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Post by adoptapitbull on Feb 16, 2010 8:10:26 GMT -5
Just wondering how many of us here have dogs who need to be crated and rotated.
Things finally came to a big head with two of my girls (not Pits) and we had to re-home one. I'm sad, but my other two girls are so, so much happier. I know I did the right thing when I see them run and play (even with tooth punctures all over one's body), something they rarely did when the other girl was around.
Anyway, just wanted to see how common crating and rotating really is. I was thinking I was the only one when I did it for the girls. Now I worry that I'll have to C&R my boys one day. They're great now, but I know how quickly that can change. Also, if you don't C&R, do yours react at the sight of one another, or can they at least have a bit of supervised time together? I guess now that it happened with my girls, I'm on high alert. I don't worry about having to re-home the boys because I can break up their spats pretty easily. It's a lot easier to break up two 50lb dogs than an 85lb and 65lb dog going at it!
On a side note, did any of you ever become extremely anxious and nervous after breaking up a fight? I broke up 3 in one week and now I'm so nervous if my other dogs play, or if I'm not there to watch them (like I am now, 1000 miles away visiting home). How have you coped with that?
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Post by zueszena on Feb 16, 2010 18:56:02 GMT -5
newbie here and with this breed specifically,,,but prior dogs of mine were never crated,,but again understand i've only had animals when i am capable of spending 24-7,7,365,,an most don't hav that time
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Post by adoptapitbull on Feb 16, 2010 20:16:23 GMT -5
I'm talking about crate and rotate, meaning having dogs that do not get along and must be separated by crating them at opposite times.
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Post by valliesong on Feb 17, 2010 1:32:09 GMT -5
Raises hand. Zues/Zena, I am home most of the time as well, as I am disabled, and I still must crate and rotate. If dogs don't get along, supervision isn't going to change that. Not to mention that even pit bulls that get along should always be separated when unsupervised, and I am assuming you have to go for groceries some time.  |
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Post by zueszena on Feb 17, 2010 7:38:23 GMT -5
myself or wife is ALWAYS with the dogs...
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Post by adoptapitbull on Feb 17, 2010 8:20:26 GMT -5
But if a fight breaks out, you're going to wish that you had a crate. The holes in my arm and nerve damage in my finger second that!
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Post by zueszena on Feb 17, 2010 9:30:29 GMT -5
plan on being ready but trying to remain positive would like to hear more from others on this thread,,,i realize it is a hot subject and want to be prepared as possible if i have to crate
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Post by adoptapitbull on Feb 17, 2010 9:37:56 GMT -5
It's pretty simple. If your dogs start fighting, you have to crate one and leave the other out, then switch them every few hours, or on a set schedule. They may react and fight at the sight of one another, or they may be triggered by an event (someone at the door, meal time, chasing an animal outside, toy guarding, etc.). If you decide to just break up fights as they happen, you may end up with dead dogs and/or injured people. During a fight, dogs will bite anything that comes in their way. If your arm or leg happens to cross their path, they will bite it. At that moment, you are not their owner, you are an aggressor.
Being prepared and having a game plan is much better than trying to figure out a solution when you're scared poopless from a fight.
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Post by SunraysPitBulls on Feb 17, 2010 10:26:51 GMT -5
I am the queen of crate and totate, as Kanga will not tolerate the other dogs in my house....  |
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Post by adoptapitbull on Feb 17, 2010 10:33:19 GMT -5
Does he react immediately? In other words, can he be around any of the other dogs, say in the yard or on a walk?
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Post by AmyJo27 on Feb 17, 2010 23:26:43 GMT -5
If we "doggy-sit" a male I have to crate and rotate. One of my friends has a male APBT that I have to watch in my home rather frequently and I have to crate and rotate then. Boomer CAN NOT be around Harley (the APBT) or ANY other males for that matter anywhere for ANY amount of time!!! Boomer is a ladies man!!! A female dog can boss him around ALL she wants and he will roll over on his back to reveal his belly and act all submissive but the second a male is in sight, he is ready to go!! |
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Post by RealPitBull on Feb 18, 2010 10:53:27 GMT -5
I'm not C&R'ing now, but several years back when I had 6 dogs, my AmStaff was very carefully guarded against all other dogs except the APBT. Since it was a big house and we had 'dog rooms', an indoor dog-area, a yard, and kennel runs, I didn't have to crate and rotate technically, but it was all about finagling things around keeping the Staff away from 4 of the other dogs at all times. And of course the Pit Bulls were kept sparated when I was not there to directly supervise (and no loose yard time together.) While I can totally understand being anxious, stressed, and nervous about having to keep one dog totally segrated from others, part of me feels like, "Well, this is what happens when you own multi dogs and some happen to be of a dog-aggro breed". It was just the normal routine, to me, and will be in the future when I'm back to have 2+ dogs. For now, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet, and ease of having just one |
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Post by adoptapitbull on Feb 18, 2010 11:23:41 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm not nervous about doing the C&R. I'm just kinda like traumatized from my non-Pit fights. I'm just so afraid now that the boys will start having issues. If they do, I'm fine with C&R because most times during the day, one will be relaxing in there anyway. I'm just afraid to deal with what happens leading up to the C&R decision!
I'm on high alert too because a friend of mine just had a horrific fight at her house. Three of her dogs (only one Pit mix) killed one of her dogs during a fight. As the three dogs ripped apart the one dog, her two other dogs (one formerly chained male Pit) got into a fight and she had to euthanize one. So, in one day, she lost two dogs. She is such an active dog advocate in the county, too, that it is so shocking. It happened on the same day as my last girl fight, too. Gosh, I'm just a big giant ball of stress!
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Post by RealPitBull on Feb 18, 2010 12:53:32 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm not nervous about doing the C&R. I'm just kinda like traumatized from my non-Pit fights. I'm just so afraid now that the boys will start having issues. If they do, I'm fine with C&R because most times during the day, one will be relaxing in there anyway. I'm just afraid to deal with what happens leading up to the C&R decision! I'm on high alert too because a friend of mine just had a horrific fight at her house. Three of her dogs (only one Pit mix) killed one of her dogs during a fight. As the three dogs ripped apart the one dog, her two other dogs (one formerly chained male Pit) got into a fight and she had to euthanize one. So, in one day, she lost two dogs. She is such an active dog advocate in the county, too, that it is so shocking. It happened on the same day as my last girl fight, too. Gosh, I'm just a big giant ball of stress! Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you didn't have justification for being on edge/stressed! Bad choice of wording on my part. What I really meant was that *in general* C&R should be an (almost) expected, typical management thing, and in that regard, one should be prepared for it as a multi-Pit Bull owner. A dog fight is ALWAYS scary, always stressful - I don't care who you are! Multiple fights or a serious one is off-the-charts. Good thoughts to your friend, I'm so sorry she had to lose two dogs. |
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Post by adoptapitbull on Feb 18, 2010 13:04:26 GMT -5
I completely agree. I feel that people who don't have to C&R can sometimes make you feel like less of an owner for having to do it. It's like "Oh, your dogs are bad." when really, they're just being dogs! It's especially hard for us Pittie people who are already stereotyped!
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Post by michele5611 on Feb 18, 2010 13:15:30 GMT -5
I see crate and rotate as a tool used to safeguard my pets. I am all about setting them up for success and not failure.
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Post by AmyJo27 on Feb 18, 2010 14:15:15 GMT -5
I understand where Adoptapitbull is coming from when she fears what others will think.
Boomer has been resource guarding his wire crate and he bit Gustavo the other day...Gustavo and I sat down and made up a story to tell others so we wouldnt get the "His brain is swelling, put him down" or "See, Pit Bulls snap" speech from either of our families.
I didnt even tell our vet that he was growling when we went to the vet to get a panel done...People are already looking down on Boomer...I do not want them to see him as an example of a "Pit Bull who snaps". We bought Boomer a plastic crate and havent had problems since.
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Post by adoptapitbull on Feb 18, 2010 14:41:59 GMT -5
Exactly, Amy Jo. When I went to the ER to get my finger looked at, I told them I slammed it in a glass door. I dare not say I got it while breaking up a dog fight and my Pit bit me. I knew it was not human aggression, so why even bring it up? I didn't end up getting the antibiotics I wanted, only because the doc didn't know it was a dog bite! So, lying kinda screwed me there. It still looks ugly, but whatever, it's healing!
Plus, I do know that C&R is not exclusively a Pit thing. I was talking to a woman on the plane ride home who told me she has 2 Border Collies who cannot come near each other. I was doing the C&R with a Bulldog and a Dane mix myself!
I suppose it is much more common than we even know. You don't typically say, "I own X dogs...but 2 have to be C&R". Most people say, "I have x dogs." It's like the dirty little secret some multi-dog homes have!
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Post by AmyJo27 on Feb 18, 2010 14:49:19 GMT -5
Gustavo didnt even go to the doctor...Dog bites rarely get infected...Cat bites ALWAYS do. We are putting triple antibiotic ointment on his bite.
Gustavos is obviously a dog bite...There are obvious teeth marks on the top and bottom of his arm...It looks painful.
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Post by adoptapitbull on Feb 18, 2010 14:54:59 GMT -5
Mine looked more like a crush than a dog bite, so I was good. It was really deep though, and had SQ fat coming out of it. If the bite had been straight on, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to see through my finger! Luckily, my finger went in slanted so the holes didn't meet.
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I look forward to learning much here