Wednesday, August 14, 2013

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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19 comments:

  1. I personally think Chihuahuas are vicious dogs. Yes, they're small, but they will bite the hell out of you. And attack unprovoked. Most of the big "aggressive" breeds I've encountered are pretty mild.

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  2. My parents have a little poodle and the thing is an ankle biter!!! My husbands grandmother had one too and it was so vicious towards my kids. We had a very large english bulldog, he was about 85 pounds of pure love, but people thought he would eat their small dogs. I agree it comes down to the training.

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  3. ha ha, just a little of his block head, but not much. I'm glad you made the change, I hope it works better for you guys.

    I really think it's all how you train your dog too, no matter what the breed, large or small.
    -wHiT

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  4. My sister has a Pit Bull and the dogs dad was her old roommates Pit. Seriously the biggest lap dogs you'll ever meet. I'm with you. Any dog can be aggressive, it's all how it's raised! I was almost bit by a wiener dog for cryin out loud. I will forever love the quote "Ban the deed, not the breed".. It's the dog fighters that give Pits and other breeds like it a bad name.

    Caesar is a very handsome boy!

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  5. Awe I love his floppy ears. And I agree with you its all about training. My friend/ex rescues pit bulls and once he is done with them they are the sweetest things. However I sadly have only encountered one super aggressive one. But totally the owners fault. I was actually trying to leave the park because I saw how the owner was baiting it. Well Palmer being the friendly dog he is wanted to say hello and we both ended up getting attacked. I have a scar on my arm and Palmer has one above his eye. It was super sad to see the owner baiting the dog because its people like him who give these dogs a bad rep. And it stinks for Palmer too cause he is now scared of all of them. He used to actually pee himself when one came near. But he is getting better if he meets them as puppies, if he doesn't know them he freaks out.

    But he looks so cute!!!

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    1. p.s. Plamer looks like a bear too when he plays, he also enjoys body slamming. When he is with another goldendoodle they enjoy chest bumping.

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  6. I hate how the housing places stereotype dogs. I have met SO many nice and sweet Pits and Pit mixes. I love them! Yours is so handsome by the way! We also had to change the breed on my dogs vet paperwork because she is a Blue Heeler/Lab and the housing here doesn't allow herding breeds. So we simply listed her as a Lab Mix. Also, Lisa's comment is right. SOME Chihuahuas are more vicious than any of the larger breeds. I have a Chihuahua now who is the sweetest little cuddle bug to my husband and I but you bring a stranger in or if she runs into another dog at the dog park you betcha she is going to try and bite. It's just her personality and every dog is different regardless of breed.

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  7. You have such a good pup! I wish housing wouldn't stereotype like this.

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  8. I don't think he looks too much like a pit. His golden coat def. helps keep him more lab like. I never would have known if you hadn't told me. I hate that housing always discriminates too. In Kentucky, you couldn't have German shepherds and those are one of the most trainable and gentle dogs I've ever encountered!

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  9. What a sweet pup! So glad you were able to get around the "aggressive" label. :)

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  10. Congrats on Hawaii!! That must be exciting but now the realization of ALL the stuff you have to do is surely stressful. Hope you find a great place that you can have your dog. Our baby girl LOVES our dog so I can imagine how much your family adores your pup!

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  11. I don't think he looks like a pit bull. I admit to being scared of pit bulls, but it's really the owners I'm scared of! you know the types. your dog doesn't look like that and I'm sure it's due to type of training.

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  12. I always was scared of pits until I met my husband. His sister and cousin both had pits that were some of the sweetest dogs I ever met. They were both trained and were sooo well behaved, I completely agree on your statement that its the owner who creates the fight dog from lack of training.

    Caesar is such a cute dog and he looks like a lab mix to me :)

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  13. In that first picture of him he looks like he's part pit. But the fact that he is raised with children and is such a good dog .. that shouldn't be an issue.
    Unfortunately they have such a bad rep because of shitty owners.
    You should be fine in Hawaii if you stick to Lab mix.

    ¤´¨)
    ¸.•*´
    (¸¤ Lanaya | xoxo
    Raising-Reagan.com

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  14. Other than being protective over their owners, Ive never really seen much aggressive behavior from those breed of dogs, unless the owners raised them to be rough and tough [which is cruel, in my opinion] -- and I was raised around former police dogs! Glad you guys were able to drop his "label" on paper, though!

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  15. I hope the change works! I can't believe the owners of the aggressive dog didn't do anything. Dog parks scare me because you never know what type of dog will be there (or owner).

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  16. Lol so true- some of the spiniest dogs I've encountered have been smaller breeds where the owners think because their dogs are small they don't have to train them. I've even had a smaller dog draw blood when it attacked my goofy lab (a dog that thinks he's tiny) I hate that certain breeds are deemed aggressive- font blame the dogs for the douchy owners who create douchy dogs :-(

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  17. Hi there! I'm a new reader and just found your blog! I think we're living somewhat of the same life...I'm just without kids! We PCSed from FLW two years ago to Schofield and we LOVE Hawaii, everything except how expensive it is. I think you'll love it too :)

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