my dog bit me?

Question

I have a 1 year old male, neutered pit bull. He has bad traits, he is aggressive and his littermates also were as a cpl. of my friends owned them and they also got rid of them. I love the dog, he is treated like family. He sleeps in bed with us, I but him specialty store expensive food. He always has rawhides and other chew toys, and we play with him. We have a 7 mo. old dughter, and another on the way. Today me & the baby were lieing on the bed, I was feeding her a bottle, the dog came up and stood over the baby, and I yelled get down. He must have jumped on the baby's leg or something when he jumped off, she started sceaming. So I went to put the dog in his cage, and he went in there willingly and bit me when I put my hand in there, left a tooth hole in my thumb, and tried snapping at me again. I bled, but it's not severe. I think I should have him put down, he bit me, he has snapped at my partner before, and I don;t want to risk him biting the babys. I am really sad. What to do?

I hear give him to a good home a lot, but I don't know anyone who would want him. And I wouldn't want to give him to anyone knowing he bit me and could possibly bite someone else & have it come back on me. It;s hard enough to find a dog a home, let alone a pit bull.

Answer 1

I can't believe the insanity i'm reading on here!!

First of all, I totally understand the situation you are in, and relate to the fact you want to keep your kids safe... but NO dog is born with bad traits or born aggressive. Certain breeds will have breed traits, but they only arise if you don't treat the dog in the correct way from being a puppy. Pit Bulls I don't have myself, but they are not born killers or intent on harming people. That is people's perceptions of them and the only pit bulls you will find that are truely aggressive have had this trait nurtured i.e bought as fighting dogs, guard dogs etc. You took this breed on but didn't understand how to keep these behaviours from developing.

Your dog's behaviour is not a result of his nature, genes etc but because of you. You say he has bad traits and is aggressive yet you let him sleep in your bed? You are not treating him like a dog yet expect him to behave as one?? Would you put down your child if they hit you?? treat your dog like a dog and he will behave like one.

You punished the dog for something when he didn't do anything wrong or was aware he had done anything wrong. he didn't deliberately get on the bed to harm you or your baby, he got on the bed because it's a place he is usually allowed to be. If you don't want the dog on the bed at certain times then you don't have him on there at all. I think if this dog has to be destroyed then that you should feel guilty because you failed him. A truly neurotic dog (the only ones that should be destroyed) will display far more severe aggression behaviour and in these few cases euthanasia is the only option. Your dog is just acting like a normal unbalanced dog because you haven't instilled rules and boundaries to begin with. Doesn't mean you haven't loved your dog, you just haven't understood what he required from you in the first place.

Check out Cesar Milan's website and do some reading up. Your dog needs rehabilitating but that requires time and effort, if you don't have those then take him to a rescue centre so he can find someone that is willing to take him on.

Answer 2

Here's your problem, you are treating your dog like family. You dog, is not a human, he's a dog. He needs to be treated like a dog. He needs boundries.

Second, has your dog ever been around babies before? If not, then he doesn't know what they are or may be curious. Because dogs play by face biting, this is why many children are bitten in the face.

Pit Bull are a WORKING breed. They need to be given a job and worked. If not, they become agressive and destructive. If you are not working your dog, this is why your dog is behaving this way.

It also sounds like your dog was never taught bite inhibition. This is where they learn to not bite hard.

You either need to consult a veterinary behaviorist (NOT a pet trainer at a Petsmart - a veterinary behaviorist as this involves aggression and should only be dealt with by a professional). You can find them at most universities and some have their own referral or consulting practices.

If you don't want to do to this, then I think you should consider euthanasia. Your dog is poorly socialized, lacks boundries, lacks bite inhibition, etc. It's these cases - people who get the breed, but don't understand the breed, that cause them to act like this and get a bad reputation.

Answer 3

Jindo's, like many other dogs, APBT/Staffordshire, Akitas, and mastiff's are very dominating dogs. Most will attempt to assert themselves as the Alpha Male, meaning the "Big Boss" in a sense. You don't want to just throw -ANY- dog into a situation where it's around a dog it's NOT familiar with. As any dog is likely to react in fear, and attack/defend it's self even if unnecessary. Training; no matter how old will ALWAYS help. The dog does not need to be put down unless Aggression towards HUMANS is a constant issue. IF the dog is getting loose and attacking strays/neighbors dogs, you need to keep your dog tethered in a legal manner. [some states no longer allow chains or like items.] IF you feel you cannot provide the dog the proper training, attention and care it needs to become an outstanding dog; then you should probably surrender it to someone who can, before putting it to sleep.

Answer 4

Wow what a major bummer:( I have a pit I adopted at 6 months after she had been used for training in dog fights-
She was also super aggressive especially with my other dogs-
I would actually sit in the crate with her and give her her own time with me til she felt secure in the household-

I would assume your dog, being a teenager, is trying to assert his alpha dog and the new baby getting all this attention is a threat- And if the whole litter is this way, they may be too inbread and have issues other than normal behavioral stuff.
You could try talking to an animal behavior specialist- many of the humane societies can refer you-
I know it's a heart breaker but I would not risk it- Trust your own instincts....If you feel the dog is volatile and may be a threat to the family, find him a home.

Answer 5

It sounds as though your dog has forgotten who is alpha and that could be a big problem since your babies wont know doggie language protocaol....It may help to take him down a peg on the family ladder, make him sleep in his crate and make sue to be firm with him. Another thing is sticking your hand in the crate, Most dogs think of it as their safe place, and when u stick your hand in htere it may be a "threat". I am not making excuses, and i dont know how u want to go. Another option is to try to straight dominate yout dog. Caution, this may invoke aggressive actions so I would do so in a isolated area-AT YOUR OWN RISK. U can do so when the dog acts aggrressive...U immediately get up and be physical witht the dog, and this will work on grown dogs it is just harder, try to scruff it, show some force, and put it down..as in a laying position under you belly up would be best but may not happen at first.....U are then above the dog in a dominating way.....now, if your dog lays or rolls willingly, but shows his teeth, this is ok, he is letting u know he is not dominant at that point, but wont stand much more force. Now if your dog straight up fights back, then u know u have a dominant problem and may take slower, more patient work such as just swiftlky approach the dog and attempt to hover over it, being above him proves u r "bigger"...its if you r all a pack, and he is trying to assert himself on the ladder, remind him where he is supposed to be. The above mentioned is an experimental behavior altering, however it has worked with dogs that r just starting to show signs of aggressiveness. Do not show fear or pull back, if u go in its for real, if he snaps and u pulled back, he will learn u r afraid....U can start with a muzzle, I have done so with animal aggressive dogs, they will still try to attack.which is the behavior with out injury, u then can discipline him safely, for u and the dog. This isnot permission to cause pain or abuse an animal, jsut positioning of body language, and some forceful contact.

Answer 6

A friend of mine owned a rottie who began to show signs of aggression. One day, just as she got the dogs chain latched, he lunged at her and gave her some fairly severe injuries to her face. First thing she did was call a friend to come get her and take her to the hospital, the second was to call animal control to come put the dog down. When they traced where the dog came from they found that there were a total of 5 to that litter. They tracked down the other 4 owners and found that 3 of those 4 had had to put the dog down due to similar incidents. The 4th owner was warned that it may occur for them as well. My friend knew she was very lucky to have gotten that chain latched when she did....

In your heart you know what to do. You must decide for yourself. Personally, if the dog is biting you must ask yourself whether you would want to pass the dog on to another person or what.....

Answer 7

Its really sad that the only thing to do seems to be putting it to sleep, this is a common thing among pit bulls so I'm not exactly surprised. I don't know if you should put it to sleep, but with a baby, you should for sure get rid of it, there is no reason you should be afraid for the safety of your child in your own home. Hope that helped.

Answer 8

I didn't see you mention if he was walked on a daily basis. walking your dog will rid him of his pent up energy - which is causing him to be frustrated - and help to establish you as his 'pack leader'
perhaps you should also check out Cesar Milan's "Dog Whisperer" show on National Geographic

but please do not euthanize your puppy. I'm sure a pit bull rescue group lives near your home and will take him off your hands if he is still too aggressive.

you just need to remember that pit bulls are a very strong and intelligent breed. they also have a very high pain threshold, so hitting them will not be effective. the good thing about the breed is that they are very agreeable when well-trained and are family-oriented, child-safe pets.

you need to make sure that you do not fear your puppy (he will be a puppy until he is at least 3 years old) and that you do not teach your child to fear dogs.

be authoritative and your dog should learn to respect you.

Answer 9

Wow that is really sad. It's hard to say what to do in this situation. I mean if the dog is aggresive and you know that... then maybe you should put him down?? Maybe you could give him to a shelter or see if there are any friends of yours that would want him first. That is dangerous though. You don't want the dog to hurt the kids...

Answer 10

Euthanasia would not be a wrong solution for this situation. Your dog has proven himself to be unreliable and aggressive - can you afford this to be directed towards your children? This dog is NOT suitable to be given to another home - not only would you be putting them in a dangerous position, but you would be legally vulnerable to be sued if he bit anyone in the new household. (Doesn't seem fair, but this is our legal system now a days!)