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alphadog · Mar 11, 2007, 11:29 AM

I have a 5 year old pittbull, who is very obedient and loves my two year old son. The problem is he's so hyper I'm afraid hell hurt him by accident by jumping around so much. What can I do to get him to calm down and not be so crazy?:)

RubyPitbull · Mar 11, 2007, 11:46 AM

Pitbulls need A LOT of exercise. You need to get all that excess energy out of him to tire him out. It is the only way to calm any large high energy dog outside of the unnecessary and cruel measure of sedation. You need to take him for long walks and a lot of running around. If you cannot do this, you must make sure that you never leave your dog unattended around any child small enough to get knocked down.

labman · Mar 11, 2007, 11:53 AM

I am afraid much of that is breeding and early socialization. There are those that see a 3 hour walk every day as the cure for anything. I doubt you have time for that, but more exercise could help. Dogs also key in on your behavior and emotions. One of the best ways to calm a dog is to be calm yourself.

For some great advice about dogs and children, go to Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position and click on the link to children.

grammadidi · Mar 11, 2007, 12:13 PM

Set firm guidelines where and when the dog is allowed to play. Take control now! Never leave your child alone with the dog. As RubyPitbull says... these dogs need a LOT of exercise. Of course, there are the usual ways... throwing a ball, walks, swimming, playing with another dog, frisbees and I would highly recommend Super Dog training! It is a great way to have fun with your high energy dog, you meet lots of great people and your dog will get exercise plus while having a ball... no pun intended. :)

Good luck!

Didi

Jessyfay · Mar 13, 2007, 07:39 PM

Pitt bulls are dogs with unique aniamal instincts and they will act on those instincts, just like any other aniamal so I would never have a pitt bull and a toddler together and if you do never, not even if your just going to the bathroom leave them alone. Your toddler may grab his toy which is beside you sleeping dog and accendently grab his back foot, your dog will act out on this as a threat and snap , or bite your child. Your dog will always see your child as the submissive. And when pittbulls grow old there brains swell and put pressure on there skulls which causes irratiblility and makes them mean.

Parajr · Mar 13, 2007, 07:50 PM

Don't trust your child around an animal. It is simply not worth it.

Parajr · Mar 13, 2007, 07:52 PM

There was a situation in our home town where a father walked a friend out of the house came back in five mine later and the pit bull had mauled the newborn to death. The father was charged in the crime.

RubyPitbull · Mar 14, 2007, 02:27 AM

Jessyfay & Parajr, first off, let me state that the poster was responded to by three people with quite a great deal of dog experience between them, and her question was answered.

Secondly, it is apparent to me that neither of you have any experience with pitbulls. Parajr, you are right about not leaving a small child alone with any animals. However, the story you are relating, is one of many for most dogs that are not trained properly. The only reason we hear more about pitbulls than others is that they are the "flavor of the month" with the media. Years ago, it used to be German Shepherds, then Dobermans, then Rottweilers. Now, it is the Pitbull. The major difference between pitbulls and other breeds is their hinged jaw. Can they do extensive damage and kill? Yes, of course. So can other breeds without that type of jaw. The problem lies with the breeders and owners. If you have an untrained, poorly trained, unsocialized, or inbred dog, you are going to have a problem dog. Period. Doesn't matter what breed it is. I have worked with vets and behaviorists who have told me that they have more aggression and biting reports with poorly bred Labs and Golden Retrievers than with pitbulls. The problem with pitbulls is a direct result of a human problem, not a breed problem. I could go on and on but the bottom line is, NO adult dog or cat for that matter, should be left unattended with young children.

Jessfay, that whole thing you wrote regarding a child grabbing a toy, pulling on the dog, and seeing the child as "submissive" (I think you mean subordinate) is correct with ANY dog. Regarding your blanket brain swelling statement, that is the kind of misinformation and utter nonsense that someone without knowledge of the breed spews. Unless you can reference a published report by a well known and respected handler of the breed, you do not have a right to state something so completely irresponsible.

FYI, I am an older woman who was formerly scared to death of this breed, along with the other breeds I listed as being "problem breeds." My fear was a direct result of the media reports. Through my good fortune, I have worked with these dogs a great deal. In the right hands, and with the right training, they make wonderful pets, companions, and working dogs. In the wrong hands, they are a deadly weapon. A chihuahua may not be able to kill a person, but I have seen how humans can make such a small little dog into an absolute terror, who will attack when unprovoked. I have seen one do some pretty nasty damage to a small child. So, in the future, if you are compelled to answer questions, please choose your words carefully.
Distributing misinformation is not the purpose of this web site.

Jessyfay · Mar 14, 2007, 05:29 PM

A woman had her three children taken away from her when her dogs attacked and killed her 3 year old son, the mom was sleeping and the little boy went to go watch TV in the early morning, when the siblings reached him he had over 300 bites in him and dead, NEVER leave a child alone with a dog. And as for the brain swelling in the pitt bull breed, it happans with the irrisponcible ways people breed thease animals for quick bucks. And is a proven fact! Pitt bulls tend to get very aggressive in the old age. And any mother who has one around a small child is an unfit mother in my eyes

Jessyfay · Mar 14, 2007, 05:30 PM

You only are blinded by the love of this type of dog to realize the facts, and that is why your user name has pittbull in it

Jessyfay · Mar 14, 2007, 05:40 PM

As per PETA's spring issue of Animal times, as for the horrible increase numbers of irresponcible breeders with pitbulls and more and more of thease dogs being used as status symbols and for underground fights, banning this breed is not how to correct this problem, BUT, banning breeding of this breed is the right thing to do.

grammadidi · Mar 14, 2007, 09:03 PM

Jessyfay: The purpose of this posting was to answer the dog owner's question of what she could do to get her happy, hyper dog to calm down while around her two year old child. It was NOT to discuss whether the breed should be banned. I would suggest that you take that issue to our Issues and Causes board if you want to address it.

As for the woman who's child was attacked by the pitbull, it was a very unfortunate accident, brought on by ignorance. Again, I will reiterate RubyPitbull's earlier post where she stated: "If you have an untrained, poorly trained, unsocialized, or inbred dog, you are going to have a problem dog. Period."

I also take offence to your posting that we are only blinded by the love of these dogs. I am blinded by the ignorance of people who blame a breed of dog instead of the acts of people who breed indiscriminately, fail to train appropriately, those who fail to do their homework and purchase a dog from a back-street breeder or puppy mill pet store, and those who fail to realize that all dogs ARE animals and, as such can and will react like animals.

I have worked with veterinarians almost all of my life. I have owned a CKC registered kennel breeding Silky Terriers and German Shorthaired Pointers. I worked with the Ontario Humane Society for many years. I am a foster mom for a dog rescue. I own two dogs - one weighs 125 lbs, and the other 65 lbs. I have done volunteer work with Therapy Dogs through St. John's Ambulance. I have taught dog obedience for many, many years. I have my favourite breeds, and the pitbull doesn't happen to be one of them. However, I would FAR rather work with and own a pitbull than many other breeds that are out there. I can also honestly say that all of the breeds that I am not particularly fond of are horribly inbred by people who don't know a darn thing about breeding dogs to bettering the breed, or those who do not take the time to train their dog appropriately. I personally have seen far more other breeds of dogs been put to sleep due to a violent or aggressive act than I have pitbulls.

At any rate, as stated earlier, this particular board really isn't the forum for such a debate, so please feel free to address it further on the Issues and Cause's board and limit the discussion here to how to answer this person's question.

Many thanks,

Didi

labman · Mar 14, 2007, 09:07 PM

The AVMA opposes breed specific laws. I trust them more than PETA.

grammadidi · Mar 14, 2007, 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by labman

The AVMA opposes breed specific laws. I trust them more than PETA.

The AVMA is a lot less controversial, too!

Didi

chuff · Mar 16, 2007, 03:05 PM

I'm not a dog expert but who honestly believes anything PETA says? They are a political organization with an agenda and as an organization they are not even consistent with there own stated beliefs and goals, as they themselves kill animals.

I'm not a pitbull expert but I have a friend who owns one and has 3 children all 8 years old an under. That particular dog is in a good family environment and is taken care of. I'm only speaking from experience but I think actually treating your dog with respect and not beating it or training it to attack people is what makes most dogs of any breed a "good dog."

You do hear about pitbulls on the news and some cases they appeared to have snapped but many times you also find out they were being breed specifically to attack and hurt other animals. Many times they are used as "bait" dogs. Well if you beat a smaller animal for 3 years and suddenly one day he "snaps" and kills a human baby or small child, I'm kind of left wondering, what did you think was going to happen?

Sorry I know that doesn't really help the OP but this thread caught my attention so I just thought I'd say my piece.

AKaeTrue · Mar 18, 2007, 02:06 AM

alphadog,

I have a 115 lb Rottweiler and I have 2 small children.
Our dog has been cherished, loved, hugged, kissed, and well socialized with stranger people and animals.

She has been trained very well with manners - her sweetness she offers happily and willingly;)...

My dog caught on very quickly and remembers her good manners even when I don't - LOL...

Using these simple commands: Come, Sit, Stay, Stop, Back, Wait, Easy, Slow, No, and OK, along with the hand gestures that go along with them worked wonders for me while training.

She has all her manners down pat with using those commands...
Your dog can too, but you'll need to teach the meaning of the words before you start telling your dog to do them, otherwise, they will have no meaning.
If your dog knows what the word means, you can apply the word to many different situations...

For instance, my dog is not allowed to go up and down the stairs when someone's on them, she has to Wait... (I did this for my children so she wouldn't knock them down the stairs)
I don't have to tell her to Wait anymore, she just does...
She, on her own will, will not step foot on the stairs when someone else is on them...
I started teaching her Wait by placing a treat in front on her nose and told her Wait while she was laying down.
Every time she went to eat the treat, I block the treat with my hand and said No / wait / wait. Then I'd say "Wait" again and remove my hand.
We repeated this process until she no longer went to eat the treat.
Then I'd say OK giving her the OK to eat the treat. (she already knew NO and OK)
From there, we worked our way up to bigger Wait tasks.

Back, is a good one I used for when we'd come home and she was excited to see us.
As soon as we came in the front door, I would tell her Back, Back...
Then I would tell her Stop so that she'd calm down,
Then I'd tell her Easy and only say hello to her after she did what I asked her to do.

Now, she automatically backs up (she's excited to see us, but she's too far away to knock us over)
Then she immediately calms down because she know that's what she has to do in order to get a hello.

I no longer have to tell her or remind her to use her good manners.

I'm not the best to describe the techniques used in the training method, but this site has some good sticky notes on training.
Or, you could consult a dog trainer in your area.

sleeper · Mar 28, 2007, 06:15 PM

Well about that hinged jaw saying is bull... (some) are just very strong the breed is nothing like it was back in the day most are just ed up mastiff mix's to make them big and if you have a pitbull from puppy hood with a young kid lets just say you don't need anything else to protect your house or kid's they will do no harm to the family with love and exercise... also for people that fight these loveing kind dogs should do life in prison so they can fight to the death !! If you like fighting go fight yourself or are you a p!!

sleeper · Mar 28, 2007, 06:56 PM

??

sleeper · Mar 28, 2007, 07:08 PM

And to answer your Q walk your dog a lot and that should do it, don't just let it run free all the time WALK IT!. and I'm sure this post is a year old lol...