Training a Fight Dog

I have seriously typed up this post three different times already. For some reason, I can't just figure out what I ant to say, and how to say it. I'll just start with what sparked me to write this.

On Sunday we took Caesar to the dog park on post. We don't have much of a yard for him to run around in, so even though he gets to play outside daily and sometimes I run up and down the stairs with him, it's nice to let him run loose at the park. The dog park is an old fenced in baseball field, so there is plenty of space. When we got there this weekend, there were a few other dogs. All much smaller than him, because he's 75 pound lab/pitbull mix. I worried a little since sometimes he can be overly friendly and playful and I didn't want anyone getting squished.

After sniffing some butts and running around a little, Caesar came back to a corner with us to do some sprinting with Hubster. I stand and watch. I can't outrun the dog. A new dog showed up, and just like it was a spiffy new toy, all the pups ran over to get their sniff on. No issues so far.

But then, this crazy bitch showed up. Literally. Haha! A little poodle thing was first at the gate to greet it, and the dog flipped out and attacked it. Being the awesome little gigantic hero that he is, Caesar ran over to the rescue, followed by Hubster. The poodle owners kind of just froze in terror as Caesar swept in and Hubs snatched up the little guy. Owners of crazy bitch did nothing. As Caesar was trying to meet the new dog, it snapped and attacked him. Think: standing on hind legs, angry growling, and lots of sharp teeth. The dog photos that I Googled were rather graphic, so I'll spare you and use these bears as an example.

Here at Fort Leonard Wood, and most other military installations that I'm aware of, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Chows, and wolf hybrids are deemed as "aggressive" breeds, and not allowed to live in housing on post. They always put the word aggressive in quotations also. In the past, we've had trouble renting off post, because some apartment complexes also ban these breeds.

Well, the dog causing the attacks on Sunday was none of the aforementioned breeds. For almost as long as I've been alive, I've always had an aggressive breed of dog. Two Dobermans and a Pitbull. You know, the breeds of dogs banned from living practically anywhere, because they'll chew through walls and kill your neighbors. We've NEVER had an issue any of the dogs being aggressive. In all honesty, it really does come down to the training. If you don't train your dog to not be a douche, it's going to cause issues no matter what breed it is.

Now that we're house hunting in Hawaii, I'm finding Caesar's breed to be an issue. Luckily, I got smart when we got a new vet here in Missouri and I omitted the Pitbull part when I was asked what kind of dog he was. His paperwork now says "lab mix" and I shouldn't have to worry about aggressive breed restrictions. In the future, he'll just be a lab mix. I don't what he's mixed with. Do you think his block head gives it away?

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