I have a rescued Pitbull mix named Ozzy. Whenever we rescued him the shelter told us he was not abused....lie. He was afraid of EVERYTHING. Whenever we got him he would hid under a table and just shake, the adoption was very stressful for him.
Well to get to the point we have had him for about 3 years now and he has settled in and can be aggressive when he sees someone outside our fence of if someone knocks on the door. But that's not really the problem, the problem is he has turned some of that aggression on to my little brother who is only 10.
This just started about a month ago, the first two times Ozzy was laying on my parents bed(he sleeps there too) and my mom was sitting on it too reading a book and my little brother walked in and the first time he put his arms around Ozzy and startled him so he bit him once and the second time he just leaned over Ozzy and he nipped at him once.
Well we all believed it was just Ozzy being territorial and so we just shrugged it off.
Well two days ago my little brother and Ozzy were in the living room and my brother accidentally stepped on his paw. My dog then yelped and proceeded to attack him. Everyone but my dad(who was sleeping because he works nights) was gone. But my brothers scream woke up my dad and the site of our dog attacking my brother scared my dad so bad that he said that if he had a gun he would have shot my dog! My brothers arm was bleeding a little bit and you could tell that Ozzy had bit from above my brothers wrist to just below his shoulder.
After that happened my parents had a talk and said that we were getting rid of him. I love my dog so much and I started to cry and so did my brother because he thought it was his fault. They decided to give him one more chance and making sure that my brother is not alone with him anymore but if it happens again they are putting him down. I don't know what to do!
We believe Ozzy is only biting my brother because he sees him lower in the "pack" than he is. I told my parents that it isn't Ozzy's fault that it is ours because he is not an aggressive dog so we never tried to really train him and the fact that he was abused and is a pitbull mix definitely doesn't help.
Please if anything happens again they are going to put him down! He is my best friend I would be completely changed for life if this happens to him!!
I'm not asking, I am begging for any advice you can give me and also I would like to have estimations on how much a personal trainer or a dog training class would cost. If it helps any I live in Southeast Missouri and there is a Petco here.
The shelter told us Ozzy was 1-2 years old when we adopted him, once again we think it was a lie because his head and chin is starting to go gray, so he isn't a puppy. We think he is about 6 or 7 years old.
PLEASE HELP OZZY! Here are two pictures of him so you can see what type of dog he is and just in case it might help any.
http://s707.photobucket.com/albums/ww77/…
http://s707.photobucket.com/albums/ww77/…
Thank you in advance and no ignorant people please! Also sorry it's so long!
Help With Dog Training
Recommended Answer:This has NOTHING to do with pack structure. I can see why the dog bit in both cases. That doesn't EXCUSE it. It sounds like fear biting. Do NOT take him to training classes at PetCo. You need to find a trainer in your area here:
www.apdt.com
You need to go with a CERTIFIED positive reinforcement trainer. If you go with someone like Cesar Milan who has NO training and uses fear based methods that were proven dangerous and ineffective in the 70s, this will get worse and end up with someone getting really hurt. Right now, you don't want training. You want a certified trainer and behaviorist coming into your home and doing an evaluation there. This will run anywhere from $80-150. When they do the evaluation, they will give you advice on whether this is workable or whether the dog needs to be humanely euthanized for the safety of everyone involved. They will also instruct you on how to deal with it if they think that it is workable. Likely, it will only take one visit and then consults over the phone (which are free).
Please do not rehome this dog. You can be legally liable if it attacks someone in the new home. If your parents decide the cost of bringing someone in for a consult isn't worth it, I beg you to take the dog to the vet and humanely euthanize it. If you take it back to the shelter, they will kill it because it bites. Even if you withheld that information from them and they put it up for adoption, no one wants pit bulls these days least of all a middle-aged one. He won't make it out and the stress will be too much for him.
EDITED TO ADD: You might want to start with a vet check. When a dog starts reacting like this out of the blue, sometimes it is medical.
He is a gorgeous dog, but I'm curious where the shelter saw the pit bull in him. At our shelter, we would have labeled him a shepherd mix. As a pit bull owner for 38 years, I don't see American Pit Bull Terrier in this dog from the pictures. The coat is wrong, the head isn't the right shape. I would have labeled him shepherd mix or just mixed breed.
Where are my other pit bull experts to help me out on this?
Tested Dog Training Tips - The Way to Hone a Dog's Behavior
- Get in a professional trainer or rehome gim but dont put a good healthy dog down
- maybe call the dog whisperer. that may help. or put him down. :(
- Poor Pooch!
You can help him by looking into dog therapy.
Do you have a pool? Do an of your neighbors have pools?
A lake?
Anything
Get your dog in there, this is good cuz the dog will beable to move around freely. He will gain confidence and feel more comfortable with you.
- Three years is plenty enough time for a dog to have established territories and boundaries. There is no way that I would keep a dog that still bites children and is aggressive after three years.
Not necessarily saying he is a bad or dangerous dog. But your family clearly does not have the means or the desire to train him and care for him properly.
He is not the dog for your family, and you are not the family for him. That's all that matters.
- Your dog, more than likely, was not abused. He simply has an unsound, fearful temperament which has led him to being fear aggressive.
Petco is not going to have a trainer suitable for what you need. Please find a behavioral consultant to assist you.
- He needs training for a trainer. At least have him evaluated. Good luck.
- Get him into training immediatly. This is no joke this can get serious and after even one bite you should have talked with your vet about any health problems or local trainers available. A pit bull is serious buisness and nobdoy would like to see him put down or had to be taken away from you.
- That's a tough situation. I'm only answering because i recently saw a show about an agressive dog that only targeted one family member that was trained to become lower in "rank" in the family. One thing they did was have the person eat his meals while the dog watched and made it look as if the person was eating from the dogs bowl. They'd only feed the dog after that person and rest of the family was finished eating to show that the family viewed that person above the dog. Also you will have to stop letting the dog on couches beds etc. That's really important. Show the dog that your family values your brother more than him. But i'm no expert, i'm sorry for your situation. Also he should be nuetered if he isn't already. But i'm guessing he is since you adopted him
- Oh, poor puppy! I read the first few parts of the question, I think that's all I needed.
Make sure he is up-to-date on all his shots first so no one gets hurt. MAKE SURE TO KEEP THE PAPERS! Every good training place will need them.
Then (lol at me if you want) take him to Petsmart. I wouldn't let him see another dog, a fight would be bad. Or don't take him yet. Sign him up for training. My puppy Saint Bernard who is wild and lived on the streets for awhile, we took him to Petsmart training, and now he is a tame house dog :) The people at Petsmart are actually great trainers.
You can sign him up for the cheaper group training, Most people don't show up anyways. And it would teach him to be more sociable.
You just need to be firm that YOUR FAMILY is the pack leader. The simplest things--going first out the door for a walk, etc all help.
By the way, do you walk him? All dogs need exercise, especially a Pit bull!! Dogs normally react badly to no physical activity. My chihuahua is extremely neurotic because we can't walk him.
- Please....Please...PLEASE. Get a trainer. I work for a dog trainer and it can be corrected. No dog is ever beyond help and most problems can be corrected. Whatever happened in his life planted this in him. We have lots of pitbulls and a 130lb rotti that come here. With some training you just may be able to correct this. It will take some time and patience and work on all parts. I dont believe in giving up untill all methods are exhausted. If you need me to help you locate a trainer...Ill be more than happy.
- i have no answer but i have contacted Cesar Millan (AKA The dog whisperer) to get into contact with you because i'd hate for a dog to be put down.
Hopefully he should get in touch with you before anything bad happens to ozzy.
Good luck. THIS IS NO JOKE!!!
- First of all, I am not seeing Pit in your dog. Second, you need to take him to the vet for a full check up. Make sure there is nothing physical going on because a sudden change in behavior can often be caused by a physical problem the owners are not seeing.
Second, you need to hire a good behaviorist/trainer to come to your home.
Third, if this dog was seriously human aggressive your brother would be much worse than he is.
It is highly important to get your dog vet checked then if things are fine, get that trainer.
- First, Ozzy is a beautiful dog. Dogs can get gray around the muzzle, so there is no reason to think he couldn't be a younger guy (I don't think the shelter lied to you). Not seeing the "pit" either.
This is a tough situation, and it will take everyone in your household to work the problem. If everyone is on board, whatever you decide should help (maybe not cure) the problem.
Vet check would be in order (thyroid test is a good place to start).
Get a behaviorist. Training is good, but does not really help with this issue. Here is a behaviorist search ---> http://www.iaabc.org/suchen/
~~~
The 2 incidents as I read them--
The first time, your brother went and put his arms around Ozzy, right. Most dogs dislike hugs (some really dislike it). It could be a case of Ozzy was asleep, then the next thing he knows someone is holding him, can be a bit disturbing for a dog.
The second time he stepped on his paw. Well, if you step on my feet, my first instinct will be to push you off. I am sure your Dad was startled to be awake to those noises. Gut reactions take over....
~~
You might look at this site. Debbie Jacobs works with fearful dogs. She has been working (with success) with her dog Sunny. There is some great info here, you should read it. --->http://www.fearfuldogs.com/
You sound pretty young. I would recommend some books on dog behavior and dog training. Amazon will usually have some used books pretty cheap.
CANINE BODY LANGUAGE - A PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE
by Brenda Aloff
Don't Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training
by Karen Pryor
The Other End of the Leash
by Patricia McConnell
~~~~~
If you can't work with Ozzy, you might call the shelter and explain your problem, but be aware that most shelters will not adopt out a dog with human aggression issues.
If worse comes to worse, you might try some pit bull rescues.
Good Luck
- Dogs become aggressive out of frustration and dominance.
- Since it is a pit bull it was probably used for dog fights. The best thing to do is to put him on a leash, and let him and your brother interact, but if anything starts to happen then pull him away. Or you could get a muzzle. Plus, when dogs start to get older they get really cranky and mean. That's why when dogs get older they sometimes have to be put to sleep.
