Quote: Candi Campbell

 Quote: Lori Hall

Kasey has been attacked 3 times in his 7 years, to the point of broken skin and blood...it has made him sometimes skiddish.

I believe dogs sense that he is an easy target...and they lash out at him.

On walks I always go way out and around any and all dogs...because he just seems to attract aggression.

I feel like a parent who's child gets bullied, I just want to teach him to stand up for himself!!

1. I'm not a professional trainer

2. I would like to share my amateur opinion

3. Avoidance & fear are his Self-Protective Reactions to having been repeatedly attacked & injured...

4. What I feel Aggressive Dogs are sensing is the fact that you are not being Pro-Active in Protecting your own dog from being Bullied -- It seems as if you are not taking the Leadership Position of standing between Kasey and Threats ... I would not allow Pushy Dogs to approach him, so I would drive them OFF with my body-language, My Voice, MY WALKING-STICK, etcetera...

5. "Teaching him to stand up for himself" would be Absolutely Wrong -- Dogs "stand up for themselves" by FIGHTING either Defensively or Offensively ... You do NOT want this, because it is Your Job to make sure that Kasey is Protected from getting into FIGHTS entirely.

Obviously it is easy to misunderstand someone when it comes to the written word, but you left out this part of what I said in your quote:

"On walks I always go way out and around any and all dogs, even the seemingly most friendly, because he just seems to attract aggression."

I NEVER let other dogs come up to him. The dogs who have attacked have been situations where we were walking in our own neighborhood and owners had their dog outside with them and I didn't even see the dog until it was running towards us (i.e. the owner had the dog in the garage with him while doing work on a car, or they opened the front door to go somewhere with the dog not paying any attention to whether there might be another dog walking by).

I too have a walking stick, and pepper spray that was recommended to me by a moderator on this forum. Kasey knows he is being protected and that's why he just ignores all dogs and keeps walking - even during off leash hikes in the Sierras.

Of course I wouldn't want any dog of mine to fight with another dog. I was having a sense of humor when I wrote that I wish my dog would stand up for himself - like parents who kid's get bullied, it makes us angry and our initial reaction is revenge. I thought that by putting "I don't want my dog in a dog fight" after that sentence, it would show I was not serious, but obviously it didn't.

It is absolutely critical that people know their dogs. Many dogs make just fine dog-park dogs, and you can find them at the pound or on Craigslist. But many dogs don't, or need advanced levels of training to deal with being around other dogs- even just on off-leash trails (not fenced in dog parks). And some dogs are just truly dog-aggressive.

I think what I'm trying to say is, know your dog and realize that genetics trump all! I think many TV personalities have done a major public dis-service by claiming that all dogs are "fixable" and can go to dog parks if the pack leader is strong. That may not be what Cesar Millan (and his ilk) actually say, but that is what the public has taken from it. People have stopped seeing dogs for what they are- animals driven mainly by instinct- and started thinking they are cute little kids in fur coats.

I love my dogs like crazy, but I'm not going to take my malinois to a soccer tournament and let her loose to play. Or take my husky to a cat shelter to hang out with the cats. Or take my shepherd to a deer refuge... the outcomes are predictable. Somehow, "good owners" (and they truly usually are caring owners) need to realize that some dogs do not belong in a dog park because the outcomes are equally predictable and equally driven by instinct.

Much of this can be trumped by having a dog with solid nerves and great OB but most owners- even the really good ones- are not willing to put in the time, or use the tools (e-collar or corrections) that may be required to get there.

"Many dogs make just fine dog-park dogs" .... and even they are not safe against the ones who do not.



"I think many TV personalities have done a major public dis-service by claiming that all dogs are "fixable" and can go to dog parks if the pack leader is strong."

I absolutely agree, Kiersten!

 Quote: Kiersten Lippman

Much of this can be trumped by having a dog with solid nerves ...

No matter how hard we try to select the dog we want, we may still end up with one that has bad nerves. We can train OB until it is rock solid, but constant management would still be required.

 Quote:

"On walks I always go way out and around any and all dogs, even the seemingly most friendly, because he just seems to attract aggression."

We had a yellow lab that was like that. She was happy and confident, but just very submissive to other dogs. A lot of dogs would just be drawn to bullying her. I had a nervous, fearful shepherd that other dogs were determined to attack. It never had any effect you'd notice with the lab, but the shepherd had a little bit of get them first from it.

 Quote: steve strom

 Quote:

"On walks I always go way out and around any and all dogs, even the seemingly most friendly, because he just seems to attract aggression."

We had a yellow lab that was like that. She was happy and confident, but just very submissive to other dogs. A lot of dogs would just be drawn to bullying her. I had a nervous, fearful shepherd that other dogs were determined to attack. It never had any effect you'd notice with the lab, but the shepherd had a little bit of get them first from it.

Steve, that's exactly what I was trying to say. Kasey doesn't run in fright, nor fight back, when it comes to other dogs. He would just rather walk by a dog, and get his attention needs met by humans! And I'm convinced that's what makes dogs sense he is an 'easy target' to bully. I get a lot of snide remarks from owners because I walk right past them and their dog when they want 'social doggie time'.

 Quote: steve strom

 Quote:

"On walks I always go way out and around any and all dogs, even the seemingly most friendly, because he just seems to attract aggression."

We had a yellow lab that was like that. She was happy and confident, but just very submissive to other dogs. A lot of dogs would just be drawn to bullying her.

This was my last GSD, Max.

Lori, it was ALWAYS Golden Retrievers that bullied him.

Ruh-roh ... BSC ....


(Breed-specific complaints)

 Quote: Tammy Moore

 Quote: steve strom

 Quote:

"On walks I always go way out and around any and all dogs, even the seemingly most friendly, because he just seems to attract aggression."

We had a yellow lab that was like that. She was happy and confident, but just very submissive to other dogs. A lot of dogs would just be drawn to bullying her.

This was my last GSD, Max.

Lori, it was ALWAYS Golden Retrievers that bullied him.

Haha! That's funny cause other goldens have never even looked cross-eyed at Kasey. Maybe they belong to a club...

OK, I'll give it another go, this time in response to your whole post below:

 Quote: Lori Hall

Melissa, it's funny the differences between dogs - Kasey has been attacked 3 times in his 7 years, to the point of broken skin and blood. Instead of it making him reactive to other dogs, it has made him indifferent, and sometimes even skiddish.

Lori, displaying Avoidance & Fear is how your dog is Being Reactive to having been Attacked & Injured on 3 different & separate occasions -- Kasey's Reaction of not making any eye contact with other dogs & sometimes being skittish in their presence just shows his Stress & Anxiety...

 Quote: Lori Hall

I believe dogs sense that he is an easy target because he doesn't even look at them, just wants to keep walking, and they lash out at him...

Many dogs who, due to Innate Disinterest and/or due to Obedience Training, also "ignore other dogs & just keep walking" without strange canines ever "sensing they are easy targets & lashing out at them"...

 Quote: Lori Hall

On walks I always go way out and around any and all dogs, even the seemingly most friendly, because he just seems to attract aggression...

It's great that you keep Kasey away from other dogs now -- Maybe they smell his fear & your fear ... But I don't know either way about this.

 Quote: Lori Hall

I feel like a parent who's child gets bullied, I just want to teach him to stand up for himself!! (Not that I really desire him to be in a dog fight).

Oh, you were just kidding ??? Okay, I couldn't tell from your post, sorry about that -- Nonetheless, no dog should ever be expected to (much less taught to) "stand up for himself" since that is the owner's job alone