help!!!

[azcowgirl]

well i know i know i heard of people saying i should take tigre to the dog park just because he is a pit bull. lol but i took him and he did great!! until..... the little dogs came. i never seen him act like that before he started to growl and the hair on his back stood up! i got scared so i grabbed him and told him no. what can i do?! do you think he will be like that forever?

 

[yoko]

is there a place you can take him where there will be no smaller dogs? i know around here every park has a place for small-medium dogs and large-xlarge dogs

 

[JennSLK]

OK. I would not take him. He may not start it, but if some other dog starts he WILL finish it.

Sadly just because it's a pit means it will be your fault. Sadly

 

[Rubylove]

You need to look closely at his hackles.

If they are standing up over the length of his body, it means that your dog is trying to decide whether to react in `fight or flight' mode - usually flight, and its a sign that the dog is unsure.

Hackles up from the shoulder forward means he's going to attack.

Did you notice how his hair was standing up? It may be that this was just a new experience for him and he didn't know how to behave, hence the growling, too.

I would take him again, but not let him off the leash OR, even better, make sure he is muzzled until he starts to get used to being around other dogs. All dogs need to be socialised and avoiding the situation will just make it worse the next time you take him. Desensitising and socialising will improve his behaviour immeasurably.

A muzzle will show other people that you are taking responsibility, and you can also explain that he is not aggressive, but while he is new to the park, and you are teaching him, it's better to be safe than sorry.

 

[PFC1]

I have to respectfully disagree with Ruby-- I would not take him to an off leash park and leave him on leash if he has fear issues-- or at least I would think long and hard about it first. Leaving him on leash around a bunch of dogs that are off leash might only increase his anxiety level. You obviously do need to restrain him somehow if you think he is going to try to go after the other dogs. Be sure he's on a good collar you can get a hold of. If you do not have a level of comfort with your dog at an off leash dog park with him there off leash, your pup is probably not yet dog park material, although with proper socialization, you might be able to bring him around.

 

[Tinaweena]

OK. I would not take him. He may not start it, but if some other dog starts he WILL finish it.

Sadly just because it's a pit means it will be your fault. Sadly

Well, I don't think that if something awful did happen she would be to blame simply because she owns a pit. She would absolutely be to blame because she owns a dog that is dog aggressive and she knew it and took him to a park anyways.

 

[azcowgirl]

ever since i took him to the park i dont take him anymore. i have tryed muzzles and he goes crazy to try to take it off. um his hair was just straight up and his ears were forward. hes only 10-11 months now ( since he got to my house he was 8-10 weeks old ) and i think that hes going through the mature prossess am i right?

 

[Rubylove]

He's actually going through the adolescent stage, when dogs are naturally more likely to decide whether or not to disobey you - and usually not to, if they have their way! We are going through it with Chester and Ruby at the moment.

I actually do agree with PFC1 that taking him on-leash at an off-leash park may make him more upset and fractious. But he's still absolutely young enough to continue to need socialisation, and I can't recommend strongly enough that you try this somehow, otherwise your situation will reach a point where you can never take him anywhere, which is not fair for you or your dog.

He will get used to a muzzle - a few minutes at a time for a few days, then a bit longer - it'll take a couple of weeks but he will get used to it. At home, in a calm situation, with no pressure, and lots of love and treats.

I would certainly consult a trainer on ways in which to socialise him safely. I cannot stress how much happier he will be if he is able to regularly interact with other dogs.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

I am sorry, but I do not agree with taking pit bulls to dog parks. It's not that I don't like the breed - the ones I have met where absolute angels, wonderful dogs - but they do have a tendency to be dog aggressive, and even if a fight occured and your dog was in it, even if he didn't start it, he'd be blamed.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

WHERE the hackles are up on a dog means nothing.

Hackles up indicates excitement or insecurity in most dogs, regardless of where on the back they are up.

IMO dog parks are not a place for any dog who demonstrates any sort of dog aggression.

APBTs were bred for many years to be dead game, and to start (and finish) a fight with ANY dog they encounter.

I would never take my dog to any area where I was guaranteed there would be unknown dogs off leash.

JMO as always.

 

[tessa_s212]

WHERE the hackles are up on a dog means nothing.

Actually, it does. I've been reading many dog training and behavior books lately, and though I cannot remember the exact book that went into detail about this, I do remember what they said about it. Where the hackles, posture, and ears are can easily determine whether a dog is going to go into flight or fight.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Hackles only are no indication. The REST of the body language CAN indicate sometimes what a dog is thinking, however, hackles up on any dog does NOT indicate what exactly the dog might do.

It might help you make an educated guess IF it's combined with observation of the rest of the dog's body language.

You can not say, however, that hackles up over a dog's shoulders indicate it's about to attack. This I can say with certainty as I see this on 2 of my bitches on a regular basis, and neither has attacked anything to date.

 

[mojozen]

people say no to the mix of dog parks and pit bulls for a REASON. The short answer is if your pit bull gets in a fight he will finish it. My pit mix is not dog aggressive (save for male german shepherds/shepherd mixes for some reason) but the risk for dog fights are too great at dog parks when you have a pit bull. The few times we went (before I too accepted that fact) the dog park was filled with dogs who did not obey when their owners called. My dog was crowded by more than a few dogs trying to dominate him and he started to get upset. A dog fight was in the making...
Even though I was yelling to people to get their dogs, no one would come help until i hefted my own dog up into my arms (although he is small he weighs quite a bit in muscle!). Even then we had dogs jumping up on me, snapping at my dog, and at me. Mojo was growling and struggling trying to protect us.

He did not start anything, but I knew then and there he would do whatever he could to protect us. He perceived the other dogs by their actions as a threat to both of us... he got leashed up and taken out of the area. We haven't been back since.

Here are what two respected Pit Bull rescue organizations have to say:
Pit Bull Rescue Central (PBRC)'s stance on dog parks

BadRap's Stance on Dog Parks

 

[Rubylove]

Hackles only are no indication. The REST of the body language CAN indicate sometimes what a dog is thinking, however, hackles up on any dog does NOT indicate what exactly the dog might do.

It might help you make an educated guess IF it's combined with observation of the rest of the dog's body language.

You can not say, however, that hackles up over a dog's shoulders indicate it's about to attack. This I can say with certainty as I see this on 2 of my bitches on a regular basis, and neither has attacked anything to date.

I have to say that I do agree with this to a certain extent - there are other body language factors involved and it's not that simple - but that I will also stand by the education I have received in cynology and dog and wolf ethology, which states this is definitely a postural sign of fight or flight intent.

 

[rocco&quiras mama]

omg he´s still a young dog .. almost a puppy still, i doubt he´s aggressive..most likely just insecure and if he had gotten a chance to go over to the smaller dogs and check them out it would have been a non issue by now.

 

[mojozen]

omg he´s still a young dog .. almost a puppy still, i doubt he´s aggressive..most likely just insecure and if he had gotten a chance to go over to the smaller dogs and check them out it would have been a non issue by now.

I disagree - pit bulls can start to go dog aggressive between the ages of 12months to 3 years of age. There is still a recommended 2 year wait between 3 years and 5 years to make doubly sure you can say your dog is not dog aggressive. 10 months is not too young for him to become dog aggressive towards certain breeds or towards dogs in general.

i think the possibility that his/her dog may be dog aggressive as an adult isn't something s/he should dismiss. pit bulls are still being bred to be dog aggressive. unless she knows that her dog is from non-aggressive lines... then i think s/he should keep in mind that just because the pup is okay at dog parks now... that s/he may not always be okay... and to accept that.

 

[rocco&quiras mama]

the thing is, i think alot of dogs are "dog aggressive" simply B-cuz ppl are so afraid of any little sign of what they think is aggression that they dont give the dog a chance to learn how to act around other dogs.. you should start when the dog is young..
my male dog didnt get to play with a single dog when he was a puppy and is not at all comf. around other dogs ..
my other dog has always been around all kinds of dogs and has no problem with anydog.

every dog is different ( i know ) but the fact that this is an apbt, i dont think plays a big part .. you see little dogs running around barking like crazy but "they cant do much damage so who cares" a 10 mth old dog is allowed to not yet be comf. in every situation without being labled a crazy aggro pit.

let your dog meet dogs of all sizes just make sure the dogs you let him "say hi to" are nice dogs.

keeping him from playing with other dogs is a great way to get him dog aggressive.

good luck