These are the questions I usually get when walking my dogs, or doing any training in public.
What kind of dog is that?
-Cane Corso /Kan-ey Kor-So/ Italian Mastiff. (No one who is asking
this is asking about the Border Collie that's always with us, poor guy)
The immediate follow-up is usually how big
is he? -130 lbs, give or take.
What do you feed him? -Kibble
Are you a trainer? -well, no. I AM training them, and they've never been to a professional trainer. But I'm not a professional.
Will you train mine? I always
say "Sure,but it's more about training YOU" no one has ever
taken me up on the offer.
Do they bite? - Yes, all dogs bite.
Are they safe? - Yes, very.
May I pet them? - usually my answer is NO, but sometimes I say yes, as I want to keep them well-socialized. I just hate stopping every 2 minutes for pets. It makes practicing heeling, or extended down-stay a real issue. To an extent, I can't blame the dog when someone is bubbling over with enthusiasm and stops without even asking to pet or something. And if I correct the dog, give a leash pop and remind them that they are "heel"-ing then I look like the big jerk. But really the jerk is the person who pets my dogs without even asking.
Regarding Protection Training:
Aren't you worried it will make them dangerous? -Quite the opposite. Rather than relying exclusively on their instincts, I'm providing them with some guidance as to when they should be protective and when they shouldn't be.
Will they bite me? -Yes, if you're hurting anyone they love, or if I tell them to.
Are they safe to be around kids. -Yes, even more safe after they have some good exercise and instruction on how to protect.
I'm a small woman, could I control a big dog like that? -I don't know you. It's not your stature or weight that allows you to control them, it's your relationship, attitude, confidence, and skills. Some specialized equipment can make up for a lack in some of those areas, but I don't use anything like that.
Your dogs are all off leash, are they on E-Collars. -No, they've never been on an E-Collar in their lives.
What if a cat runs by. -Well then, they will likely watch it with interest, unless I tell them to look at me.
What if a stray dog comes up barking at
you? -I will tell them sit and stay. They will
sit and stay. I will chase the dog away while they watch. If
it bites at me or gets aggressive against me, then it's 50/50 whether
they'll continue to stay or rush in to drive it off. If they rush
in, I can still call them off, if I choose to.
Interesting side note: If they were all on leash, and a stray dog
attacked us, I would have LESS chance of stopping them than if they are
all off-leash. Yes... LESS Chance. Ask me how I
know. This is because I am not strong enough to hold back 3
pissed off big dogs and trying to hold onto the leash while getting
dragged across the driveway, and the leashes are getting tangled,
knocking dogs over, getting twisted on their legs adds further confusion
and chaos and now my back is sprained, my bad right ankle is aching, and
I'm stressed, the dogs are amped up. It's chaos that continues
until I gather the wherewithal to yell "NO" "Stay" or maybe
"SIT". Whereas without the leash, I don't feel
the need to pull back on something, I can fully concentrate on saying
"NO" before they even break their "sit" or their "heel". If
they do start to run off at a stray or mean dog, I can yell "NO"
"STAY" much quicker and calmer, since I'm not being pulled and
drug. Having gotten all of that venting
off my chest, I still leash them all up if I suspect there may be
trouble brewing!! Unfortunately we run into this issue on a
regular basis where we live.
Have they ever actually protected you? -Not the Cane Corsos.. But the 17 yr old border collie has. Probably saved me from a beating, if not saved my life at least once for sure. And one time their BEDS protected me. All the dogs were with my wife and I and we were out. Someone broke down our front door, apparently saw three large dog beds and took off running without coming inside to see if the dogs were present!!! Either that or someone randomly smashed my front door down for no reason. My Rottie that has since passed away protected me from a home invasion, according to the police. I came home to find a tennis ball full of mud (on the inside of the ball) in my living room. The front window had a pane shattered about head height, where the tennis ball was thrown into the house through the window. The cops say this was a trend at the time, in that neighborhood. If no one responded, the burglars would know the house was empty. If someone came outside to check around they would just leave. There was also a pane of glass about knee height that was shattered. But this one was shattered OUTWARD and had a bit of blood on some of the glass still clinging to the pane frame. My Rottie had a few cuts on his neck. Putting the pieces together, someone threw a muddy tennis ball through my window to see if anyone was home, and an enraged Rottweiler burst his head through a lower pane of glass barking and snarling... Yeah, they didn't decide to burglar my house that day. Joey was a good boy. RIP buddy.
Doesn't training them to bite make them
more dangerous, doesn't training them by yourself teach them to bite
you? -No and no. I admit, training by myself is far
from ideal. But I don't have anyone to help me, so it is what it
is. However, I trust that the relationship I have established with
them long before this training is strong enough to keep them from
biting me. I'm not working them into a frenzy, I'm teaching them
skills and when to use them. They understand the difference
between "play/training" and "real life". They know when it's for
real. If I'm wrong I guess someone can say "told ya so" at my
funeral! LOL.