Will my pit bull ever attack?

Question

I have a pitbull and she is great. I also have a weiner dog that is 2 years old and Gracie the pit is 4 months old. I have her in training classes, but I;m still afraid that gracie will one day attack hank (the weiner dog), they play all the time, but she always play bites the neck!!!! I was told never to tell her to stop playing becuase then she will think other dogs are bad??

Answer 1

any dog could attack someday.

Answer 2

well... lets see.
will your pit bull ever attack?
hmm... since she is still a puppy and is getting socialized very early which is really good for her, she probably wont "attack" out of the blue. All dogs play and while playing the bite each other on various vulnerable spots on the body, the neck included, to show dominance. The difference is knowing when they are playing and when they are fighting, since sometimes it can look and sound the same. If you tell her to stop playing she wont think other dogs are bad, all she will think is that playtime is over. Just make sure that when you end it, it is on a positive note. For example, you give them BOTH treats and hugs and kisses. But its kind of a tall task to ask ANY 4 month old puppy to stop playing and goofing off. What you really need to know is that you dont have to worry about dog fights until Gracie is about 2-3 years old, when pit bulls are mature. That is when her realy colors will start to show. It is likely that since she is getting lots of socialization at a young age that you really wont have to worry too much about dog fights. But never never never trust your pit bull NOT to fight if PROVOKED. Remember, not ALL dogs are trained and non-dog agressive. Please, please, please read up on Pit Bulls and do the research. Make sure you know all there is to know about Pit Bulls. Because there is alot to know, even though they are a dogs, training and modifying behaviors is a little bit different with this breed. You cant really train them like just anyother dog. Im not saying that Pit Bulls are HORRIBLE. No, no, no. I LOVE pit bulls. I have 2 at the moment. But do your research and you'll see what I mean.

Join a pit bull forum. Its the BEST place to get tons and tons and tons of information about the breed. Plus its really fun! some forums I frequent are:

The Pit Bull Place
The Pit Bull Forum
The Pit Bull Corner

Also go to www.theworkingpitbull.com
Diane Jessup is an amazing source of information on these dogs.

Hope I answered your question!

<3

Answer 3

Amstaff and American Pit Bull Terriers historically were breed for bullbaiting and dog fighting. Personally, from my experience of owning a male pit bull and a female great dane, I would never leave them alone together. I always kennel them when I am out of the house.

Any dog can start a fight, mine have fought over all sorts of things - like a ratty old sock, food, my attention. The issue you have is that Gracie is going to grow up to be a very strong little girl, much stronger than Hank.
You might find that Hank thinks he is alpha because he is male even though he is so much smaller. Gracie might feel that she can be alpha because she is so much stronger.
In my house there is a constant struggle between my two dogs and yes, they have been socialized since puppyhood and had extensive obedience training. Humans should take the role of alpha but dogs tend to have a hierarchy between themselves and will sometimes fight to maintain it.

Now, for the ill informed comments from some people on here that say your pit will turn on you or a child. That is nonsense. Dog aggression and human aggression are two separate things.

Please do some more research about your new pet. Pit owners have a duty to the breed community to be well informed and responsible owners.

http://www.pbrc.net/breedinfo.html is a good source.

Answer 4

It's extremely rare that a dog will kill another animal it was raised with. The play sounds pretty normal, and I wouldn't worry unless they draw blood, and even then I'd personally only be worried if it was an injury to multiple areas. (A single bit, or rip is an acciendent.) Currently Gracie is young, and this is what young dogs do. She'll grow out of it.

PS- The advise on not telling them to stop is bogus. That said you should only intervene verbally when they get out of hadn in some way. Too noisy, places they shouldn't be, or you really fear one might get hurt.

PPS- You should be sure to take Gracie to obedience classes, and properly socialize her around people. Pit bulls aren't dangerous if they are use to other people, and dogs.

Answer 5

If you keep on taking Gracie to regular obedience classes and make sure that at all times you are the alpha and she will listen to you you should be fine. Pit bulls are known as great, friendly dogs, unless she's been raised to attack and hurt dogs she won't hurt Hank. Just keep on making sure they play nice- don't worry, the older dog will let Gracie know if she is being too annoying- he'll growl or bark or just ignore her. Biting on the neck is normal puppy play behavior. My puppy did it all the time with her brothers and sisters. Always give him attention first to make sure he won't get jealous of Gracie and attack her!!!!
Good luck!!!!

Answer 6

Well, first off I believe that dogs are what they are brought up to be. I have five dogs, and every last one of them has drawn blood from me. No, I do not have a pit bull. BUT my sister has a pit bull. For some stupid reason this dog loves me. Every time I go to her house I get on the floor and play with this dog. If your dog is in training and it at this point gets along with your other dog, I think they will be fine together. But you also mention "Gracie" & "Hank" which to me sounds like female & male. They will get along fine. They should anyway.

Answer 7

Pit Bulls can be wonderful dogs, but it important to understand them. The breed was developed for its gameness, tenacity, and loyalty. While a trained and well-socialized Pit is FAR less likely to ever harm a human than many breeds (despite the media creating the opposite impression), dog agression is something that even a properly socialized Pit may exhibit as he or she matures. They tend to have the most trouble with other Pits and with same sex dogs. Spaying your pup will help with this some, but it's still important to learn all you can about the breed.

www.pitbullforum.com is a WONDERFUL source of information. You'll find many people there who are stong advocates for the breed, but who are realistic about the challenges and responsibilities that come with owning a Pit.

Good luck!

Answer 8

First--stop worrying. This is normal and good. Really.

Let them play and bite----that is EXACTLY what you want the pitt puppy to be doing right now.

Gracie the pup is learning "bite inhibition" from the weiner dog. This is VERY important. Dogs that are well-socialized and have good bite inhibition may bite (to defend themselves, when afraid, etc.) but the bite is not fatal or the kind that makes the news. Dogs with poor bite inhibition are more likely to bite and when the do---its bad.

Dr. Ian Dunbar has written about the importance of teaching bite inhibition. In his book "Before and After Getting Your Puppy" he lists a bunch of situations where a dog could have been provoked to bite--like a Golden Retriever getting its tail caught in a car door, a kid jumping on a sleeping dog, etc.

Dunbar then tells what happened (did the dog bite? how hard? how badly) and why. He explains the differences between a dog with good bite inhibition and poor bite inhibition.

What made me sit up is his description of a well socialized dog with poor bite inhibition and what could happen. A dog that seems freindly and is out with people all of the time who has not learned to control its bite is an accident waiting to happen.

Let them play, look up Dunbar on line and see if you can learn more about bite inhibition, sign the puppy up for puppy kindergarten so she'll have chances to rough house with and bite other puppies.

Have fun with your pup and don't worry.

Answer 9

The way a dog relates to humans is mostly due to its socialization and its treatment, not its breed's "nature". The reason pits have such a bad reputation is because of the useless wastes of oxygen who feed them gunpowder, hit them with sticks while they're in their cages to get them worked up and aggressive; generally mistreat them for their own gain (pit fighting). Animal psychology is very similary to human psychology. Everyone wants to be cared for, just like your dog. However, a dog won't often cross you out of selfish nature. I've seen many pits, and the ones who are treated like a part of the family behave accordingly. They may be a little more sensitive than breeds like labradors to upbringing as far as their aggressiveness, but you can still raise them to be a dog that is a good part of the family. Anyone who says, "My pit went off on that person/dog because it's just a bad breed" is irresponsible and doesn't need to own a dog (or, obviously if you can't even deal with raising a dog, have a child). The biting on the neck (if just nipping) is just play and springs from her instinct to display dominance. In the wolf pack (same species as dogs, despite the sometimes differing binomial nomenclature), females are most often the alpha. Unless it becomes violent, or if she starts dominating Hank to the point that she won't let him eat or growls when he comes around her, then don't worry about it. Just make sure that, at all times, you are the dominant pack leader/parent. Get her spayed, treat her like you would your own child, and help her to develop her personality through confident/dominant direction. As for classes, make sure you keep the training going back home and you remain the alpha; if you don't, then she won't make the transfer as well and you have nobody to blame but yourself. You'll be fine, though, just be good to your dog and she'll do the same!

Answer 10

ANY dog, no matter what breed could at attack. It is all in how you raise the dog and treat the dog. You are in classes and that is EXCELLENT. If you follow what they tell you and stick with it, there should be no problems. IF there is any sort of behavior problems that show up in the future, enroll in more classes. The more you know about training, the better owner you will be. Another thing is, if you werent planning on it already, get her spayed. Unaltered animals have a higher tendency of becoming agressing because of sex drive, it consumes them sometimes. Better to have a dog who doesn't have its mind on that, instead it will focus on listening to you and staying loyal. Good luck, don't let people's negative comments on here of the breed discourage you or give you doubts. ALL dogs have the ability to attack, its all in how you treat them and train them that makes them not.

Answer 11

They are opposite sex, so I don't think there is a great risk. Treat them with love and affection, never violence, and you can hope they will get along. This biting the neck worries me a little, but dogs -as anybody else- can control their force. If their intention is to play, they will bite softly. They will bite hard only when they are aggressive. So I just hope she will not be aggressive when she is adult. You will see signs early enough, though, I guess. I don't know much about pit bulls, though, they have a bad name, but I know people who have them and swear that their dog is the cuddliest creature on earth. Do you know what her parents were like?