[ladyjane]

Fear is simply not the way to train a dog. Period. I don't see any way that I could ever justify what CM does.

I have a fear biter .. of course he weighs 7 pounds making it easier to deal with; but I would never, ever want him to fear me in any way. He has come a long, long way and it is because he has learned that humans can be trusted. I gave him space...and also gave him some limits until he realized that certain behaviors were more accepted than others. I never tried to be dominant with him...and it was suggested by some people....I used positive reinforcements only. Someone ruined him before I got him...it was not something that was wrong with him that made him like he was or he would still be like he was. He came to me as a feral animal. He was tied up outside and Heaven only knows how he was treated because he was a mess.

I don't see the difference in how you treat any dog...no matter the size....the results will only be positive if you are using positive reinforcement....BUT as someone said you must always be very careful with a dog that has a history of biting and yes, a large dog is a whole different ball game because they can kill. They can and will revert back to that behavior if something triggers it. I don't believe it goes away completely....BUT I do believe it is possible to rehab them.