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He was quite nervous at first, but, once he calmed down he was okay. If I had to be afraid of someone I would be more more afraid of Jenni than Stark. She is a lot tougher than he is.(haha)

Too funny. LOL

Gee...and Stark even gets to go visiting...sounds like he had an exciting weekend !!! Bet he'll mellow out before long.

Yes, Stark was good at Steve's. Unfortunately, I chalk it up to totally neutral/unfamiliar territory. We had a pretty serious fight that night (Stark and I). He has MAJOR issues w/small dogs, and my 6wk old pup managed to break down his barrier and get into the laundry room, and try to squeeze out the door while I was trying to get in from the backyard. I tried to block the pup, but Stark stuck his head in the door so I couldn't shut it, and the pup got out. Stark has serious, serious aggression in certain situations (crate, puppy, etc.). His aggression toward this tiny pup was stunning. It was an all-out physical battle to keep him high enough off the ground that he could not eat my puppy, who was totally oblivious to all of this. Typical Pit Bull! I was finally able to kick the puppy far enough away that I could get Stark in the laundry room and slam the door, then bring the pup back around to the front of the house. I am scratched, bruised, and sore. Stark is a large, strong boy, and I was trying to keep his head away from both the pup and my face. This was not a pretty scene at all.

On the up side, other than being seriously p'd at me for restraining him, he was not focusing his aggression at me, ie, there was little/no transference. I have never seen such aggression toward a young pup. Dogs that don't like pups or have crazy high prey for anything small and furry-sure. But not like this. It was scary and bizarre, and he will need to go somewhere where the person is both aware of his potential and able to harness/control it. He is not for your average pet owner, although I think recent events are definitely contributing to his behavior. My best guess is that he's very unsure of himself right now, and is having issues w/displacement. The puppy seemed like a good outlet that wouldn't fight back. I don't really know much more than this except that whoever takes him needs to realize that just because a dog appears harmless 99% of the time, it does not mean he's a "cupcake" as Steve called him. Sorry, Steve-o, if you take a look at my battle scars, "cupcake" may not come you your mind this time . IMO, people get themselves into trouble downplaying a dog's potential for aggression.

The good news-Stark was good w/two bigger dogs, although they were definitely cupcakes. I think he would do just fine in a home w/a medium-large female dog, esp. a submissive one. So, any takers?

I'm glad you and the pup weren't seriously injured, Jenni. That's a scary scene you just presented. Thank God he's with you and not a less dog-savvy person.

That's terrifying when something like that happens. I'm happy it wasn't worse........

That really makes me appreciate my little dogs, they aren't so scary if one decides to argue with me. You must have had some major adrenalin coursing through your veins to keep control of a big angry dog. I hope it doesn't happen again. Are you going to try to desensitize him to little fuzzies? How ARE you going to deal with it?

I read that if you hit him with a puppy a few times it should clear that up. You know. Puppysmack him. Waaa-PA. Puppy to the the solar plexis.

Sorry. Too much caffeine today.

Yes, adrenalin was flowing. But, I was not afraid of Stark biting me. I kept him away from my face b/c he was snarling and lunging, but I wasn't afraid of him biting me INTENTIONALLY. He wasn't lashing out at me at all, other than exclaiming his displeasure at my death grip on his collar. I'm going to do the same thing I've been doing-keeping him away from the little ones. I really think he's over-stressed, and I do have several "high octane" dogs around that are probably adding to his insecurity. Just because he can't see them doesn't mean he doesn't know they're there. He has been really pretty good w/the bigger dogs, though. I don't forsee problems w/him in a home w/a submissive, preferably female, dog.

Wow. Way to keep control of the situation Jenni! - a less watchful person might not have caught things in time... I know from experience (when Oscar turned about a year old and the testosterone really got going, he turned on the family Pomeranian, which he had been around countless times with no issues, and shook him like a rag doll before we even knew what had happened - handler error, no question, I take full responsability for that and learned my lesson, but it is NOT PRETTY when a 90lb dog decides to pull the stuffing out of a 7lb dog...).

Stark obviously has the capacity to be a fabulous dog - in the right home. In the MEAN time, I'm really glad YOU'RE the one figuring out what he's capable of - the good, the bad, and the really ugly...

Cheers to you.
~Natalya

Jenni,

That's a lot of time and energy you are investing in Stark, How great. Like Natalya's dog, my current male GSD Jody, became very dog aggressive when the testosterone came in.

The first trainer suggested I use a halti on him and even I knew that wouldn't work. The next trainer and the one I still train with helped me straighten him out.

He's like a changed dog and has been that way for 5-1/2 years.

Good thing that he's in experienced hands.