emergency: my dog bit another dog today

[kindofadraag]

petey is my pitbull's name - he's 1 1/2 and the sweetest most loving dog ever. he wasn't always my dog, he was my boyfriend's dog but my boyfriend abandoned his dog, me, and my other dog. petey was SO dependent on his dad and is SERIOUSLY suffering because of this.

he weighs like 85-90 lbs. so do i. i work full time and my commute is 2 hours each way. i was leaving both of the dogs at home alone for a while because i had no other choice. today i gave MY dog away to a new home so he could have a yard and get the attention he deserves, because petey is tragically devoted to his dad and to me and demands a lot of attention. but he is incredibly shaken up by this whole thing. he cannot stand being in a room alone let alone home alone, and yesterday i tried to run him but he ended up pulling me down the alley by my face.

today my uncle came to help and i told him petey is extremely dog aggressive but for some reason he decided it might be ok to take him to a very public area where lots of people walk there dogs, and petey's anxiety over this whole situation coupled with the lack of exercise he has been getting drove him to bite another dog.

we'd been taking him to training classes at the villalobos rescue center for the past 6 weeks but i dont think i'm going to be able to keep this little guy unless he gets a serious behavior overhaul. can anybody offer any advice? i've paid people to run him and they quit right afterwards.

he's not a bad dog - he's just HUGE and his tiny little heart cant handle all this turmoil so he's acting out. it's really consuming my life to the point where i can't leave him alone so now not only did my boyfriend disappear, but i have to stay home and nurse his giant dog's bleeding heart.

sorry if this sounds scatterbrained. i need some pitbull help guys!

(think this would help at all? www.entirelypets.com/dapcollar.html)
also, he is not fixed and my boyfriend found him running the streets. probably pertinent info.

[loverocksalot]

Wow sorry for your turmoil. you will soon get help and answers here. Is the other dog that he bit ok? I am sure some members will have good advice for you.

[adoptapitbull]

Dog aggression is to be expected with this breed. This does not make him a "bad" dog, or make him anything but a Pit Bull. If he had bitten you unprovoked, it would be a different story. Get him neutered ASAP and limit dog encounters until you can control him on a leash better.

[pistis]

Can I ask how much information and research you've done on APBT (American pit bull terriers) and the bully breeds?

You say your commute is 2 hours each way, so you drive 4 hours a day total for work? How many days out of the week do you do this, and how long are your shifts at work?

I'm asking these questions to get a better understanding of your whole situation.

As for Petey, there are professionals on this site who can better instruct you I'm sure, but for now I will just give my input.

First things first, never leave two dogs unsupervised alone. Ever. Period. This rule especailly applies to pit bulls/ bully breeds because they are more prone to DA (dog agression). Pit bulls mature around 2-3 years old. During this time you may (or you may not) see your dog develope dog selection or dog aggression. It doesn't happen every time, but it is common with these breeds. This is why you NEVER let two or more dogs out together unattended. Almost everyone's dogs on this forum are crated. Crating is a good thing and a happy place for your dog/s. There are threads about it here. That's for future reference, I'm under the impression you are down to one dog in your home now. You should crate your dog when you're not at home if it's necessary.

Second, and I cannot stress this enough, get your dog neutered ASAP!!!!! This will help the problem immensely! He should've been neutered already. (I don't mean that in a bad way, I'm just letting you know what needs to be done to help your situation.) Neuter him now. If you feel you can't afford it there are plenty of websites that help with the cost. You can go to the "Friends of Animals" website and buy a certificate to neuter your dog for $60. Male dogs are $60, female dogs are $90, and I forget how much for male/female cats. You type in your zip code where the site tells you to and it will e-mail you a list (obviously, you have to give them your e-mail info as well) of vets in your area who honor their certificates. Call the vet before you go just to make sure they do still honor the certificate, and get your boy fixed!!! I'm serious. This is one of those "it needed to be done yesterday" kind of issues.

Third, no more letting people who don't know what their doing come in and start taking your dog places when you already think it's going to be a bad idea- like your uncle. Unless the person has significant experience with this breed specifically, and is correctly educated about them they are not allowed to step-in and start doing things. If they do, you are allowing a bad situation to become worse. Stand-up for you and your dog and don't let people try and fiddle with something they don't understand. You wouldn't let a plumber who knows nothing about vehicles work on your car, so don't let a person who doesn't know enough about pit bulls try and fiddle with your dog to see if they can 'fix' your issue. No. That's a horrible idea.

Now back to the DA and your problem. The fact that your dog is DA (dog aggressive) is not the end of the world, NOR is it necessarily "curable." Many pibbles (our term of endearment for pit bulls) simply just don't like other dogs. Do you know what we do? We don't take them around other dogs. Now, you CAN train your dog to behave properly around other dogs (Meaning keeping his focus on you, not the other dog/s present, ignoring other dogs, not growling or becoming aggressive, ect.) Will Petey ever be " buddy buddy" with any dog again? There is a chance he won't be. There's nothing wrong with that. Just like children, some are social, some are anti-social. Neither one is right or wrong.

So if Petey doesn't like dogs and you know this, start training him how to behave properly if he must be around them. <--- There is A LOT of info/detail about how to 'train your dog to behave around other dogs,' so I will wait for somene with years of experience in that department to explain all the ways you go about this.

Pit bulls are a high energy breed and they do require adequate exercise daily, which you've already stated you know. There are ways of coping with this if you have a busy lifestyle. For mine (I have a busy lifestyle), I have a fenced-in backyard, so I take one out at a time (I mostly crate and rotate my dogs as they don't always get along with each other), grab 2 tennis balls, throw one, let him/her run to get it and bring it back to me, have him/her drop-it upon return, then immediately throw the second. I do this until they are tired of running at full force, back and forth, for minutes on end, then bring them inside and they hit the floor ready for a nap. It takes 15/20 mins max. per day, depending on how hot it is outside, two times a day.

If you don't have a fenced yard you can drive Petey up to baseball fields at night when no one will be there, go into the fenced area, and let him run around there. Do the tennis ball thing for a few mins, or you can also get a laser pointer and let him chase it all around the diamond until he's tired. I've also done that as well. Or just wake-up earlier and do the running thing.

Sounds like Petey is a typical pittie who needs to get neutered, learn how to behave properly with proper training, and get some more love and exercise. No need for panic. You just need to be pointed in the right direction and be willing to go the distance for whatever it is he needs.

Also, if he is 1 1/2 years old, he is going through his "teenage" period. Just like what it sounds, this is the time where many, uneducated, irresponsible owners get rid of their dogs because they think getting a dog means it's going to behave wonderfully its entire life. During the teenage period (which lasts a couple years, btw) he is going to test you to see what he can get away with, be stubborn at times, ect. This is why correct education and understanding of the breed is so important as all dogs are NOT equal, and correct training is a must.

You need to be able to accept with pit bulls they won't necessarily like other dogs, and that's ok. It just means you'll need to train Petey how to act in certain places, or not take him to those places. If he's upset by the huge change of events right now, then give him the time he needs to adjust. Just spend time with him at home until he's used to where ever he is, and give him lots of love. Don't take him out places yet. Just let him settle-in to how life is now, then when he's comfortable you can start training him how to behave in public places.

Start NILIF; Nothing In Life Is Free. If he wants a treat, make him sit first (or do some other command). If he wants to eat breakfast/lunch/dinner, make him do something for it before he is allowed to eat. This will teach him some boundaries and manners.

There is so much more I can go into, but I'll leave you with that for now and let others who have been doing this for years give you more adive on your situation.

I apologize if I seemed straight-forward and not "compassionate." It's late where I am, and I just worked 12 hours. I'm spent!

[pistis]

I really want to reiterate the "letting him adust" thing. If your dog (any dog) is put in a new situation, then you need to allow your dog to adjust to his new life. This means no taking him places where there's lots going on, don't bring people he doesn't know over to walk him when you're not there, don't bring him out around other dogs. Just let him stay at home, get lots of love, and adjust. Do this for at least 2 weeks. While you're doing this make sure you're doing "NILIF" also.

[suziriot]

First, I want to say good for you for taking responsibility for the life that was left on your hands, since it's certainly not Petey's fault that his dad decided to abandon you both. I'm sorry that your ex has left you and Petey in this situation, but it sounds like you're both better off without someone like that in your lives.

If Petey is around 90 lbs, then it is likely he is mixed with a larger breed. If you can post some pictures of him, then we might be able to tell you what he's mixed with. This can be important because if he is mixed with a guarding breed, for example, then that might be an indicator of possible behavior issues. Breed is NOT a predictor for behavior: however, just as specific physical traits are common within a breed, so are behavior traits. As pistis mentioned, dog aggression is common in pit bulls and is absolutely manageable if you are a responsible owner and put effort into training and management.

It sounds like you're dealing with several issues here. As pistis said, get Petey neutered ASAP! That will go a long way to helping with at least some of these issues. From what you wrote, these seem to be the primary issues: 1. He is a big dog, and you're a small girl. 2. He is dog aggressive. 3. He has separation anxiety and you're away from home for most of the day.

My answer for all of these issues is the same: CONSISTENT, POSITIVE BASED TRAINING. I can relate personally to 1 and 2. I'm only 5 feet tall myself. My biggest dog is a 90lb mastiff/pit bull mix with serious dog aggression. He has actually turned into my easiest dog to handle because he is smart and eager to please people. Like Petey, he's a giant cuddle bug. And in my rescue work, I've dealt with much bigger and much more badly behaved dogs. You can do it... I promise! First, take some time to read through the training and behavior threads on this forum. You will find incredibly helpful information from previous discussions on issues similar to yours. Look for discussions on dog aggression, separation anxiety, clicker training, basic training, etc. Take notes and write down any questions you have. Once you have a base of knowledge and information to start with, post your questions and we can help you work through the solutions.