Please Help!

[tricee2]

I have two male 4 month old pits and tonight they got into a terrible fight, I have one that is very aggresive and I am too scared to let them be in the house together what can I do.

[loverocksalot]

I know most of the forum members will tell you to get rid of one or crate and rotate it probably will not get better. I am surprised at how many new members have 2 pit bull puppies if you look around the forum you will find advice on this topic. O n a walk the other day noticed someone new in my community has 2 pups I plan to bring up this forum in conversation as I am sure she may have similar concerns soon

[AmyJo27]

Definetly rehome one. If you had a male/female I would be less concerned but 2 males=Trouble!

I agree Carolann...It must be the new thing. Either that or breeders are providing "specials"-Buy 1 pup for $200 or buy 2 pups for $250. I believe its going to get worse before it gets better.

[tricee2]

no one seems to want pitbulls and others just want to fight them
one of my pups got wounded but the vet was closed what can I do.

[AmyJo27]

Call the vets home. Most vets will come go to the office for emergencies.

You will regret not rehoming one of them...Mark my words. It will only get harder to rehome them as they grow older.

My 3 year old APBT was not at all dog aggressive as a pup but within the last year he has decided he HATES males...The pups will only begin to fight worse and worse. You and the pups will end up seriously injured! We just had someone on the forum get seriously injured breaking up a dog fight.

It is not impossible to find an educated, responcible home...Maybe you should talk to a bully friendly rescue/shelter in your area that will help you find a home for one or both of the pups. Some rescues/shelters will put an ad for the dog on petfinder and help you screen possible adopters. There are many on the forum that are involved in Pit Bull rescue-They will have better info on rescue help.

What state/area are you from?

[maryellen]

rehome one. call emergency vets that are open 24 hours and find one. keep the pups separated permanently until you find one a home.

[adoptapitbull]

Keep in mind most bite wounds will not be stitched, so maybe the e-vet is not needed. They will most likely clean the area, shave it, and prescribe some antibiotics.

If you are too afraid to do crate and rotate, definitely contact your area shelters and rescues. If the dogs are still young, they have a better chance of being adopted. Just know that since they're already being dog aggressive, adoption may not happen.

If you choose to keep one, then do not get any other male dogs. Most male and female relationships work out fine. If you want to get a female dog, maybe try another breed. Dog aggression can happen in any breed, but since I'm guessing these are your first Pits, maybe you should read up on the breed before deciding to add any other dogs.

Dog fights can be traumatizing to you and the dogs. Remember that this fight does not make them "bad dogs". Pits are naturally dog aggressive. It's just part of their breed. Don't make any hasty decisions that you might regret later. Keep them separated for now, and start getting on the phone to look for a new arrangement.

[loverocksalot]

You can list a pup on PBRC and petfinder you can do a home visit to be sure you are not adopting to wrong people. Can one be returned to breeder? ANd there does seem to be some kind of breeder trend to adopting out pups together. For them to fight at 4 months old you are going to have terrible issues. Possibly see if there are any resuces that could take one.

[zueszena]

sorry for your troubles tricee,,,i have 2 pups and am a lucky one as i have no troubles yet,,crossing fingers knocking on wood,,but 2 males is not a good idea,,i agree with others here,,rehome,return,or adopt one out,,

[Courtney]

That's a tough situation, I feel for you. I've got 2 female littermates that have had a couple fights that resulted in vet visits (stitches, drains, antibiotics).

It's been hard dealing with them, that's for sure, and at 2 years old they haven't even reached maturity yet. I have to watch the little buggers like a hawk, and there are certain things they just can't do together like play fetch, because it will result in a fight.

My opinion may be unpopular, but I think that it is possible to manage littermates. Mine are curled up on the couch together cuddling

[AmyJo27]

Courtney, you also have to ask yourself this- Were yours in serious fights at 4 months of age?

I think that fact alone is a bit alarming...Especially if you are a first time Pit Bull owner...Managing these dogs (If you keep them both) would take a TON of work and effort. You have got to have the room and time to keep 2 Pit Bull pups seperate for their entire lifes (14+ years)-That includes seperate walks, feedings, outside to potty etc. Things you REALLY need to think about.

I do not want to come off too strongly but it is the truth...I do not want you to come home to a bloody mess someday or end up in the headlines because you get in the middle of a serious dog fight. I can not imagine being in your position-My thoughts are with you!

[adoptapitbull]

I think it's all in the amount of work the owner wants to put in. We're C&R Mav and Snorts and it's really not a big deal. Each get plenty of playtime with us and the other dogs. If you could manage that with the pups, then maybe try keeping them. But, if you think it's only a temporary thing, think twice. Don't keep them for a few months and then decide to rehome. By that time they're older and less likely to be adopted. Just do what is best for the dogs. If you can't manage crate and rotate, then try to find new homes.

[Courtney]

At 4 months old mine could have been in serious fights had they been left unsupervised. It doesn't take much force for sharp puppy teeth to get through the skin.

I'm not saying that every situation works out, or even that mine will long-term, but I think it's worth trying. Even if they were rehomed it doesn't guarantee their safety.

[pistis]

Ok.... Here it is,

First, like someone else mentioned, it is up to the owner to decide what they can and want to deal with. This situation is not "the end of the world."

Tricee, I feel for you with this situation. It is common for APBTs (American Pit Bull Terriers)/bully breeds to be dog aggressive or become dog aggressive, but it is not the end of the world unless you feel that it is. In which case re-homing is necessary.

It is NOT impossible to keep 2 dog aggressive dogs as many people on this forum crate and rotate, and they are fine with that. I am one of them at the moment and I would never think of getting rid of one of mine. But that's my decision, and I knew that owning 2 APBTs (especially in your case with both dogs being of the same sex) the potential for them to become dog aggressive was there. I knew crate and rotate might be an option one day- that's due to investing much important and needed hours of research before adopting the second dog. Which is what everyone should do.

Second, Tricee I'm not sure if these are the first APBTs you've owned, but please understand that dog aggression and animal aggression are two COMPELTELY seperate things. It does NOT mean that you are at risk to be injured by these dogs- unless they have some neurological problem you are not aware of yet. Having your dogs checked out by vets and taken to the vet for check-ups is always a good idea.

Of course you can always get injured by getting in the way of trying to break up a dog fight, which is why there are effective and non-effective ways of doing so. There are threads on this forum about how to handle dogfights if you'd like to look into them and/ haven't already done so.

I think you need to first decide what you want to do and can handle (meaning is crating and rotating something you are willing to do for the rest of these dogs lives?). If not, then you do need to find a good home for one of the dogs to go to. Again, there are sites to help you do that, some of which have already been mentioned, and all of us on this forum can help you do that. We can give contacts and point you in the right direction if necessary. Like someone else mentioned, waste no time in figuring out what you can handle. If re-homing them is what you need to do, it's better for the pups to find a home for one of them as soon as possible. Having them wait until they're older will only make it harder on them.

I do feel for you being put in this position and I know it's not fun. Many dogs can and are dog agressive- from EVERY breed. For APBTs that is a more common trait, but again, it is not the same as human aggression and there are many joys of owning a "pit bull."

Again, not sure what your situation is; how old/young you are, what your daily responsibilities are, are you in school, do you work full time, how much effort you are willing to put into these dogs (they are a high energy breed and require plenty of daily exercise- a tired dog is a good dog), not sure how much research you've already done, not sure what your occupation is, not even sure if this is the first time you've ever owned this breed or not, but all of those questions will factor into if crating and rotating is a feasible option for you.

Keep us updated and let us know what you decide- and how we can help.

Either way you do need to keep the pups seperated for now like MaryEllen said.

As you've seen already from this thread some people can't do crate and rotate, while others don't mind what it takes to manage a multi-APBT home. Many others on this forum have multiple APBTs that DO live peaceably together.

The decision is all yours. Decide what's best for you AND the pups, and feel free to scan the site for other threads on this matter and/ ask whatever questions you need to.

Hope that helps! On this forum you'll find that what's in the best interest of the breed is something we all can get "heated" about from time-to-time. We don't want anymore negative stories popping up about these dogs, and we try to help new owners make the best decisions so they don't become a "negative statistic" and do live a wonderful life with their dog/s.

For some, C&R (crating and rotating) is a feasible option, for others it's not. For some they don't mind managing dog agression, others don't like that idea at all. I think some people might be "too busy" in their daily lives to be able to give each dog the one-on-one time it needs when it comes to C&R. Which is why I say at the end of the day the decision is up to what you think you can do, and what's best for these pups.

As far as peoples personal stories go and what they think- it's good to read I guess, but it really comes down to the facts. What is your life like? What are you up for doing for these dogs? How much time and effort are you willing to put into these dogs? Doing the research is sooo essential that I can NOT stress it enough when it comes to owning a particular breed of dog or any animal. People too often fail at doing their research before and/ after purchasing a pet. It looks like you're on the right track though as you did seek out other owners and professionals to help you decide what to do. Good job and keep up the good work! Remember you are not the first to experience this with their dog, nor the last.

Let us know what you decide and how we can help. That what this forum is here for. We definately promote responsible ownership!

[adoptapitbull]

Very well said!

[erpitrescue]

Go Faith! You make Lola and Ergo proud with talk like that.