Whenever I take my dog to Petsmart he’s always bullying the other dogs. No matter male or female. He’s great with other people approaching him, but if they have a dog that wants to play and it approaches mine, he’s growling and snarling and not wagging his tail in a playful manner. I took him to meet my bf’s dog lastnight he was fine with the Chihuahua, but meeting his other dog, who is twice his size, he wanted to attack him. The other dog wasn’t showing any signs of aggressiveness, he’s laid back and just wanted to sniff him…but my dog snarled and growled and wanted to fight. I have a boxer/pitbull mix. His name is Petey and he’s 2 years old. I also have another pitbull (female) named Jolee, she’s 4 yrs. old, and they get along great. How can I train Petey to not be aggressive around other dogs? It’s frustrating because he’s not the mean aggressive type and sends the wrong message to other dog owners that he’s vicious when he’s not. HELP!
I have stopped taking him to Petsmart. Jolee is the only one that can go with me, she doesn’t mind other dogs, male or female coming around her. She’s the complete opposite of Petey.
I can never take him off his leash, when we are out. He’s always on a leash, unless he’s at home or in the backyard.
Everytime he’s aggressive, I pull say "no" firmly, and pull him away from the situation and say "no" firmly again.
I can’t afford a professional trainer.
He may be trying to protect you, as someone said. But he may also be trying to protect himself. Some dogs do not like other dogs approaching them…..especially on leash. My own collie hates other dogs touching her, and would bite them if I let her. I simply don’t let her get into that situation. You are allowing other dogs to approach your dog……whether he likes it or not. I would personally stop allowing other dogs to come up to him. You may think that you are reading them well, but you <nor I, nor anyone else who is not a dog> cannot possibly read exactly what is going on between your dog and the other dog. Simply not allowing people to approach with other dogs will make him feel more relaxed. IF you get into a situation where someone allows their dog to come up to yours, you need to have a system to fall back on. I would put yourself between your dog and the other dog, and not allow interaction. In that way, you are telling your dog that you are in control of the situation, and he does not need to take any action. (You can train you dog to go behind you, by feeding him with a treat behind you, and putting a name to it, such as Back, Behind me, whatever word suits you.) Ask the owner of the other dog to take it away. IF your dog should start to growl because the other owner doesn’t have enough control…..or you didn’t read the situation quick enough…or <whatever>……move your dog away, ask it to Sit and Watch. Treat it for this behaviour. (Train the Sit and Watch at home, before you try it elsewhere. Then train it outside with no dogs about. Then in your house, with your other dog around.) You may find that actually training your dog another behaviour in place of the aggressive behaviour will be enough to stop the aggessive behaviour. This is because you are taking charge of the situation. You are demanding that the dog *do* something for you, and if you can achieve this, your dog will prefer to behave for you, rather than just take control of the situation himself. Remember to reward this heavily with really good treats. Dogs really do prefer that their owner take charge of situations…at the moment, you are simply standing there allowing the *dog* to take control, which is not what leadership is about. Leadership (and you should be the pack leader) is about protection, and about being in control of what is going on. That is not happening just now. Train your dog that *you* are in control. Ask for another behaviour…..train that behaviour. Nothing is beyond good training. Good Luck!!
5 Responses
2010 Jan 15
Get help from a private trainer. Aggression is serious business and it requires a trained eye to know what to do. Ask your vet or humane society for a referral, or go to http://www.apdt.com or http://www.iaabc.org. And stop taking Petey to Petsmart!
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2010 Jan 15
Unfortunately, dog aggression is deeply in-bred into Pit Bulls and is as good as impossible to eradicate.
How is he off leash around strange dogs? if he is bad off leash as well as on leash, I would call it dog aggression. If he is only aggressive on leash it would be leash aggression. Leash aggression is treatable, dog aggression is manageable but it can never be cured in it’s entirety with a breed like a Pit Bull.
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2010 Jan 15
You really want to reprimmand him for this aggressive behavior! When he growls tell him "No" very firmly and take him away from the situation. NEVER let it continue for any length of time. You really need to consider taking him to a professional trainer before this gets any worse.
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2010 Jan 15
you have to teach this dog that he is not top dog!!!
to do that, every time he snarls or growls, pick him up on it there and then at the time. eg, ahhh, or grr, dont use ‘no’ cause you use that word for so many other things….
when he growls of ‘goes’ for others, pull him up, say ‘the word, or noise’ Grrr then take his attention away.
he is obviosly feeling jealous and protective of you. don;t let him get away with it. your other dog doesn;t, so dont let this one do it!!!!
don;t yell and scream, just say ‘the word’ and he will soon assimilate that word with ‘leave that dog alone’ and be good..
if he is really aggressive say ‘the word’ then take him away from the group. let him out later, if he does it again, say the word and take him away again. you’ll have to keep doing this until he learns that he has to be nice to the others. By you doing this you are also saying you are in charge and you will not put up with his crap – thats good for alpha leadership. You are in charge!!!
it takes time – be patient, but persistent and they will all get along well..
References :
2010 Jan 15
He may be trying to protect you, as someone said. But he may also be trying to protect himself. Some dogs do not like other dogs approaching them…..especially on leash. My own collie hates other dogs touching her, and would bite them if I let her. I simply don’t let her get into that situation. You are allowing other dogs to approach your dog……whether he likes it or not. I would personally stop allowing other dogs to come up to him. You may think that you are reading them well, but you <nor I, nor anyone else who is not a dog> cannot possibly read exactly what is going on between your dog and the other dog. Simply not allowing people to approach with other dogs will make him feel more relaxed. IF you get into a situation where someone allows their dog to come up to yours, you need to have a system to fall back on. I would put yourself between your dog and the other dog, and not allow interaction. In that way, you are telling your dog that you are in control of the situation, and he does not need to take any action. (You can train you dog to go behind you, by feeding him with a treat behind you, and putting a name to it, such as Back, Behind me, whatever word suits you.) Ask the owner of the other dog to take it away. IF your dog should start to growl because the other owner doesn’t have enough control…..or you didn’t read the situation quick enough…or <whatever>……move your dog away, ask it to Sit and Watch. Treat it for this behaviour. (Train the Sit and Watch at home, before you try it elsewhere. Then train it outside with no dogs about. Then in your house, with your other dog around.) You may find that actually training your dog another behaviour in place of the aggressive behaviour will be enough to stop the aggessive behaviour. This is because you are taking charge of the situation. You are demanding that the dog *do* something for you, and if you can achieve this, your dog will prefer to behave for you, rather than just take control of the situation himself. Remember to reward this heavily with really good treats. Dogs really do prefer that their owner take charge of situations…at the moment, you are simply standing there allowing the *dog* to take control, which is not what leadership is about. Leadership (and you should be the pack leader) is about protection, and about being in control of what is going on. That is not happening just now. Train your dog that *you* are in control. Ask for another behaviour…..train that behaviour. Nothing is beyond good training. Good Luck!!
References :
Dog trainer for 30 years.