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katkat05 · Aug 4, 2007, 02:20 PM

Help!
First let me tell you I've had dogs all of my life. Beagles, poodles, Doberman, Dachshund, a couple shepherds, and coon hounds, so I am no stranger to dogs. My oldest daughter has an American Bulldog and a pit Terrier that is sweet as pie. Now onto my question.

I am babysitting my sons pitbull. It is 20 weeks old. It is beautiful and very friendly. It played well with my doberman (2 years old and gets along with all dogs that are nice to her) until my doberman had the raw hide, then it attacked her. Needless to say my dobie put her in her place because of the age and size difference. My dobe could have hurt bad but didn't, just made her yelp to be good. This happened twice. Then today when they were eating the pit attacked my dog again, and once again my dobe knocked her down. I got the dogs calmed down and feeding separately so I could check out what was going on. I kept my hand near the pit to see how she'd react. I took the food away from her and pushed her face away from the food several times to see if she'd get aggressive with me. She did not, but when I put my dobe back over there to see what would happen and right away the pit froze, I knew she'd do something, then she started to growl and I jerked her back and hollered NO.
Right after that I took her out for a walk and stopped by a neighbors house and the dog started growling at the woman. Her hackles was raised and she wouldn't calm down no matter how I corrected her, then after a few mintues she started wanting to lick the lady... bi polar maybe?. Seriously though, this is a 4 & 1/2 month old pup! I am starting to be worried about this dog as an adult around my grandchildren.

Thoughts, ideas?

Thanks, Kat

RubyPitbull · Aug 4, 2007, 03:08 PM

Katkat, you should be worried. Your son is not doing his job. You may have a tough uphill battle with him on this. God bless you for being so level headed here.

Pitbulls need a great deal of hands on training, and firm redirection. From the start, your son should have been putting his hands into the dogs food bowl, taking away bones or rawhides, and then giving them back. As a side note, I never recommend bones or rawhides for any dog. Especially pitbulls. They have a tendency to bite off and swallow large chunks. Rawhides don't break down in the stomach like dog food does. Those large chunks can get passed into the intestines, get stuck and the dog will die if emergency surgery isn't performed. So, if you can, please talk to your son about not giving his dog any. In any event, the fight over your dog's rawhide and the food, is what is called "guarding" behavior. One thing you need to be aware of is that his pitbull is used to being the only dog in the home. Apparently, she has a dominance issue. She has been allowed to be the Alpha in the household. Not good for this breed. Not good at all. She is not recognizing that your dog is the higher ranking dog in your home. For now, I would suggest that you feed your dog first, put the pitbull in another room or better yet, put her leash on her in the house and make her do a sit & stay at a distance, watching as your dog eats. Then, after your dog is done, feed the pit. Hide the rawhides until her visit is over.

There should absolutely be no aggression of any kind toward people. You son has not been socializing her properly. She needs to be out and about, in constant training, interacting with all people and animals. The moment she exhibits any aggressive behavior, it needs to be corrected. I would urge you to call your vets office and find out if they know of any trainers that have experience with pitbulls. You need to get your son to understand that if he does not do this, that dog is an accident waiting to happen. She is young enough where these issues can still be worked through. My rescue pit was older than you son's dog when I adopted her. She is wonderful with adults, children and most dogs. But, this breed is not a dog that you leave alone with small children. If your vet doesn't have any names, call your local humane society or ASPCA for some recommendations, or stop by a local pet store and find out if they have the names of any good trainers. Find someone who comes highly recommended and get your son to start putting in the time. These are great dogs, very loving and a lot of personality, but an owner needs to be firm, use positive reinforcement training techniques and set the boundaries early on.

Please also click on this link and read what I have written to another poster earlier today regarding pitbulls: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/d...on-116429.html

katkat05 · Aug 4, 2007, 03:30 PM

Thanks so much for your input. The thing is this, the dog is taken care of primarily by the girlfriend because my son is away a lot. In my opinion they should get a cat instead of a dog. Dogs require work and I doubt neither one is up to it, nor do they have the experience or time.
I wondered if the pit was too old already to be corrected. I plan on talking to them about this because I think it is a serious issue.
I do have another question about pits if you don't mind.
My daughter and hubby have a pit terrier, as I said earlier, its sweet as pie, but that dog looks different from this one. This one looks bigger, the head is shaped a little different but not the pointed face like the staffordshire. Is there another type of pit? I'm just a bit confused on this.
Thanks again for your reply.
Kat

RubyPitbull · Aug 4, 2007, 03:41 PM

Kat, first, I think you are right about the situation in your son's home. If they don't have the time to put in, they need to rehouse her as soon as possible. My rescue was between 5 to 6 months old when I adopted her. She had very little training prior to that. It was a challenge, but she turned out not to be inbred (for which I am very thankful!), and I was able to work through her issues. If you looked at that link I gave you, she still has issues with certain large breed dogs. That is a genetic trait that is found in pits. Can't extinguish the behavior completely. You just need to be an observant and responsible owner.

Regarding the look of the dog, pitbulls come in all shapes, colors, & sizes. The variety nowadays is pretty astounding. The original bloodlines have been watered down over the years. Mixes of other breeds are still considered pits. Both my stepmother & stepbrother have pits. All three of our dogs look different. Both the American Pitbull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier are considered the same breed. Pitbull. If you are interested in doing a little reading, here is one website I like to use for breed info:

American Pit Bull Terrier, Pit Bulls, Pitbulls
American Staffordshire Terrier Information and Pictures

You can also do a search on the internet for Pitbull pictures.

bushg · Aug 4, 2007, 04:51 PM

Katkat05 before you suggest they get a cat. Does the dog have a high prey drive? Does it chase squirrels, or other small fury animals, if so then that may not be good choice either. Also are they planning on spaying her? I'm not sure if she is at the age where she may be trying to establish her Alpha position, but spaying her would help take care of the hormone issues, besides the many preventive health benefits . That is another thing to bring up to them. Good Luck and your son is lucky to have you looking out for him.

katkat05 · Aug 5, 2007, 03:32 AM

Originally Posted by bushg

Katkat05 before you suggest they get a cat. Does the dog have a high prey drive? does it chase squirrels, or other small fury animals, if so then that may not be good choice either. Also are they planning on spaying her? I'm not sure if she is at the age where she may be trying to establish her Alpha position, but spaying her would help take care of the hormone issues, besides the many preventive health benefits . That is another thing to bring up to them. Good Luck and your son is lucky to have you looking out for him.

Oh I am sorry,, I meant they would be better off with a cat, instead of the/a dog. People who can't find the time to train dogs, should not own dogs in my opinion.

natetheskate · Aug 5, 2007, 03:44 AM

Dogs don't forget, it would be best to never allow your dobe and your sons dog to be in each others company. I envy your son, who has a mother who readily participates in the family unit. If it were me I would explain to my son, that your are more than willing to assist him however you can as I am sure he is aware. That he should not take offense, as he will be apt to do, as I am sure he sees his pooch as extension of himself, and that his dog is now a threat to society. That he is liable, and the best thing for him to do is keep his dog secured at all times.

labman · Aug 6, 2007, 05:59 PM

I think this is an area to heed RubyPittbull's advice. Correcting early poor socialization is already becoming difficult at 20 weeks. Some vets are spaying dogs as early as 4 months, may be a good idea for this one.

RubyPitbull · Aug 7, 2007, 02:58 AM

You are right labman. I neglected to mention the spay. Katkat, since she does have an aggression problem, it is important to do whatever you can to talk your son into having her spayed. This is a dog that should not be bred and if it can be done before her first heat cycle (around 6 months), all the better. Spaying doesn't always temper the aggression, but it is another measure that frequently does.

PenguinIncognito · Aug 7, 2007, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by katkat05

Help!
First let me tell you I've had dogs all of my life. Beagles, poodles, Doberman, Dachshund, a couple shepherds, and coon hounds, so I am no stranger to dogs. My oldest daughter has an American Bulldog and a pit Terrier that is sweet as pie. Now onto my question.

I am babysitting my sons pitbull. It is 20 weeks old. It is beautiful and very friendly. It played well with my doberman (2 years old and gets along with all dogs that are nice to her) until my doberman had the raw hide, then it attacked her. Needless to say my dobie put her in her place because of the age and size difference. My dobe could have hurt bad but didn't, just made her yelp to be good. This happened twice. Then today when they was eating the pit attacked my dog again, and once again my dobe knocked her down. I got the dogs calmed down and feeding separately so I could check out what was going on. I kept my hand near the pit to see how she'd react. I took the food away from her and pushed her face away from the food several times to see if she'd get aggressive with me. She did not, but when I put my dobe back over there to see what would happen and right away the pit froze, I knew she'd do something, then she started to growl and I jerked her back and hollered NO.
Right after that I took her out for a walk and stopped by a neighbors house and the dog started growling at the woman. Her hackles was raised and she wouldn't calm down no matter how I corrected her, then after a few mintues she started wanting to lick the lady....bi polar maybe? .......Seriously though, this is a 4 & 1/2 month old pup! I am starting to be worried about this dog as an adult around my grandchildren.

thoughts, ideas?

thanks, Kat

Pit bulls are different from other dog breeds. They are naturally dog aggressive and should never be given treats or food with other dogs present. However, pits are actually bred to be non-human aggressive. The "killer" pits everyone is so worried about are often treated poorly or the attack was provoked. The problem with pit is that even though they are actually far less likely to attack people than most other dog breeds, they have so much strength behind their bites that the results are usually extremely severe or deadly. A pitbull has 1500 pounds of pressure behind their bite, that is 3 times as much as a german sheperd. Also, if they detect genuine aggression from another dog, they will fight until they die or until the other dog dies. This actually goes for anything that is seen as a threat to the dogs family as well. They are extremely loyal and usually excellent with kids. When it comes to children, dogs of any breed or size should never be left alone with kids. In order for a pit to be social with other dogs, they must be socialized from a very early age. You said the puppy is 20 weeks old? If the puppy hasn't already been socialized with different types of dogs, it may be too late to make them completely "okay" around dogs they have not previously met on neutral territory. The crucial socialization age is 6-12 weeks. I do not advise taking an unsocialized pit bull out on walks if they will encounter other dogs. If you do, have them on a harness for added control, bring a muzzle with you at all times, and a breaking stick (solid long object to pry dogs apart:baseball bat, crowbar, tireiron, etc.). This may sound daunting, but I assure it is what any responsible pitbull owner should do. I, myself, own a 1 1/2 year old female pitbull. She is an amazing dog with a very distinctive personality. She is sweet, smart, loyal, and very protective. Sometimes it is hard for me to remember how strong she can be and how I need to always be on guard if I have her out in public. I personally don't take her around lots of people and dogs because of her dog aggressiveness. Even though I did socialize her from a very early age, she is still aggressive towards dogs she hasn't previously met. I have worked at a pet store for 5 years, my best friend is a dog trainer, I am currently going to school for an animal care/behavior degree, so I do have reliable information. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

katkat05 · Aug 8, 2007, 05:47 AM

You sound like a responsible pit owner. I wished these two were. They have no clue. I am planning on going over and sitting down to have a good talk with them next week.

The dog had not seen my dobe since it was about 6 weeks old but got along great with her until something triggered her anger. Food and over tiredness I think.

I was checking her for food aggression toward me or a human hand and she did growl at me once. I made her sit back and watch Darby eat. Lol it was so cute the way she just laid there looking sad. She is so pretty and sweet most of the time, but then when she shows that aggression it worries me.

My granddaughter got bit in the face by a pit because he knocked dog food out of his bowl and being a five year old she ran to scoop up the food and put it back in the bowl. The dog bite her right through the lip. Thank God it didn't do more damage. That was her moms new husbands dog and he put the dog down after that.

Worrying~

RubyPitbull · Aug 8, 2007, 09:05 AM

PenguinIncognito, although most of what you have written here I agree with, there are some "facts" that you have written here that need to be either corrected or explained in more detail.

Originally Posted by PenguinIncognito

Pit bulls should never be given treats or food with other dogs present.

This is a blanket statement that is not correct. If a pitbull is not inbred, and it is trained correctly, there should absolutely be no food aggression whatsoever. The suggestion I gave to Kat is just one of the correction tools I use. I didn't get into the additional ones to extinguish this behavior in the pit she is babysitting because her family is not committed to training their dog.

Originally Posted by PenguinIncognito

A pitbull has 1500 pounds of pressure behind their bite, that is 3 times as much as a german sheperd. Also, if they detect genuine aggression from another dog, they will fight until they die or until the other dog dies.

The jaw pressure is true of the pitbull that is bred and trained for fighting. The 1500 pounds of pressure is achieved through specific and constant training that has built up the jaw muscles. Either through the use of spring pole, flirt pole training, or a homemade device that will force a dog to hold on to something with their legs hanging off/above the ground. In addition, not all fighting pits will fight until they die or another dog dies. If that were true, then you wouldn't read or hear about all the horror stories regarding how the fighting dog that loses is executed in many cruel ways (or just dumped on a street corner), such as in the current Michael Vicks case, only to cite one example. If you do a walk through in a shelter or rescue in which adult pits are housed, you will see many, many of these dogs alive and living with all forms of battle scars.

Originally Posted by PenguinIncognito

I do not advise taking an unsocialized pit bull out on walks if they will encounter other dogs. If you do, have them on a harness for added controll, bring a muzzle with you at all times, and a breaking stick (solid long object to pry dogs apart:baseball bat, crowbar, tireiron, etc.). This may sound daunting, but I assure it is what any responsible pitbull owner should do.

Penguin, if a person needs to muzzle ANY dog and carry a break stick with them to walk outside in public, that dog needs to be euthanized. A dog like that is an accident waiting to happen and a truly responsible owner will not keep a dog like that for a pet.

Originally Posted by PenguinIncognito

I, myself, own a 1 1/2 year old female pitbull. She is an amazing dog with a very distinctive personality. She is sweet, smart, loyal, and very protective. Sometimes it is hard for me to remember how strong she can be and how I need to always be on guard if I have her out in public. I personally don't take her around lots of people and dogs because of her dog aggressiveness. Even though I did socialize her from a very early age, she is still aggressive towards dogs she hasn't previously met. I have worked at a pet store for 5 years, my best friend is a dog trainer, I am currently going to school for an animal care/behavior degree, so I do have reliable information.

Either your dog was inbred or there was an error made in her early training socializing as a puppy if you cannot "take her around lots of people and dogs because of her dog aggressiveness." That is a serious problem. Your dog has not matured yet. Pits mature between 2-5 years of age. If you are having issues now with aggression, believe me, they will get worse when she matures if you don't put a stop to it now. You need to continue with her socialization training, redirect the negative behavior. If you want to start a thread describing the specific set up and reaction, I will do my best to help you with that.

Honey, owning a 1 1/2 year pit, working in a pet store, having a best friend who is a dog trainer and currently going to school for animal care/behavior degree, are all wonderful things and I believe that you will become a well known name in your area for dog issues if you keep sticking to it. But, right now, it doesn't necessarily mean that you know everything there is to know about Pitbulls or their training, and it is important that we don't spread misinformation on this forum. I do not list my qualifications on my profile because I am a private person, but I have been doing rescue work, fostering and retraining/rehabbing dogs for quite a number of years. I have many friends that are trainers. They are wonderful people but that doesn't mean they know everything about dogs either, or that we agree on training techniques. Pitbulls have become my specialty. I have a 5 year old pit rescue who was between 5-6 months old when I adopted her. The only thing that girl knew how to do was sit. Other than that, she was a crazy legged, out of control dog, biting nutjob. She was way past what is considered the normal age for a puppy with many issues, and was considered a "bad dog." Through diligency, constant training, redirection, changing methods & techniques until I found the right one that she was responsive to, I have a dog that is not guarding of ANYTHING. By guarding, I mean that she can eat, drink, & play side by side with any dog or person, without worry about growling, biting, attacking. There is no reaction at all except for total acceptance of the other dog or person in her area. Unlike yours, she is not aggressive toward all new dogs that come her way and has never shown any aggression toward people/children. Like most pits, depending on the other dog, she cannot handle more than two or three other larger breed dogs at one time. The only real difference between pitbulls and other breeds--which is the dog-on-dog aggression, otherwise they are like any other dog. With the aggression problem, there are certain breeds that appear to be in "alert mode" or if a dog shows any type of dominant behavior toward her, that will trigger aggression, but she has not bitten or attacked another dog. She is excellent with puppies and all small dogs. No aggression at all. She is wonderful with all people, as she should be. Every situation we are in is a new training opportunity. She is currently in training to be a Pet Therapy dog. This breed, due to their love of people, make great pet therapy and search & rescue dogs.

If your dog does become aggressive with new dogs, check on how that other dog's stance is, or if that other dog is exhibiting dominant behavior. Notice if it is a dog that appears to be in "alert" mode, which is any dog that has upright ears, such as a German Shephard for example. That can appear to your dog as confrontational behavior. Notice if the new dog is staring her straight in the eye whether sitting or standing, or simply walking toward her face, or tail is sticking straight out or up, or if any hair is standing straight up. Those are subtle signals that your dog is picking up on and considers a dominant behavior by another dog and is challenging her. Barking, whining, low growl, straining against the owner's leash to get to your dog, are the more obvious dominant behaviors.

I don't know how much you have read or worked with pit trainers but it appears you are serious in your work and there are a few books out there written specifically for the working pit. Diane Jessup is considered one of the leaders of understanding and training working pits. Although I don't agree with everything she does (I refuse to use the spring/flirt pole to exercise a pit), she is quite knowledgeable of the breed. There are a couple of other pit experts that I have referred to for direction in the past. If you are interested, I will be happy to give you the info.

One thing that is important to remember with ANY breed is, sometimes certain tried and true methods that have worked well in training most dogs, does not work with every dog. There are a lot of different training methods out there, both positive and negative. I have worked with a lot of different trainers. Some excellent, some useful for a specific problem, some just not very good. When you have a bad behavior that you want to extinguish, it may take working with a number of different methods before you find the right one that your dog will respond to. So, speak and work with as many trainers as you can. It will give you a more rounded background, a larger bag of tricks to work with, and will aid you in attaining the goals that you are working toward.

RubyPitbull · Aug 8, 2007, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by katkat05

The dog had not seen my dobe since it was about 6 weeks old but got along great with her until something triggered her anger. Food and over tiredness I think.

I was checking her for food aggression toward me or a human hand and she did growl at me once. I made her sit back and watch Darby eat. lol it was so cute the way she just layed there looking sad. She is so pretty and sweet most of the time, but then when she shows that aggression it worries me.

My granddaughter got bit in the face by a pit because he knocked dog food out of his bowl and being a five year old she ran to scoop up the food and put it back in the bowl. The dog bite her right through the lip. Thank God it didn't do more damage. That was her moms new husbands dog and he put the dog down after that.

worrying~

The reason she has shown the guarding and aggressive behavior is completely because she is not being trained or socialized properly.

Katkat, I know you are worried. I definitely understand your concern, especially after reading about that incident with your granddaughter. If that incident didn't knock any sense into your son regarding the dog & training, I don't know what will. Possibly your grandaughter's stepfather? He did the responsible thing putting that dog down, and I can guarantee you that it was one of the hardest things he has ever had to do. He is a good stepfather. He, above anyone else, might be the best person to calmly explain to your son that he is setting his dog up for failure and the pup needs to be given the chance for the proper start in life. That would be to give it up to a rescue or a person familiar with the breed who understands the importance of proper training and is dedicated to it.

bfinstad · Aug 10, 2007, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by katkat05

Help!
First let me tell you I've had dogs all of my life. Beagles, poodles, Doberman, Dachshund, a couple shepherds, and coon hounds, so I am no stranger to dogs. My oldest daughter has an American Bulldog and a pit Terrier that is sweet as pie. Now onto my question.

I am babysitting my sons pitbull. It is 20 weeks old. It is beautiful and very friendly. It played well with my doberman (2 years old and gets along with all dogs that are nice to her) until my doberman had the raw hide, then it attacked her. Needless to say my dobie put her in her place because of the age and size difference. My dobe could have hurt bad but didn't, just made her yelp to be good. This happened twice. Then today when they was eating the pit attacked my dog again, and once again my dobe knocked her down. I got the dogs calmed down and feeding separately so I could check out what was going on. I kept my hand near the pit to see how she'd react. I took the food away from her and pushed her face away from the food several times to see if she'd get aggressive with me. She did not, but when I put my dobe back over there to see what would happen and right away the pit froze, I knew she'd do something, then she started to growl and I jerked her back and hollered NO.
Right after that I took her out for a walk and stopped by a neighbors house and the dog started growling at the woman. Her hackles was raised and she wouldn't calm down no matter how I corrected her, then after a few mintues she started wanting to lick the lady....bi polar maybe? .......Seriously though, this is a 4 & 1/2 month old pup! I am starting to be worried about this dog as an adult around my grandchildren.

thoughts, ideas?

thanks, Kat

RubyPitbull definitely knows his stuff. Go with what he said. As for the dog being aggressive around the dobe, let the dobe do his job. That is what dogs do. The older dog will show the pup how he is supposed to act. Do keep an eye on them though so it doesn't get out of hand especially since the puppy is getting older. Kepp doing what you were doing and correct him for even the slightest bit of aggression. I like to tell people about the Dog whisperer on discovery because he knows everything about dogs and owns about 12 pitbulls. If you do decide o get rid of the dog, please give it to a rescue or someone that knows about pitbulls and won't fight her. You have to be careful when it comes to this breed. The pound probably won't find her a home as fast and may end up putting her down, a rescue will find her a foster home where she will be happy until she finds a good perminant home.

bfinstad · Aug 10, 2007, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by katkat05

Help!
First let me tell you I've had dogs all of my life. Beagles, poodles, Doberman, Dachshund, a couple shepherds, and coon hounds, so I am no stranger to dogs. My oldest daughter has an American Bulldog and a pit Terrier that is sweet as pie. Now onto my question.

I am babysitting my sons pitbull. It is 20 weeks old. It is beautiful and very friendly. It played well with my doberman (2 years old and gets along with all dogs that are nice to her) until my doberman had the raw hide, then it attacked her. Needless to say my dobie put her in her place because of the age and size difference. My dobe could have hurt bad but didn't, just made her yelp to be good. This happened twice. Then today when they was eating the pit attacked my dog again, and once again my dobe knocked her down. I got the dogs calmed down and feeding separately so I could check out what was going on. I kept my hand near the pit to see how she'd react. I took the food away from her and pushed her face away from the food several times to see if she'd get aggressive with me. She did not, but when I put my dobe back over there to see what would happen and right away the pit froze, I knew she'd do something, then she started to growl and I jerked her back and hollered NO.
Right after that I took her out for a walk and stopped by a neighbors house and the dog started growling at the woman. Her hackles was raised and she wouldn't calm down no matter how I corrected her, then after a few mintues she started wanting to lick the lady....bi polar maybe? .......Seriously though, this is a 4 & 1/2 month old pup! I am starting to be worried about this dog as an adult around my grandchildren.

thoughts, ideas?

thanks, Kat

I do have one thing to say about the dog aggression with food that RubyPitbull said though. Just because a dog is food aggressive does not mean it is inbred. There are many dogs out there that if not given the opportunity to grow up with another dog eating right beside him, he will be food aggressive with other dogs. If a dog is used to eating alone, that is HIS/HER food and they don't know that that dog isn't going to try eating it. It's in every dog if not used to that situation. You just have to work with it and make sure the whole family is working on it. Inbreeding does cause a lot of aggression in pitbulls and that's why you hear so many horror stories. Stupid people want to breed and breed not caring about the animal. They want a bigger and meaner pitbull for fighting. It is sad! That is why it is hard sometimes when adopting or finding a pitbull. You never really know the history of that dog. But any dog is curable and can be trained. No matter how old or stubborn. Just show that dog who is boss. If you dobe is VERY good and trusting around other dogs, show the pit who is in charge. When she growls or shows any sign of aggression next time, roll the pit on her back and let the dobe tower over her. This is a sign of dominence and she'll see she was in the wrong and the dobe is in control. Dog training will be perfect as well for this dog. Don't b worried about the breed. Many places will train pitbulls but make sure they are positive reinforcement. No chokers or yelling or hitting. It only makes the dog afraid and can cause the dog to snap. Again... watch the dog whisperer, it will do wonders for you!

RubyPitbull · Aug 10, 2007, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by bfinstad

I do have one thing to say about the dog aggression with food that RubyPitbull said though. Just because a dog is food aggressive does not mean it is inbred.

Boyfriend, please reread what I wrote. What you have written is not what I stated.

As a side note, I do recognize that there are many breeds that will become food aggressive if they aren't raised with another dog. That is completely the fault of the owners for not correcting that behavior. Although I work with a lot of different breeds and do fostering in my home, for the most part, my pit grew up as the only dog. I do not foster during the winter months and the first year that I had her, I did not take in any other dogs. When she was approximately 1 1/2 years old, I restarted the fostering. There is no food or toy aggression from her because I did my job properly. If more people would take the time out to learn how to properly handle any aggressive behavior, correcting it immediately and continuing the corrections until the negative behavior is extinguished, and just, in general, taking more responsibility for their dogs, we wouldn't have the problems that we do in this country.

bfinstad · Aug 14, 2007, 03:40 PM

Ruby Pitbull, I reread your statement and Im not sure why I thought you stated that a food aggressive dog could be due to inbreeding. It was not an attack on you becase like I wrote before, I can see you know your stuff about pitbulls. This was not in any way meant to start an argument with you. I was just trying to help a worried owner out. Not to be disrespectful in any way, but I know this breed better than any other, so no need to explain to me. But thank you anyway... and continue to spread knowledge to those that need help with this breed. We need more people like you in the world.