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If you played with him at the shelter, I would say that you should kind of test him a little bit, but that it probably wasn’t typical for him to respond like that. Understand that he’s in a new environment, so he may be trying to adjust himself. Go easy, but get him used to you touching/playing with his toys. See how he reacts. Teach him “drop it” with a treat. When he brings the toy back to you, reward him for letting go of it, this may help him, if he’s uncomfortable with letting go of his toys. Watch him with the kids, just in case. Tell him “No” if he ever refuses to give you the toy, rather than taking it from him. I take toys from Kaos all the time, but we know his temperament. With your boy, you just need to test the waters a little bit before diving in, just because you don’t know his history. Be patient, he’s not certain about your home yet, but if it becomes a serious problem, I would try and find him a home without children. I remember when my parents adopted their golden/chow chow cross. She’s a big bear of a dog, but the best kids dog you could ever ask for. The day after bringing her home, I was walking her and my sister came running up in a big coat. Digz became very upset and barked very aggressively. She wouldn’t let my sister come close to me, or me get close to my sister. We were a little concerned, but, as it turned out, she never repeated the behavior and I think she didn’t recognize K. Rayne because of the big coat and was just trying to proect me. She’s now 14, has been in the family for 10 years and just came to live with my husband, our kids and Kaos. So, don’t loose hope and panic right away, just be vigilant.
She’s just trying to play with you like she would other dogs, she just needs to be taught that you are boss and that’s not how you like to play. You can either tap her on the nose. I’ve had good luck with genly holding their mouths closed and telling them no. Sometimes puppies that are very rambunctious they will misinterpret the tap on the nose as playing. Either way you go, just be consistant. Don’t let her play like that one minute, then discipline her the next. If you always let her know it’s not acceptable she should catch on pretty fast.
Ha ha!! Here’s how well Kaos does as a guard dog. Kaos normally hangs out outside with us and he’s normally very good about just chillin in our garage and watching the kids play/cars go by. However, the other day, he went galloping across the street to say hello to a lady that walks her dog by our house EVERY day. Without thinking, I called out my customary, “Don’t worry, he’s friendly!” and went after him. She just laughed and said, “Oh, I know he is, he’s just a big baby!” I have no idea how she knows this (may need to have a serious talk with my kids.) It tickled me because she is an older lady with a little ankle biter and used to be so afraid of Kaos she would cross the street entirely on her walks. Unfortunatelly, if old ladies are calling my HUGE, BLOOD THIRSTY, PITBULL a baby, he has apparently NOT been informed that he’s NOT supposed to let the kids talk to strangers, or cross the street!
Yeah, I had a hard time finding places for Kaos to run. We go to the dog park, but can’t let him off leash becuase he is not fixed. I finally started going to tennis courts and baseball fields. Most of these are fenced in, larger areas, and are only used at certain times. We like the baseball fields better than tennis courts because they have grass, but either works. Early afternoon is a good time for the baseball fields, if you have any in your community, becuase practices and games are usually in the evenings. It’s great to just let them go! Plus, it can be fantastic recall training practice, without the worry that they’ll run off! Also, unlike the dog park, you can plan outtings with dogs you know play well together and people you get along well with! Just make sure you take poo bags with you, nobody likes to slide into second base through a big pile of dog poop!
Well, I’m not positive, but, if she’s not having any other adverse effects, I would say that it’s more of a psychological thing that a physical probelm. Try moving her bowls to a different location in the house and see if that changes anything. Do you leave food for her all day, or feed her at specific times of day? If she normally browses all day, try picking up her food and feeding her only at certain times. If the problem persists after you change physical setting and routine, or if she begins not eating/drinking or having diarrhea, then I would deffinately call your vet as there could be something really wrong.
I think this is kind of a preference thing. If you’re just walking her for a nice little stroll, then it’s probably not a problem. I don’t let our dog linger because then we’re stopping all the time, and since he isn’t neutered, that means we have to stop long enough for him to pee on it, too! If we want to let Kaos explore and sniff we let him loose in a baseball field. We’ll close the gates and let him go. He sniffs at EVERY brick, pole, leaf and base, then pees on most. When we’re walking, though, we keep his attention on us.
Huh. That’s a new one by me! Kaos is such a piggy I can’t immagine him even looking at his food before eating, much less taking the time to lay down by it! Is Roxy still eating and drinking ok? Is she having diarrhea or any other side effects?
Lol. That’s funny. There is an absolutely OBNOXIOUS chihuahua that lives across the street from us. He’s always out, I’ve almost run him over on several occasions (totally on accident!!) He chases Kaos. He’ll come up our drive, JUST out of Kaos’ reach and sit there and yap and yap and yap. Kaos either runs away or sits there and watches the little rat. Every now and then Kaos will give a loud bellow, but never does anything. Somebody was teasing that the little dog wished to be lunch, I told him that the only way Kaos would ingest that thing was if he accidentally sniffed too hard!!
Consistancy is the key. She is just being a puppy and playing with you like you’re another puppy. You can try the dominance training thing with her; roll her on her back and kneel over her, or hold her upside down like a baby in your arms, wait until she stops stuggling, then let her up. Do this whenever she gets out of line. For the most part, though, just be firm. You can tap her on the nose and tell her no or just quit playing with her. She will figure it out. However, you can’t ignore it sometimes, then get onto her when you get tired of it. ANY time you see her nip or bite at heels/ankles or while you’re playing or absolutely ANY other time, you need to let her know it is absolutely not acceptable!!
Thumbs up for the chuckles, and for Layla’s bravery! LOL. Kaos is an excelent guard dog, too. But only if it’s a balloon or grocery bag trying to break in! 😉
I can’t speak for all pits, obviously, however, I can tell you that a pit being agressive towards children is the exception, not the rule. I would guess that the pit you adopted was traumatized or not socialized appropriately as a puppy. I have a 9, 7 and 6 year old and a 1 year old nephew. My 70 lb, 1 year old pit is FANTASTIC with them. Sometimes he gets a little bit excited and accidentally knocks them over, but, as far as his temperment goes, I’ve never owned a better kids dog!!! Pitties have a high pain threshold. They are VERY tollerant (as a GENERAL rule) to ear, leg and tail pulling etc. They aren’t usually nippy and high strung like many smaller, less resilliant breeds can be. I would say that you would would have excelent luck with a puppy. Also, pits are very loyal and many people with special needs enjoy them because they add a sense of security, stability and stedfastness. They are also very attentive to their owners’ needs, if trained properly. Make sure you train her well. Also, be prepared for your children to have a life long “partner-in-crime!” 😉 Kaos goes EVERYWHERE our kids go (including down slides, to parades and swimming in the lake,) and he gets heart broken if he can’t.
Let’s just put it this way, if she’s in shape, you’ll get tired first. 🙂 It’s a great activity. I’m lazy and have to find other ways to get our dog excersize. As far as training goes, I find it easier to train a dog to run than to walk. If they’re running then they aren’t as focused on their surroundings. However, it’s best to start slow. If you have a naughty walker, then start training there and gradually move up to running. If your girl is a pretty easy walker, then just give it a shot and see how she does. Go from there with training. The one thing I will caution on, DO NOT LET HER PLAY TUG-O-WAR WITH THE LEASH!!! It’s a favorite pit game and, once they get a hold of that leash, they can make you look very foolish while trying to get them to let go. The things you need to watch out for are pretty much just normal dog things, rather than pit-specific things. However, I always try and be mindful of the fact that other people may not be very comfortable with my dog. While I trust him, I understand that many people don’t. It would be unfair of me to ignore the fear that they have. I am always careful to keep Kaos close by me when we’re passing other people unless they express an interest. That’s just common courtesy though.
Is she a new addition to the family? Is this a new problem, or one that has been occuring for some time?
No, not so suddenly. The voice of “Reason” has been quiet for quite some time. He’s just like everybody else who drops in to spread negativity and doesn’t stay long enough to listen to anybody elses side of the story. So typical.
Lol. Well, welcome aboard!! We’re glad to have you. My parents don’t like them much either. My grandparents are HILLARIOUS though. My grandmother used to be TERRIFIED of Kaos, she tried soooo hard to be brave. Now when she comes over for dinner she uses him as a foot rest and feeds him table scraps (which is illegal in my house because he is absolutely NOT allowed to beg!!!) Hang in there, someday you’ll get you a pit. Just make sure you are settled enough to give one a forever home before you get one. They are one of the most commonly rescued and one of the least often rehomed breeds, which means they are the ones sentenced to death row. We didn’t get ours till we bought our own home and knew we could care for him properly.
