What is up with my Pit Bull?

Question

Our 9 year old daughter was giving water to the dogs. Our 2 year old pittie suddenly knocked her down and began to "hump" her. Our daughter tried to push him off of her and he grabbed her arm in his mouth. He left a couple of small puncture wounds and a big bruise. During this our daughter was screaming and tapping him on his nose. Before the incident he was wagging his tail, during the incident he stopped wagging his tail, he wasn't growling either. My husband wants to get rid of him. I am trying to get help. Our Pit is not neutered. Does anyone know what could trigger this behavior? I'd appreciate especially info from a vet or dog trainer. NO PIT HATERS PLEASE!!!

Answer 1

Get him neutered... like now. First of all, it will reduce his 'cravings' to do such things, and seccond of all - "Pitts" are unpapered dogs, aka mutts, there is no need for any more unpapared dogs in the world. I dont hate pitts, they are quite pretty, but they do have alot of behavioral problems, and dont have the most charming dispositions. The best thing to do in all reality is to neuter him. He will live longer, and wont torture your child.

Answer 2

I am a "pitbull" mom, a vet tech and an assistant dog trainer at the Monadnock Canine Training Academy in NH. www.monadpets.org.

Humping is genereally a sign of dominance. Yes, they alos do it because it "feels good" however in the instance you described, it sounds more like dominance. I do not know your dog, but I know Pits and my 1st bit of advice would be to make sure your daughter (or anyone for that matter) doesn't make it a habit of tapping him on the nose to repremand. That type of punishment can lead the dog to become more agitated (ANY type of breed)
For some reason, he felt as though he needed to display dominance to her at that point. Please know...it is a falacy to believe that a dog sho is wagging it's tail is "happy" or will not bite. It has been shown that many breeds will wag thier tail right before an attack (pitbulls included) and so many people believe that a wagging tail means the dog is happy.
My suggestion would be a few things. Contact a reputable dog trainer / behaviorist (preferably one who is a CPDT certified pet dog trainer) becuase anyone can say there are a trainer...anyone can get their certification in the mail. You could call the head trainer/behaviorist I work with here in NH to at least get some good advice. There is no cost for a phone consultation and she could either give you some additional tips or offer maybe a name of someone in your area to goto. Her name is Denise Mazzola the phone # is 603-352-9011 ext:140. I've never answered anything like this before because I know there is so much false info on the internet, but because I'm a "pit" mom...I feel for you. And working in the shelter world, there are far too many Pits that are turned over or given up on for something that can easily be handled. Good luck and don't give up.

Michelle

Answer 3

I am not a pit hater..but if he left puncture wounds on your daughter..........we just recently got rid of our Black Lab that we've had for 1 1/2 years because she nipped at our 4 year old twice...left one scratch on one hand and a small scratch on her cheek. My hubby says he is not taking any chances...like just waiting for her to get seriously hurt if there were to be a next time. He asked me "What if it had been her face and it broke the skin and left permanent scars? Why wait to see if that will happen? You get rid of the dog before it gets worse..." I was like but....because she had came in between our 2 dogs while they were playing so I tried to defend Fudgey but I can definitely see his point. In your case your daughter had puncture wounds! Yikes! I would not be able to trust that dog around my daughter anymore if it were me.

You also need to ask yourself that if perchance another incident happens and is worse.....can you live with that?

Answer 4

sometimes when an animal is playing and it feels like it is being threatened they will get a little more aggressive. your husband has to realize that any animal doesn't know the difference between playing and being too aggressive. if the dog didn't actually cause really bad damage then it was not trying to hurt her. most dogs when you lightly push them is a sign of play, when your daughter tapped him on the nose he probrobly got confused and didn't know what to do. If the dog was never aggressive and you have treated it right then I would not be worried. I have a pitt and she is the most precious being, besides my children. She has done that kind of thing but has never caused any servere damage. if you sturnly, not aggressivly, disapline the dog then it will understand what it is doing wrong.

Answer 5

i do no longer personal a Pit, yet I worked for a no-kill guard for truly awhile at the same time as growing to be up and did truly some training. I truly believe the temperment of the Pit Bull is a accurate away correlation to the tutorial and treatment it receives from the owner. regrettably, the Pit Bull is basically dealt with as a standing image as adversarial to a dogs or puppy. Alot of those who might want to no longer be allowed interior of 50 ft of a dogs chosen to personal the Pit Bull because they imagine it makes them seem not basic to have one. no longer because they love the dogs or breed. the top outcome is an unruly, uncontrollable, and frequently situations abused and cruel animal that has no appreciate for human beings. The Pit Bull is an fairly solid animal, and not in any respect respecting human beings because this is alpha certainly leads to difficulty. this is important to bear in mind that any dogs it truly is dealt with badly is a unfavorable dogs. The jaw skill of a Pit Bull is a lot more advantageous than alot of different canines, making them notorious at the same time as they attack because it does that a lot extra damage. The media contributes to the plight of the Pit Bull, also. Golden Retrievers used to have the most bites in holding with year of any breed (no longer particular if that maintains to be cutting-edge information or no longer), yet what number Golden bites do you listen about in the archives? Or the different breed, for that count number? you do not, until eventually the attack replaced into pretty severe. yet at the same time as a Pit Bull bites - however if by technique of bites it is an fairly basic one - it is between the accurate information tale that nighttime. My well-known canines to paintings with at the same time as they got here in to the no-kill guard were our Pit Bulls and Pit mixes - as an finished, in my journey they are basic to coach, attentive canines. it is a shame they don't get the appreciate or love they deserve. slightly of time and love in a Pit Bull leads to an outstanding dogs.

Answer 6

Your dog was trying to gain dominance over your daughter. Apparently he succeeded too. This was not a sexual behavior; dogs hump for dominance as well as for sex, and he knows she's not a dog.
If not corrected, this could be a dangerous situation. I am not a pit bull expert, but I understand that this sort of thing happens with bully breeds when the dog does not feel a strong hierarchy of dominance. He feels it is important for somebody to be in charge; if he doesn't see you in charge, he feels compelled to take that position himself. So, you will need to get a REALLY good trainer to show YOU how to train your dog, if you intend to keep him. Don't mess around. I hope that this works out for you. But don't forget that safety comes first.

Answer 7

is your daughter afraid of the dog now? if so listen to your husband and get rid of the dog. Your husband and child's feelings of being scared are more important than your feelings for the dog. I know it sounds harsh but that's What sacrificing in marriage is all about -give and take.

Answer 8

You need to neuter, I own a pit, so you do not have to worry about me bashing you, but as statistic point out, not neutered dog have higher statistic of attacking. Mounting (when one dog places his paws and chest on the hindquarters of another dog) is a normal and very common canine behavior. In most cases, it is NOT a sexual behavior. In young puppies, it is a play behavior. In older dogs, it is a method of communication, and the dog who is mounting the other dog is generally displaying dominance. While intact dogs may have a higher tendency towards dominance aggression, spaying or neutering alone will not solve the problem once it has started. Effective treatment involves behavior modification, combined with anti-anxiety medication, if needed.

If you would like to know more about this please follow the listed link, to pet education.com, as it is a knowledgeable notable site, filled with reliable information

http://www.peteducation.com/default.cfm

Answer 9

That is just too much of a gamble to take when you have children. It is not worth it! Find him a new home now because if he ends up doing something worst nextime to your daughter or someone else your not gonna have a choice on finding him a new home. I know its hard but I would find him a new home without children just for precaution. I myself am a fan of the bully breed but would not take that chance with my child.

Answer 10

ilikebunns better stick to rabbits because you dont know squat about APBT`s. Newbie, you better learn something about the breed before making stupid remarks, I can trace my dog`s line back to Tudor and beyond. Apbt`s are not recognized by AKC because of their heritage of being used for fighting and there is no set color. What`s the point, you`re a moron.