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I need help immediately....all I can get!
My APBT is very aggressive
Found [68] Posts :: Page 1 of 4
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Posted: 2:28:12 PM 4/25/2005
My baby girl Pitbull is now 14 mos old. She is very loving (dominant but loving) to her friends, family and other dogs. BUT she is very aggressive towards strangers. Growling, barking and she will actually want to attack them. She is a 70 lb pitbull and could hurt someone that is why this is important to fix NOW!

She IS NOT food aggressive at all or animal aggressive.

I had her tied in the backyard the other day and my friend came over to see me. I brought him in the back to say hi to her. He met her once when she was a puppy, but she obviously didnt remember him. He walked up and she lunged at bit his leg and finger.

CAN THIS BE FIXED? WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?

I love her so much and CANT lose her!

Thank you.
Posted: 2:53:20 PM 4/25/2005
Tying your dog outside for any reason is a bad idea at this point. Invest in a fence and a good one at that. Many dogs feel very threatened by others when tied up outdoors, and become extremely territorial of the area within reach of the tieout. Anyone not a family member approaching her when she is tied out may be at risk. If she was giving warning signs, barking, growling, lunging, and he approached her anyway despite these warnings.. well now he knows better I guess.

You haven't mentioned if you've taken her for obedience training, I think it's a good idea if you invest in taking her to obedience classes at a good dog training academy. Explain the situation to them. You can look them up in the 'kennel' section of your local yellow pages, or under 'dog training'.
Posted: 2:54:21 PM 4/25/2005
i am not trying to scare you, but if your dog attacks and injures someone ,you could be facing a lawsuit. and a young child could not fight off a dog like that and could end up seriously injured or killed and then the dog would be put down, you would have no choice in it. find a place that offers obedience classes and talk to someone there . they have people that are animal behaviourist that work with this type of problem. imo, tying a dog up just makes them more aggressive, and if your yard is not securly fenced, anyone could wander in it and get attacked . kids especially young ones are more tempted to see a "puppy" and want to come pet it.
Posted: 3:45:47 PM 4/25/2005
Up your insurance policy to at least $100,000 and hope for the best. Don't let any kids near it, that's for sure.
Posted: 3:50:12 PM 4/25/2005
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/home.html
Posted: 3:57:59 PM 4/25/2005
Please watch your dog constantly and seek immediate training advice. I know you said your dogs is loving around the family (and im not trying to say that your dog is super vicious) but you did also say your dog is dominent.. Dogs can sense when they are the dominant one and if your dog is playing with your child it will feel it has the upper hand and Could harm your child. Some say this is why dog attacks happen quite frequently on children...but thats just what i have heard and each case can be different...
I really wish you the best of luck but you definatley need proffesional advice as if dealt with in the wrong way it can hugely backfire and the dog may have to be put down either now or in the future which i know you dont want to but sometimes with all the love and good will in the world the problem may not be rectified.
Keep us updated on how you are doing
~Twinkletoes

i just found this bit from a site..im not trying to say you are treating your dog as badly as dogs they imply in the article but i thought it would make interesting reading for you and may help you understand the behaviour...

http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/animal_abuse_and_neglect/the_facts_about_chaining_or_tethering_dogs.html

***Edited By: twinkletoes on 4/25/2005 4:11:01 PM***
Reason: edit
Posted: 4:02:29 PM 4/25/2005
I'm going to strike everything I just said, because I was snippy and sarcastic and this is no time for that, you're asking for honest help on a very, very serious matter.

Let's ignore the breed issue, other than to say it is a larger dog because large dogs can do far more damage than a smaller dog can. A Pomeranian couldn't take down a 16 year old girl, a German Shephard could.

I think at this point you are in a LOT of trouble. You have a dog that's aggressive towards strangers, and has already bitten one person. Getting rid of the dog or putting the dog up for adoption isn't an option; given the dog's history, which I feel you MUST disclose, the dog would be destroyed.

Are obedience classes an option? I hate to say this, but I don't think so. My friend has a person-aggressive German Shepard that he tried to take to a "Grumpy Puppy" class and after a short test, was not allowed in because the dog showed aggressive behavior towards people.

I have no doubt you love your baby, no doubt at all, but are you willing to "roll the dice" for 10 to 12 more years, every single day, that you will always be in control of your dog? Already once he's bitten. I don't think anything you can do can change his behaviour to the point where the benifits of owning the dog outweighs the risks posed to society.

Consider this, also: If your dog seriously mauls someone, you could go to jail. You would not be able to claim "I didn't know he was dangerous" (a common plea) because of the dog's history.

At this point, I feel you only have one option. I'm sorry, I'm sure it's not what you want to hear, but the risk the animal poses to society far, far outweighs an individual's right to own and harbor a dangerous and vicious animal. (A label the legal systems would apply to a dog that has bitten someone already).

My recommendation it to put the dog down.

***Edited By: kiyote on 4/25/2005 4:03:47 PM***
Reason: typo
Posted: 4:12:04 PM 4/25/2005
yikes that is really scary. I really don't know if obedience class will work. If it has bitten once it will do it again. I live near dogs with agression and i have to watch out for them everyday just so i can go out to my car. My daughter cant even play outside because of these dogs. It really angers me that i have to be at risk EVERYDAY because of these dogs. I really hope you get things figured out brecause that is a bad situation.
Posted: 4:12:48 PM 4/25/2005
buy a basket muzzle and get that dog around people that are not afraid of dogs. like a vet or trainer. with the basket he wont be able to bite. then he can be around people and lern to trust them. i dont know how you can get him to trust a trainer unless you get him to accept people as friends. well i wasnt much help i wish i had more ideas. but good luck
Posted: 4:15:22 PM 4/25/2005
I have to agree with Kiyote. At this point this dog is very dangerous to the public. And chaining him/her up is not helping matters. This dog is only 14 months old and has not really hit maturity at this point. And when it does this can get much much worse. This breed of dog was not bred to be human aggressive. And when this trait presents itself and goes uncorrected for to long the result is distrous(sp). The only quick fix to this problem is for this dog to be PTS. It poses to great a risk to you, your kids and the public. Don't get me wrong I love APBT I own a Pit mix. But if he ever showed this level of aggression I would have to make this same decsion.

(sorry about any spelling typos)
Posted: 4:26:07 PM 4/25/2005
Well put, Rebel; it's no so much a breed issue (other than the damage a dog that size could do.) it's an aggression issue. My friend's German Shephard has bitten SEVEN people, all friends of the owner, that agreed not to press charges or report it. They were doing no one any favors.

It's sad, and I'm sorry you're in this situation. I just slip on your shoes and imagine my malamute showing that kind of behaviour and I feel like crying because I know I would have to put him down.

One more thing; I know we try and help, but you should really describe your problems to a vet and get a professional opinion about what to do.

***Edited By: kiyote on 4/25/2005 4:27:07 PM***
Reason: Clarification
Posted: 5:57:52 PM 4/25/2005

I kind of agree with what everyone else is saying, basically this dog is not properly socialized and its getting to the point of no return with a pit bull who is that aggressive. You definitely do NOT want to take any chances because someone could get seriously hurt and/or die and not only the dog but YOU would have to suffer the consequences.

I absolutely hate to this kind of thing happening. I don't know why people tie their dogs up and not socialize then wonder a year later why the dog decided to bite someone.

The easy way out is to put the dog down. This, in my opinion is extremely unfair to the dog, perpetuates the vicious cycle of the bad reputation of the breed, and is completely the fault of the owner. As someone who owns a pit bull, I consider the actions and behaviour of my dogs are solely my responsibility, and I believe all pit bull owners need to own up to their dogs as well. If you had the chance to socialize this dog while it was still very young, why didn't you? If you truly loved your dog then you should have researched and known the nuances of having a dog such as this. You should know darn well the dangers of having a potentially dangerous dog and react accordingly. Not doing this IS negligence. You could easily inadvertently and unintentionally create a monster.

What I would do...and I don't know if I should recommend this to you... is dedicate ALL OF MY TIME to re-socialize the dog under tight supervision. Basically, therapy. The question is, do you have the time and dedication to do this for the dog you love? If this doesn't work, have you thought of pit bull rehabilitation organizations, basically pit bull rescue groups? If you love your dog, you will do everything you can to give her/him a chance at the life s/he was given. But if s/he cannot be rehabilitated, you must be the one to take him to the vet and be euthanized.

...AND yes, you have to put up a very strong and tall privacy fence and always keep your dog under supervision.






Posted: 6:16:52 PM 4/25/2005
heatherom, i agree this situation is unfair to the dog. Yes the responsiblty ultimately lays with the owner for what this dog has become. But IMO it is unfair to hand over a human agressive dog to a rescue and say "Here fix this dog" and the ultimate outcome may still end up being this dog may have to be put down for human aggression. And then if they do place this dog what if it attacks and kills someone. Because the rescue knowingly rehomed a human aggressive dog. This is a sad lose lose situation. No one will win in this situation. And IMO a human aggressive dog ,regardless of breed, should be PTS for public safety. Regardless to how or why this dog became human aggressive it is a risk to public safety.
Posted: 6:22:51 PM 4/25/2005
You don't give too much information as to how old this dog was when you got him/her and how much training or socialization this dog received. I am not passing judgement but owning a dog is a huge responsibility and proper training and socializing is a major rule in owning one especially a breed who gets a bad reputation in the first place.

I would suggest contacting a behavorist who specializes in dog aggression. This problem may or may not be corrected. If you decide to let this go and continue to tie your dog to a tree, your asking for major problems. Aggression in a dog doesn't correct itself its up to the owner to seek help.

If you decide not to seek the proper help, I would suggest giving this dog up. This dog will not be put in another home with its aggression.

Posted: 6:22:52 PM 4/25/2005
I totally agree with Heatherom. Get that dog re-socialized as that was the cause of this problem. If the dog is not properly socialized and trained in the beginning, they do not know the difference between right and wrong. They must be taught and shown good behavior. Please help your dog. Good luck.
Posted: 6:23:04 PM 4/25/2005

you are absolutely right, Rebel. I just hate to give up on an innocent dog. It probably will have to be put down, and giving it to someone else to fix isn't what I really meant, but I suppose that's what it is.

I feel awful now.

poor baby.
Posted: 6:31:55 PM 4/25/2005
As an owner, rescuer advocate and lover of APBT for over the past 12 years I have to say it is not in their nature for them to be human aggressive and if your dog is human aggressive as much as it would hurt you the only alternative may be to have her pts.
Human aggression CANNOT be tolerated Period!
Owning a human aggressive dog is a very dangerous thing because if that dog harms or God forbid kills another human you will be the one held responsible for their injury/death and personally I don't know anyone who wants that kind of responsibility.
Do the breed and yourself a favor and have the dog humanely put to sleep.
Posted: 6:39:36 PM 4/25/2005
Trust me I feel for the dog too. As well as the owner for what has happened, to the kids who may not have a dog, I feel bad for the person that got bit already. If this was simple(not really simple) dog or animal aggression i would say work on this first or rehab. But this is human aggression. It poses a risk to many people. I hate to say give up on the dog. But what happens when it mauls someone, snaps on a child, bites some inccent bystanders, attacks someones pet? Who will be held responsible? I feel for anyone going through this but you have to responsible for what was created. And yes the dog will suffer. But I would hate for someone to seriously attacked. I love APBT always have. I was bit by one when I was 14. And it was a serious bite. I knew the dog and he knew. I knew it probally wasn't his fault he was protecting his home. I love this breed to death a really do. But when there is human aggression you have to realisticly(sp) look at the situation and do the responsible thing.
Posted: 8:20:18 PM 4/25/2005
Was she obediance trained as a puppy, or socialized with lots of people? It doesn't sound like it. Honestly first get yourself a basket muzzle just incase. Seek a behavioralist to help you work through this. It kind of sounds like a tether/frustration/people issue. She may have associated the leash with the frustration of not being able to socialize when she was a pup, with other people.
Also I'm suspicious about how she is handled in the house hold. Owners must learn how to interact with a dominant dog. A behaviorist needs to assist you ASAP.
Posted: 10:05:40 AM 4/26/2005
Thanks for all the responses everyone.

Sorry I didnt explain much, so here is more. My dog was very socialized. I took her to Petsmart almost everyday and also to the dog park at least once a week. She LOVES other dogs to death. She plays with the smallest and biggest dogs.

As far as her being tied up, I just moved into my house, so I had her tied in the yard for like 20 minutes. I NEVER chain her up otherwise.

She also never shows aggression towards children. She loves them. I actually have a picture of my niece (7 yrs old) laying on her kissing her. She is ONLY mean towards adult strangers.

4 example: Yesterday, my mother came to my house and I opened my bedroom door to get my puppy out. She heard someone in the living room (my mother) and saw a person and got this really low, mean bark and started towards her, but as soon as she realized who it was, she started to cry, wag her tail (uncontrollably, lol) and kiss my mother.

Anyways, I can not imagine my life without my baby girl, so I have to at least try. I will spend any amount of money needed to help her. She has a lot of good in her and I hope I can fix her.

She went through basic obedience training by the way when she was younger.
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