back on and needing help

[Terri]

I hope some of you remember me, I have not been on in a month or so. My son moved in with his 3 dogs and I have 2 danes and my daughter who lives with me has 2 pits.
Anyways the problem is my son's pit is bitting the other dogs, he is 1yrs old and a rescue. We got him from a vet who was supposed to put him down because he was too far gone. Found frozen to a dumptster, had rickets, worms and was in real poor health. The vet fell in love with him and saved his life.
Everything was fine for about 4 weeks, now he wants to be alpha over the other dogs. He has hurt 2 pretty bad by tearing their ears. My son wants to have his canine teeth pulled to stop the tearing, and can teach him more when he moves out. With seven dogs here it is too hard to train anyone of them. I was afraid we would have to put him down. Do you think this will work?

[Terri]

Yes, we had him fixed as soon as we got him. He is banished to the basement and has to wear a muzzel at all times when let out. I should have said, not one of the dogs needed medical treatment. he did not hurt them that bad, just made their ear bleed. Of course that up set me REAL bad.  My son does not have the money for a behavorist (sp?) and we do love our dogs so much that the thought of putting him down breaks our heart.

[Rachel]

why don't you try finding him a home where he will be the only dog? rather then putting him down.

[princessnmi]

I had a basset hound that was acting the exact same way you are describing. She would attack our other dogs a 90 lb lab mix and a great dane. She tore Tonka's ear (the great dane) and he had to have 4 stitches in it. She then did it again. She was perfectly fine as long as the other dogs were not around. I felt bad keeping her isolated from the family so I found her a home where she is the only dog. She is very happy and a completely different dog. Maybe you could try to find him a home where he is the only dog.

[Terri]

The vet called back and won't pull his teeth. My son won't part with the dog. I tried to tell him this is not a safe dog, he could come home from work and find one of the other dogs dead. At my wits end here. Sorry for the drarma. Just hope he moves out soon.

[Kermit]

I have to say that I am glad the vet won't pull the teeth. That sounds like a rather inhumane option to me. I'm sure a dog with jaws as powerful as a pit bull could find a way to do plenty of damage with the rest of his teeth if he wanted to.

It sounds like this dog thinks that no one else is in charge and so he is trying to step up to the leadership position. It would be best if someone starts working with him one on one right away... obedience training, or take him for long walks, or run him daily to get some of his excess energy out. I have heard a theory that a lot of dogs will fight just because they are not getting enough exercise... so they are bored and they'll pick on other dogs just to have something to do. I have seen this in my dogs when it has been rainy for long stretches of time and they are not all getting the outdoor exercise they are used to.

I hope your family is able to come up with a solution to this dog's aggression before anyone else gets hurt. In the time being your son could consider taking him out to a park away from the other dogs to work on training him.

Good luck!
 

[Scootergirl]

I agree with everything Rebekah just said. It's OK if you can't afford a behavioralist. Go to the library and check out some books on pit bulls and dog training in general. Tell your son to educate himself, or do it yourself. These should be simple behavioral problems to fix. Taking out canine teeth is not a solution - he still has plenty more teeth and it won't solve the behavioral issues.

Your son needs to step up and be the alpha. His dog should look to him for everything - food, reward, direction, etc. This especially needs to be trained into a dog as powerful as a pit bull.

He doesn't sound to me like he is beyond hope whatsoever, but it's not a problem that's going to solve itself.

[ZooCrew]

I'm curious, is this dog going after your son's other dogs' too, or just yours and your daughter's other dogs?  If that is the case, I hope he moves out soon, and the problem will be solved.

If he is doing this to everyone, well it doesn't surprise me.  In fact, throwing dogs from three different families together and I'm surprised more fights haven't broken out between them all trying to vy for leadership of the group.  Another reason he may be doing this is he is now an adult (at one year old) and is wanting to show everyone who is boss.

I would suggest what is often suggested in these cases.  Start the dog on NILF right away so it can learn who is the real alpha in the group.  Basic obedience may help as well.  He is a young dog, so hopefully he can be rehabilitated.  But he does need alot of work, which I hope your son is up to.

Not to be negative here, but b/c you don't know the dog's genetic backround, this may be occuring now b/c the dog is an adult and mature.  Unfortunately, I know of a couple of rescue pits that when they reached adulthood (b/t 1-1.5 yrs), could no longer be trusted around other dogs.  I'm hoping this is not the case with your son's dog, but it is something to keep in mind.

[Terri]

I hate to sound stupid but what is nilf?
Also he is bitting my sons dogs too. But my son loves this pup to death so he is willing to try anything to save it.  We just have too many dogs here, but my kids are planning on moving out as soon as they can. My daughter is moving in with a boyfriend and my son is looking for a new house to buy. Please pray for us that it happens soon.
Thanks for the help.
Terri

[Anky]

NILIF stands for Nothing In Life Is Free.  Meaning that a dog has to earn everything, be it food, attention, ect.  They must perform an act (Sitting, trick ect) before they can get what they want.  Also you don't allow them to do dominant things like sleep on the bed, or get on furniture or go in front of you on stairs or in doorways.  If you want a more in depth look, just google "NILIF"