Realistic Suburban Adaptability?

Before CM TV shows I had a Work Pack I was fortunate enough to have a huge fenced in property that the presents of dogs deterred thefts, most of the "bad dogs" that I got were introduced into work pack slowly over a week or so and YES there was a a few squabbles at first but it did not take long for the dogs to figure out that it was a pretty good place to live and they adjusted..the put down dog had no pack problems at all it flat out hated people even those who raised it from a pup and was like leaving a loaded gun on a lunch table at school..you always knew something bad would happen just not to who or when, trust me I tried with this dog, but it was hopeless..and I came to think you were right to much time spent on a hopeless case was keeping from saving good dogs.

Sorry for late response He was a American Bulldog that was purchased as a house dog as a pup 6 weeks old, to replace my rottie. he was socialized loved other dogs but like people less and less as he got older if you approached him walking a dog you were OK let 3 minutes pass and you approach w/o dog he would flat out attack no growl no bark just go..I even thought maybe another trainer could see something I was missing and got 2 different people to try..he got both of them..the only non family member who was safe around him was a woman trainer who worked with him as a pup ( always at her place and always with dogs present) I had him at Univ of Penn for blood analysts and chemical makeup and I was told he had all 3 triggers for aggression ..even though he never showed dog agression..My son who was about 13-14 at the time had been with this pup everyday from the day 1 he went after him unprovoked with me present no warning( for 2nd time) just flat out attack..put him down that day I guess he was about 15-16 months at the end

This dog started and stayed a house pet a replacement for my sons Rottie I raised him like every other dog I ever owned FIRM but gentle , he was a wacko as a PUP he NEVER EVER went after any of the house hold members or people at our puppy school..if ANYTHING he was without a doubt the SMARTEST dog I ever owned examples every door had to be bolted he by 6 months had learned how handles worked..saw him drag a kitchen chair to re frig to get to a toy on top..(saw from my kitchen window) He also graduated #1 in his class at Puppy socializing and agility but despite all that HE NEVER liked people . And yes he was neutered at 5 months when I knew I never wanted to pass his genes on;My vet when he was 7 months old suggested U of Penn for blood work and complete exam by their doctors as he never saw anything as mean as this pup. I was told by U of P staff that there are 3 chemicals that regulate aggression ..he had all 3 I think testosterone level is one. they were amazed he was not dog aggressive.. they did say they never saw a neutered dog with his levels of testosterone Igmuska I respect your knowledge and posts , when I say blood tests that is what I was told or led to believe( I am not a Vet)..I know I helped them get blood vials from him at least 2 .They showed me a monitor with 3 spikes and explained to me he was chemically inbalanced..he would get so angry with them that he honest to god got the worst bloodshot eyes anyone ever saw..like his blood pressure was skyhigh..they gave him pills that were supposed to help him chill but after about a month and a half they were working about 40% of the time. I would venture a guess that he had no physical issue like cancer or liver disease because after spending about 2400.00 on him not 1 vet at 1 of the best vet Hospitals in the world had a clue what to do I can only tell you that he was NEVER abused from 6 weeks old to 16 months My son loved this dog and played with him 24/7 he slept in my sons room and was fed by my son and he played with my son but when I eliminated any source for him to attack he turned on my son..who did a bad thing and lied to me that he got torn up jumping a fence 11 stitches when the dog 1st got him at about 12 months 2nd time he got my son I was there and he laying down and w/o cause went after my son got him , I grabbed him knocked him on his ass and he backed down I put him outside and took my son to doctor (about 14 months) And I do not mean a quick snap bite I mean a full out shake head and rip attack which he only stopped because of my action..never a growl or a warning bark or anything..The last and final time we were in kitchen for breakfast my son was eating cereal when the dog came from behind me and just went berserk grabbing my son by the leg and my son was wailing on dog who just would not let go I hit him and tackled him at the same time and dragged him outside where I saw the bloodshot eyes he was about 16 months old.. Just some quick background my son(when he was born) came home from the hospital and was met by 3 big dogs..he came to work with me from 5 years old and up to feed and play with my work dogs ( never less than 5 at work), so its not like he not used to dogs or did not understand by 14 what to do with a dog. He never attacked me or my wife . But he got my vet his tech 2 Uof P vets a co worker 2 other pro trainers and my son..he went after 10-15 more people but thanks to good leash's and fences he did not get them. And since I have been saving dogs for over 25 years that my local shelters said were un adoptable and giving them a decent home and in all honesty with all those dogs a lot who were abused I never saw anything like this dog..and NONE of my dogs ever bit a kid stranger or not let alone the kid who was feeding them.

Local Breeder, 7 pups 6 normal ( all dog agressive people passive) 1st litter..2nd breeding 8 pups 5 males 3 females , 6 good dogs 1 questionable dog 1 very bad dog..again the pick of the litter again over 120lbs at 10.5 months ( no other dog in either litter hit 115lbs..) Breeder stopped this breeding after he saw both dogs.Both bad dogs were more brindle the rest were mostly white to all white He was at U of penn owner called me for help..difference is he also dog agressive, not neutered and he had at the time had him tested for everything I had plus some other tests. I did have his bloodpressure checked as well as a tyroid check hes was there overnite for 3 days at a time for a total of 4 times. He had a amazing metabolism..would not overeat. ( or eat from strangers).his frame was huge and he had zero fat..and could run all day. The second bad dog from what I was told did the same as mine he went off like a light switch with no warning bark or growl and had injured the breeder , the owner and some vet techs, I lost contact with him after he bit the owner for the 2nd time.I assume they put him down also..I know the breeder was wary enough after he got bit at 7 months to have both parents tested and to sell the bitch so he would never have a mistake litter. I feel bad that I did not let U of Penn examine him when I put him down, I fiqured we both had suffered enough and just buried him in his favorite spot in yard.

Recent study at Ontario Veterinary College: Assessing Temperament in Young Puppies By: Pamela J. Reid & Nathan J. Penny Discord between owner and dog is often the result of a fundamental mismatch between the lifestyle of the human and the behavioural tendencies of the dog. Attempts to avoid mismatches have led to the development of puppy tests, purported to assess the basic personality of the puppy, and predict how it will behave as an adult. The goal of our study was to standardize the popular Puppy Aptitude Test and correlate the results with both breeder assessments of the puppies, as well as with owner reports of the puppies' behaviour during the first year following adoption. We ran 46 litters (279 puppies in total), each at 49 days of age, through a battery of tests designed to assess their sociability to humans and their reactivity to stimuli. The results correlated moderately well with the breeder assessments but did not predict how the puppies would behave in their permanent homes. We conclude that a standardized test is able to generate an accurate picture of puppy temperament, but the changing milieu during development and the influence of learning prevent the reliable prediction of future behaviour.

This I apply to traditional working dogs. I don't know enough about how temperament tests in molosser puppies turn out. What is a 'traditional working dog' vs. a molosser. Might be some overlap there. I haven't seen any puppy aptitude tests that claim to be breed specific. Furthermore, if the puppy aptitude tests were designed as an attempt to avoid mismatches between the owner's lifestyle and the dog's behavioral tendencies, why aren't they used more and why aren't more dogs successful in their homes? Drive traits are often used to make predictions about the later behavior of dogs. Some puppy tests and adult temperment tests are used to identify certain drive traits and then predict abilities/future performance of the dogs. None of these tests has ever been shown to identify these traits and to predict future behavior. Think about the high attrition rate of seeing eye dogs in training or explosive detection dogs.

Well perhaps Mr. Pfaffenberger should have Guide Dogs for the Blind update their website. It states: The reasons the dogs are dropped from our programs are generally two-fold: Behavioral reasons (60%): high activity level, incompatibility with cats or other dogs, assertiveness requiring strong handler leadership. Some of these dogs may not be suitable for homes with young children or other pets. Medical reasons (40%): anything from allergies to cataracts to varying severities of dysplasia (hip and elbow). A bit different from %90 success don't you think? But, thanks for book recommendation.

well, I don't think they are additive. How do you interpret what I copied and pasted directly??? http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer?pagename=programs_dog_adoption I think 90% is overly optimistic.