I have a 1year old pitbull terrier puppy that is extreamly timid and overly playful. I want her to be protective of our home when a stranger walks in the fenced yard...... but I dont want a raging terror that most people tend to associate the breed with .Can anyone help me find a happy medium?
2007-07-05 08:24:45 · 12 answers · asked by jaynsa 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
At one year old, your dog is still mostly puppy in the mentality department. Trying to make her aggressive would be a huge mistake. If she feels you are threatened, she WILL stand up for you. Contrary to popular opinion, pits usually aren't great guard dogs because they used to be bred to be aggressive towards other animals, not humans. Now, smart breeders don't encourage any form of aggression in their dogs.
2007-07-05 08:31:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I suggest that you invest in a different type of home security system. Nevertheless, just having a dog on your property is enough to deter strangers. Don't tell anyone the dog's not a guard dog :-) Believe me, most people really don't know the difference between a trained protection dog and a pet. Most people see a dog that looks like a certain breed they may know little about and immediately assume the dog fits every standard trait they've heard about. I would rather have a nonaggressive dog around - it's less of a liability.
Just look up protection dogs online. Dogs are carefully selected for such a job. These types of dogs that excell at protection work go through years of training. People that successfully train protection dogs are very very selective! With that in mind, if I had a good natured puppy in my household like yours, I would work on making it a good canine citizen. Any dog can be a watch dog - that's really all you need. I have a GSD and she looks menacing enough to people that are clueless about dogs and think she's staring them down. However, she is excellent with kids, cats, dogs, people...ect.... but those that have very little experience with dogs think she could attack them. :-)
2007-07-05 08:46:40 · answer #2 · answered by Bon Bon 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only allowable aggression is barking and harassing.
Should your dog bite, you are liable for hospitalization and loss of income by the other person. You could also end up in jail. Its like shooting a gun with your eyes closed, and saying, "I did not expect it to hit anyone". Not good enough.
All you need for a protective dog is a loving family. I have a 6 pound Yorkie that barks whenever something is front of the house. Open the door, and her long hair will shine their shoes. She does not bite. I don't even allow kids to have her "playfully" bite them. That gets a stern "BAD Dog !". The dog acts humble, and I give it some love and attention.
You can not encourage any behavior that will cause a problem. Natural pack behavior is obedience to the pack leaders, and their protection. You make sure the dog knows it is at the bottom of the family pack, and obedience to all is expected. Intruders are automatically anounced.
2007-07-05 08:42:13 · answer #3 · answered by Laurence W 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There isn't any "happy medium." Either you have a friendly big baby who loves to play and cuddle - or you have a menace to society (not to mention your family and friends). Personally I'd rather have the playful cuddly dog - of any breed.
Honestly, all you really need is a dog to bark and make noise. Most burglars and bad guys don't want a lot of noise - so they hear a dog barking and go searching for quieter victims.
AND - get that "guard dog" mentality out of your cotton pickin' mind. If you're that scared of your neighborhood, install an alarm system that automatically calls the police and makes lots of noise in the process. That could actually make your premiums go down - whereas most homeowners insurance carriers will drop you in a hot minute if you even try to say you have a "guard" dog or you have a dog for "protection." They're all too anxious to drop you for owning a pittie! Too much liability. So just forget all that "guard dog" business and work on keeping Cuddles the sweetie pie she really is.
Or you can give her to me. I have a beautiful, lovey-dovey pittie-boy that I grabbed from people who were using him as a bait dog. He's a big baby and I expect to keep him that way.
He even licked my priest in the face during the Blessing of the Animals celebration.
2007-07-05 08:40:10 · answer #4 · answered by Barbara B 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You do not want her to be more aggressive. You want a friendly, outgoing, confident dog that you can have out in public. What good is a dog that has to be locked away due to aggressiveness, it won't be there when you need it.
If the dog has a good character, it will protect you in time of need. If not, there's not much you can do to change it.
Just having a pitbull will be enough to ward off most undesireables (and lots of desireables too).
2007-07-05 08:42:19 · answer #5 · answered by DaBasset - BYBs kill dogs 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A pit bull will naturally become protective of your home and of your family. You DO NOT NEED TO MAKE IT MORE AGGRESSIVE! That would be a mistake. I have grown up with this breed and they don't need any help in that department. Make the dog a nice and polite family pet. Any dog of any breed can become a terror!! Do not encourage ANY aggressive behavior. Do not play tug of war with this dog or let it hang from a tree. That teaches it to latch on and not let go. My pit bull growing up was very protective of me and we did nothing to teach him that! Socialize her as much as possible. Take her for long walks. It will help her become more of a confident dog. Most importantly give her the love, attention and training that she so desperately needs. She wants nothing more than to please you!
2007-07-05 08:39:46 · answer #6 · answered by Meadows Momma 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
When he gets older he will naturally be more protective. You could test him by having someone come by late at night and make some noise by your fence or livingroom window (quiet sound like someone breaking in) and see what your dog does. When he barks and makes a big fuss, give him alot of praise. Just don't forget and shoot your friend.
2007-07-05 08:33:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
That would take lots of guard dog training by a professional dog trainer. this will teach your dog when to be aggressive and when not to be.
2007-07-05 08:28:35 · answer #8 · answered by performer4life 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You have a great dog!!! Be happy!!!
2007-07-05 08:40:33 · answer #9 · answered by Rahaaa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
two words train it
2007-07-05 08:28:57 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋