What is wrong with my pitbull?

Question

I just need advice. My pitbull is about 3 years old. When he was younger, he was a pretty obnoxious puppy. My husband disciplined him how a pitbull should be disciplined. Last night, my husband was trying to get him to go outside and the dog tried to bite him. He snarled and snapped and jumped at him. My husband then got the dog's harness and asked him to go for a walk, which snapped him out of it. Any suggestions on what we should do with him?

By discipline, I mean sent him to his kennel, put him outside, rubbed his nose in pee, things like that. Never striking. I do not condone it.

Answer 1

I believe he is just being a rebelious adolescent. Your husband needs to prove that HE is the alpha dog. I agree to the "pinning" but that probably isn't the best term. Positive reinforcment always. My pitbull learned from a young age that Mama (me) is the Alpha dog. Call the dog whisperer.

Is it possible your husband may have disciplined him in other ways, perhaps when you weren't around?

*also people, try reading her post.. she already explained what she meant by "discipline how a pit bull should be" and yes.. in a way, there are different means to which a pit should be treated. (let the flaming begin)

Answer 2

You are dealing with a dog who is just at the age of maturity and is now aggressively trying to be dominant (boss of the house). The dog obviously at this point, still respects the harness, but that may not last for long.

What you mean by "how a pitbull should be disciplined", I don't know. The breed is generally dominant, animal aggressive, and also has low physical sensitivity (meaning its skin and body doesn't feel pain as much as most other breeds).

You and your husband should take your dog to obedience school. You need to learn to train your dog under the guidance of an obedience instructor who knows how to deal with dominance and aggression in dogs. You can easily find obedience clubs through the AKC, and many big pet stores such as PetSmart, hold obedience classes too.

Through obedience training, you will learn how to get the dog's respect through methods the dog understands, and the dog will learn that he is not the boss of the house. Obedience training a dog also makes a dog much easier to live with in so many ways! Its great to have a dog that doesn't try to pull on a leash, or that will stay while you open a door instead of shoving through it, etc.

Neutering will also help, but won't cure the problem. The ideal is to neuter the dog and also obedience train him.

The sooner you start obedience training with your dog, the better. Aggressive dominant breeds especially should start learning that the human is boss and the dog isn't boss, from early puppyhood.The obnoxious pushy puppies in a litter are the dominant ones.

If you don't obedience train the dog, or take him to a trainer or behaviorist to get him under control right away, the dog's aggressive dominant behavior will continue to get worse.

Answer 3

It is a serious problem when a dog -- of any breed -- attacks an owner, whether it is out of fear of through a struggle for dominance.

I think that your husband's discipline, in spite of what efforts he made, and how, didn't establish his dominance. But that doesn't have to be done in a physical way.

Think about how the pups' mother disciplines her pups, and how the other males discipline and keep the younger pups in line. They don't strike at each other with arms, they don't kick, they don't use "weapons" (I use that term loosely, meaning it could be a switch, a choke collar, a ball bat...). They use tone of voice and body language. And seldom do dogs that have properly learned their position test that, which it seems your dog did.

If your dod is in fact more dominant than your husband, and your husband can't establish his dominance -- and keep it without a constant struggle -- the dog may be too much for your family.

I had to deal with a dog just like that today. I recommend you find a local trainer who will help you understand how to communicate with the dog and establish your household rules and routine so it won't be a constant battle.

Answer 4

I do agree with everyone else. I am a dog training instructor and I'm worried when you say, "disciplined him on how a pit bull should be disciplined". If there was any hitting involved, that is not good. You should never discipline any dog that way. Either the dog will get very scared and cower or the dog will want to bite
back. Certain breeds, like working dogs or guard dogs, have a tendency to want to try to test to see if they can be the Alpha dog. Proper training will help. I recommend he seeks out training from a professional trainer who will use positive reinforcement.

Answer 5

When you say that your husband disciplined him how a pitbull should be disciplined, then I assume you mean he beat him?

If so, I'm surprised the dog waited this long to growl and snap.

You need to be sure you keep the dog exercised and use only POSITIVE reinforcement for the behaviors you WANT. If the dog did not want to go outside, go out with him and bring the treat bowl. Surely he will go outside for treats!

If your dog challenges your authority, you cannot allow it, but you also cannot hope to beat it out of him because the dog will win that one. The trick is to find a way to get the dog to WANT to do what you want it to do.

Get a little book called How to be the leader of the pack and have your dog love you for it, by Patricia McConnell. It's on Amazon. It will help you learn how to be a BENEVOLENT dictator instead of a violent, at risk of being attacked ruler for your dog.

Answer 6

as others have asked, what does 'how a pit bull should be disciplined" mean. A pit bull should be disciplined in no different way than any other dog. If the dog sees you as the leader, there should be no need for discipline in the first place. I think you should seek help from a professional trainer.

Answer 7

That is really about all you can do. He is at an age now where he is going to start getting more aggressive as opposed to wild. You might consider some professional training; it can help at any age especially if he responded to the harness. That means that he respects your husband, but not being forced. Any dog is a good dog, but some require more training than others.

Answer 8

It sounds like your husband may have been a bit on the aggressive side with this dog in disciplining. If that is the case then your pitt may have some fear of him. Dogs...REGARDLESS of breed...will fear bite. Your husband maybe bigger than the pitt but I guarantee that the pitt can bite harder than he can! I suggest that your husband approach the dog with a more loving tone and disposition. It will take a while for your pitt to gain trust in him again if fear and trust is indeed an issue.

Answer 9

It could be behavioral, it could be something physical going on with him.

If he snapped out of it , it sounds like something that was an unpleasant memory (maybe from the past disciplining) triggered the reaction. Maybe the way something was said, the tone, the movement....one he got the harness and he seemed to come back to earth all seemed back to normal.

See if he does it again. If he does, I would definitely phone the vet to get his take on the situation.

Answer 10

2-3 year old is basically a teenage puppy...they are at their MOST obnoxious...but my real question is...what does this mean??

"My husband disciplined him how a pitbull should be disciplined."

I'm quite interested. Dogs don't really respond to "discipline"...they need training and positive reinforcement.