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I dealt with a similar problem, but divided between two dogs. Sounds like your dog is just bored and under exercised- though before you get offended, that term is broad because I have a 4 year old female pit, who still has energy after 2 or 3 20 minute sessions of fetch over lonnnng distances and a daily hour long walk/run. She is just that way, if there’s a ball it doesn’t matter how much exercise she’s had. So getting to the point- when she was a puppy she went through all of her toys in milliseconds so I got very creative about keeping her busy:
1. Black rubber kong (indestructible) put kibble in first, then load it up with peanut butter, then more kibble, then a little more peanut butter so the kibble stays in, then pop an ice cube in the top and freeze the whole thing over night. If your dog doesn’t like peanut butter you can use hot dogs or canned dog food, though I wouldn’t really freeze the hot dogs…
2. Marrow bone* you can get these from the butcher section at the grocery store or in a pet supply store for the dried version. Jones makes some seriously delicious (according to the dogs) marrow bones with some dried jerky still on the outside.
3. Sterilized beef bone* filled with peanut butter or dog food or whatever, and frozen
4. Safety Knotted rawhide, different than traditional rawhides because the end knots are huge and designed to last longer- however, you should see how long it takes your dog to get through a rawhide before you leave him alone with one, if he gets through them too fast- like my female, don’t leave him alone with one.
5. Nylabones- flavored or non. Nylabones are great for tough chewers especially the galileo bones, which are a unique rounded shape. These are safe for really tough chewers and last forever.
6. Big knotted rope toys- again, watch how your dog eats these if he’s like most terriers he will tear it into tiny pieces but not eat any of them, but if he’s going to eat it, you don’t want to leave it.
* A note about bones:
– use caution leaving your dog with beef bones or any animal bones: for one, make sure the bone is thick enough that your dog can’t break pieces off and ingest them; second, watch your dog with a bone and see how he chews it, if he seems to want to eat the pieces, you can’t leave him alone with one. Most dogs will spit the pieces out, but even one that’s accidentally swallowed can cause stomach problems or even require surgery.Another issue with bones is dental safety. My female is 4 years old and has excellent teeth, she’s never broken one on a bone, but my 7 year old rescue just broke one of his major incisors on a bone this week and it’s not a fun situation, it will require some pricey surgery to fix.
So- it really comes down to you knowing your dog. I really don’t think a 1 year old dog in good health should have a problem with beef bones, but if you’re not sure, go with nylabones instead and fill some kongs with food.
If you do fill the kongs with lots of delicious food you might want to cut down his meal portions a little bit unless you want the world’s heaviest pocket pit.
If your dog plays fetch, this will really help you, he might not even need that much exercise to mellow out, but even one of your kids could throw the ball for him if you can’t, assuming they’re old enough.
And this seems like boredom, but it could be separation anxiety, does your dog seem anxious when you leave? Or when he sees you getting ready to leave? Or is he fine when you go and then just destroys things when you’re gone? If he’s anxious about you leaving you can talk to your vet about medications and training you can do and he should be better in just a few weeks.
Good luck!
I think some mix of the above responses will help answer this question.
It really depends on which 2 pits you have.
I fostered a young female pit for a while with my resident, then 3yo female pit. There was entirely too much competition between them and in the interest of my resident girl, I had to return the foster to her owners (who decided to keep her, thankfully).
My original dog is socialized out the wazoo, gets along with *every* dog, but gets along with them all differently. I’ve dog sat many dogs here and observed different levels of chemistry.
I finally brought home an approximately 7 year old male pit, and they instantaneously got along better than any two dogs I’ve ever seen. Laurelai, my female, is like kid sister, endlessly playful and annoying, also very touchy feely and cuddly. Percy, the newcomer has just the right level of playfulness to keep her happy and can step it up to hold his own, but there’s no competition, he lets her climb all over him with the patience of a saint. He’s literally the perfect companion for her. As a result, my life is not more stressful by having two dogs, it’s just twice as fun.
In your situation though, you are considering a puppy, which is automatically more work, but if your dog gets along with puppies and you can be there to supervise their interactions, AND I would suggest picking a puppy of opposite gender only because your dog already shows tendencies toward competitiveness and a small submissive female is less likely to create drama than a male who when he turns 2 or 3 decides it’s time to challenge your existing dog.
I should also say that Percy shows some mild dominance and intense interest in other dogs that he sees on the street, but not allowing him to focus on other dogs this way shows him that it’s not acceptable to attempt to challenge other dogs, or be that interested in them, because wherever we are is my territory and not his. And once he meets them he’s fine, but if you can get break your dog’s focus on other dogs by not allowing him to actively patrol the window or organizing supervised play dates with dogs he gets along with, you can gradually expand his socialization and circle of friends. If your dog is truly dog aggressive, he might be happiest as an only dog for a while, but if he’s only aggressive to strange dogs, you might be okay introducing a carefully selected friend for him. Grabbing some books on the issue will help prepare you for what’s to come as well. Good luck!
