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Umm, the point I was attempting to make was that you can’t be faint of heart in a volatile situation with a dog because they will recognize your weakness (fear), which could escalate their aggressive behavior towards you. My dog, in particular, acted totally different when my initial response did not convey to the dog that I intended to maintain control of the situation. After I decided not to let his attitude derail my plans to address his problems, he sensed the changed, thus it was reflected in his attitude and demeanor towards me. To make a long story even longer, if I was worried about getting hit by a car every time I crossed the street to go to my mailbox, I might never, ever check the mail again. If I had decided that I was too afraid of possibly getting hurt by this dog, I would have probably already received at least one nasty bite by now as I suspect his behavior would have only escalated once he knew he had gained control over me because I was AFRAID of him.
So, the point I was trying to drive home for the people (like me) coming to this forum because they are having issues with their dog, is that it will be impossible to achieve ANY success with their dog if they are too fearful and elect to do nothing more than try to avoid the problem/situation, as when you have a dog with behavioral issues, those issues will not go away on their own and will most likely only escalate if the dog is allowed to remain out of control and in charge.
Otherwise, I cannot disagree with you…. protective devices such as the clothing, muzzles, collars/leashes certainly help prevent injuries, but I’m betting the average reader right now might be short their “Superman” suit! 🙂
