Hello, I am new to Brain Training after having just taken in a stray pit bull/boxer mix two weeks ago. Our vet says he's about 18 months old and had been "roaming" for quite some time as he was wormy, malnourished, and had skin issues. We've been working on getting that resolved and Dawg is well on his way to being healthy, at which time he will be neutered. He's a pretty mellow dog, good around children and adults, and mostly good around other dogs. Until yesterday when he got into a fight with a neighbor's dog (he had the other dog by the neck and wouldn't let go). In our area, there is no fencing and it is common practice for the neighborhood dogs to have the run of the neighborhood, however, the dog he fought with isn't typically in our area of the neighborhood. It goes without saying the fighting behavior is unacceptable. My questions are:
1. Thoughts on what caused this behavior. Is Dawg being "territorial?" We do not know the catalyst for the fight, but the other dog had strayed into our back yard several minutes earlier and then left. Dawg was sitting with us on the patio at the time and then got up to leave. Shame on us for not restraining him at that time, although he didn't seem upset over the other dog.
2. An accelerated course of action to keep this from happening again (we are considering a wireless fence but that won't keep other dogs from coming into our yard). In the meantime, Dawg won't go outside unless leashed, but now I'm a bit afraid to walk him.
3. Suggestions on teaching Dawg the boundaries of our property (the fight was across the street).
4. Should we attempt to make amends between Dawg and the dog he was fighting? How?
5. Praying it won't happen again, but how to break up a dog fight without injury to dog or human.
Any insight and suggestions are truly appreciated. We were a bit surprised over Dawgs' behavior as he hasn't shown any signs of aggressive behavior towards other neighborhood dogs or people. In fact, quite the opposite - he's very friendly, social, and lovable. Whoever had him before had worked with him on socialization and some manners, but we still wonder why he was a stray. We are very concerned over the perception of the character of pit bulls but are excited to work with Dawg on becoming a well mannered and obedient pet to dispel these perceptions. He is clicker charged, but ignores it if he's any distance from us.
Thank you for your input.
Kelly
