You are correct, trust your gut, your instincts, what this person did was so very wrong in so many ways.
No legitimate dog trainer would do such a thing!
Nobody in their right mind would do such a thing for that matter!

I would suggest finding somewhere else to walk your dogs!

 

No, that's not acceptable behaviour. On any level.

Aggression is far more complex than a dog reacting to being snatched from its owner. Also, if your dogs weren't behaving inappropriately (whatever that might entail) on his land, why on earth would he try to provoke aggression?

And what if he'd found the dog did react? Would he accept that it was only aggressive because he'd tried to take it - a set of circumstances so unlikely to happen with anyone else, that it's not ever going to be an issue? Or does he give dogs that don't react a certificate of non-aggression?

I wonder what he would do if the dog owners became aggressive - if he tried to grab my dog without warning, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't pass his test ...

Can you avoid walking there?

 

When people have objected, he publicly and very loudly bans them from the park. It happened so fast we kind of froze. I regret that and I'm surprised that we reacted that way. We were the only 2 people in the park at the time. It's a very small town, he owns a lot of land and businesses, and the sheriff sees no problem with what he's doing apparently. Thanks so much.

 

Thanks so much. For sure, we won't be back. Far as we know, he doesn't snatch dogs from the hands of men, only women and teenagers.

 

The reason I asked is because when he does this test he'll make a post on the park's FB page saying no aggressive dogs are allowed. Some people commented that they or their dogs were terrified when he did this and a debate ensued about whether this was a proper method of testing dogs' aggression. He just ends up deleting the posts and blocking. i worry that one day some innocent dog will end getting seized and put down if it bites him. I can't imagine if that happened to me.

 

Thanks for verifying that I'm correct that his method is insane.

 

What a stupid man. I think your plan to avoid the area is wise.

 

This guy sounds like a complete nutter. Would it be acceptable for him to snatch any other item from your hands: your coffee thermos, your car keys, your purse, the handle to your baby's stroller? Heck no. So it's not ok for him to snatch the leash out of you hands either. It's not about your dog's aggression. It's about your personal boundaries. And he is violating them in a way that is creepy and disturbing.

 

This is not ok behavior from the human. I would bet a month's pay he will escalate. The fact he is targeting and harassing women and teenagers is flagging as predatory to me.

 

I think you nailed it @Shadowfox

 

Unfortunately since he's a big fish in a small pond, it sounds like he can get away with acting like a hornpout. Since he owns the park you are visiting and businesses you might need to use, it would probably be highly inconvenient to have a confrontation and get banned from all his properties. It's probably best to avoid interacting with him in any way.

 

Please be very careful and most of all, PROTECT your dog. There are many pages (even on Facebook and despite being reported, FB does not consider it a violation) which dedicate themselves to teaching like-minded individuals how to exterminate pitties. It's awful. What you describe, in that this man only went for your Pit and not your other dog speaks to this more than it does other things - NONE of which can be reasonably or easily explained. As women, especially, the behavior this man displayed towards you as the dog's owner(s), and the dog itself, is simply unacceptable, be it at/on his property or not. He obviously does not have any signs which say 'No Trespassing' and he obviously has no signs or agreements detailing that he can invade your personal space. Based on how you present what occurred, I wonder what he would have done had the dog bit him, which dogs naturally, as protectors, would have not been in the wrong to do. I am curious, as well, as to the other lady that this happened to, and what breed her dog is. More importantly, I wonder whether you have researched the owner of the property to see if he is, indeed, 'a trainer' as he claims to be. It sounds very suspect that an actual reputable trainer would simply reach out toward an unknown person walking an unknown dog. If you do not know his name, you can generally do a property search by entering the property's address in your county's home appraisal website, which should then list the owner's name, unless they have specifically filled out forms to conceal it.