Dog sitting a Pit Bull?

Question

I am dog sitting my sons dog and he is a pit bull mix. Sometimes I look at him and he looks back ant me at it scares me. He looks like he just wants to pounce on me. I am very nervous. He is only 8 months old and he is very active. Sometimes he wants to bite and I don't know if he's playing. I've heard horror stories about pit bulls but he has been treated very well and I just wanted to know if there is something wrong with them in their hads that could make them attack or are some of them just trained to be mean.

Answer 1

You have nothing to fear, he is just a big pup. Just relax. You need to make friends with this guy, show him some love. Pups his age love attention, and they love giving it back too.
Go to your fridge grab a piece of coldcut or something you think he will like. Call him over to you softly like in baby talk and tell him to sit. I know this sounds stupid but trust me when I say either take a bite out of whatever you're giving him or at least excrete some of your saliva on it , then feed it to him. He will be extremely happy he received a special treat, and at the same time you imprinted your scent on him. From this day forward this dog will never forget you , you are now programmed within him. We spit in the mouths of all our dogs, there are dogs I don't see for over 5 yrs and the run up on me like I was their long lost friend.
After he receives his special treat invite him to sit with you, just give him a rub, the neck the ears the belly, he will love you for it. Talk to him while you are doing it.
Take him outside if your yard if it is enclosed and burn off some of his energy, play ball with him. If he acts up be stern with him just like any other dog. You need to be the alpha in this situation.Just as a dog can sense fear in others, they can also sense alpha-behavior.
I guarentee if you take the time to do as I said, when your son comes home the dog might want to stay with you. But most imporantly he will look forward to his visits with you.
Good luck and if you need a little more help you can I.M. or email me.

Answer 2

Hey Lisa, There are some good answers on here , and some not so good ones.The deal with Pit Bulls is that they are not Breed to destroy. Pit Bulls and all other bully breeds were breed for their extreme loyalty and their incredible drive and endurance. When you add those ingredients together, in the wrong hands it can be disastrous. Alot of people get a Pit Bull for the wrong resons. What people need to understand is that you need to make sure your lifestyle and energy level match up with this wonderful breed. I agree with Dean; you have to assume the position of the pack leader. The dog is looking at you because he is looking to you for the next step, the next thing on his to do list. The drive of a Pit Bull needs to be carefully orchestrated by the pack leader. If you are afraid that he will soon bite someone, as pack leader you have to show him that he can't even bite in play; and if he does correct him accordingly so he understands that it is never okay. As far as Pit Bulls being "Predatorial animals", and totally unable to associate with other Pit Bulls or other bully breeds because they don't like each other is just crazy! I own a Pit Bull Terrier, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and an Olde English Bulldogee; and I could not be more content with the way that they behave with each other; and their best friends are a Basset Hound, and a Miniature Schnauzer. They get along wonderfully. We also have a Pit Bull show in Houston where Pit Bull owners come from all around to show their dogs; and represent their kennels. At this show, there are people walking around with their dogs. Of course the dogs bump each other in passing but there is no aggression or animocity, just a well behaved, well associated, well trained dog. So my advice is take the reins and become the pack leader. Give the dog boundaries and guide lines as you would a child. Corerct him when he does wrong, praise when he does good. And be assertive, if you let it go one time it's all over! Just kidding; just be the boss and don't take any guff! I hope I helped!

Answer 3

I own a 1 year old pit bull. She is sweet as can be. She loves all people, cats, dogs. She would never hurt anyone. I do believe that aggressive behavior in ANY dog is completely due to how the owner raises that dog, and how they treat that dog. But my best advice would be, if you are scared of this dog, Don't dog sit. Dogs sense fear, and he might try to take advantage. I would politely tell your son that you just don't think you would be able to do it, you would feel more comfortable if someone else took care of him while he is gone.

I just wanted to add that Georgie said that pit bulls will attack other pit bulls and other terriers. This isn't true. This is another case of how the dog is raised. My pit bull loves ALL other dogs, she doesn't discriminate by breed. The only dog she doesn't like is my brothers vicious, yes, vicious dachshund. Sadie is very mean. She has bit adults, children, and ever since she bit my dog, my PIT BULL has been affraid of this 7 pound dog. She has never shown aggression toward any dog, but she prefers to stay away from aggressive dogs. I know plenty of pit bulls who are like my pit bull.

Answer 4

The dog senses your fear. You should consider reading/ watching the Dog Whisperer Show by Cesar Millan. It's really great. I'll give you a quick 2-cent version of how to work with the pit-bull or any dog for that matter.

A dog is a pack animal. They will look for you to be the dominant creature or pack leader. If you show signs of being weak then the dog will take over, it's part of his nature. You should exert calm confidence and be totally in charge around the dog. I would not let the dog bite, not at all. He's just playing but he's also trying to be dominant over you. Pit bulls in general get a bad rap because of the horrible way some owners treat them, but if he hasn't had that in his past then he's fine.

Answer 5

If your son raised him right and treats him well, that puppy is definately a great dog, plus it is a mix, and if it had a chance of snapping (which is totally unlikely in a pure bred) it won't as a mix.
These dogs are intimidating and scary looking, but all in all they are the most well behaved loving creatures you will ever incounter.

Also don't show the dog fear as this can promote dominance in the puppy and it will now forever look at you as a lesser pack member.
The puppy is only playing and will not tear your arm off when oyu play with it, obviously you have never played with other dogs before because they all nip at your hands when playing rough.
Quit worrying about the puppy you should do some research on the breed instead of asking people on here if it is going to attack you.

Answer 6

Pit Bull's are very active but they mean to be playful especially a young one. As it gets older it might get a little rough, so watch out. Those Horror stories must be made up. Pit Bulls will only hurt unplayfully if you attack them or make the first move.

Answer 7

Maybe your dog is NOT a well-behaved dog.But whatever your reasons are,It is NOT your dog' fault.In fact,dogs are very very clever.They just need to be trained correctly.But, dog training method could not be expressed clearly just by single sentence.It requires some basic professional knowledges.Well, to gain those knowledges is not that difficult.SO you do NOT need those professional dog trainer and you do NOT need some 12–week dog obedience training plan where you do almost the same thing each week.Yourself can also become an excellent dog trainer in several hours.So If you want to learn what it really takes to transform your dog’s behavior problems,understand and communicate with your dog now,you can visit the site listed below.It provide you with the most popular and easiest dog training Guide.There is the easiest method to make your dog to listen to you in the shortest period of time.

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GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR DOG!!!

Answer 8

Pit bulls that have been taken care of and not abused are wonderful dogs. They just have this real serious look about them that really is scary but if that dog has not been mistreated and is well taken care of you have nothing to worry about. Talk to him don't show that your afraid they can turn into a bully if they think they can. Play with a ball with him he will love that.

Answer 9

The ones you see in the news are trained to be that way, or get that way because of bad owners....if the dog has been well socialized and gotten a good amount of attention from your son you should be fine. As far as the bitting, if the dog really wanted to bite it would.....it is most lickly trying to play, I will almost bet you son plays a little more rough with the pup than you are willing to. Did you son leave you any toys for him....if not, you might find an old dish towel and play tug of war with him or something.....pits, just like all other dogs, are products of the owners......and if that pup has a good owner he will be a good dog.

Answer 10

my brother in law has a pitt bull. When she was a puppy, she was very active and playful (still is!) and on occassion, she would bite. it was never hard and it never broke the skin, she was just playing. saying 'ouch' loudly or whimpering when the puppy bites is a good way to break the habbit. the puppy will not know it is hurting you are that biting is wrong unless you teach it. I have 2 Boston terriers myself and they also had this tendancy as puppies. it's not a hard habbit to break, you just stay consistant in letting the dog know that biting is not acceptable and never hit as a way to correct bad behaviour as it will lead to worse behaviour. Pit bulls are not vicious by nature, they are actually very sweet and loyal companions. do not be afraid of him, i'm sure all he wants is attention and playtime with you.