post doesn't even encompass the incidents with humans and other non-canine victims - I just wanted to focus on the "dog lovers love dogs who kill other dogs" topic.)
