I have a pit bull who bit my husband and attacked a small dog, what should i do? we tried everything... HELP?

Question

have a pit bull and a few days ago she bit my husband, the pack leader, after our guest left the home and she came from outside. And today she forced her way out of a gate and my husband was standing next to the gate to make sure she doesn't get out. In the meantime a family was walking by with their two dogs and chacha (our dog) attacked the small dog, while my husband looked away for 2 seconds to tell me something. We are extremely scared that she might hurt someone or hurt another dog and we will get sued. Please help. We've done everything, we walked, trained her to realized that we are the pack leaders she has rules and she knows in order to get out of the house she needs our permission. But she has that instict to attack. what should we do. Should we put her to sleep? if you don't respond i think we might not have a choice but to put her to sleep in a couple of days.

AN EXTREMELY CONCERNED OWNER,

Answer 1

You are right to be very concerned. This is typical Pitt Bull Behavior. They test you everytime you turn around.

You are in a dangerous situation. If your husband cannot control the dog, with him being Alpha you dog have a scary problem.

You may have a dog that was bred to fight but didn't have what it takes to make the Pit for fighting. So she was sold as a pet. So her temperament will change when she reaches about 3 or 4 yrs. old. One of my sisters had to have 3 euthanized because of this. They were fine for 3 years then one by one they turned. Another sister has two but she had installed leadership with a very firm hand & has to work on it daily. One is always challenging her on a daily basis. She know all about the dominate factor & will not let either dog take the lead, infront of her, on walks.

It's kinda like working with Wolves & Wolf Hybrids. You HAVE TO instill dominance!! at all times. You can't skip a beat. You cannot let your guard down. You have to stay on top of it.

Answer 2

Thats BS, in my opinion. I think you pretty much know about my dog by now Chix, so how exactly does that apply to him? Dominant? Yes. Aggressive? Yes? Would-be child killer? No way. And i totally believe that about my dog, as much as you ever can or should. When he was a brainless puppy, we had a little incident where he jumped up at my son and (playfully) bit his ear. Now, there was NO bad intentions, this was just a pup getting too hyper. Nevertheless, he practically shredded my sons earlobe. My dog learnt there and then to never, ever, EVER, put his teeth on my kids or anyone else, ever again. That was made crystal clear practically from birth. So these days, while he may want to murder other dogs, cats and whatever other fluffy animals he see's running about, (and yes, he does actually stalk the smaller animals) he also knows that he has to listen to even the smallest kids in my family. My 4 year old niece can make him sit. If my baby crawls towards him and wants to get to the bit of floor he happens to be laying on, he gets up and moves. He knows he's at the bottom of the pile as far as rank is concerned. My dog has also constantly been around toddlers. In fact, when i got him, my boys were 2 and 3. And after them, there's been a constant stream of new toddlers, the latest being my 1 year old. Have i ever seen any stalking of them, or any similar behaviour towards the kids? Hell no. My dog KNOWS i would kick his butt :) I don't know whether it's because of this, or it's just in his nature to be that way with people. Because while these dogs are inherently good with adults and children alike, there are still stories of them attacking and killing infants. Maybe those incidents you speak of occurred because the dog had no proper training or direction. Surely this doesn't just happen out of the blue, there must be prior signs of it? Who knows. Probably just more cases of clueless owners. Either way, i have no reason to believe my dog would suddenly attack any of my children, or anyone else for that matter. He knows better than that ;) ADD- Chix, i didn't mean you were saying that about my dog, or any of them. Maybe i worded my answer wrong......just making a point about this issue for anyone that wants to read it I just re-read my answer too, and the first part does actually look like it was directed at you, though it wasn't meant to be

Answer 3

personally, i would put her to sleep because she bit a person. if you choose not to, buy insurance for any damage to other people/dogs she may do. i also saw a news report where a dog was court ordered to wear a bright orange collar with a warning of dangerous dog and the owners had to put signs stating the same in their yard and on their windows after the dog bit a neighbor. might help reduce some liability.

we have a dog that is very animal agressive, but would never hurt a human. we keep a muzzle on her when we have to take her out of the yard. we don't take her to the park, we can't take her when we travel to see family because they have dogs, too, and kenneling isn't an option, so we have someone come to the house to pet sit while we're away. also, when we go to the vet, they are understanding and will clear the waiting room for us when she has an appointment. she's a sweet dog to everyone, but she just can't be around other dogs. if you choose to keep a dangerous animal, you have to take every precaution you can and be prepared for the liability.

everyone needs to understand there are two sides to the pitbull arguement. on one hand, they are not all bad and they do not deserve to be euthanized in mass. it does have a lot to do with how they are handled. but humans sought out the agressive bloodlines in this breed of dogs and encouraged it through breeding. agressive behavior is in the dna of some of these animals and there is no amount of training them well that can take that away. some are just very dangerous dogs no matter what you do and humans made them that way.

Answer 4

I'm going to love the replies you get here. Especially the ones that will tell you that you have to show your dominance over the dog. I hope they give you their name and phone number, so if anyone or any other animal gets hurt you can sue them.

If your description is any where close to being accurate, you have a big problem on your hands.

You need to a professional look at this dog and determine what the problem is. By law, this dog should be quarantined and kept in a place where it cannot get loose, or out. PERIOD. NO EXCUSES.

IF this dog bites anyone else, it's YOUR fault. This is not a dog that isn't housebroken. That's a minor problem. This is TOTALLY unacceptable!

If I haven't made myself clear enough, YOU NEED PROFESSIONAL help here. There's a possibility the dog should be put down. Who cares about anything else?

In order to evaluate dogs such as this, the person needs to SEE the dog. They need to see how it reacts in its surroundings.

I have evaluated Rottweilers for Rottweiler rescue.
I have rehab these types of dogs and it can be DANGEROUS. This is not an area where people should be giving advice if they have never resolved this type of thing.

DO YOU WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR GIVING SOMEONE ADVICE AND THEN A CHILD GETS BIT?

Answer 5

That is a tough question, because you are possibly very attached to this dog and do not want to lose it, but I believe you have already made the decision without realising. You know that for your own safety and for the safety of others you cannot have this dog. If she has bitten your husband, she would have no hesitation about attacking somebody else. Yes, putting her down is the better alternative to another attack. Then get another dog, something more friendly, like a lab etc. Give it lots of love and take it to obedience classes. My thoughts go out to you. I know how heart breaking this decision has been. Best of luck with the next one.

Answer 6

how long have you had her and have you had professional help? if you cannot find an in-patient training facility where she can be trained and socialized and the dog is showing a pattern of aggression, you have to put the dog down. we have a pit bull, who has an older alpha dog in the house with her. she was sent to training as soon as she had enough shots to get in(got her as a small pup), and she has never shown any aggression, but like all the books say, we play it safe and don't even leave her out to roam the house alone with the older dog.

Answer 7

Not all dogs go to heaven!!! Not all dogs can be fixed, Pits are an agressive breed that's why CA is killing them off (I am against that totally) Some pits can be chill and well behaved, others are incapable of it. If you have tried everything then put her down. You can already be sued for the dog attacking the other dog!!!! When chosing an animal to buy you need to get to know them. See how they interact with other dogs, see what happens if you get close to them when they are eating, try to grab a toy from thier mouth or kick a toy they are close too. When I do these things with my dog yea he growls and isn't always amused, but he will not attack me. He just let's me know I don't like that and I back off. However when he is around children he is like a child himself. He sits with them and hangs out. You have to think of all these different things. Good luck with your next dog!!!

Answer 8

You have just experienced the worst thing to happen from your pitt . Get her put to sleep . If she bites someone else then you will get sued for it . You have to think what is best for you and your husband and not the dog . If she has " an attack instinct " then get rid of her . No pitt owner should have to put up with an aggressive dog . This was probably caused by lack of training during puppyhood or lack of socialization during puppyhood . Sometimes socialization when getting older does not work . or can result in aggressive behavior . Get rid of this dog before she bites one of you or a neighbor .

Answer 9

Honestly, if you have worked hard at training with a professional trainer that specializes win working with aggression issues (and doesn't use violent techniques) and you still have had an attack on your husband and another animal, I would euthanize her. Despite what Cesar Milan says and a lot of others think, aggression cannot always be solved by training. I recommend training first unless there is some compelling reason not to (such as small children or other pets in the house at risk), but if it fails, I feel you have no choice. I'm sorry you are in this place.

Answer 10

I would be very concerned too for the same reasons you are.. think of how she might behave with small children .. if she is biting her owners I think it has gotten out of hand.. If you have tried everything .. including bringing her to a social training school (which is very good) and having a vet check her out.. then I just don't know.. I am against putting animals to sleep but in your case you might not have a choice here.. if her behavior is totally unpredictable..