Chicken**** pit bull?

Question

ok, so i have a white, male american pit bull. He is very playful and hyper when our room mates aren't home. Well, when we have people over, he is a totally different dog. He barks and growls and then runs on top of our bed because he is scared, and never comes out. we tried closing every door so he can't hide, but then he finds a corner or something and he stays there until our company leaves. I mean, c'mon...he is afraid of me blowing bubbles with my gum. how can i get him to not be so scared of everything?

we had him since he was a puppy...we had 8 people including a 3 yr old boy live with us, and we took him pretty much everywhere we went. so i don't know how much more socialixed he can get. fyi hes is 1 1/2 years old

ok...well apparently ladyren doesn't know what she is talking about. thanks for your help but in my situation and my personal expierence with pit bulls, i can safely say that that is not true. For one thing, my dog is not an imbreed. not all pit bulls are and actually most breeders stay away from imbreeding as they do make them a little crazy, not necessarily aggresive. and not every pit bull found on the street will be put down. EVERY dog gets their chance of being adopted. They do take in consideration that if it is a pit bull who fought, then yes he will be put down. But if it does pass the evaluation test, he will be put up for adoption. there are higher statistics of people dying from smoking cigerettes than there are being attacked by a pit bull. yes, the pit bull's were bred to fight, but their actions all depend on how they were raised. I raised mine pretty damn good. He is always inside, he was NEVER chained and never will be. It depends on the owner cuz ANY dog can kill.

Answer 1

You didn't say how old your dog is, or whether you purchased him from a breeder or if you rescued him, so it can be difficult to give a good pinpoint answer to why he is so afraid. Good socialization will help and I would strongly recommend basic obedience training. Training classes teach more than basic obedience commands: they also teach dogs good socialization skills. Think of it this way: children who are kept home away from other people when they are young, then homeschooled are much more likely to have socialization problems later in life than children who are exposed to many people outside the family from a young age. Your dog is the same way: without meeting other people and animals your pet doesn't know how to react when they come into his home, so he becomes scared and tries to hide.
It may also be helpful to have a patient friend come over to visit for a couple of hours. Yes, the dog will hide in the beginning, but after 30-60 minutes, he should be calmed down enough that you can slowly introduce your friend to him. Be cautious and pay close attention to body language. If the dog is very scared and your friend approaches too quickly the dog may bite him out of fear. Have your friend approach him with his back to him (this way your friend isn't projecting aggressive energy). It is very important to introduce new people on the dog's terms: slowly, gently and by projecting confident but not aggressive energy.
It is also important to never punish your dog for hiding from new people, but instead to use positive reinforcement with treats and praise when he shows signs of interest in new people.
By slowly introducing your dog to new people, and basic obedience classes which allow slow socialization your dog will soon be happy to meet people who come to the door, and happy to meet new people.
I recommend working closely with a good trainer who will be able to help you through this difficult training process.

Answer 2

I have two pits, one of which is very social and the other one not so much. Your dog has to be socially introduced to social situations and new people. Not allowing her into her comfortzone when you have guests probably triggers her nerves to new heights. I would not recomend this if your dog feels threatened enough you might turn this into a very tragic situation. First I would try long walks, car rides, dog parks or a pet store that allows dogs. While your doing these activities talk to your dog in a very soothing tone. Once you feel you have made some progress try to introduce people into your home in small numbers. Until you have done some of the leg work it's probably a good idea to let your dog stay where it is comfortable. Another idea is to place a bed for him or her in a busy part of the house but kind of tucked away in a corner where the dog can still feel some security.

Answer 3

Realize that you have a dog with really weak nerves, the result of bad genetics and maybe environment. Although you can try to help him get over some of these fears, in the end it will be a futile effort because he is geneticaly predisposed to these behaviors. The barking and growling is done out of his defense drive, whicj is usually really high in dogs sufering from this type of problems. It is a self defense mechanism which activates when the dog feels threatened from anything real or perceived. What you are going to do with this dog is up to you, but there is not much hope for it.

Answer 4

When you have a pit, rott or any other large breed dog socialization is the key to everything. Take him on walks let people get close to him. Take him to puppy classes! It is very important that you nip this in the butt now rather then wait until he is older and harder to control.

Where did you get him from? How old was he when you got him? All these things can be a factor. Maybe the people who had him before you where not very nice to him.

Talk with your vet, he may have some help for you as well> But Puppy classes would be great for a dog like yours it really teaches them hoe to be social!!

Good Luck

Answer 5

If you dog is a purebred Staffordshire Terrier, a Pitbull, you have one of those critters that is too inbred. When a breeder wished to keep desired physical characteristics in a dog, the way best to do that is it breed a daughter, say, to her sire, or other mixtures of close breeding. This is the fastest way to produce or save desired physical attributes, but sometimes the dogs are a bit loony. (this is why is is illegal to marry your cousin, or your brother.....) Personality defects are common in purebred animals that were bred too closely, be it dog, horse, cow, or whatever. The problem with doing this with dogs, is they suddenly aren't much in the way of companion animals, are they????

You can't do much with this personality defect, hon. And the problem with staffys is that this defect includes going bonkers, and tearing off someone's face or arm---read about it in newspapers. This breed was developed to fight in a ring, in a pit. They still are bred for this purpose, and thousands of thousands of dollars are spent every Friday night in rural America on these fights. The breeders are the same guys who are the fighters. Those dogs not deemed mean enough are sold into the pet trade, where people like you buy them or get them maybe first generation, maybe second, but that trait is there. In my community, the animal control department will spay or neuter your pit for free. give you a bunch of bags of dog food, $20, and chip your dog --- all for free. If a pit or pit mix is picked up, it is NEVER offered for adoption. If the owner doesn't find it, it is put down. And tho one or two really nice dogs get destroyed, which is sad, the problem is real in their personality problems.... great fighters, but not much in the way of a nice, social animal, as your are finding....

Answer 6

Am I not understanding your question? Are you upset because he is chicken and doesn't attack? I think if he wants to growl and hide that's great. much better than attacking the dinner guests. I don't think it's a good idea to force a breed like the Pit Bull to play nicey nice. By closing all the doors not letting him hide...you are tormenting that poor dog. He will attack if he stays in that environment.
I'm sorry if I have your question wrong, but that is how I translated it.

Answer 7

Mostly, meals leaves the stomach after 2 hours but maybe something that gigantic will not have. Name the vet and ask if it's a good option at this factor to induce vomiting. Mainly the hazard to cooked bones is that they invent sharp shards when chewed but if your canine honestly swallowed it whole without biting it into pieces, the danger is intestinal obstruction.

Answer 8

When he does this you should pet him and help him calm down, or walk him outside for a few minutes to calm down. Then when he comes in, hold him on the leash in the same room, allow him to sniff hands, have people pet him and give him treats to let him know they are friendly and mean no harm. No commotion or loud noises while he's getting acclimated. He needs you to bridge the gap between him and the insecurity. Supervise him at all times.

Answer 9

Ok, first is he pure white with no other markings? Have you had his hearing and vision tested lately? He may be having issues with them. Some breeds are not meant to be all white. That trait in turns sometimes causes these issues. He is comfortable when they are gone because he possibly has gotten used to the surroundings and then they come in and it confuses him do to lack of hearing or trouble seeing. He is frightened and knows your bed as a comfort zone or if he is in a corner he may feel safer to sit to let his vision or hearing adjust to one place. Have him tested for these issues by your vet and good luck.

Answer 10

Have you had him since he was a puppy? It all depends on how he was raised and 'socialized' when he was younger. If he wasn't introduced to other people and places when he was a pup-of course he's going to be scared/aggressive of other people.. My suggestion would be to *slowly* start to take him out where theres people... take him for walks, get him used to other people.. Do it slowly though-don't overwhelm him and make him more scared! This will all take time too-it won't happen over night...
Good luck!