need help...aggressive dog

[Doberluv]

This is a dog aggressive dog it does not mean it needs being pts because it will then go on to kill people.

Someone said that??? :yikes:

No way. Dog-dog aggression is one thing. Human aggression is a whole other ball game...not related. I can't believe someone said that. Thanks Tara for posting that. Pit Bulls are designed to be that way, dog aggressive but they're suppose to be exceptionally lovely with people.

 

[buyler]

Thank you all again for your thoughts and comments. I did post this thread on other sites to try and get more responses, but as Tara (which happens to be my name too, small world) said, I seem to be getting a resounding call for him to be PTS from people in the UK.

We're not ones to ever give up on animals that we've committed to, and extra precautions have already been taken at my parent's house. While Max was alive and in the house with Romeo, often times only a child gate would separate rooms, and Romeo would never go near them (when he was a puppy one of them fell over and smacked the kitchen floor hard and made a loud noise, he's never gone near one since.) But now doors have been put up in between rooms, there is a very long run in the yard and when he's supervised he runs free, and our awareness is certainly heightened in light of recent events. Plus, no aggression has ever been displayed with Lexie, the remaining female, so hopefully with all of this in place, there will be no other incidents. It was just a mistake... my dad forgot to shut the door tightly when he went out, and that was it. Tough mistake to live with though, he's having a really hard time with the guilt.

 

[Doberluv]

Plus, no aggression has ever been displayed with Lexie, the remaining female, so hopefully with all of this in place, there will be no other incidents.

Don't let that make you too confident. Pit Bulls are dog aggressive. If it doesn't show up for a while or with some dogs that by no means means it won't at some time.

I'm so sorry for your Dad. What a tough thing to have to live with. Mistakes happen. I'm sure you all will be even more careful from now on....with a locked, solid door between them when you're not right there to supervise.

 

[otch1]

Very sorry to hear about Max, Buyler. You learned the hard way about appropriate confinement for multiple dogs in a house. Especially once there was a previous display of aggression and a fight. Now that this has happened, you are actually the safest home for him. He should not be rehomed. Many people make a dogs life comfortable and ensure other dogs safety, but it takes some work. He should never be chained to anything, not even a dog house. This is considered a form of aggitation. He will need a secure kennel run in the back yard. In the house, barricades and baby gates will not do. I'll try to send you info on a company that makes very nice steel gates. They bolt into the wall, are more decorative in a home than wood/plastic gates and more secure. You should try to keep from locking him in bedrooms for prolonged periods. He's still very aware of the other dog loose in the house and there's always a chance a door will be left ajar someday. Some great books were mentioned as well! He sounds like he needs training and I imagine your parents would appreciate your help in handling him. What people tend to do after something like this has happened is spend less time with the dog simply resolving it by confinement. As a 2 yr old male, he needs much more handling, training and mental stimulation now, to ensure that more behavioral problems will not develope as a result of this.

 

[Herschel]

Poor Poor Max.

Ditto.

 

[bubbatd]

I know I couldn't personally live with constantly being worried about separating dogs. A friend of mine had 2 male and 2 female dobes ........ the females couldn't be together ... the males couldn't be together . Once a gate was broken down and they all got together ...she was in the middle and had to be hospitalized for weeks .

 

[Doberluv]

How awful. Yes, housing two male Dobermans is always advised against. Females can fight too. It's weird, but it seems to be two male Dobermans, not two males when one is a Doberman and one is another breed....necessarily. A couple of Dobe breeders I know house male Dobermans with males of another breed and they're fine, just like my two male dogs. But you never know how things are going to turn out. That's awful that your friend got so hurt. I think it would be a major hassle to have to worry about fighting dogs. I'd be hard pressed not to re-home a dog to a one dog only family if I had to go through that stress and worry. But it would be awful hard to re-home a dog you're already so attached too....what a dilema.

 

[bubbatd]

Right ... she loved her dogs and kept them all .

 

[buyler]

Hi all.... I have an update on this situation, my parents have decided to give Romeo another chance and try to move past this. My dad feels horrible for leaving the door open and inadvertantly causing Max's death, and can't bring himself to have Romeo pts for a reaction caused by his action. Also, Lexie, the 15 year old shephard, he feels, shouldn't lose another companion as with her rapidly deteriorating health, she won't be around much longer and shouldn't have any more trauma in her life.

So with new doors separating all rooms, the fenced in back yard, the run (which does tether him, yes, but is a long run and he's gotten used to it over the years.... plus his ability to run free when supervised), and our increased awareness of all things pit bull.... Romeo gets the benefit of the doubt.

Thanks so much to all of you for your comments, thoughts, advice and support. Its greatly appreciated!!

Tara

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Just wanted to say I'm sorry for your loss and very glad to hear the situation is working out.

 

[AnimalLoverCatRescuer]

I just read through this, although some places I skimmed and I didn't see if you mentioned if he is neutered or not? Obviously I would hope this would have been done or at least thought of or planned to be done as a solution first. This is acommon occurrance in pits and part of the reason why if they are not part of a breeding or showing program then they should be neutered before they mature IMO. We all know that with maturity can come aggression, marking with urine and various other behaviors. So if the dog is neutered early or right on time at 6 months or so then that will greatly reduce the risk of agressions towards other dogs in most cases. ESPECIALLY in pits.

So anyways, please tell me he has been neutered? Sorry if I missed it if you said already. And in that case ignore my post If not, please do it ASAP.

 

[buyler]

yup, he was neutered at 9 months old. if only that was the solution to all our problems....

 

[ToscasMom]

I may be a wuss here, and it's probably a VERY good thing I don't own a pit bull, because honestly, if I came home and found one of my pets in a pool of blood with its juggler severed, I would believe the dog is more than capable of doing it again to another living thing, and I would have the dog PTS. I would honestly and truly be afraid to live with such a dog, which may or may not make me ignorant. There is a victim here and that's the other dog. I am not all that sure I could foget that and just give this dog another chance to do it again to another living thing.:yikes:

 

[casablanca1]

One thing missing from your post was a little more about the relationship between the two dogs in previous encounters; ie, did Max react to Romeo's aggression by lunging back at him, snarling and trying to bite him? Or did he try to run away and turn to fight only when cornered? Generally, the only time a fight between dogs will end in severe injury or death is if both dogs are dominant/aggressive - ie, neither dog tries to escape or submit. If one's trying to get away or submitting, a normal, sane dog will let it go. Even a dog-aggressive dog will let it go. If, as I suspect, Max wasn't aggressive except in self-defense, Romeo's killing of him can't be dismissed as a sad outcome of a natural power struggle.

There's dog-aggression, and then there's a dog that will kill another dog. This is not normal canine behavior. It is possible that some of the problem is his early separation from the litter, as those first weeks are supposedly the time when they learn a great deal about appropriate canine interaction and bite inhibition. Whatever the root of the problem, you now own a very strong male dog in the prime of life who has been practising attacking another dog for two years and has finally completed the exercise successfully. Romeo is extremely dangerous to other dogs.

I believe, based on your postings here, that you're unable to handle Romeo so he will not get another opportunity to attack and kill another dog. Life isn't perfect, and you just got unlucky in having a very difficult dog during a time period in your life when you need an easier dog. But based on his long-term behavior, the final lethal attack, the relative inexperience of everyone involved with dealing with a real problem dog, and the fact that your circumstances are such that he can't live with you, I would say that it's your responsibility to have him put to sleep. I would say the same if he was a Lab or a Newfoundland. There are plenty of dogs, plenty of pit bulls, who would not have done this. I think you have to love Romeo, cherish your memories, and let him go before he can cause more grief and death. It's a horrible situation and I'm very sorry for everyone involved.

 

[Herschel]

I may be a wuss here, and it's probably a VERY good thing I don't own a pit bull, because honestly, if I came home and found one of my pets in a pool of blood with its juggler severed, I would believe the dog is more than capable of doing it again to another living thing, and I would have the dog PTS. I would honestly and truly be afraid to live with such a dog, which may or may not make me ignorant. There is a victim here and that's the other dog. I am not all that sure I could foget that and just give this dog another chance to do it again to another living thing.:yikes:

I agree, as I did with your other post. Max is the victim here and it is incredibly tragic. My first thought was that the dog should be put to sleep, as well.

However, after thinking about it for a while I second those that said that the dog should be given to an "only dog" home, but only if the dog was never, ever allowed to be off leash or unsupervised with another dog. Unfortunately, finding a home where someone would be that responsible (that doesn't already have a dog) is pretty unlikely.

 

[bubbatd]

Please don't bash me .... but this is one reason I'd never own a Pitty . I know there are sweet ones , but it would be my luck of the draw to fall in love with one and then have poor genes raise it's ugly head and break my heart . This is why I decided to stick with Goldens before we had kids. And yes, there are bad Goldens being breed today , but back then they weren't that popular so no BYBs.

 

[Jynx]

I have to agree with those above, tosca's mom, casablanca.

And it's not the breed, if I came home to this, the dog would have been put down. To much of a liability to rehome.

Mistakes happen, and I feel terrible for the deceased dog and the father, but after the first incident, even the second, I would have made sure there wasn't a 3rd.

Just my opinion
diane

 

[Red_ACD_for_me]

No, unfortunately neutering isn't the answer to all our "dog" problems but it can help . I have met many pitbulls who play great with other dogs and I have met ones who wanted to tear other dogs apart. Doggie socialization is a big factor in raising a pitty. But they are just one of those breeds that can have it in them to be dog aggressive unfortuantely. I hear that having two dogs of the opposite sex is best in most cases however, a friend of mine had a male and female pit who fought so bad the female is no longer around. I'm sorry for your loss also.......

 

[buyler]

its such a tough situation, and the decision came down to my parents, as romeo lives with them. the thing is that romeo has been around female dogs all his life.....was raised with one, has lived with them since day 1. and there has never been a problem, even when somebody tries to steal his food. but max was the only other male romeo had ever met, and being that i got him at 2 weeks old and hand raised him, he never was socialized with his male siblings. nor was he ever around any males. i wish i knew if this really was the basis for his problem or not, but i guess we never will. the problem with re-homing is that we'll never know whether the new owners will honestly keep him as an only dog.

my parents are very young and active... just in their early fifties. and both have had at least one dog at all times in their lives. in my life, i have had at least 2 at all times. so we've been through our fair share of breeds, problems, incidents. we had a husky years ago who killed our cat and loved to feast on squirells and whatever else she could get. and we had a shephard who would bite the ankles of any man that came into the home. also, upon getting romeo a ton of research was done. i just wish the socialization issue was thought of before this attack.

i loved max, lived with him for years, and miss him terribly. but my family are not ones to give up on our animals. when we take one in, we're committed. and with all the precautions that have been set in place plus the one temptation for agression that romeo has ever exhibited being removed from the situation, we're ready to give it a go.

 

[casablanca1]

I hope it works. But it's extremely hard to keep an aggresive dog from 'triggering.' With Max dead, he may very well develop a new reason for becoming aggressive, and you may not be able to predict it. Please be very, very careful with him. This is one dog who should never be in the position of even considering escape from the house or yard.