Tough guy

Saje

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#1
My pitbull sometimes gets a little carried away when he plays. Both with my other dog and with my bf and me. He almost drew blood on my bf hand today. That's not a good thing.

We were playing in the snow and chasing eachother around today and I grabbed Mikey and rolled him in the snow and started to bury him. Unsucessfully of course. He hates his back legs being handled and will growly and get snappy at us. So he didn't like it when I put him in the snow. He's fine once he's there but he hates getting there. Even good things like cuddling in bed he doesn't like being helped there. He LOVES being there but hates it when I try and scoop him onto the bed.

Both out dogs play fight pretty roughly and they can't be fed together if there's a really tastey treat (leftover roast...).

He's never hurt me but he does get kind of rough. I'm really paranoid that he's going to have a problem with soemone someday because he's a pit and I'll lose him. <sigh>

How do I teach him not to do that? I don't play tug-a-war with him or anything. I don't encourage him when he gets rough. Usually walk away or scold him.

Any thoughts?

Saje
 

candy722

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#2
Is that really a myth that pitt bulls are crazy sometimes? I would just keep on touching his leg or lightly pulling on it so that he gets used to it. My yorkie was the same thing, he would not let me touch his legs because he thinks that im going to clip his nails which he hates even till today but since I play with his legs and feet so much he doesn't mind me touching it now until he sees something shinny that im holding onto.
 

Saje

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#3
That's so cute. They're so smart.

I believe it's just a myth. A lot of dogs are severely mistreated and that makes them "crazy." Unfortunately pitbulls and other "tough" breeds are used a lot for dog fighting. From what I've read, those dogs that are used for fighting are the ones that are much more prone to attack people. So areas which have a lot of dog fighting also have a higher level of attacks in that area. I guess that's whats happening in Ontario where they are banning pibulls. There is apparently a lot of dog fighting there. I think that's foolish but I have no power. :/

I do handle his legs quite a bit. He's a good dog. I know he means well. We haven't had him that long, only a few months, so hopefully he'll get used to it.

Thanks
Saje
 
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#4
When you handle him, try giving him a treat with your other hand - even let him lick peanut butter off your hand. It will not only distract him, but it will associate the action with something pleasant. Actually, the peanut butter is better than a regular treat, since it requires him to lick, which is a relaxing action for a dog, as opposed to gobbling a treat.

When he gets too excited playing, just keep doing the obvious, stopping the game and making him sit down and calm down a bit before either resuming the game or going on to do something else. I would suggest resuming the game at least briefly, though, so he won't learn that playing rough is a good way to get to change activities. They can be very clever that way! lol
 

Saje

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#5
That's good advice. I like the peanut butter idea. He's not a very relaxed dog. He's always worried about something. I'll have to get some and let you know.

I was thinking that maybe his "sensitivity" to his backside being handled might be related to his not being neutered yet. Or maybe he was mishandled as a pup.

Saje
 

Kathy74

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#6
When Jersey was little she was very mouthy, which we don't mind, but she needed to learn her boundaries, both with us and Serene. We actually learned from Serene how to deal with the problem... Whenever they were rough playing, if Jersey nipped too hard, Serene would yelp/bark once loudly and walk away from her and not play anymore. So that's what we did. One loud "ouch" and we'd walk away. It didn't take very long until she figured out that if she did it too hard, play stopped immediately.
 

Saje

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#7
That's what I've read works. I think I need to be more consistent with it. Our "older" dog doesn't teach him anything cuz they're about the same age and love to play.

Saje
 
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#8
Just last week I watched an episode of the Dog Whisperer and one of the dogs that was featured was a Westie who had the same reaction whenever his back end was touched - even petting there. I realize there is a size difference between the 2 breeds but this is how he desensitized the dog to being touched there.

He put him on lead with a slip collar positioned high on his neck. Holding the lead in his right hand with his arm positioned up so there wasn't much slack with his left hand he rubbed, petted & patted the dog. At the first sign of negative reaction he gave a quick correction & said NO. He continued off & on alternating where he was touching the dog - shoulders, sides, etc. always interjecting some touching at the sensitive area. He had the owner do the same exercise too. It was actually quite surprising - it only took a few corrections for the dog to realize that first off snapping or growling, etc. was not allowed & also that it wasn't a bad interaction - it didn't hurt, etc. They then went for a walk and later on as the dog layed on his owner's lap she was extremely surprised to find that while she was absently petting him she was also able to pet his rear end & around his tail with no negative reaction whatsoever.

Perhaps this method might help.
 

Brattina88

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#9
A co worker of mine had a black lab that didn't like his flanks to be touched. She invented a 'game' where she trained him to be like a show dog and somebody had to run their hands all over the dog like they were judging him :p
It's possible it wouldn't be a big deal once he's nuetered. I can't remember reading where you got him or how old he is or anything, but has a vet checked him to see if his joints are okay?
 

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