Anyone used remote trainers (electric shock collars) to condition 2 pit bulls not to fight?

Question

I'm at my wits end with my 2 neutered female pit bulls. Suddenly, the younger (age 1 and a half) one attacks the older (age 3) one for no reason and a vicious fight ensues. I've tried everything - muzzling, more exercise, recognizing the dominance of the younger dog, asking for advice. The bottom line seems to be "crate and rotate", which is what I have been doing, but I really dislike it even besides the inconvenience. I have an electric fence on my property and that works like magic. My dogs will NOT cross their boundaries even IF they aren't wearing their collars because they've been conditioned to know that if they do, they will get a shock. I'm wondering if I'd have such sucess with remote training collars for the fighting problem. Two collars would cost about $300 to $400, so I'd sure like to hear from others who may have had real-life experience with this issue, especially with this breed, before I put out that much money for nothing.

Answer 1

I wouldnt recommend using a shock collar while they are fighting. It produces a zap and when the dog cries out, the other dog will take it as a sign of weakness.
Try this:
When to dogs start to get into it (like immediately) you have to become the alpha and put it in it's place.
If you are able to get them to stop (not recommended to put your hands in there but a leash or stick works). Put them both on the ground. (On their sides or backs). This is the submissive positions and in the wild, the pack leader will put the dogs on the ground if they get out of line.

Check out Ceaser Milan-that man is a genious. There are episodes that are similar to your situation and you can get some pointers from there.
Good luck and dont forget...you are the pack leader.

Answer 2

Pit bulls are more inclined due to their breeding to be dog-dog aggressive. The fact that they are both females also does not help matters. If worst comes to worst, you may want to consider re-homing one of the dogs, for their sake.

I'm sure re-homing would be a last resort, however. There are other things you can do to manage the situation. First, you say they attack each other for no reason. But what is going on when the fights occur?

Some things that can trigger fights (some I've experienced with my female dogs, others I've just seen/heard about):

Food - A piece of food drops on the floor, both dogs scramble for it and end up fighting over it. Or, one dog gets too close to another dog's food bowl and gets attack

Toys - Same as food. Particularly "high value" toys such as bones

Someone at the door - Fighting to be the first to greet the person

Personal space being invaded - A dog gets too close to another dog's bed, open crate, etc. and is attacked by the other dog

You - Fighting over who gets to be next to you

Frustration - If they are frustrated over not being able to have or get to something they may take out their frustrations out on each other.

The key is to manage the triggers and not give them the chance to fight (like crating them while they eating). How often do they fight? If you see them playing nicely, make sure you reward them for that! Keep an eye on their interactions - oftentimes you can read their body language and be able to stop a fight before it starts. Look out for stiff movements, intense staring at the other dog, and snarling.

If they do get into a fight the shock collars may be a good idea. Some other ways I've heard include:

Throwing cold water on them (This is the one I prefer)

Throwing a blanket over them (Never tried this as it doesn't seem like it would be too effective to me)

Running a chair, or baby gate, etc. between the two

Having two people seperate them by grabbing their back legs (not the best way, because the dog might turn around and nail you in the heat of battle)

Of course, don't seperate them with your hands unless you are willing to be bitten. Also, while the shock collar may be good to safely break up a fight, ideally you should be able to get to the point where there are no (or very seldom) fights to break up.

The good news is that dog-dog aggression does not equal aggression towards humans. It is very very unlikely that they will "turn on you" (excluding inadvertant bites if you stick your hands into a fight). Good luck.

ETA: You may already do this, but either crate or seperate them when you are not home. I always crate my youngest Boston (the instigator) when nobody is home- if I didn't I know I would worry.

ETA again: I just found this website that might be of interest to you - http://www.pbrc.net/breaksticks.html

Answer 3

Pit bulls have had dog aggression genetically bred into them, and while there are things you can do to control the behavior while they are around strange dogs, two pit bulls of the same gender in the same house can spell disaster. The younger one is now at the age where she is no longer a puppy and has decided that she is the alpha and will challenge the older dog until either one gets severely injured or killed, establishing the dominance. Usually, with other breeds you can try to work around this, but because pit bulls are hardwired to not be tolerant of other dogs, once the behavior appears, it can be extremely difficult to change - pretty much impossible. You can try establishing the older one as alpha by always giving her the first of everything, but as it has already gotten to this point, it most likely won't work. Very few pit bull rescue organizations will adopt a pit bull to a home that already has a pit of the same gender - it's asking for trouble.

I think your only option at this point is to rehome one of your dogs - you are fighting with fire and you've got so much to lose if a fight breaks out and you can't stop it. You can try shock collars, but if they are serious about fighting, nothing will stop them. I love the breed dearly, but there are disadvantages to them, mainly meaning the dog aggression. Good luck.

Answer 4

Not to be nasty or anything, but it amazes me when people get two pit bulls and acted shocked when they fight. Do some research here, people! Pit bulls are notorious for dog aggression, which should be expected considering they were bred for many, many years to fight other dogs. Expecting a pit bull not to fight is like asking a border collie not to herd or a retriever not to retrieve. Dog aggression, in general, is worse between dogs of the same sex, and especially between females. If you wanted another pit bull, it would have been wise to adopt an adult so you could be sure of it's level of dog aggression, as it usually gets worse upon maturity.

Being as it's too late for the above to do any good and the fact that everyone makes mistakes, you could also try using baby gates stacked two high to separate the two dogs. I don't think it'd be very fair to punish your dogs with shock collars for following the instincts that have been bred into the breed for years. I'd also suggest consulting with a trainer.

Someone above said something along the lines of it'd be better than coming home and having one of your dogs be dead. I'd just like to point out that even if you do get the aggression under control, a pittie should never be left unsupervised with another dog. The golden rule of pit bull ownership is "Never trust a pit bull not to fight!"

Answer 5

Your best bet is to look around for a local trainer that specializes in aggression issues. Your vet or local shleter may be able to recommend someone good. I think this is solvable but using e-collars correctly can be complicated, and it may not even be the right solution. I do know if you start using e-collars yourself, and dont have your timing right it may only intensify the aggression in these two. I would not recommend training with an e-collar without having someone train you first, so no I would not make the investment until consulting with an expert.Good Luck

Answer 6

1) detailed breeds in the class 'pit bull' were selectively bred for dog aggression. It can be simply encouraging their prey power to kick in and giving them a just right feeling about it. To not mention the entry to illegal supplies which some individuals within the fighting world most likely use on their dogs. So all in all it's no longer technically forcing them, it's encouraging the trait via genetics and 'conditioning'. ANY breed or mix of breeds can be used in combating, 'pit bulls' are just on the whole used and get the worst of the repute for it. 2) i have noticeable others i like better. It is respectable and may truly attain some even though I doubt it. Most individuals worried in that style of lifestyles do not care about puppies and couldn't care less how adorable they are. Except canine combating becomes a crime that has serious consequences idiots will proceed to take part. 3) I feel in stricter enforcement of legal guidelines already in place as well as requiring a license/inspections to breed some of the bully breeds. I support OSL no longer BSL! Four) it is called a spring-pole and is sincerely tug-o-struggle without anyone's shoulder being dislocated. I have one in my yard for my dogs. My neighbor and i each use it (it can be on the property line) and neither of our dogs have canine aggression or can be classified as vicious (My male is worry-aggressive and has made growth in leaps and bounds. A stranger petted him the other day and he virtually appeared to revel in it.) Tug-o-warfare is a debate for a lot of persons. It does not encourage aggression on it's possess however some folks take into account it an 'off-limits' recreation for their dogs. There is nothing you are able to do unless the dog is allowed to run at big, shows aggression toward you even as unsecured or clearly goes after someone.

Answer 7

i have used the shock collar for barking on one of our pitbulls with sucess,i don't know about the fighting,in my experience if a dog especially a pitbull is determined to fight with another there really isn't a whole lot going to stop it,i have seen a dog fight where owners were literally beating the dogs with metal poles and kicking them hard enough to break bones but the dogs refused to quit (wasn't me so please people don't cry animal cruelty at me),pitbull drive is a difficult thing to stop,but hey the collars are worth a try if you really love both of these dogs then you should spare no expense to try to get them to get along with each other,sure it's expensive but if you feel in your heart this may be the answer and you really don't want to get rid of one or both of the dogs then try it...what do you have to lose if it works then it was money well spent,if it doesn't work you can always auction the collars on e-bay and get some of your money back,it's better than coming home and finding one dog has hurt or killed the other...good luck

Answer 8

Check out www.petsmart.com
I got my shock collar system for two dogs for about $189.00 for the collars and remotes.
If your dogs respect the fence you may have some lucky with it working for the fights.
You are having same sex aggression and it is very common in assertive breeds.
Our rescue will not place dobermans of the same sex in the same household as this is what happens.
Since you have two males your best bet is the crate and rotate method but it is a pain in the rear and time consuming. But as far as the safety thing goes it is the best method.

Answer 9

I don't know about your specific situation, but our friends used one to boundry train their dog and it worked great.

We have the same issue going on in our home with a 5 month old Border Collie puppy, female, that is constantly challenging my 12 yr old American Eskimo dog, also female.

Our trainer told us that we are to assert our dominance and let our puppy know that this is not acceptable, that we are in charge, and that we will not allow this behavior. We are to stand over her, grab her by the side scruffs of her neck, pick her front paw straight off the ground, get right in her face and growl a "NO". You will be indicating to your dog that YOU are the pack leader and this behavior is not to be tolerated.

On another note of the dominant dog in your home, it is possible you are sending mixed signals if you are indicating to your younger dog that you respect her alpha status. We promote our older dogs status to our Border Collie every day. We do not allow the younger puppy to be acknowledged by us as dominant. If your older dog was there first and automatically an alpha as a result, you may be sending mixed signals to your younger dog, who then feels it necessary, and okay, to obtain the alpha spot, she originally didn't have when she first came to your home because you are in a way telling her that she is the alpha.

Just because she is challenging, doesn't mean she's achieved alpha status, but rather trying to get it.

If all else fails, I would suggest seeking out a trainer who specializes in behavioral issues and can address this specifically based on your dogs personalities.

I hope this helps and good luck sorting it out!

Answer 10

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