I just joined the site, so yes, I’m a new face..
I too, have a pitbull. Well, he is a mix. But most of him is pit. We got Rocky from a pound, so we aren’t sure what all he has in him. He definitely has pitbull in him, and the wrinkly skin of a shar-pei. We think he might also have some lab in him.
We got him from the pound when he was 9 months. He is 9 years old now. From some of his reactions, we think he was abused in some way as a puppy.
When we first got him, he refused to go in our tiny laundry room, leading us to think he had been locked up in small spaces and left for long periods of time. Now, he is okay with going in small places. When he wants out, he lets out a sharp bark. If he doesn’t get let out within a reasonable amount of time, he will whine, bark, and scratch at the door. This took years for him to not be scared of the small spaces, but we started slow. We always went in with him, and petted him a lot. We also gave him lots of treats and praise. We didn’t want Rocky to be scared in his own house.
Now, I’m only 17, so I still live with my parents. We got Rocky when I was about 8, so I have had him for a lot of my childhood. Sometimes my parents fight, and yell. When this happens, Rocky does what your Layla does, Southern_Pit. He tries to crawl into my lap and he shakes. A LOT. He has gotten a lot better about it, but still, it is something that still happens. I don’t think he even remembers what happened the first 9 months of his life, I think it is just a trigger response, because we have given him an amazing life.
