Interesting post, Veronica, and i agree with most of what you say.
I empathize with the misinformation and even blame, you have faced, as the owner of a dog with issues.
//My definiton of true DA is a genetic propensity towards the behavior, a behavior that needs no triggers and that is executed with lethal intent. I think if you have one of those dogs, if you have any common sense you realize it pretty damn quickly and hopefully wouldn't let anyone talk you into interventions that would put other people's dogs at risk and set yours up to be euth'ed//
I am not sure lethal intent is req'd for a dog to be a da dog, but, i otherwise like your definition. If lethal means "to the death" level of fighting, i would disagree that all da dogs have urge
to killthe unknown dogs, many may have the urge to just fight them and make them leave.
Many many ppl like to lump in da behavior with prey behavior,
but i don't. My da dogs reaction and approach to
an unknown dog is not like his swift and silent zooming approach
to a bunny.
at all. A few similarities, but, a LOT of differences!!
My dog bolts, silently, at bunnies full speed, with total abandon, and goes instantly and directly into full speed immediate biting attack on the bunny, no snarls, no growls, no creature-to-creature signalling prior.
^Which is NOT his reaction, or approach, at all, to unknown dogs. Da behavior is not prey behavior,
imo.
//I think the article would have been more well rounded if a cautionary statement was thrown in about the existence of pure DA and the dangers of trying to "rehab" a dog with this type of issue.//
I agree.
I don't know if i fully agree rehabbing da dogs is "dangerous", but, i would certainly agree, a person who just guesses how to rehab a da dog could indeed, pose great dangers, to himself, to his dog, to other dogs, and to other humans who may become involved.
//. She lacks social skills (We say she has Aspbergers)//
I have often wanted to say, i think my dog has dog-autism, (aspbergers is considered a subset of some of the autistic disorders) but i worried i'd be attacked by ppl with autistic human relatives. I have some autistic relatives, as well. Autism is inborn, although not immediately apparent at birth, similar to da disorder, which does not usually manifest at birth, but not until about 9 mos old in most da dogs.(varies a bit, though)
When da
first begins to manifest, it is not usually with bites, but, just "displays" like you described. but yeah, Both disorders also impede successful interaction with others of their own species,
there are some similarities, i see your point.
My da dog has very good social skills, if he KNOWS the other dog. It is not lack of social skills for my da dog, and most da dogs also play nicely with their housemate dogs, or dogs they KNOW.
//.She is not in my mind DA because despite her at times (in the past) very impressive displays of "psychotic, vicious, lunging, snarling, spittle flying" behavior - she never ever tried to hurt another dog. She has never so much as scraped another dog with her tooth. Of course as time went on, we started limiting her access and opportunities to interact with other dogs.//
This, to me, might reflect wise and proper and careful, ongoing management on your part,
not that this dog is not a da dog. I have an alcoholic uncle, if i put him on a desert island, where he can not get any alcohol, one could say, "Look, Bill is not alcoholic, he doesn't drink at all."
but, it's just Bill has no access to manifest his alcoholism. (maybe poor analogy, as i am uncertain if alcoholism is genetic anomaly or not, but, you get idea what i meant)
But, you know your dog, not me, so maybe you are right, maybe your dog is not a da dog. If your criteria for a da dog requires that the dog has to have inserted a tooth into another dog, then, by that criteria, your dog is not a da dog.
Many dogs may have actually bitten another dog, to the point of stitches, (like this author's dogs did) yet, still not be da dogs.
My dog has not bitten another dog in years now,
still, i have no question in my mind, buddy IS still a da dog, and that my dog, like your dog, doesn't actually fight or bite unknown dogs----
because i control his lil world for him, and prevent such incidents.
//Do I think that in the right set of circumstances all that could change in a heart beat and those breed specific tendencies could get triggered? Yeah, I do - I've seen inklings. //
Yes, i bet you have. It's wonderful that you have prevented such actual fights, and limit his opportunities to escalate into full on fight.
//So even though she isn't DA; that doesn't mean there's the possibility to rehab her to the point where she could intereact safely around other dogs.//
I completely agree, 100%. Not all dogs are cureable, but, most can be reduced down.
My dog is da dog, i have no qualms using the "A" word. I can and have rehabbed my dog to safely be around other dogs--------one dog at a time.
Most any dog i have regular access to, i can almost always successfully desensitize Buddy to, with a few exceptions.
some of buddy's friends took year or more, some only a few weeks. And since Buddy HAS made some doggie pals, now, he occasionally, (well rarely is probably more accurate)
spontaneously likes a dog on sight----instantly---no work req'd on my part at all.
This is always a huge exciting moment for me, but, it can happen.
(of course, i severely limit Buddy's access to
unknown dogs, it's not like, he is at dog parks, etc)
But i have taken the time, to desensitize Buddy to all the dogs in his world, like our friends' dogs, our neighbors' dogs, our relatives' dogs, etc etc.
Since Buddy has made some dog friends, every once in a blue moon, Buddy will now spontaneously "like" a dog on sight!
Just like, i hear owners of shy dogs mention with great joy and excitement, that every once in a blue moon, their shy dog may occasionally accept some unknown human right off the bat, with no effort from owner. Doesn't happen often, and i often suspect, when that does happen, that that human may have used marvelous body language, whether on purpose, or by chance, to convery "i am no threat" and helped the shy dog accept that one (1) person. but, who knows.
My dog, like most DA dogs, reacts to most of the UNKNOWN dogs,
not dogs he has been helped to get to "know". My da dog, who is undeniably a da dog, makes new friends, loves his old pals now for a few years now. My da dog has lovely social skills, and play very successfully with dogs he KNOWS.
He is not pushy, nor dominant, nor overly submissive, is actually fairly laid back personality-wise, in his doggie play. He takes turns with 'tag' and other games dogs play, just fine.
He even communicates successfully when he is done playing, without aggression. You'd think he was normal.
For example, a greyhound mix pal of Buddy's, can run for hours, even on hot days, my dog can't keep up on hot days. When Buddy lies down, to rest, the greyhound comes over and tries evvvvverything to get Buddy to get up and chase him some more, even humps on Buddy as he lies there. Buddy stand up, barks once at greyhound to stop humping him, and lies back down,
as opposed to attacking the greyhound, or using "lethal" force. And the greyhound DOES understand Buddy, and gives up, so i am guessing Buddy was both successful, and not aggressive, in telling the other dog to leave him rest a moment.
still, if i left Buddy alone with an UNKNOWN dog, there'd probably be blood, it'd get real ugly, real fast, i'd bet.
It's not lack of social skills for my da dog, and for many other da dogs, who CAN and DO interact appropriately with their housemate dogs, or their doggie friends, and dogs they KNOW.
some ppl even say, "My dog is not a da dog, cuz he gets on well with my mom's dog, or my other dogs." etc. (lots of ppl are loathe to use the "A" word, it's very common)
but a point so so so often overlooked when discussing da dogs is,
and shy dogs,
is----------- it is the UNKNOWN creatures that they react to.
I sort of wish more owners of da dogs were aware, YES, even a da dog can be helped to make doggie pals. Yes, yes, it has to be approached carefully, and knowledgably, no question, that is so true, but, it can be done.
The bummer part for me, was, when i first was able to help Buddy make some new friends,
i sort of thought that could be a sign he could be "cured", but, i have since learned,
that Buddy will continue to go through the world, "one dog at a time".
Buddy does NOT generalize dogs, so Buddy deciding he likes Max,
does not help Buddy when he meets Frito.
To Buddy, Frito is an UNKNOWN dog, and is about 90% chance, Buddy will NOT like Frito.
but, Buddy is doing the best he can, with the brain he has. 
.
.
This article was never about your dog specifically, and not about DA dogs specifically, it was about people mistaking dogs that are correcting rudeness for DA. Sorry you didn't get anything from the article.
even about their primary target of humans, too, i do believe even shy dogs or fearful dogs, can be desensitized/reduced down a few notches, to several notches. I always say "never give up on your dog."
) If we weren't on opposite sides of the continent, and in different countries! LOL
Also and this is interesting, sometimes she will still react to other dogs if they get too close to her; but if she sees an off leash dog or a dog she thinks means business - she shuts her mouth, focuses on me and proves she really has taken all her lessons to heart - she really doesn't want a fight. I think of DA dogs as wanting a fight. Again maybe that's the mindset I picked up on the pit bull forums; but I think of a DA dog as wanting to fight for the sake of fighting.
