Quote: Christina Stockinger

You're not at all the "bad guy" Candi. You're expressing frankly of what you're convinced, and I know, that you're right in everything you mention. I've read the answers I've recieved very carefully and am considering every proposal, if in my case I could put it into action. I recieved from everyone the honest opinion, in fact with regard the problem the same opinion form each member. Different are the recomendations how they would tackle the problem. But don't worry, no one offended me in the least.
I would not send a question to the webboard if I didn't want to know what people can recommend something or critize or help to open my eyes etc.

Thanks

Christina

You are ONE in a MILLION on these boards, Christina, please continue to post your updates here !!! We are "keeping all fingers & paws crossed" at our house for your SUCCESS

Christina, I've found that some dogs just like to fight, even if you are doing your very best work on "pack structure". I had a bull terrier who just loved to fight, and no training helped at all.

Sounds to me like your bossy pit bull might be one of these. If that is the case, just keeping them separate as you are, protecting your lab and your street dog, may be the best that you can offer.

Some of these behaviors between female dogs just can't be trained away, at least not by me!

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

Christina, I've found that some dogs just like to fight, even if you are doing your very best work on "pack structure". I had a bull terrier who just loved to fight, and no training helped at all.

Sounds to me like your bossy pit bull might be one of these. If that is the case, just keeping them separate as you are, protecting your lab and your street dog, may be the best that you can offer.

Some of these behaviors between female dogs just can't be trained away, at least not by me!

My spayed Akita bitch was an "equal opportunity hater" of ALL strange dogs, any size, either sex, intact or altered -- But in my presence & under my control she was 100% obedient to my "Leave It-Behind Me-Downstay" command ... However, she could NEVER be changed in her Heart of Hearts into liking, or even feeling indifferent toward strange dogs, so she always privately wished them DEAD Only through diligent fail-safe training, management & handling was I able to prevent her from ever killing some strange dog !!! On the other hand, Shaka was DEVOTED to her own pack-mate, Lazar (my intact male Borzoi who just tolerated her attentions with longsuffering resignation).

Hi, Nicole,

actually a good idea, but he wouldn't do this. He relies on the free presence on the dogs. I can even not touch this theme at the moment. I'm preparing to make the wall around our house more safe (I know where the weak point is, where he must have entered.) Then I will insist on an eletric fence, and I will go to the police to get the authorization for a weapon. Then he will not have any more e pretext against crates.
Thank you for your good wishes to my family pack! I am working hard on pushing through to be the first leader at least with regard to tthis problem.

Christina

Thanks so much, Candi!

Hi Ian, I thoght, I had already answered to you, but obviously not. Perhaps I have forgotten to press the submit button. Sorry!I do not know Curitiba and the conditions there. But as it is a Metropolis I presume it's even worse there than here. When we moved to Cabralia, it was a more or less quiet town with criminality, yes, but not as much as Sao Paolo or Rio de Janeiro or others. In between things have changed.

Your question about how my husband is going to manage the situation is easy to answer: Not at all. He still believes the dogs are the best protection and the rest of the misery is my unsufficent training. Unsufficent - I agree, but at least I know in between which way to go, and at least I've always spent a lot of time with my dogs and searched for the best ways I could find, while he doesn't even go for a walk with them.
I have nothing to expect from him, with regard to this and if something even more horrible should happen, he will manage this in the most simple and radical way: putting Slippie to sleep.

Thank you

Christina

Betty, I do not believe that this Pit just loves to fight. It"only" happens in thes certain situations, which seem to something like envy, jealousy, possesssivness. Outside such situation she is a quiet and (it seems) peaceful dog. But she is very territorial. If she sees or hears something which we dont hear, she runs there with the typical signs of a dog that gets excited about something. The same signs she show, when visitors come, but when they enter, she is friendly, that is, she tries to jump up (bad education!). But she'd never do something to a person. Dependent whom it is, peopel with fear from dogs, then we chain her until she has calmed down or if the fear of the people is to big then for the whole time they are here. If someone had a dog with them, then of course I'd let her chained.

Than you, Betty!

Christina

Your husband is correct in his view that the dogs are valuable for protection. While a committed criminal could just shoot the dogs or distract them with meat there is no doubt that dogs will put off the average troublemaker.

If Slippie is very territorial, I am certain that she makes quite an impression.

Candy, how did you learn fail-safe training? Did you take courses or a professional private trainer or were you just following DVDs.
I had taken the only really interactive course Leerburg offers until now, but this was about Relationship Games. I learned very much in this course, because I could update videos and was then corrected by Mark Keating. But this of course has not much to do with aggression problems, or only indirectly because it strengthens the relationship.

Christina

 Quote: Christina Stockinger

Candy, how did you learn fail-safe training? Did you take courses or a professional private trainer or were you just following DVDs.
I had taken the only really interactive course Leerburg offers until now, but this was about Relationship Games. I learned very much in this course, because I could update videos and was then corrected by Mark Keating. But this of course has not much to do with aggression problems, or only indirectly because it strengthens the relationship.

Hi Christina,

By "fail-safe" methods I just mean that my dog-aggressive Akita was NEVER-EVER allowed to go loose around any Strange Dogs -- Plus, she was well-proofed under high distraction in all her Obedience Commands ... So, Shaka would always comply with my Verbal Orders, but she was never without the Back-Up Control of wearing a LEASH whenever we went anywhere in public & might encounceter strange dogs!

My point here is: You can insure that your dog-aggressive pit sisters are NEVER given any opportunity to Attack your Lab ever again -- But you Cannot Change what they might want to do if allowed to live UNRESTRAINED and follow their Own Desires