Or maybe a better name would be "My Behavior Modification". The "Click to Calm ~ Healing the Aggressive Dog" book I got for my birthday (Thanks Karen) recommends keeping a journal, so here is mine.
Meet Muncie, cute isn't he? He has papers that say he is a purebred American Pit Bull Terrier but something about him is "off". He's features speak of a mixed breeding; he's eyes are round and kind of buggy (not almond shaped like an APBT), his head isn't quite that wedge shape, the ears are too short and his neck is too long. His paws, oh his paws they are not short and compact like a Pit Bulls. No, the toes are long and thin. Can you guess what he might be mixed with? Here's a hint, his breeder also bred Chihuahuas. Yep, I suspect what I've got here is a purebred Chia-Pit; while I've got a dog the size of a Pit Bull he has the personality of a Chihuahua and he has aggression issues.
His displays of aggression have always been towards other dogs (that's the Pit Bull in him) but they stem from fear (and that's the Chihuahua); they are downright ugly at times. A 60 pound dog lunging and snarling is never a pretty sight, in public where I'm trying to change the image of the Pit Bull into a positive one, it's worse. Lucky for both Muncie and me; we have a wonderful trainer. Karen Pearce, she's been training for some 30 odd years or so (dogs, horses, you name it she can probably train it). She has a gift and I'm thankful that she's here to guide me through this.
Posts
