I think those breaksticks are a great idea, JG.  I know what you mean about breed traits.  People get dogs because they like the look or it's the latest one on a favorite TV show, then they have no clue what they are in for.

I've always had setters or setter mixes - I love them but yes they do run off a LOT.  My irish & english setters both had a bad habit of leading other dogs off too.  Both were gone several days at a time occasionally when I lost them on woodland walks.  And my current 2 dogs are half coonhound - I use Gentle Leaders on them because on a collar, even a prong collar, they pull my shoulders out of the socket trying to track every scent out there.

Let us know what you get for Jessie & how it's working.  It's all valuable info!

Dingbat, no offense taken. I think you are right! No one can completely control Jessie once other people are in the mix, or if she escapes confinement. My pet sitter and I do better with her than most because we keep her on-leash or in my house with no other animals, or off leash in a confined (fenced) area where I am at the gate and don't allow anyone else in. But there have been enough incidents when Jess is off-leash, in a variety of situations, to convince me all that you are giving very sound advice. We have never even come close to an incident on-leash, but she doesn't spend her entire life that way. And whenever she is off-leash, even, potentially, at home without other dogs, something could happen if she got out or had access to another dog. So I am in no way disagreeing with you.

And you're correct that the issue is not her size, it's her temperament and fight behavior.  It would be easier to disengage a larger but less tenacious dog, or one who didn't 'latch on'. 

Now I am trying to figure out the best basket muzzle. But a muzzle is coming!

Petslave, my mom breeds English, so that is what I grew up with. She won't consider selling a dog to anyone without a fenced yard, for exactly the phenomenon you are describing. Once in awhile, they just have to track a scent. Google Earth has been a big help to her, as she can call up potential buyers (if they meet her other criteria) to ensure they have a fence.  And I have driven to several potential owners' homes on her behalf because they lived closer to me than to her, to confirm that they did indeed have a fenced yard.

I don't mean to make it sound as though all pits or pit mixes have the 'Jessie issues'. They don't. But some do, and they do share a style of engagement with other dogs, when aggressive, that Jessie exhibits perfectly. And those are a combination of the pit heritage and some quirk of Jessie's.

And, petslave, you are also correct that many pet owners don't have any sense of the history of their breed when purchasing a dog. I tried, but with a mix, it was not easy. She looked sort of pointerish as a pup. How do insert a pic?? LOL

LOL! I couldn't figure the pic thing out. But I do think many would be surprised at what Jess looked like at 6 mos and what she looks like full-grown!

So they are inserting links, rather than uploading a file?  No wonder I couldn't figure it out!