Dog Health Questions: How do I prevent a dog training disaster that is none of my business?

My sister has had a track record of aggressive dogs. She has 3 shiatsu mixes at home and one of them is very aggressive. He nips and bits the family members and the kids who get anywhere near him. At one time they owned a lab/pit bull mix. Who tragically attacked almost everyone including her husband and mine just for entering her space. She was put down after she attacked a friend who came into the house. My concern grows where now they have adopted a full bread Pit Bull who is only 3 months old and is attacking growling and biting threw the skin. He attacked my 5yr old just for standing by. All three of these dogs I mentioned my sister considers hers. I noticed she babies them more than the others even after they act out encouraging bad behavior. She truly believes she is correcting it. I am scarred this pup doesn't have a chance. What can be done? My kids are 4 & 3 and don't like the puppy already. He's attacked my 5yr old to the point she started kicking him out of way and drew blood from my 3 yr old.

Dog Training Tip - Leash-Collar Training

Recommended Answer:
A properly bred Pit Bull should have zero human aggression. They do, however, have a strong bite so if the puppy is doing a standard play bite then bite inhibition is required there and at 3 months, that would be my guess. If it's anything other than that, well, there is some bad breeding going on there and quite honestly, the dog needs to be in the hands of a professional or put down. In either case, do your friend a HUGE favor and pool your monies together and buy her a gift certificate to get her into a GOOD dog training class. The owner is more likely to listen to a professional than a friend. not the kind you find at petsmart or petco but you need to find a trainer that is savvy to the breed and how to work with them. If you want, ping me offline and I will locate a good trainer in your area.

Why One Size Does Not Fit All In Dog Training

• I would contact animal control. The dogs are a liability for your sister and anyone that comes to the house. I would recommend that you not take your children anywhere around the dogs. You are responsible for their safety and if they get seriously injured by the dogs it will be your fault as well.
  
  Your sister may get mad but I don't see where you have much choice for the safety of your children.


• Talk to your sister and voice your concerns. If she does nothing to correct the problem then keep your kids away.


• At this point I would get animal control involved, if the dog is going after children.


• For one her homeowners insurance will not cover this if it was reported! I wouldn't take the chance of going over there with my kids. You unfortunately will have no control on what happens since your sister is in denial. If she doesn't know the background breeding of this dog its a disaster waiting to happen! Someone will get seriously hurt or killed and your sister could get jail time etc!
  
  I have a neighbor with a pit mix that has come through the second story window of her home! If its loose when she's gone it bangs and barks on the kitchen window on our side of the house the entire time. No one is outside even and its only 4 feet from my driveway! I have video taped this dog doing this since talking to her is like talking to a wall and the cops have already talked to her. She says her dog will never hurt anyone....that is the last thing ANY dog owner should say to anyone about their dog. All I say is she better hope its not a member of my family or one of my dogs that gets harmed or killed for the same attitude.


• Why don't you just tell her to TRY to make a good dog out of it before it's too late. E-mail the dog whisperer. Animals control equals death to the dog, I don't ever think that a dog is so far gone as to be killed, and I've met some angry dogs. I believe in them.
  
  I met a mentally ill, and angry dog. She attacked my old cavalier to KILL her. Pulled her neck, and swung her around. I was mortified and scared for my dog. It didn't stop me however from trying to help the dog, rather than kill her - easy way out.
  
  Your sister is the one who needs help. You need to get a tough-as$ dog trainer to tell HER how it is and make sure he's tough toward her, so she really understands the serious and danger she's causing if she's not an expert on these kind of breeds.


• Your sister obviously lacks the skills needed to nurture a dog through with good manners, and it looks as if the new one will be no different if she is not correcting this normal puppy behavior which will result in very bad behavior if not corrected.
  
  I think you should do as suggested and absolutely not visit your sister while she has the dogs there.
  
  I do hope you don't mean that you are all living in the same place.
  
  If you mean by that last sentence that your kids visited her and her dogs, and your kids kicked the pup then that is not right, and your sister should of been controlling the situation with the pup.


• I do not know about the other dogs but the pit puppy needs to be taught that this is not exceptable. He needs to be socialized alot too. If she has never had a pit she needs to learn before something bad does happen. A pit puppy can hurt you without realizing it but if he is aggressive to kids without being provoked than he is probably a bad bloodline. Pit puppies get carried away when they are playing and get real rough real fast. I have had them for over 20 years and if your sister doesn't do something like obedience trainin and alot of socializing she needs to get rid of the pup. Most are great dogs but everybody should not own one. They do everything 100%.That are not allowed to attack humans...you don't take them to the dog park and let them play with the other dogs...you don't let them run loose and when he grows up if her other dogs do not bow down and let him be boss he will probably hurt them They do not play well with other animals. But they should be put down if she can't stop that behavior. If she gives it away or sells it and they don't know what they are doing he will hurt someone someday. If he is truely people mean do not breed him..or keep him..put him down.


• Well, I suppose if you call your sister an idiot it would make for hard feelings. You need to protect your children and yourself. Refuse to visit your sister in her home unless every one of her dogs has passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluation. Then plan on not seeing the inside of your sister's home ever again because there's no way any of her dogs will pass.
  Unfortunately, being an idiot and making decent dogs into terrors is not punishable by law.


• How is it none of your business if your kids are being bitten?
  
  Lots of drama here (and nearly illiterate in parts), but what YOU do is keep your kids away from your sister's dogs - end problem. The rest is family nutsiness and I can't even begin to fathom what you are on about --- but you need to keep your kids AWAY from these dogs, common sense would tell you that's the part that's your business.
  
  Don't know who "he" and "she" is in your last sentence, but nobody should be kicking a dog out of the way when he "drew blood" from your 3 year old --- are you people all dimwitted? The 3 year old shouldn't be any where near any of your sister's dogs - that's where YOU come in, you're the mother.
  Lord, I hope your kids live to adulthood, doesn't sound as if they stand much of a chance in your family surroundings.