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While it is possible that from time to time we just happen to move at the right time and the dog will miss in their strike at us, this will be rare. The vast majority of the time a dog strikes out at us, but does not make contact with us, they didn't mean to. Dogs have vastly better reflexes...

Almost nothing to add to Judy's advice except to emphasis this last part. Monitoring quality of life. Typically when this conversation comes up the question is what defines quality of life. That can be hard in some cases, but typically would include things like.... still eating and...

In addition to Judy's questions, what has changed outside the house? In the neighborhood? Often changes like this is due to something scary happened or now there is something scary in the environment that wasn't there before. If this dog is under 1 year old, this can also be caused by the...

I wouldn't personally recommend suppressing hunting behavior with the goal of never, ever seeing it. In addition to Hemlock's reasons, behaviorally speaking, suppressed behaviors have a tendency to show backup in ways and at times you are least prepared. I would suggest a framework of...

On the Rotti videos and the suggestion it was "playing". It is a far more likely reason than "predatory drift". It is easier to think of such events as something like "the dog thought the kids were prey". Easier because it suggests something wrong with the dog. Dangerous, out of normal, etc...

What you did was not "cruel", it was necessary to ensure the safety of the child. Would the dog have killed the Child? Maybe, maybe not. Where you willing to wait and see how it all played out? Of course not. You took rational, reasonable action. Context matters. Matters greatly. You...

It does not matter how a post was or was not intended. This is a forum where people ask for help, we have to assume ANYTHING posted in reply to a plea for help could/will be taken as advice. We should also never loose sight that anything offered is something that could affect another living...

I had a somewhat similar experience with my dog Jack. doesn't mean I try and create advice out of it or suggest people try and replicate it. way to much can go wrong. Dogs are amazing in how close they come to a fight to the death...but never go there. Sometimes, "weird" things come out...

This works....until it it doesn't. you never want to advise this approach because you never know when that "1 out 10" (made up numbers to illustrate a point) times rolls around. Which results at best in a very expensive trip to the vet, and possibly now a fearful dog that will require 100's of...

I agree with Hemlock's first response. in addition I would toss out some of the "stronger breed" or "stubborn breed" labels can (though not always) speak to someone's ego and gaps in their training/behavior skills/knowledge vs reality of the breed or individual dog.

nice tip. though we should keep in mind, even soft clicks can be too much for a dog that is easily started or find sounds startling or aversive. If the use of a clicker is not possible, we can still train effectively. because fear is what I work with a lot, I can't remember the last time I...

seems perfectly normal to me

If they are literally using words such as always or other words that imply always... That is a HUGE red flag to the advice/concept. my last dog became quite social (for him) with 95% of other dogs. BUT never, EVER, behaved in a way that suggested he would have been open to living with another...

You also asked about training books. Going to suggest something a little different. That is study the underlying science too, but from the text books about the science of learning and behavior. There is well established science with decades of experiments in how to get behavior, how to...

Taking it "slow" is an informal way of saying what trainers call "slicing". Slicing though is more precise because you are choosing a specific small goal and focusing on it until the dog has mastered that level before going to the next. The idea is breaking up the desired behavior into the...

maybe quieter, softer tones with a slower "cadence" to them are better words vs lower. low is a bit close to deep and both low and deep are drifting close to "threatening" tones.

The question is kind of broad and to help, we do need more specifics. what were the dogs doing before the aggression? what was the aggressive behavior? etc. age, breed (best guess is fine), sex all play into this as well. aggression between to dogs living together happens. sometimes the...

Definitely be careful what you wish for, you just might get it and the result might not be what you envisioned. food for thought. Taking a walk with sniff breaks is a whole different kind of excessive than just running and chasing a ball. Both can have their place and both can meet a need...

other than the comment about language, no. rest of my post was a general response to the finger wagging in other posts that frankly came across very judgemental without taking into account differences in culture, experiences, knowledge, etc.

One can be technically proficient in a secondary language, but still not skilled at the nuances of word choices to convey meaning, ideas, intent etc. I do not disagree with the idea that we should make feeling/being protected our own responsibility, not that of others or our dogs...