Please people, I'm not really looking for an excuse to crop my pit puppies' ears, the thing is that they have been "FIGHTING" every now and then lately. I know the difference of puppy play and biting their ears, and when they're ACTUALLY fighting and biting themselves trying to ripp their ears and skin (they actually have some cuts already). I mean they're both only 3.5 months old, and when they fight all I do is try to separate them 'n then I yell at them(trying to discipline them) but I don't even know if it really works because they continue doing it. I want to crop their ears now because I can't predict the future or what's going to be like when they grow up and get stronger teeth. Maybe an advice on discipline will help...They're both very good friends..but it's just the problem when they start fighting for any toy or treat...I don't want them to hurt me and themselves no more when I try to separate them by them biting me or them biting eachother
2006-12-09 12:49:41 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
You are making the right choice. It will cause them less pain to crop the ears then to have medical problems with them. All they have to do is damage the ear bad enough and Cha-ching! there goes your paycheck! First pain meds, then vet visits, soon there isn't going to be anything left in your wallet but the ceaserland token they won't take! They could cause more harm to each other with ears then without. Crop them.. before your puppies soak up your wallet, but more importantly they will be in pain if you don't crop the ears.
Happy holidays!:-D
2006-12-09 12:55:58 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Teach them that YOU are the boss NOW before they get any bigger. ANY time they so much as growl at the other grab the growler by the scruff of the neck, give it a little shake (not enough to hurt but get their attention) and in your best growly voice holler NO!!!!!! Then walk away and ignore the dog for a few minuted..no talking, touching or eye contact (unless they go back to the fight, then repeat). If your dogs are biting you they do not respect you as the boss, this can be very dangerous. YOU have to be the boss or one of them will be.
If you crop the ears while they are having these fights then they stand to get badly injured and the ears not healing correctly. If you want to have the dogs ears done then you need to wait until they do not fight any more.
2006-12-09 12:59:00 · answer #2 · answered by Shalvia 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You don't say if they are the same sex or not. We had 2 female German Shepherds and they were fighting at 3 months. They would play then it would get very rough then turn into fighting. We tried everything, at first we tried to let the domance thing happen but it just got ridiculous so we tried spraying them with a water bottle when they would fight. Nothing helped so we gave one to a friend. What I'm saying is if you have 2 of the same sex then it won't work and you will have more problems as they get older. But if they're a male and female then you have a chance. Giving one away was so hard but I think it was the best thing to do.
2006-12-09 13:56:33 · answer #3 · answered by crowfeathers 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Three months old is to old to be cropping ears.
Most vets only crop ears between the ages of nine weeks and twelve weeks and after that it is to late.
You need to get working on some training or you are going to have two dogs one of which will kill the other over toys or food or something. They have not gotten anywhere near maturity and as they do the fights are going to get worse. You need to get a handle on it now.
If these dogs are the same sex you need to place one as same sex aggression is very common and sometimes uncontrolable in Pitts.
2006-12-09 13:04:14 · answer #4 · answered by tlctreecare 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You need professional help from a behaviorist if you want to resolve this issue and by resolve I don't mean "make them get along" I mean they may both be alpha dogs and fighting for dominance and in the wild there can only be one victor. Hopefully a behaviorist can help and be able to keep them together but please expect the worst and hope for the best. Think of what is best for them and their futures. Dog bites can lead to serious legal and health issues. As for cropping the ears??? That is only cosmedic and holds no value to the health of the dog. When people see cropped ears on dogs the first thing they think is that they were bred for fighting. That is what dog fight owners do to prevent the ears from being ripped off in fights but please reconsider and get the help you need first. Cropping won't resolve anything but it will show everybody that you have fighting dogs. PLEASE DON'T DO IT!!!
2006-12-09 12:56:50 · answer #5 · answered by tbunny1us 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You should take them to obedience so this doesn't continue, because they are young now, but when they get older, they are going to get A LOT stronger, and do a lot more damage than scratches when they get into a fight. And for ear cropping, if you like how it looks, then you can get it done. But as for saftey during fights...if they are going to rip each others ears if they have long ears, then they are probably going to do damage in other areas instead if they no longer have ears. But if you like how it looks, and are still concerned about it, then you can still get it done. But i would also take them to obedience classes.
2006-12-09 12:56:32 · answer #6 · answered by Stark 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why do have pit bulls for pets? do you intend on working them? if you are concerned about what they are doing to each other at 3.5 months cropping their ears is like a band-aide effect.
If you can't handle them now perhaps you need to re-think what you actually need in a pet and the reason you have chosen pit bulls and two at that.
If you have chosen them for your ego or to protect you, you may well come off looking foolish and they may very well turn on you.
One has the power to kill but two you are asking for trouble, they will over power you and what are you going to do then?
My concern is...do you have children....never never leave a child and any dog unsupervised at any time.
Be a responsible pet owner and choose a breed that you will enjoy. One that has a tender nature and family orientated and socialise, socialise, socialise your dog everyday.
Take them everywhere you go, expose them to everything you can think of, loud noisy traffic, take them to the vet for a visit just to get them used to it, take them around busy shopping centres let them meet other dogs, cats chooks what ever and most of all walk them everyday, give them raw bones to keep them busy while teething chicken necks are great.
They will love puppy class and obedience class which will help you help them to have socially acceptable behaviour.
2006-12-09 13:29:24 · answer #7 · answered by shepherdivynzac 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
All male dogs fight, and some times girl dogs fight over who is boss, there is a way to stop them from fighting...you could get 1, or both the dogs desexed, if it does not work then you could ether put up with it or sell 1, ever tho it is a very hard thing to do.
2006-12-09 13:05:56 · answer #8 · answered by Diva 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You also need to educate yourself on training them. Otherwise you are going to have much larger problems than ears. Any owner who doesn't get proper training for their dog is asking for aggression problems! You also need to be very careful about getting in between them if you they are truly fighting and not playing. If it is already escalated to this point you need intervention NOW..
I suggest you buy the book.
The American Pitbull Terrier
by Cynthia P. Gallagher
Wayne Hunthausen DVM
If you do not educate yourself on the breed, properly train your APBT's and socialize them then you are at best owning dogs that wil never reach their full potential and at worst it will spell disaster as you will have powerful, uncontrollable dogs who will never be the self confident and companion they were meant to be. The proud APBT owner trains their dog, knows how to be the leader of the pack, and provides clear and concise training and positive reinforcement. This breed can thrive with training that teaches them how to act to behave in the world with other dogs and humans. A dog owner who truly loves their dogs and the breed will do this.
Speak to your vet about this problem, in additon to reading up on the breed and training. You will probably need a training class as well. But I because this seems to be beyond playing.
I am worried about where this is going, please contact your local APBT rescue explain to them you aren't wanting to surrender yoru dogs, but you need assistance in discipline and training. They should be happy to help you as they would much rather teach you to train and control your dogs than end up with aggressive dogs surrendered in the future. They should be able to point you in the right direction as far as training, recommending a trainer as well as giving you steps to take immediately.
FYI
A self respecting American Pit Bull Terrier owner will NOT refer to thier dog a pit bull. There is no such thing dog as a 'pit bull' It is actually a catch all term for a pooryly bred fighting dog regardless of lineage. A "pit bull" may have strains of APBT, American Staffordhire Terrier, STaffordshire Bull Terier, Bull Terrier, Box, or combination thereof.
2006-12-09 13:31:43 · answer #9 · answered by Wicked Good 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What does your Vet say about their play and their ears?
And I think your bigger concern should be "What am I going to do when they're grown up and they're still fighting each other because I didn't train them when they were puppies?"
2006-12-09 12:51:27 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋