Hi. We just "rescued" a 6 month old pit bull who weighs in at 52 pounds. We are in the process of crate training (he loves his crate) and introducing him to our 2 adult cats (under the strictest of supervision). I feel we are very responsible and have done extensive reading. He is ALWAYS on the leash, he lives indoors except when playing in our backyard on a tie out while we are supervising and he wears his muzzle into petsmart and when walking downtown. But, he bites and bites... us, his leash, whatever. It's all in fun, but it hurts. Also, he LOVES to jump. Other than that, he is usually pretty calm and super sweet. We have signed up for Petsmart obedience classes because he really needs to be somewhat socialized around other dogs. He loves to bark at them, but when he is confronted, say with the neighbor's super sweet Rott, he just jumps and wags his tail and wants to play. I guess my question is, is Petsmart the right place to go and is this biting behavior just play? We are his 4th home from what we understand and we want to make it his last. But we also live in a town with BSL and we have gone through a lot to make him "legal" i.e. he is a AmStaff mix.

Thanks:rolleyes:

Thank you for giving this dog a chance at a good life. Dogs need boundaries and want a good solid leader to follow. You are doing everything right with your dog with your concern and willingness to work with him. That really is the key to creating a mentally stable and obedient dog. If you have done your research, you know that the only difference between pits and other dogs is their dog-on-dog aggression as they mature. It can be a tough road but if you are willing to put in the time as you seem to be, it is possible to control the aggression through proper training. Although we have the most success when obedience training begins as early as possible, at six months it is not impossible. I did it with my rescued pit.

With pitbulls, socialize, socialize, socialize, as much as possible with all different sized dogs, cats, and people. Right now your 6 month old is sweet and playful. When they mature, if they haven't been socialized enough and immediately corrected for any aggressive behavior, it becomes extremely problematic, to say the least. Those are the dogs you hear about in the media attacking people. Even after all the constant training, please be aware there might be some breeds of dogs that he will show aggression toward as he ages. Usually they are dogs that appear to be in "alert" mode. Meaning, your dog is interpreting their stance or reaction to him as a threat to him in some way. I explain that and more in another post here. I am going to give you links to two posts I have made on this forum for you to read so that you are provided with as much information as possible. They appear at the bottom of my response to you here. Please click on them. Due to the dog-on-dog aggression that can occur, you just have to always keep that in mind and keep him on a short lead when you are in public and be very aware of all animals and people that are around you. Do not let your attention be distracted in any way. You need to focus on your dog and watch his reactions closely.

I know Petsmart offers classes but I have never used them so I can't tell you how worthwhile they are. BUT, any obedience class is better than none, and they might know of people who have experience working with pitbulls. Ask your vet, friends, neighbors, shelter groups, if they can recommend trainers. Definitely take the classes at Petsmart, I am sure they are fine, but be aware that if you encounter problems they cannot help you with, you need to keep looking for answers from other trainers, and the best way to overcome those problems is through specialized one-on-one training.

Right now, the biggest problem you seem to be having is the biting. He is still a puppy and doesn't understand that it is unacceptable behavior. You are right in questioning it because you do need to get a handle on this. He is already a big boy at 6 months and nobody is going to forgive a biting adult dog. They probably don't forgive it now at the size he is at. Whenever he bites, no matter how hard or light, you need to pull away from him immediately and yell "OUCH", in a voice that sounds as much as possible like a dog yelping when hurt, then turn your back on him and ignore him. He will immediately understand that he has hurt you and will try to "apologize" doggy style. If he is typical of a pit, he will start licking you. When he does that, then give him attention and praise. Continue the "rewarding" by give him a tough toy to chew on. If he doesn't react as I have described, then continue to ignore him and don't interact with him. If he jumps on you, turn away from him, and ignore him, not allowing him to touch you in any way. He needs to make the connection that he will get attention when he does something that you consider good behavior. If he starts chewing on something that he shouldn't, take that thing away and give him a tough toy that he can't pull into pieces such as a tug rope or a Kong toy (you can find the Kongs for tough chewers in any pet store). You need to redirect the bad/negative behavior. If he shows aggression, you need to direct him into the down position (lie down) and block his view with your body, of the thing that is triggering the aggression. Force him to focus only on you.

Here are the links I was talking about. Please read through them thoroughly to make sure that you have seen all the information I provide. Please post back with additional questions if I haven't been clear enough or if you are encountering problems with the directions I have given you. Be specific about the issues and describe exactly what has happened. I will do my best to give you the proper guidance.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/pit-bull-pup-training-117466.html

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/aggressive-pit-116511.html

The answer I wrote last night seems to have gotten lost. I said much the same as RubbyPitbull. Let me emphasize the need for consistency and persistence in correcting the biting and jumping. The gentle methods of yelping when bit and stepping back and turning away work as well or better than the older, harsher methods. In both cases, you are using the powerful technique of denying your attention. It is very important that something negative happens every time the dog bites or jumps. If you sometimes pet it, you are using another powerful tool, intermittent reinforcement, to train it to bite and jump. Don't forget the petting and praise when it quits biting or stays down.

Yes, try the Petsmart class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands a treat. Whether it seems to be a good class, you may want to look at some of the books in the list at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/information-articles-our-dogs-expert-labman-53153.html#post251804 Not all of those are the basic book you need.