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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 4843801" data-attributes="member: 80487">I am mainly of what I'll call a "simulationist" temperament. (Whatever the currency of Ron Edwards' neologisms, I am not keen on calling any aspect of my preferred approach "pervy".)AD&D ratings of normal animals (and of critters more generally in Monster Manual II, which is another subject) often seem to me a bit pumped up. Fighting power of 2+2 for war dogs or wolves is an example of that, but I can take it in stride.My impression is that dogs might be characterized in a sense as very "lawful"; they respond well to order, and tend to become unpredictable -- perhaps dangerously so -- in confusing environments. They are very sensitive to social order and disorder, and to emotional cues.(Please henceforth assume that "from what I have seen and heard", etc., is implied even if not continually restated, and that I know I am no expert on the subject.)The (for want of a better term) personal relationship between dog and master is critical. The training of a guard or attack dog (and those are distinct types) is best begun while the dog is a puppy, and with the same trainer throughout. As with all such intense bonds, it is generally impractical to cultivate many at once.Over the years, dog and master earn each other's trust and loyalty. A relationship based on hierarchical domination via fear breeds resentment that can easily backfire as soon as the opportunity presents itself. (Jack London's White Fang comes to mind, a favorite book of my boyhood.)Ideally, a dog and new master should train together under the tutelage of the former master. Not only trust need be built, but also the vocabulary of communication.Even more than with a guard dog, it is essential with an attack dog to identify friend from foe. A "target rich environment" is likely to induce very frequent threat presentations, from growling on up. Sounds and scents beyond the range of human perception can set off a dog; a momentary event a mile away can lead to a prolonged frenzy.There's great potential for chain reaction and synergy when multiple dogs are in proximity, as anyone ever awakened to a whole neighborhood's howling in response to a passing car's backfire can attest.I doubt that fighting dogs en masse would be as tractable as a team of sled dogs -- and even that might be faint praise. Living in agricultural country, I am acquainted with the phenomenon of previously well behaved dogs "following a pack" to wreak senseless carnage on sheep and chickens. Periodically, one reads of a child mauled by such a wilding mob, not trained combatants but normal domestic specimens swept up in atavistic feral craziness.Again, I am no expert. I welcome any input from people better acquainted with the subject. My point is simply that I think there are very good reasons why we don't see battalion-columns of Rin Tin Tin very often in the real world.</blockquote>

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