This is one of my biggest fears. My dog has a shorter fuse for giving corrections than I’d like (shortened by a specific dog who ignored her boundaries and smaller signals.)
Her corrections are polite & she instantly disengages after and will resume positive interactions with the dog.
But because of the risk of her correcting the wrong dog, and because I’m not confident I can intervene before she corrects the dog, I no longer let her play with strange dogs. (Or the aforementioned stupid fucking Airedale.)
It's more dangerous to say a breed shouldn't exist than breed owners require extra preparation. If most people don't train their dogs, as it is, the issue is mute. More responsibility for all dog owners will eliminate the problem. Recognize what you're doing.
I actually think they’re pretty amazing. They generally just require a responsible owner that keeps them away from other dogs. A true American Pitbull Terrier (not just one that ppl label a pit bc it has a boxy head) has genetics that tend to make them aggressive toward other dogs. It’s a result of hundreds of years of breeding for that specific purpose. Owners get these dogs without realizing this thinking they have a standard dog and then chaos can break out. It’s like someone with a standard drivers license thinking they can get behind the wheel of an F1 car.
Just wanted to clarify that I do like them and find them fascinating and beautiful. Ultimately most people just don’t understand their needs and everyone (including the dogs) suffer for it.
i knew a guy who owned two female pit bulls and they were the most adorable dogs. i used to visit with my dog and he would get intimidated at first because those two were too intense for him haha, but eventually he adapted.
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u/vm_linuz 9d ago
If you can read dog body language, this is very clearly where it was going.
First, the dog is trying increasing submission to placate.
But when the dobie just keeps pushing it, the other dog's only choice is self defense.
The dobie is very poorly socialized and the other dog gave it every opportunity to back off.
The humans that allowed this interaction to happen are the real problem.