Dear lord, Reggins first DOG FIGHT.

It's terribly scary to be in that situation (I know!) and I'm glad you and Reggin came out of it ok. I'd start carrying something with you to use defensively as well. I've started carrying pepper spray, personally, because I have so much trouble with off-leash dogs charging us.

What's really sad is that Mushroom is horribly defensive/aggressive on a leash because he keeps having bad experiences. He LOVES to play with other dogs that he's been introduced to correctly, but it's so hard when everytime I get him past the reactivity, something bad happens and we're back to square one.

Thats very true. I know Reggin did not want to fight. He was trying to get away, but fight or flight instinct took over. He kept putting himself between me and those dogs, which tells me that he was afraid for my safety too. I kept telling him that its ok, but it made the situation worse.

The reason why I thought his DA was starting to kick in was because he recently started growling at dogs that bark at us from their yard. He tried pulling over to a very angry german shepherd and started snarling (which he NEVER does).

Yes, run ins have happened before. I do bring protection. Pepper spray, a switch blade, and a cell phone for emergencies (although I really need to put animal controls number in there).

I didnt try to kick or use my spray on the two dogs because they were very young. They were being nice, just too pushy and wanted to sniff reggin too much. They couldnt be more than 8 months old, but the male pit mix was old enough to have testicles and hike his leg to mark. The female was just standing there and minding her own business. She gave Reggin his space.

That was exactly what reggins problem was. When he was a little puppy he was pushed around and attacked twice by other dogs. I took him to a dog park to get him socialized, but thats where all the problems started. He has always been very weary around other dogs, but it got worse after really bad experiences. He REALLY doesnt trust other males.

Ya know, I was pretty darn proud of him for sticking up for himself, even though the other dogs were younger than him. The fact that there was two dogs surrounding him, made him more anxious than usual. After the the other dog gave in and ran away after the fight, Reggin was just AMAZED. I could just tell, lol. Boost to he self esteem, I'm sure!