Help with my pits aggressive behavior toward humans and othe

Tari's Mom · New member Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 1

I need help with my 4 year pitbull she is a great family member and very loved but she has been trying to bite me latley and she cannot be around children ever, since she was 1, she tries to bite them. I am very afraid for Tari and I feel like things are getting out of hand I do not have children but now she has times where she is showing aggression toward other adults all of a sudden shes being playful then she changes and trys to bite
She is starting to attack the other dog in the household who is also part pit its all very frustrating weeks will go by and she will be great then she will start acting up??? Any help would be greatly appreciated

kyles101 · Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 9:06 am Post subject:

what do you mean you think things are getting out of hand? things had already gotten out of hand years ago by the sounds of things. i suggest taking her to the vet to rule out health problems. to me, if a dog has been human aggressive for that long, then its unlikely [not impossible] anything can be done if its not health related, and you know what that ultimately leads to. something should have been done the moment she showed aggression, not years later. maybe someone else has ideas as to whats wrong and what can be done.

spencerpits · Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 5:13 pm Post subject:

I have to agree - go to the vet to rule out any health problems, and if it isn't health related, the dog needs to be put to sleep. I also agree that something should have been done as soon she showed aggression towards children. It's really a sad reality, but you'll likely need to have her put to sleep. Otherwise, you are doing an injustice to her and the breed in general by adding to the negative stigma this breed already has. Just to be sure though - you are talking about biting and not mouthing, like mouth play? When we first got Sammy, he would try to mouth our hand when he wanted to be petted. It's not a good thing, but something that can be corrected with some training.

GinaH · Super Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2004 Posts: 1377

It is NOT in a Pit Bulls nature to be human aggressive. I can't believe you have tolerated her behavior for this long? Health Issues need to be ruled out. If there are no apparent health issues the only responsible thing to do is have her euthanized. The dog is an apparent danger and obviously not a great family member as you stated if she is in fact showing aggression towards you. I understand you love your dog but is your love for her strong enough to get through possible legal ramifications if your dog was to harm or kill a human?

True_Pits · Super Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 1446

I have to agree with eeryone here.

This has been going on and out of hand for years.

Why wasn't something done immediatly? Like having the dog examined for health problems and trying a behaviorlist if the problem wasn't too serious. Now its been a very long time and probably nothing can be done successfully.

I would say put the dog down ASAP.

juice1348 · Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 6:14 pm Post subject:

isnt there something else you can do with an aggressive dog instead of "kill it asap". I mean come on, even if your dog turns or is aggressive, you still would love it too much to kill it. Isnt there people you could use them for guard dogs, or anything like that???

loves-da-pits · Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2004 7:04 pm Post subject:

I'm trying to read between the lines and I may be waaaay off. I also know for a fact a PitBull to become suddenly people aggressive after four years and turning on you, is highly unusual.

Being that your Pit had a behavior problem as a young dog, I'm just guessing you tried correcting this in a physical manner. Example: screaming, hitting with newspapers, maybe throwing things, etc. This would make your dog fearful and in turn the dog would try to bite you out of fear. Once you make a dog afraid of you, it's really difficult, almost impossible to win its trust back. PitBulls will usually do flips to please its owners, so it almost sounds like yours is afraid of you. She will also be afraid of most humans which makes it difficult to do anything with the dog such as Vet care.

I'd try to do what everyone else has said and take Tari to the Vet to rule out anything physically wrong. If you think that you have done anything to make your dog fearful, consult help from a behaviorist that can help with fear biting. If there's no behaviorist you can consult with, do some research on the net and order some books.

In the mean time stop any physical punishment and start rewarding Tari for every good thing she does with treats and praise. Make her feel that she is safe and has nothing to fear from you.

The dog aggression is something you're just going to have to deal with. Keep the two separated and never leave them alone together when you're not there.

I would consider these things before having her put down.

True_Pits · Super Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 1446

Piper's Mom · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 5:01 pm Post subject:

Very well said, True_Pits.

True_Pits · Super Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 1446

Well thanks Piper's Mom.

One thing that I forgot to say and would like to add about the whole guard dog/aggression thing is if this dog is fear aggressive. What kind of guard dog would it really be? They are unpredictable and of course fearful. One minute they will bite you for making the wrong move the next they will run away. Not much of a guard dog. Attacking innocent people and biting kids while running away from anyone too scarey. I feel very sorry for fearful dogs, its just not fair. My friends dog freaked out lastnight trying to run away from her. She was abused a puppy (by the previous owner) and she will forever be scared of people carrying objects or approahing her.

goob · Senior Member Joined: 20 Mar 2004 Posts: 810

While I'd agree this is a serious problem if this dog really is aggressive, it sounds like the OP isn't really sure why the dog is acting like this, or even if it's really aggression, just that the dog "bites". A bite for me is an intentional bite, meant to do harm.... a bite to her/him may just be playful mouthing, which, if left alone for years, can easily become more and more rough, more and more of a problem. It sure can't hurt to have the dog checked by a reputable trainer or behaviorist, and make sure it's not just play gone wrong and something that can be fixed pretty easily before taking such a drastic measure as PTS. A check by the vet should also be in order, as there's sometimes a physical reason behind bad behavior, though that'd seem unlikely with it having gone on for so long.

pitbull_fan71421 · New member Joined: 16 Sep 2004 Posts: 2

It is an EXTREMELY rare thing for a pit to bite with intent to do damage to a human, especially to its owner. Think about the dog's fighting past. The handler had to be able to reach in while the dog was trying to kill another dog.

That being said, I also have a nippy baby. She scared me at first until I realized that if she were, say, a Jack Russell, she would just be called Nipper, and people would say it was cute. We learned that she just didn't realize how to initiate play, and what the rules of play were. Play (with rules) has helped to eliminate that behavior.

But, that said, it could be that your dog has a brain tumor, was crossed with some kind of mastiff or other protective-type dog, had an incident with the neighbors, or a host of other things that could trigger abnormal behavior.

Check with your vet, and then with a trainer who is certified, belongs to training associations, and uses positive behavior modification techniques. They should use nothing more severe than a head collar. Trainers that insist on "DOMINANCE" using physical techniques are typically not current on modern dog training, and definitely not equipped to handle this type of an issue.