I just got a Pit Bull/Boxer mix pup. He was 6 weeks old. I have had him for about 3-4 weeks now and his aggression and biting is getting to be too much, especially with my 5 year old son. I have tried smacking his mouth, giving him a firm NO, newspaper against my hand to make loud noise to stop him, putting him in his cage after disciplining him, he just doesn't stop. He goes right back at it. He also gets spiteful when you yell at him for the biting and put him in his cage. He goes in and pees. Any suggestion how to calm his aggression?
By Mimi from east coast
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
Pit bulls need a really firm hand. I honestly think they need to be in households with men or very strong women. You don't mention if you have a man in your household. I have no real suggestions, other than to suggest that if you don't get a grip on the problem soon to find him another home before you are eventually sorry (it doesn't sound as though he is behaving like he thinks you are in charge). My son has 2 and they cower when he is gets on to them or punishes them....but he has trained them with an iron fist! And he loves them equally as strongly, don't get me wrong, they are not mistreated in any way.
You have a very strong willed dog, something Boxer and American Staffordshire Terrier (AST) dogs are bred for; unfortunately the combination of Boxer and AST has created what sounds like an exceptionally strong willed dog in yours. Using the wrong training (as in TOO firm a hand) will yield a very difficult dog.
I've raised AKC Boxers all of my life (I'm 55), my cousin raises ASTs, I've seen exactly what you are describing over the years. The last thing you want to do is use fear to train this kind of dog, it will backfire on you.
Boxers and ASTs are very high energy dogs who don't reach physical or mental maturity until around aged three years (although they can breed from about age seven months); they require a very structured environment that includes tonnes of play and exercise periods of up to at least two hours a day. This is a high maintenance dog.
They can chew concrete and bricks, so you'll want to be sure to provide lots of safe chewing material (consult your vet for the best and safest products), and keep that crate handy because a Boxer-AST mix should learn to go uncomplainingly into the crate on command.
They are also prodigious digger-escape artists, and you should be VERY careful about your Boxer-AST because there are several American, Canadian, and British locales in the process of declaring both breeds and any combination thereof to be 'dangerous dogs'-banned from rentals, neighbourhoods, parks, etc. Any damage he does to person or property will be your legal responsibility if it is determined that he wasn't kept under proper control.
Your best bet with this little guy is to get him into an obedience training group right away. I know he's very young but there are classes out there that will take you and your puppy at this age. You also need to be constantly in 'training' mode with him-don't let him extend play times to the point where he is over excited, and you should maintain a structured environment at all times where YOU are the one in charge.
Scheduled walks to use up his extreme energy are going to be a lifesaver for you with him-get him on a harness and out there walking every day for five minutes, then ten, then 20. You want to work him up to at least two walks on a lead of about 30 minutes twice a day; you should also schedule play periods in your fenced yard where he can be supervised off-lead.
The urination after scolding is actually him expressing his combination of fear, shame, and yes, his strong will, think three year old telling you "You're not the boss of me!". But he wants you to be, so he's scared, and ashamed he's failed, hence the piddling.
There are humane muzzles available that you can put him into if he gets too bitey during play time; you want to have a firm yet patient and calm manner as you strap him into it. Do this after telling him "Time to calm down" in a firm voice. Give him a few seconds to try to calm down, then strap him into the muzzle, and try to get him to sit while petting him as a reward for calming down.
Whatever you do, don't use food as a reward with a dog like this because he'll always expect food and won't be satisfied with verbal praise and petting, just food.
If you find he is simply more dog than you realised, I hope you will find a rescue group to find him a furever home that can cope with his needs.
To be honest with you, although my cousin and I both bred beautiful, healthy, and well adjusted dogs, we also took very great care that we didn't have any Boxer-AST mix litters as experience with rescues taught us combining these two breeds is one of the worst ideas in dog breeding.
Please consider having your puppy neutered by seven months old; it will keep him calmer, and will keep him healthier-Boxers and AST dogs have a tendency toward cryptorchidism, and cancer:
The above link is a good one for more info on all things Boxer.
You can either decide to keep them separated or you can rehome the pup. Either way would work. I would probably get used to having to separate a dog from a young child no matter the breed of the dog.
Keeping them separated is the way to work with him but not just give him run of the house. I never give my dogs run of the house if there is a child around, until they have totally proven themselves.
I would like to give you a lot of links to start your research, once the child and the dog are happily separated from each other. Lets start with the no free lunch program.
www.pbrc.net/
Pits or AFT's are my favorites because of their intelligence and character.
I love them and have fostered some, and they were each the same, over loving, over jumping, over biting, and it took lots of dedication to get them under control.
They really don't mean to be so much trouble but they have this heavy jaw and a need to express their love and to chew and they see their mom didn't get hurt when they bit her so why should you mind? You must always holler out in pain when they mouth too hard and then get up and go away after they have done the over hard playing. They go behind the gate or in to their kennel.
Some I have had to get around the scruff and shake them a little, while lifting their front feet off the ground but not their back feet. This is a mommy thing; it is not done violently or two hard. Holding them this way is not fun for them.
It is their love of life and their playing and teething behavior that makes them handfuls as pups.
They could easily break the skin when you had your back turned IF YOU DONT KEEP THEM APART.
If you feel you are able to put as much energy into training and working with the dog as you do with your child, I think you will find the results worth it....and will not have to re-home the dog.
I like to spend a lot of time at leerburg.com. Ed spends his time training German shepherds..for the show and for police work. His philosophy on dog training ebook is great I read it through.
People often have to separate forever two dogs in the house from interacting and it is usually because they love them both and the two dogs cannot be trusted with each other.
Look at the info on leerburg.com about clicker training.
You might also appreciate the videos on how to teach a dog to be happy in his kennel..... (hint: throw in treats all the time....) However much you put into this that is how much you will get out.
If your heart is not in it, then find the dog another home, if you are ready to move forward and keep the dog and the child separated until they are both older and more able to be predictable in their behavior, than that will work out too.
Remember pits have a strong desire to mouth. Give it milk jugs that have bee washed, and lots of coke bottles without lids on them and with the ring removed.
Lots of chew toys, nylabones, etc. Get the really good treats or buy hot dogs to train with. Don't use treats the dog doesn't care about. When you are working with your dog, when he gets mouthy put a toy in his mouth to redirect his behavior.
You will approach the care and training the same way a friend of mine did when two of her favorite show dogs would not get along. her schnauzer kept on harassing the lab until the lab attacked and almost killed the schnauzer. The schnauzer would be in a kennel when the lab was out, and they never got to play with each other.
Many multiple pit bullie houses have to separated. It is simply their nature....when they are dominant and such, it works out better for all concerned usually.
Here are some links. Also remember you can make a clicking sound with your tongue, and I start all my pups out with holding my hand out and calling their name or making a noise. When they come up and their nose accidentally touches my palm, then I click with my mouth, and then praise and pat and then wait a while and do it again.
Here is the part of research that is most fun...reading positive info from people who have been there, Here you go and have fun and give the child and the dog a hug from me.
PitBulls.org: www.pitbulls.org/
The Proper Pit Bull
www.the-proper-pitbull.com/
For The Love of Pitbulls
www.pitbullsontheweb.com/
Training, etc.
No Free Lunch Program
www.pbrc.net/
Blessings, Robyn
Here's a link I receive often in emails that relates to many problems with our pets and this happens to be a topic you are interested in learning more about. Good luck!
www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/
After reading others comments, I will add my two cents experience. I own three cockers, two are friendly, the third a male was aggressive with his owners and I was bitten required stitches in hand. He was enrolled in a three week doggie boot camp which changed our way of handling him.
NO babying, NO sleeping on his human's bed, NO place should he be upon that is higher than his owner's height. Give plenty of exercise and buy him a quality choke chain collar and attach a long leash or rope to it while he's indoors; if he goes where you don't want him to be, grab the end of the rope and guide him away; never allow him to think HE is the head of the household. These are ways to demote his position and it takes a lot of time.
The boot camp trainer stated to us we were to do a daily exercise of stop, stay, sit, lay and if the dog failed to obey, it would not be scolded, but to say, Let's do it again and repeat until it learns. Do not let the dog go ahead of you, but be at your left side and you hold the leash in your right hand and with your left, a little lower down on the leash.
This kind of dog also requires such training. Never let him be where food is set out all the time and then put him in a separate place. Should the dog attempt to snap at you, immediately lose eye contact and swiftly turn your back on him. When the dog shows aggressive behavior, guide the dog to a crate and close it in for awhile or keep it away from the family for awhile. The dog will learn if he wants socializing with the family, he has to be nicer. This has got to be consistent and that's the main key to changing a bad attitude.
It's been over a year since he was in boot camp and he's as sweet as the other two dogs. He still eats separately from the other dogs and he's running to his place to be met with the food bowl. It's a significant change in him and your dog can be this way too, but it really does take work. I even bought a doggie backpack and loaded both sides with water bottles and he took a walk. This wears his energy level down and calms him once he's inside.
It is learning another way to deal/treat this kind of dog and honestly, once we learned the new method and saw it works, we started seeing changes for the good in him. We couldn't be happier, so this is expensive advice you're getting for free from our own lessons learned.
IF you want a dog you can baby, or doesn't have alpha behavior, either you make those important changes or give the dog up while it's still young and can be changed by a more informative owner. It takes work and time and again, consistency.
No offense, but getting a pit pull/boxer with a 5 year old child probably wasn't the best idea. They are known to be aggressors, even though they can be sweet as well. I would suggest professional training. Don't risk your son getting nipped or bullied by your dog.
I have had dogs my entire life and have been through professional training classes as well as hours of research. I strongly recommend Victoria Stillwell on "Its me or the dog" (animal planet). She also has books with excellent suggestions or even just look at the website.
Her methods are based on positive reinforcement and daily dog walks. I am referring to walking your dog longer than just to eliminate. For a healthy mind a dog needs to walk and explore using all their senses. Consider how they live in nature walking miles everyday with their pack smelling, listening etc to hunt You will also want to neuter him as soon as he is old enough. That will cut down on the aggressive tendencies
People always say watch out for Pit bulls they are aggressive by nature which is false. They are trained to be aggressive and are one of the most forgiving breeds and able to be rehabilitated from fighting once they get the right home.So after humans abuse then and force them to fight they still are able to move forward and trust and love humans once again.
As far as something you can do today; your dog is young and sounds like he just left his litter so he is adopting your son as a litter mate. You mention smacking his mouth which at this age wont help but may only cause long term damage just as the loud noise method with the paper on hand. You can tell him no and redirect many many times. It takes a lot of work. As soon as he bites make a loud screech like a litter mate would if he bit too hard That tells him it hurts and he should stop.
Make sure you have a lot of chew toys since if he is not now teething he will be very soon and no tug of war. It teaches them to be aggressive and overpower you. Something you do not want him to think is that he can be your boss. Also It sounds like your dog is playing with your child like a litter mate. I had a dog that did the same thing and my vet had me have my son feed my dog everyday so he sees him as his master.
It takes a lot of patience and persistence on your part since kids want the dog to sit immediately so they can put the bowl down but it is very important that you be consistent on this part. You want to have your son fill the bowl and stand with it chest level and say ___ sit and wait until ___sits and then slowly put the food in front of him. In the long run this will be useful because the dog will respect your child, learn he is boss and wont eat until the child says he eats. In the wild the top dog says when the others eat.
Good luck with your dog and don't give up it is one of the best experiences for your child to grow up caring for a dog. It is a great way to teach responsibility as well.
There is no way I would have a pit bull, even a mix, near a child. I've never seen a vicious boxer and I have never seen a friendly pit bull. I am 75 and a dog lover. Send that dog to the country and get your child a basset.
As an add on to my last post. The puppy is not being spiteful. When he pees in his house after being yelled at, which is not the way to train a AST, he is showing fear and submission from your yelling at him AST's love their humans and want to make them happy.
Make sure you make sure the wire crate is huge and has a soft mat. Put lots of new chew toys and treats in there. Never never, never put him in his den for punishment at all ever ever ever ever. The wire den crate must be a place of fun and joy and rewards, a place to go and calm down, etc. but not ever a punishment.
Look at your dog as another child who speaks a different language. He is not trying to act bad, he is just a pup and thinks your son is another pup also. It is a good idea to spend lots of loving time with the pup and take him out to potty every fifteen or so minutes until he is housebroken. Make it fun, housebreaking should be fun.
It takes a lot of work but you will get nothing but an untrustworthy pet if you keep punishing. You need to build up rapport and the dog will be able to start trying to please you, instead of looking at you as a punisher.
If you keep this kind of relationship up, you will ruin his spirit and lose his confidence and he might become a fear biter in which it will be hard to turn him around from that. So remember he is a baby too. Show lots of love and firmness but no yelling and hitting, etc.
Blessings,
Robyn
I agree with all of the positive comments and information that has been posted here. Pit bulls and pit bull mixes are just as wonderful as any other breed of dog. I have had a full pit, a boxer mix pit, and have had experience with a whippet pit mix. They all have had the same personality traits as puppies with the puppy biting and extra energy. They are extremely loving and playful. Small children are considered to be part of the pack and if they are unable to establish a dominate position in the pack they will be at risk. It is our responsibility to understand how our dogs think and adapt our handling of them to bring about positive behaviors. These dogs, and other breeds of dogs, respond best to established boundaries, a firm hand, consistency, and lots and lots of love.
Redirect negative behaviors, establish boundaries, invest in lots of chew toys and rawhide bones and be sure to have plenty of play time. The empty water bottles are a great replacement for the need to nip, a firm "no" and placing a crackly water bottle in the mouth is a great way to redirect. The need to nip will leave as your puppy matures.
I do not deny that there have been some pretty horrible things reported about pit bull aggression. We have to watch our dogs and be aware of changes in their surroundings and behaviors and be ready to make adjustments as required. Dogs are living, breathing, beings and are subject to mood changes just like we humans are. Aggression is not okay but neither is neglect. Aggression may be a call for attention; we need to pay attention.
Hello an early training is the key to overcome any misconception about these beatiful dogs.
This might be helpful.
I researched exactly that. And they said that when your puppy becomes to aggressive you pick it up put your finger on his nose and say no. So that he learns when he bites he gets picked up and in that way he learns its a no no. I have a 2month old girl and thus far it seems most effective. Hope it helps
Hi, yelling at him won't help. You need to redirect his behaviour And please don't hit as research shows this can make dogs aggressive. He's just a baby and will outgrow it. Try using positive reinforcement and seek some help if you aren't sure. Your puppy is not being spiteful as this is a human emotion and not a canine one. Your dog is probably peeing because it is either overexcited, needs to go outside more or is scared. Please don't punish him as it could make the situation worse.
I just got a pittbul male and i been working with him eveyday to be around other dogs and kids hes only 11 weeks old awesome puppy whould it be okay to put him in training school so i can learn more about my dog when he pees want should i do
Yes there is nothing wrong with obedience school there might be other tricks people know that you don't
I have a pit bull puppy and the thing about pit bulls is they aren't like other dogs. They want companionship above everything. Yelling, hitting, doesn't work. Firmly tell your dog, "No". Then ignore your dog. Make it clear you are not gonna tolerate his behavior. Don't look at him. Don't pet him when he comes to you trying to be sorry. Don't hold out forever but long enough for him to be taught a lesson. Tell your dog about his behavior, I think they understand but not while in the ignoring phase. Seems to work great.
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
