posted 11-17-2003 11:45 PM         

Anyway, yes, 6 weeks was too young for him to be away from momma and the rest of the litter, studies have shown that the period of time between weaning and 8 weeks or so are VERY important for pups learning bite inhibition (how hard and when to use their mouths) and other doggy manners. Often pups taken away from the rest of the litter too early will be "extra" mouthy, and many lack good social manners with other dogs (which the APBT can already have issues with anyway, no need to add to them ). First thing on my list if it was me in this situation would be calling the breeder and asking them what EXACTLY they meant by "overly aggressive stock". Do they mean very dog aggressive? Or do they mean human aggressive?

If it's the latter, you need to think VERY hard about keeping this dog, whether or not you're ready, willing, and able (both physically and mentally) to deal with things if your pup turns out to be untrustworthy (by any degree) towards people. Human aggression is NOT normal in the APBT breed. By keeping a human aggressive dog, you put yourself and your family in danger of losing everything you own, as well as facing jailtime should he injure someone. Someone else could end up dead or seriously injured if you keep him alive, and do not manage him properly. This is a VERY serious issue, not one to be taken lightly. If you keep the dog, and he develops a questionable temperament, you'll be faced with the choice of either euthanizing him, OR managing him and his issues (may or may not be possible, depending on the individual family's living situation, individual dog's issues, etc) for the rest of his life. The first choice is certainly heartbreaking, and something that no one wants to have to do... the latter can be just as difficult, as just as heartwrenching at times. If the dog's line is HUMAN (dog aggression is a different issue, and needs to be considered seperately) aggressive, you might seriously consider having your girlfriend take her back and let the breeder sort out the issues, especially since you say both of you are uncomfortable with the situation already.

I also have to ask, are you aware of the APBT's propensity towards dog aggression? It's entirely possible that the little squabbles (unless it's just rough play?) he's having with your pup right now will progress to an all out war as time goes on and he matures. At the very least, you need to seperate them when you're not there to supervise, and be prepared for the possibility that complete seperation may become necessary at some point. That means seperate vet trips, walks, feedings, quality time, training, EVERYTHING about owning one dog, times two. The APBT's dog aggression is not something that can be "loved", or "socialized", or "trained" out, if it's there in the genetics, there's not much you can do to prevent it from surfacing, only teach the dog to control themselves somewhat, and manage them responsibly. If you're not prepared for this, you might (again) consider sending the pup back to the breeder now, rather than having him settle in, then have to be uprooted if his dog aggression progresses to the point that you can't handle him, or worse, have a tragedy occur because you aren't able to manage a dog aggressive dog in a multi-dog house safely.

It's entirely possible that he's just a bit unsure of things and reacting out of fear, or that he thinks he's going to be boss of all, and lettign you know his intentions. Without being able to actually see what he's doing, I can't even begin to guess, you need to have someone who knows APBTs (this is important, because in many respects, APBTs aren't like herding dogs, or guard dogs, or many other breeds) and understands temperaments/dog behavior evaluate him and watch his behavior and see why he's acting this way. In the meantime, you might want to start him on a No Free Lunch/Nothing In Life Is Free program, where you control ALL resources, therefore making you "GOD" in his eyes and removing any little peabrained ideas he may have of being boss (if he's trying to be dominant), at the same time letting him know YOU are protector of him and all the rest of your things, so he doesn't need to worry (if he's fearful).

For now, I would not allow him any resources to guard... he doesn't get to lay near GF if he can't behave himself, nor lay on the bed, couch, whatever... you get the idea. You feed him, make him work for his food, he may only be a pup, but he can learn and do simple things like "sit", "here", and "down", and can start learning more complex things as well, though these three are easiest for puppy. When you give him his food, make him do some obedience first, maybe even make him earn the entire bowl of kibble by working for you, a couple (or just one, whatever) kibbles for every command, keep sessions short (pups have short attention spans, APBT pups even shorter ), and have at least several of these "mini-sessions" every day.

It's also important that you get him out socializing with people, dogs, places, etc. Start out someplace with less commotion, then work your way up to bustling places with more people. Make sure all his experiences are positive, maybe give people treats to give to him, most people can't resist a cute pup, so you have that on your side. If he's growling at people when you have him out, you need to take a step back, and move away from the stimuli, until he's comfortable, then you can start working your way back up again.

This stuff is NOT likely to "fix" his problems alone, and you REALLY need to get him to a knowledgeable trainer to evaluate him thouroughly(sp?). Where are you located? Maybe someone can recommend a good trainer for you...

And here's a link to the "No Free Lunch" program I mentioned above. http://www.pbrc.net/training_nfl.html

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Edited to add the part about dog aggression, and to say that I'm not trying to offend you or get on you for having or getting the dog, just trying to help, sorry if it seems that I'm being harsh or rude. I respect (and appreciate) the fact that you ARE seeking advice now, rather than ignoring your concerns, and hope you can come to a solution where all can be happy.

posted 11-18-2003 12:19 AM         

I would take Goob's advice and seriously think about giving the pup back to the breeder and if your girlfriend wants to get another pitbull then visit a few different breeders and choose a pup from the one who asks YOU the most questions as a good breeder should be very interested in the home their pup will be going to.