I really shouldn’t be beating a dead horse but here goes:
This is exactly the situation that makes it difficult for the rest of us to have “dangerous breeds”. This is why bully breeds, GSD, huskies, Akitas, mastiffs, rotties, dobermans, etc are euthanized and abandoned at an alarming rate. This is why those of us who do own these breeds have difficulty finding good housing, pay more for our insurance, and can’t take our dogs on vacation with us. This is why my Akita mixes could be euthanized if they ever bit someone, but my neighbor’s JRT has done it four with no repercussions.
I am sorry if this comes off as harsh, and I am not just addressing one person, but the owners who get protective breeds because they are big, intimidating, and you think they will keep your yard/person safe are causing the previously mentioned problems for the rest of us, who get these dogs because we like the individual. OP, look what you have done: 6 large dogs with territorial aggression, they lunge at people who walk by, beware of the dog signs posted everywhere, you leave them out in a pack when you are gone, you refuse to acknowledge that they have gotten out multiple times, you have trained bite work, you have stated here that you “need them for protection”, you want people to be afraid of them and you dismiss your neighbor’s completely warranted concerns about them.
One, this is a disaster waiting to happen. How many stories do you hear about dog attacks where the owners say “it came out of nowhere?”. Well, when 6 large dogs who have been trained to bite attack out of nowhere, somebody is going to get killed. Second, teaching bite work to rescue dogs of unknown history, and (from what I can tell from your posts) a biased perception of their disposition is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible. You call it Shutzhund, but Shutzhund is a sport. If you are not using the things you have taught in actual competitions, you have trained shoddy protection work for your own purposes and are trying to pass it off as something acceptable. Third, if you have dogs that are perceived by your neighbors as “dangerous” then you need to do everything in your power to change that perception. I can’t imagine that your entire neighborhood dislikes you for reasons that are based on your age and who you are dating, especially after seeing your attitude on here. You should have been identifying the people who are uncomfortable with your dogs and working to remedy that fear. Not doing so is dangerous for your animals, who could be taken away by AC, put to sleep, removed by one of your neighbors, or even poisoned (I have seen it happen).
As somebody who owns a heavily stigmatized breed (Akitas), I am constantly working to make sure they are good citizens. They are both rescues, but I have done everything I possibly can to make sure they are friendly and not feared by the public. I have poured hundreds of dollars into their training so they can pass all the levels of the CGC, work for therapy organizations, and make safe choices. I believe it would be irresponsible on my part to do anything else, because if I do, I am directly contributing to the issues that surround “restricted” breeds in our country. And, here is the thing: even though they have been trained to be self controlled and gentle dogs, I know they would destroy anyone who tried to hurt one of their people. Most dogs, especially protective breeds, do not need bite work, isolation, or territorial aggression to defend their loved ones if worst comes to worst. The things you have put in place with your dogs in the name of protection are simply not needed, and harmful to the reputation of the breeds that the rest of us are trying to have accepted back into society.
I am sorry for being harsh on you, and I really don’t mean to speak to you in particular. However, I know that many of the “dangerous breeds” have developed their reputation because their are irresponsible people out there who own them for the wrong reasons. I am not implying that you do specially, but it certainly doesn’t seem like anything you do advances the idea that the aforementioned breeds are safe animals either.
Something that is directed at you, however, is one thing: there is a dog in my parent’s neighborhood who gets out almost every week. He runs through people’s yards and pulls up their flowers and tries to engage everybody he passes in play. I have tracked down and caught this dog 5 times, so I know he gets out alot. However, nobody has ever lodged a legal complaint (or even gets too angry with the dog’s family) because the dog is friendly and the owner is kind and apologetic. He is a lab/pit, so it is not about breed in this case. I would think seriously about your and your dog’s behavior, because a well liked/well behaved member of the community would likely not be having the same problems that you are.
