My dog has been bit by unleashed dogs and has bitten unleashed dogs. little dogs are the worst. one was a small poodle she nipped on the butt yanking fur out, the other was a Dachshund she grabbed by the collar and slung into the lake, the poor Dachshund spun thru the air like a drum major's baton. had one full blown fight with a pit that WAS leashed but the owner was clueless and busy on the cell phone smoking a cig and lost control. I beat the dog down with a bicycle. I rarely go to parks if they are the least bit busy now.

might want to change your pupper's name, Cerberus if I remember my ancient mythology correctly is the three headed dog that guards the exit from Hell. I've recommended to other people not to give thier dogs aggressive names like "Killer, Razor, or Satan" etc. You would would not convince too many judges that your dog is just a loving fuzz ball with a name like that

 Quote: dennis jones

might want to change your pupper's name, Cerberus if I remember my ancient mythology correctly is the three headed dog that guards the exit from Hell. I've recommended to other people not to give thier dogs aggressive names like "Killer, Razor, or Satan" etc. You would would not convince too many judges that your dog is just a loving fuzz ball with a name like that

Spot on! That's the first thing I thought when I read this post. My friend named her dog "rascal" and says she has regretted it ever since

Hmmmm.

I named my dog Marie Henrietta Antoinette. Call her Mimi for short. Analyze that.

 Quote: Nora Ferrell

Hmmmm.

I named my dog Marie Henrietta Antoinette. Call her Mimi for short. Analyze that.

 Quote: connie sutherland

 Quote: lisa simms

You caught a lot of the same things I noticed about her other posts. Very contradictory in many statements. Not harsh, just calling it like you see it................

This is a board that does call it as they see it ... a GOOD thing.

And when a poster who has made serious mistakes decides to rectify them, this is a board that is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable.

Fourteen months is a long time to be blaming someone else for your own lack of control ("I did not feel he was aggressive and felt the entire situation was the unleashed dogs owner's fault...."), and the time to start some serious work is today.

I cannot say it better than Eric did:

"The resources on this site are a great place to start if you are ready to dedicate yourself to the task. ... If you are not prepared for this type of life, please give Cerebus to someone who is ..."

Lives are at stake here, including the life of your dog, who will end up PTS if his owner doesn't step up.

Connie, thank you for your response. At the risk of sounding defensive, I am stepping up in every way I know. I know I made some mistakes. I guess I was just lucky for the 8 years prior?

Why didn't Cerberus go after that dog the morning before? Why doesn't he try to chase after other dogs who have been roaming, or cats?

I read somewhere about an 80% rule. That said even the most well trained dogs are not going to listen to a command or be successful in completing a command 100% of the time.

Cerberus is well mannered and behaves. He always walks with slack in the leash, sits when I stop, comes from the yard when I call him, he will stay, go out, get down, sit up, shake, find it, speek, no barking, be gentle, let go, put it down, he will look to where I point, he knows poddy, eat, outside, in the house, bath..

I was skating with him one day, he was tired and I wanted to keep skating. So, I took one of those large pump type of Tide Laundry Detergent from the back of my car and tied Cerberus to it near the car, in the shade.

I was all the way at the other end of the parking structure when I saw a man in a wheel chair approaching Cerberus. I headed that direction as fast as I could. When Cerberus reached the end of the leash, he stopped and sat. He could have easily pulled that Tide bottle, and the man rolled up and gave Cerberus a pat while he remained sitting.

Okay, I am not the best at communicating, I had no way of knowing something like this would happen if I saw no signs of it before? Yes, he did like to kill skunks in the yard, but I had him leashed and on walks several times after while a cat or possum would cross by our path, yet he did not chase after them..

One of the items I hope to find info on here in the site is how to train with distractions when a specific distraction is not normally a distraction.

Did that make sense?

 Quote: Kimberley Voyles

every evening we went roller blading. We went to a large parking structure at the court house, as it was totally enclosed and nobody ever went there. I would run Cerberus till he just didn't want to run any more. That is where I did most of my training with him.

This is part of the problem. You need to train with distractions and when he's not dead tired (as dogs are when first begin the walk/exercise session). I won't belabor it, but use this site and the materials here. But first make a decision to dedicate yourself to properly training (i.e. learning how to control) Cerebus. Think of it as making dog training your number one passion or hobby.

I won't hijack any more after this. I guess I just want to talk about my dog.

But her name really does have meaning. The Belgium Queen, Marie Henriette, popularized this breed which before had been pretty much a blue collar dog. Alert barking for shopkeepers, ratters, living aboard barges, etc. The first European dog show was supposedly held for this breed

My dog was on death row at a kill shelter, so, unlike Marie Antoinette, Mimi avoided the guillotine, lol.

I so wanted a little Fifi that was refined and princess-like and would perch on a pillow on my lap, but alas, her blue collar roots run deep and she is more a scrappy little dumpster dog.

If she wore clothes, they would be tattered.

Back to the original post.

I am not experienced with protection dogs, but I have owned a couple of the bully breeds (boxers).

I think you (in my humble in-experienced opinion) have a pack structure problem.

There are some really wise folks on here that will steer you in the right direction.

Open your mind to a new way of thinking and they will surely help you out.

You've never had this dog under control, he made the decisions.

Now you have a 'pack' and will be in serious trouble if you don't fix your pack structure.

You mentioned getting two more dogs.

Do you crate your dogs?

What are the living arrangements at the house?

Good luck, and seriously, these folks will give you a lot of help, but grow a thick skin because their number one concern is for the animal and not for your feelings.

 Quote: Kimberley Voyles

.... I had no way of knowing something like this would happen if I saw no signs of it before ... One of the items I hope to find info on here in the site is how to train with distractions when a specific distraction is not normally a distraction. ...

You proof against every distraction you can, but the major point is that the dog must obey you and not make executive decisions.

It doesn't matter that this specific instance wasn't foreseen.* What matters is that the dog did not perceive you as his pack leader.

Whatever the trigger was that initiated the event, the point is that you had no control.

And yes, you were lucky for years. JMO.

Now some serious pack structure work is in order.




*Although remember that you did know he killed small animals.

Thank you Jeff, it has been a difficult and painful lesson. I know I have to realize and take responsibility for my dogs behavior.

I still have many conflicting issues in my head, what if my dog had sat on my command and stayed and the little dog ran up to him and bit him, or me? What if I owned the small dog and they owned the big dog and my dog was killed, no amount of training on my part would have saved my dog. I apologize. I don't know any body here well enough to vent, yet, sometimes I think I am.

Thank you all for your honest responses.

Nothing in the world can change what happened or bring back that dog. I do feel that EVERY situation is partially the fault of both dog owners.

 Quote: Jeff Brosius

 Quote: Kimberley Voyles

Thank you for your response Jeff.

Even though my dog was not the agressor, because I could not keep my dog from killing the dog, it is my fault the dog died.

It's partially your fault, yes. It's also partially the fault of the other dog owner.

Difficult lesson, and a painful one to be sure. Learn from it, then move on. It sounds to me as if you've done a lot of self-analysis and introspection, and that's a fundamentally healthy thing.