American PItbull Terrier...?

Question

My brother has an American Pitbulll Terrier who is 6 months old. Every time my mother goes near him, he starts growling. One day, my brother left him home with my mother and the dog started barking and looked like he was ready to attack. My brother bring Davinci (the dog) around his friends and other people and he never growls or anything. He is actually playfully and nice. What is going on? Is there a way for this to stop? Does he hate my mother? Is so, why? Davinci (the dog) is nice to my mom only when my brother is there. Is it because he is not used to being around my mother? I really need some answers as i cant find anything online to help me out.

p.s
She is not afraid of him. She gives him treats and play with him when my brother is around

Answer 1

It sounds like the dog is sensing tension and fear coming from your mother, and an aggressive dog's first instinct is to attack when they sense fear and tension. Your mom needs to stay away from the dog if she's afraid of it, or she'll end up reinforcing the behavior by being scared around it. Your brother needs to keep the dog away from your mother, too, unless she can learn not to be tense or scared, or else the dog could very well end up hurting her.

Answer 2

Is your mom afraid of the dog? Especially when your brother is not there to control him? Dog's can sense fear, and when they know someone is afraid of them they sometimes become aggressive and defensive. I know because I used to get bit, or nearly bit, by almost every rottweiler I came into contact with BECAUSE I was scared of them. They knew I was. Now that I know this I walk in calm and confident, and I don't have any problems.

I think your brother should talk to a professional animal trainer/behaviorist so you know for sure why this is going on. He is only a puppy now, and it will be easier to sort it out while he is still young, rather than waiting until you have a large, powerful, Aggressive dog on your hands.

Answer 3

You don't need to know why. Dogs don't ask why. As I am reading some of the answers, I felt a chill. Your mother should not be "blamed" for having fear. Somehow her fear provoked the dog? I really don't care why that pitbull is nasty to your Mom. This is very bad, kind of scary what has happened to the value of human beings. Your mother does not need to change. The dog needs to change or he's out.

Answer 4

My foster APBT I have right now does the same thing, she is very VERY nervous around new comers. Have your brother be around Davinci and your mom the first several times they meet, and encourage the dog, or console him when he gets nervous. With some diligent training, and lots of love, Davinci will come around. Guaranteed.

Answer 5

Mom's attitude toward the dog plays a big part in it. She has to be calm and accepting of the dog, because the dog will sense her apprehension. Good luck. I would always be paranoid too.

Answer 6

The dog is obviously secure when the brother is there, but once he leaves the dog feels as if he has to protect his territory from your mother. Your brother needs to train his dog better so he won't hurt your mother.

Answer 7

A human-aggressive pit bull is unnatural and not to breed standard at all. Showing this type of aggression at a young age is completely unacceptable. It is a danger to your family and the entire breed itself.
I work in rescue and I tried to rescue a young APBT recently, whom had extreme aggression issues. After weeks of training and loving this dog, she continued to regress and show more aggression. Note this aggression was NEVER at me, but she showed her teeth at my mother-in-law, growled at my daughters, etc. I called a vet who recommended I euthanize the dog. This was unacceptable to me, but her behavior worsened. I called 2 behaviorists who saw the dog, one was also a licensed and certified trainer as well. I made sure BOTH were Pit savvy. The dog failed her temperament test, and even bit one of the behaviorists (note- not play biting or mouthing, but true aggressive behavior). She was diagnosed as having severe fear aggression, and both behaviorists really had bad news for me. This dog whom I set off to save, that I loved and invested so much in (from obedience class to a multitude of toys) was really so far gone that she was not rehomable nor adoptable to anyone. She'd be safe with me and me alone, but a danger to society and all those around her including my own children.
Because of the crisis we face with pit bulls and for sake of the APBT breed itself, I went to a vet and had her humanely euthanized. This was the hardest decision I ever had to make in my life and I cried for weeks afterwards. I still cry for her, as she wasn't just a dog, she was so much more.
Please have the dog temperament tested and evaluated by a licensed behaviorist and trainer.
Thousands of good natured pit bulls die every year in shelters while more are bred with no regards to breed standards, health, genetics or temperaments. Backyard breeders, breeding for money without regards to the dogs have failed the APBT and have turned a once wonderful dog into public enemy number one.
Owning a pit bull these days isn't just about responsible ownership sadly, it's also about fighting for the betterment of the dogs. You may be angered by my answer, but those in rescue KNOW that due to the greed of man there really are unstable dogs out there that post a serious risk.
If your brother's dog is not neutered, PLEASE HAVE HIM FIXED ASAP, this may cause some aggression as well.
Above all contact a specialist, for sake of these dogs, they don't need another headline.

Answer 8

Get professional training right now, an aggressive dog can lead to some really tragic things.

Answer 9

im completely redoing my awnser to reply to joe. ok number one do not run ur mouth if you dont know what your talking about your making yourself look like a complete idiot. number one pitbulls have a much lower temper rating than MANY other dogs..number two they were not named pitbulls because of "pit" fighting stupid-they got the name pitbull from the 1800's when they used to use them for bull baiting and the original APBT looks nothing like the one now today they used to look more like a tall muscular bulldog...number 3 i have been around more than 10 different pitbulls and not one has bit me/growled at me the only one that does that is mine and hes still a puppy and he only does it while were playing..so dont say anything if you dont know what your talking about

Answer 10

NO, it's because it's a pitbull. They're not friendly dogs. I know people say it's all about the owner, but there's got to be something to the breed here. I've known people who've been bitten by THEIR pitbull. Don't bite the hand that feeds you??? Mabye not...

There's a reason why they use these dogs for "pit" fighting. Pitbull is not just a catchy name. They're fighting dogs, people forget this. They were not bred to be friendly family pets.