My daughter has a lab/pitbull mixed puppy that is too rough with the kids. Can it be trained to be gentle?

Question

The dog isn't full grown yet, but is very strong and exuberant. Will fixing the dog help the aggression problem? Can they ever feel safe with this dog? She is thinking of getting rid of it but wants to give it a chance, but not at the expense of her kids' safety. What kind of training might help?

Answer 1

It seems really unlikely that this dog has an "aggression" problem. From what little you've given us, s/he sounds like a perfectly NORMAL untrained puppy that doesn't realize how big s/he is. Both labs and "pitbulls" reach adult size (or at least very close to adult size) long before they mature mentally. If the dog hasn't been trained not to be mouthy or jump up on people already, then this can become a problem especially with small children. They need to be taught how to appropriately act around people. Good dogs aren't just born, they need to be trained. So many of the rules of human society are counter-intuitive to dogs, it's not fair to automatically expect them to know how to behave in our homes with no guidance from us.

Fixing the dog may help calm it down. And, in the event that your daughter decides they can't work through the issues, it will make it easier to find the dog a new home.

Your daughter would be amazed at how much simple basic obedience training would probably help her situation. She should try to find a trainer who uses positive methods and enroll in group training classes. These basic obedience classes will teach her how to control the dog and how to make the dog respect the humans in the family. Obedience is more than just "forcing a dog to do something" as my own husband once believed...it is a way for you to learn how to communicate with your dog and teach it what you expect of it. And an obedience instructor will be able to not only give practical advice on how to correct problem behaviors and actually SHOW her how to use the technique correctly.

Another thing your daughter might want to try is the NILIF (Nothing In Live Is Free) "program." She makes the dog work for EVERYTHING. Dogs are entitled to nutritious meals...but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't have to work for them. Don't just put the food down on the floor, make the dog sit and wait to be released before they can eat. Dogs are entitled to being given the opportunity to go outside to do their business, but they should be expected not to be pushy at the door. make the dog sit and wait to go out the door. It's fine to let dogs on the couch...but it's YOUR couch, not theirs. If they aren't invited or you tell them to get off, then they shouldn't be on the couch. MAKE them get off the couch...this may mean taking them by the collar and then physically removing them from the couch (and then giving them a reward such as a favorite toy, playtime with you, or a small yummy treat so that they associate being removed from the couch as a good thing). Dogs should receive love and attention from their families...but they shouldn't expect to receive it if they are acting inappropriately. Do not pay attention to the dog if s/he is jumping on you. Turn away from them (or, for large dogs, lifting your knee into their chest...NOT kicking the dog with your knee!...just bringing your knee up into their space) and wait for them to have all four feet on the floor (or better yet, sitting) before petting them. There are a million opportunities in a day to teach your dog what you want him to be doing. Every single time you interact with your dog you are teaching him something, whether you mean to or not. You might as well use those interactions to your advantage.

Answer 2

I myself have a pitbull mix. They don't know that they are so strong, heavy and big, they think they're the size of chihuahuas. I do think that they can become less "excited". The best thing that I did was have some one on one with the puppy and use a firm voice, not loud, but firm. And start with some basic training of how to "stay" and "sit". This comes to be very helpful because they learn self discipline. I don't know exactly what your puppy is doing, but I do believe it's because he's a baby, they play with humans like we are dogs ourselves and like babies they don't know any better. I would also recommend for the puppy to be a little more icolated while in the training till it gets the hang of the training. And understands what is asked of it and why. I am a pet lover and have trained over ten dogs and 5 cats in my life. Hope this is helpful.

Answer 3

In my experience all bigger sized puppies are very playful and not as easy to handle. Due to these type of dogs strength, more training is needed. It is always recommended that with the pitbull breed to take them to some sort of training courses and have a dominant owner. As for being around your children the American Pitbull Terrier and other related breeds are the most loyal type of dog you can get for your children. They have never been bred to be human aggressive in fact quite the opposite, they have been bred to please owners even if they were stupid ones that fought them. I think that you may feel as if you arent safe because of all the sterotypes these dogs get. If he was a different breed you would probably think he was just a normal hyper puppy.
I have a American Staffordshire Terrier (very similar to your breed) and nuetering him did calm him down quite a bit and i would suggest this for any dog that didn't plan on being bred. He will calm down as he grows, he just a puppy. Get some books, do some research on puppies in general and use the data. Take him to puppy classes, treat him right and he will be a great dog. Good luck!

Answer 4

It depends on the moment, the mood, the alignment of the stars, the current deficit of the economy, the phase of the moon, and the price of tea in China. Of course some of these could be negated and others enhanced depending on the amount of alcohol consumed. It's a very complicated scientific equation that utilizes E=mc² multiplied by the speed of sound divided by how clean the sheets are with a cosine of the last time showers or bubble baths were taken. If you feed these numbers to the dolphins the military uses to track enemy submarines they can correlate them and tell you all of the variables involved. The answer comes out as squeaks and squawks and actually sounds like the dolphins are laughing. Like I said, it's very complicated.

Answer 5

Hello..fixing might help, but no guarantees, if the dog is used to playing rough with the kids & they played using their hands or feet, or have the dog chase me play..it could be too late & dangerous if he is showing aggression, it could be very dangerous, not JUST cuz of the pitt in him, but how he's been played with..bout all you try is doggie play time ..using DOG toys ONLY..no hands, feet... him chasing them & especially no them chasing him or you can involve professional trainer, if no one has control of this dog, it is not a good situation if he is showing ANY real aggression @ all or is say more protective of one kid or person over another, if that is so, the one he is most closest too has to do the trainig or train with a professional..we had to get rid of a dog who became like this of our eldest daughter, cuz the younger ones were 4 & 5, no match for a lab that got like this..Take Care

Answer 6

I absolutley agree with the statements that Barbara above gave, a great answer. Just wanted to restate that just because a dog has pit in him, doesn't make him bad. I'm tired of uneducated, media zombies that lump a dog into a "bad" category. Most people don't realize that pits along with german shepards, boxers, mastiffs and great danes are puppies for 2 years!! It just takes lots and lots of training for them to realized how big they are!! Be firm but fair. Teach the dog a time out or calm down signal. We put our hands up and tell our dog DONE. And he responds. Good luck!!

Answer 7

Fixing the dog will calm it down a little bit. Basically you need to train the dog to be easy with the kids. This is very simple but involves extensive and conituous stern training. When the dog is around the kids you can pop him on his nose not to hard but enought o where he will get the picture and tell him in a very stern voice easy. Repeat this all the time, especially when he is around the kids. Don't let him jump up on anyone or anything otherwise he will see this as being okay witht he kids as well. Keep up this kind of training and it should help. Its just like teaching your kids.

Answer 8

Have your dog neutered - not just to settle him down, but it's just good practice to neuter/spay pets.

Take the dog to obedience school. Yes, this means a class once a week and an hour training every day - but if you can't/won't do this much for Fido, then he's better off with a family who will.

This is not the kids' responsibility. It's YOURS. Fido needs to learn that he is not the dominant dog. He needs to learn that you and spouse are Alpha dogs, the kids are your "pups' and he is very much lower on the totem pole than they are.

This is dog thinking. Dogs don't think like people so put that idea out of your head.

So, Alpha Dog, get thee to class. OH, and train your children to be gentle but firm with Fido, too. When he gets rowdy, have them make him sit, tell him "Gentle" or "Easy" and make him settle down for a few minutes. When he settles, they are to pet him nicely and tell him he's a good dog. When Fido learns that he gets praised for settling down, he will be more likely to behave better.

Also, train your kids not to put Fido into a situation where he will get into trouble. That's not fair. Train your kids to play nicely with Fido as he is to play nicely with them.

but get thee to class!

One more thing - the Pitt in him has absolutely nothing to do with aggression. It's the fact that he's a big, half-grown pup who is testing where he fits into the pack. This is natural dog behavior. It's up to YOU, Alpha Dog, to put him in his place and keep him that way. Pitbulls are given too bad a reputation by those too willing to jump to conclusions.

pitbulls rank higher on the "human compatability" tests than golden retrievers.

Answer 9

You mean, his not fixed? What ARE you thinking.

Re: Pits and Pits mixes.....In my community, a pit or pit mix is never adopted out. We will spay or neuter one and give you $20 plus 100 lbs of dog food. My best friend, a vet, will put a pit or pit mix down for free... read again, for FREE. He's been in practice 25 years. Though training will help, you really have to stay on guard with them. (and who wants to worry about that all the time....) What they are like as a puppy doesn't tell the whole story. That's why adopting an adult dogs has fewer surprises. Lots of people, myself included, have gotten puppies, and if their of a docile breed, they are usually fine. My puppy was fine until about age 3. Then, OMG, a terror. We ended up calling him Robespierre, (the guy in the Fr. Rev that had the streets running with blood from the guillotines..... ) tell you anything?

Answer 10

I have a lab/pit mix.. She has more pit in her though... She would get into fights with our other dogs, but we worked with her and everytime she did we would sumit her (which is where you make the dog lay down and you hold her there until she calms down and sumits to you) and then we would put her into time out. (A place where she hates) You can try doing this with her when she gets to rough with the kids.... I got her spayed and she is alot more better because she knows she isnt the alpha of the packed (the one who can make babies)... My pup is a big baby she never shows aggression to humans. She just got into bad fights with the other dogs, but we havent had a fight since we worked with her alot.. I would give this dog a chance. Work with your dog everyday and show it who is in charge.. Good Luck and if you have any other questions just ask..