I have a 4 month old Pit Bull puppy, he is very spoilt and sleeps in bed with my fiance and myself, i am?

Question

trying to get pregnant and everyone says that i will need to give Slater (thats the puppies name) away if i do have a baby... he hates kids and is always trying to bite children when we walk him. He isnt viscous with us, he is very playful. any suggestions

Answer 1

Better get him out of your bed and start training him NOW, while he's little and cooperative. If he's already going after children, you've got a huge problem even if you're not planning to have one of your own. You could be sued or even sent to prison if your pit bites someone's kid.

You can do it yourself at home. Don't listen to people who tell you that you have to wait until they are six months old - by then it's way too late. (Would you send your child off to his first day of school when he's 13??)

Puppy training is mainly done with treats and gentle corrections. They are very willing to learn for the first few months. Take advantage of this time - it won't come again. If you hire a trainer, make SURE he has references from people who have TERRIERS that he has trained - and check them. Just because he can make a Golden Retriever sit doesn't mean he can train your terrier!

Buy and read "What All Good Dogs Should Know" by Jack Volhard. And "Good Owners, Great Dogs" by Brian Kilcommins. And "Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method" by Volhard. You can get them on Amazon.com. Watch Cesar Millan - The Dog Whisperer if you get the National Geographic Channel. He's the best trainer I've ever seen on tv. He's also got a book out - "Cesar's Way".

Puppy growling may look cute, but this is one breed where you cannot tolerate it for a second. These dogs will test you to the limit. Don't be mean to him or afraid of him, just set stringent limits and stick to them. Make him work for anything he gets. If he wants a treat, some petting or a toy, he has to sit for you first. NO tug-of-war, no sleeping in your bed and no hanging out on the furniture. EVER. These bad habits give him the impression that he's your equal or, worse yet, your superior!

Practice taking away his toys and giving them back, but don't tease him. If he growls for any reason, pin him down on his back until he gives up completely. Then gradually release the pressure. If he moves before you say "ok" then start all over again. Then when he's quiet and not resisting, it's ok to pet him and sweet talk him. Then go back to doing whatever it was that made him growl until he doesn't do it anymore. With a little hard work now, you'll have a great dog.

I've known many pit bulls that were great, loving family dogs and terrific with kids, but you only need one that isn't for a personal disaster. Before you get pregnant, go out and get a realistic baby doll that whines and cries and moves like a baby. Practice carrying it around in a blanket and talk to it and treat it like a real one. Put your dog on a leash and teach her to behave properly around it - no jumping up, no growling, no grabbing the blanket. Some dogs are suspicious of anything new, so get her used to it now. Let her sniff it when she is calm and sitting down. Then practice the same way when the real baby arrives.

To prevent jealousy, someone should be petting the dog and giving her treats while everyone else is mooning over the new baby.

Remember, pit bulls have a natural tendency to be aggressive towards other animals and she may not understand that this is a human baby. Don't ever leave the dog alone with a small child - especially when they first start crawling.

A dog's instincts are different from ours. When we hear a baby cry, our instinct is to pick it up and comfort it. The dog's instinct is to hold the puppy by the head until it calms down. (Watch a mother dog or wolf with its cubs.) If the dog tries this on the baby, it will scream and thrash around, whereas a puppy would calm down and hold still. The dog won't understand the baby's behavior and will bite down a little more firmly to tell the baby to calm down. The baby will scream MORE and the dog will bite a little HARDER and wham! You have a dead baby and a dog that has to be destroyed.

Also, be sure that as the baby becomes a toddler, you don't let him tease, hurt or torment the dog. This is the cause of MANY dog bites. NEVER leave a child under ten alone with an unsupervised pit bull.

Answer 2

I used to have a pit bull pup that was instinctively protective. We never let it sleep with us though. My daughter was a few months old. When she started crawling, she used to try go after the pup. The pup did not like it at first but then she got used to my daughter. Then she would let my daughter crawl and climb on her. It was an adjustment but the pup soon got used to her. Then the pup protected her and no one that came and visited could come near my daughter.

So, personally, I don't think that you would have to get rid of your puppy. I would suggest that you stop the pup from sleeping with you for when the time comes for the baby you don't want the dog in the bed with your baby. Pits are highly active energetic animals especially when they get excited.

You will have to start training your dog to be friendly and social able by introducing the dog to people that you are close to that are trustworthy.

I included a couple links about pit bull training. Info links Check it out I sure liked their tips and training techniques

Answer 3

if your dog is only four months old and is nipping and trying to bite kids, it's probably just normal puppy behavior that you need to get under control and has nothing to do with the breed. Don't let anyone tell you that your dog is going to be vicious because of this behavior. He's still young, he's just being a puppy. However, you need to get your dog into obedience classes immediately. If you don't correct the behavior now, it will get worse and may get out of hand. but this is true of ANY breed. Also, it's probably not a good idea to him sleep in bed with you, get him a crate and crate train him. He'll resist at first because he's used to having his way, but it's for his own good and for yours. So, long story short...take him to training classes, be very diligent about it, and make sure he knows that you are alpha.

Answer 4

If you can't put a finger on an aggression issue, you should maybe think twice about the breeding. You don't need this kind of help, you need experience. A hundred dif people on here will tell you a hundred dif answers. Do they have like a "bark-busters" or equivalent in your area? Do your local shelters and prospective puppy-litters a favor, and don't breed until you master obedience and control. Ask yourslef "why" you want to stud him out. Shelters are already full of pits. Not trying to offend you, but this is why i think people should need a license to breed dogs... regardless of breed.

Answer 5

hi, it is actually not good for u or for ur puppy that u are letting him sleep with u on the bed. dogs are pack animals and they have an inherent instinct to try and dominate their pack. when u allow ur puppy to sleep along with u on the bed u r telling him that u both r of same status in ur pack. now, when u guys are equal it wont be long before he will try to dominate u and become the pack leader. u must be careful so that such a situatioin dosent arise. believe me, with a dog like pittbull, i have no personal experience with pitt bulls though, it wont be a very nice situation. it is ur resposibility as the pet owner to teach him manners and socialise him properly. otherwise u may have to lay down ur dog for not fault of his. again i stress, it is ur responsibility 2 train ur dog properly so that u can have some great time together.also, once u train him properly and teach him obedience and let him know what is his place in the family u will have know problem with him once u have ur baby. have 2 be careful when the dog is near the baby, though.
also lemme add that irressposible owners are the main cause for dogs like pitt bulls or rottweilers getting their bad image. these dogs are very intelligent and in the hands of responsible owners they are as good as it can get with dogs.

Answer 6

Well you need to train your puppy not to hate kids. But first you must find out why he hates kids..did he have a bad exp w/ a kid?
all in all I would call and ask your vet for any ideas. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

Get rid of him before he hurts someone. Of course he's gentle with you...he sleeps in your bed so thinks he's equal to you. If he's placed in a position where he is fighting for your attention, then heaven help anyone who is there-especially a baby

Answer 8

Your babies safety will come first. So its a good idea not to have a Pit Bull around as a pet. They are a loaded gun waiting to go off!

Answer 9

yeah that will probably be best, you dont want your kids, or anyone elses to get hurt, you could call that guy on tv ceaser mullan, or whatever, i seen him do some crazy stuff with dogs ><

Answer 10

lol "viscous"