11 Month Old Dog Problems

[r8chl]

Oh he's an APBT! I don't know any farmer that would take on an unruly pitbull unless he did pig hunting on the side.

Yes, pig hunting. He knows what my dog is like he would be a pet to him not a working dog

[LisaCC]

Not wanting to start anything, but isn't there some very strict rules about APBTs regarding BSL? I wouldn't want to put this on a public forum. I know in NSW at least you can get in big trouble for rehoming one.

Hope everything works out well though.

[dancinbcs]

How much exercise does he get, what sort of training does he get and how often? Is he entire or desexed? Was there a reason he now hates other children? When did the barking start and can you find a trigger for it? Rehoming an aggressive dog is very dangerous. I suggest a behaviourist.

He gets daily exercise, he is entire (that wasn't my choice) I have no idea why he hates other kids, he bark at anything that walk past if the kids over the back come to the fence, the lawnmower - he bites the wheels, if the kids are swinging on the swings he barks at that too. He was hit by a car at about 4 months old so I don't know if that has had some impact. He shows agression towards other dogs. If he is rehomed it it to a friend that lives on property with working dogs so thats not an issue. Our dog is an APBT

Being hit by the car could have caused brain damage. I have seen it happen before. He may also just have a bad temperament that didn't really show until he started to mature and with a dog with that much strength, I wouldn't be taking any chances around children or rehoming him. I honestly suspect there could possibly be some genetic brain disease in the breed as well that makes some become aggressive as they mature. Your first post came across as someone with zero dog experience and none raising a puppy, as much of that behaviour is common in small yappy breeds if they aren't trained. As you do have experience with the breed and have declared this one is nuts, is aggressive with other dogs and people, he is a serious liability. By all means have him assessed be an expert but please make sure he doesn't become yet another attack statistic for APBTs especially with a child. I know the agony of having to pts a dog with brain damage so know that decision isn't easy but dogs cannot tell us if their head aches or what they are feeling so he could well be in pain and over reacting to noise and movement stimulus.

[Wobbly]

He gets daily exercise, he is entire (that wasn't my choice) I have no idea why he hates other kids, he bark at anything that walk past if the kids over the back come to the fence, the lawnmower - he bites the wheels, if the kids are swinging on the swings he barks at that too. He was hit by a car at about 4 months old so I don't know if that has had some impact. He shows agression towards other dogs. If he is rehomed it it to a friend that lives on property with working dogs so thats not an issue. Our dog is an APBT

I have one of these, they can be incredibly unruly adolescents, the amount of times I could have throttled my dog when she was a teen - she was so incredibly hyper. I don't think you can reasonably expect to get away with less than 2 hours HARD exercise every day. Not a casual walk, it has to be a serious fast paced, frisbee throwing, ball throwing, swimming workout. At least that's how I handled it, I also saw a behaviourist, I didn't have aggression issues with my dog, she was always sweet as pie temperament wise, but the hyperactivity, lack of focus and tendency to get so over excited she seemed out of her mind at times, made her a really tough teen to manage.

They are the best dogs in the world once they mature and settle down, but you really have to put a lot of time and effort (and did I mention massive amounts of exercise?) into getting them there.

The aggression issue is a real worry, it's not normal temperament for a Pit, please do see a reputable behaviourist. If he concludes the problem is brain damage or poor temperament, you may have to consider putting him to sleep, these dogs are so strong, and so determined, when they go bad it can have tragic results.

Perhaps if you tell us what state/area you're in someone can reccommend someone? I saw Steve Courtenay near Sydney, he trains police dogs. He's not cheap, but very good value, I'm glad I saw him. I have a good dog now, and I think his advice made all the difference in the world. She's such a lovely dog now, sometimes it's hard to reconcile the great house pet she is now with the wild animal she was just a few years ago.

Oh he's an APBT! I don't know any farmer that would take on an unruly pitbull unless he did pig hunting on the side.

Yes, pig hunting. He knows what my dog is like he would be a pet to him not a working dog

If the guy is genuinely a keen pig hunter and experienced with hunting dogs, this sounds like a good idea. The dog will love it, he sounds like he's dying to burn up all that excess energy with some hard work like that. See a behaviourist first though, you don't want to pass on a dog who is brain damaged or flat out has a poor temperament to your friend.

Good luck! Let us know how you go.

Edited October 20, 2012 by Wobbly

[Wobbly]

Here's some contacts for good behaviourists, it's important to find a good one, there are some terrible ones out there who will waste your money & perhaps even make the problem worse, so you really need to make sure you get a good one.

Sydney (Blue Mountains) Steve Courtney - http://k9pro.com.au/services/services/behaviour-consultation/

Brisbane - Jane Harper - http://www.dogsontrack.com.au/index.htm

Victoria - Tamara Jackson - http://www.underdogtraining.com.au/index.html

In the interim, use this training program for feeding, it really is gold, it should help you, although is not a substitute for professional advice for an aggressive dog:

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/64101-triangle-of-temptation/

Edited October 20, 2012 by Wobbly

[WreckitWhippet]

The dog certainly does have problems and it's an owner problem, a lack of training and socialisation. It gets put on the chain, not enough family time, attention or exercise to meet the dogs needs.

Edited October 20, 2012 by Pav Lova

[r8chl]

Thank you so much wobbly you have given me some great helpful advice. I will try a behaviorist and go from there.

[r8chl]

The dog certainly does have problems and it's an owner problem, a lack of training and socialisation. It gets put on the chain, not enough family time, attention or exercise to meet the dogs needs.

Not at all helpful, as stated in earlier posts I have been the same training exercise wise with previous dog and he was fine. I have to chain him at times otherwise he will stand at the fence and bark!! It not like he is chained all day and don't other people that work have dogs?? What do they do, take them to work??

[mumof4girls]

I put mine in his run and we go for a good hour walk each morning and afternoon, he is then tired whilst I am at work and he sleeps most of the day. I think in your dogs case just basic training isn't enough. I also take rogue to obediance training and agility training through the week so he gets out with other dogs and we socialise and burn off energy. I think the behaviourists are a great way to go. I had a trainer come out for 5 sessions spread right out when rogue was 14 weeks , he was fantastic in the early days really set us up.. All dogs are different some quiet little lambs others have more drive, bigger personalities more dominent which means more work, time and patience.. It can be done, I work full time and have 4 children you just have to make time and be committed.. Rogue tries it on but it doesnt take much to remind him who is boss so to speak and he is 11mths old also. Let us know how the behaviourist goes would be interesting what tools he /she gives you :-)

[r8chl]

I put mine in his run and we go for a good hour walk each morning and afternoon, he is then tired whilst I am at work and he sleeps most of the day. I think in your dogs case just basic training isn't enough. I also take rogue to obediance training and agility training through the week so he gets out with other dogs and we socialise and burn off energy. I think the behaviourists are a great way to go. I had a trainer come out for 5 sessions spread right out when rogue was 14 weeks , he was fantastic in the early days really set us up.. All dogs are different some quiet little lambs others have more drive, bigger personalities more dominent which means more work, time and patience.. It can be done, I work full time and have 4 children you just have to make time and be committed.. Rogue tries it on but it doesnt take much to remind him who is boss so to speak and he is 11mths old also. Let us know how the behaviourist goes would be interesting what tools he /she gives you :-)

Thank you :)

[Salukifan]

In most states of Australia your dog is a restricted breed and cannot be legally rehomed. He should definitely NOT be rehomed entire. Breed aside, this dog shows aggression towards children. If you cannot improve this dogs behavior , the responsible option is to have him put to sleep.

Get hinm desexed and get a trainer in. He deserves a chance.

[huski]

Not at all helpful, as stated in earlier posts I have been the same training exercise wise with previous dog and he was fine.

The thing is that every dog is different and there is no one size fits all approach to training, raising and living with a dog that will work successfully for every dog. I have three completely different dogs here and if I trained them and interacted with them in exactly the same way it would be a disaster. Definitely get professional help in ASAP from a reputable behaviourist - they will be able to show you how to handle him and how to interact with him so his behaviour is more easily manageable.

[megan_]

The issue is it is very hard to find places to exercise what is a human and dog aggressive dog. Even if you stick to on leash, there will always be other dogs spporaching yours.

I'd get the dog assessed and then go from there - work with the dog myself or PTS. I personally couldn't rehome an aggressive dog because you never know where it is going to land up (friend could rehome it etc). Id be seeing a behaviourist as a matter of urgency.

He gets daily exercise, he is entire (that wasn't my choice) I have no idea why he hates other kids, he bark at anything that walk past if the kids over the back come to the fence, the lawnmower - he bites the wheels, if the kids are swinging on the swings he barks at that too. He was hit by a car at about 4 months old so I don't know if that has had some impact. He shows agression towards other dogs. If he is rehomed it it to a friend that lives on property with working dogs so thats not an issue. Our dog is an APBT

I have one of these, they can be incredibly unruly adolescents, the amount of times I could have throttled my dog when she was a teen - she was so incredibly hyper. I don't think you can reasonably expect to get away with less than 2 hours HARD exercise every day. Not a casual walk, it has to be a serious fast paced, frisbee throwing, ball throwing, swimming workout. At least that's how I handled it, I also saw a behaviourist, I didn't have aggression issues with my dog, she was always sweet as pie temperament wise, but the hyperactivity, lack of focus and tendency to get so over excited she seemed out of her mind at times, made her a really tough teen to manage.

They are the best dogs in the world once they mature and settle down, but you really have to put a lot of time and effort (and did I mention massive amounts of exercise?) into getting them there.

The aggression issue is a real worry, it's not normal temperament for a Pit, please do see a reputable behaviourist. If he concludes the problem is brain damage or poor temperament, you may have to consider putting him to sleep, these dogs are so strong, and so determined, when they go bad it can have tragic results.

Perhaps if you tell us what state/area you're in someone can reccommend someone? I saw Steve Courtenay near Sydney, he trains police dogs. He's not cheap, but very good value, I'm glad I saw him. I have a good dog now, and I think his advice made all the difference in the world. She's such a lovely dog now, sometimes it's hard to reconcile the great house pet she is now with the wild animal she was just a few years ago.

Oh he's an APBT! I don't know any farmer that would take on an unruly pitbull unless he did pig hunting on the side.

Yes, pig hunting. He knows what my dog is like he would be a pet to him not a working dog

If the guy is genuinely a keen pig hunter and experienced with hunting dogs, this sounds like a good idea. The dog will love it, he sounds like he's dying to burn up all that excess energy with some hard work like that. See a behaviourist first though, you don't want to pass on a dog who is brain damaged or flat out has a poor temperament to your friend.

Good luck! Let us know how you go.

[mixeduppup]

I had a very dog reactive dog that was 60 kilos and I couldn't walk her without quite a bit of risk involved, so I set up a course in my backyard with jumps and tunnels and seesaw things, it wore her out and she didn't have to see other dogs. I still use it now (although slightly adapted) when I'm not well enough to walk my current dogs, it's very useful.

[Guest lavendergirl]

Most behaviourists do not have university degrees - you would need to see a Veterinary Behaviourist to access that level of qualification. Has the dog had a vet check up recently? It may be beneficial if you could consult someone who has both medical and behavioural experience. If you are in Brisbane the only one I know of is Dr Cam Day - there may be others. He has a website - expensive and you would need to be willing to commit a fair amount of money whatever way you go.

It sounds like in your situation it may be better to rehome the dog to someone with full disclosure as you need to look after yourself and your family first. There may not be a future for this dog in your household. Good luck.

Edited October 21, 2012 by lavendergirl

[Wobbly]

Yeah Megan, finding a place to exercise could be a problem, depending on where R8chel lives. I was lucky to be able to find a place near me that was perfect (that said I didn't have to worry about my girl being aggressive toward people, only other dogs).

R8chel, there is a very interesting thread on this forum that deals with the exercising of dogs with aggressive tendencies. One of the things I've realised from this thread is that sometimes it's NOT the owners fault the dog is so difficult. All the owners in that thread are dedicated, they put in the time, research and the effort to do the best for their dogs. The fact is that dogs are individuals and sometimes it's not the owners fault (ofc sometimes it is) the dog may simply have bad genetics, it may have had a bad experience that warped it's psychology - sometimes accidents happen, we can't control everything in life. Anyway, you might find some useful ideas and conversation there - I'm particularly interested in some of the training methods like BAT & LAT people use in this thread.

It may be a good thread for you to find helpful practical solutions to some of your problems, appropriate training programs and discussions with people who are understanding of your predicament.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/232274-exercising-reactive-dogs-thread/

In fact that entire Training subforum is a great section to read, so many interesting discussions about dog training there. There are also a few very good behaviourists and trainers who post there too, and they regularly give very good advice to people.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/forum/9-training-obedience-dog-sports/

And of course that forum section is home to the absolutely amazing Triangle of Temptation thread, which I'll link again because IMO you can never link it too often. It's such an easy to do training program that produces outstanding results.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/64101-triangle-of-temptation/

I would urge you to look beyond the people here who are criticising you in this thread, and take into account that there is a community here that can be very helpful. There is the odd prickly personality or two and disagreements will happen - but they happen in every community, both online and offline. Overall though, the discussions and information you can get here can really make all the difference to the way you approach your dog's issues, and help you end up with a great dog that you're proud to own. The amount of knowledge about dogs in general, and my own dog I've gotten from this forum is huge, and I'm profoundly grateful for it.

I do hope you will continue to post here and let us know how your appointment with the behaviourist goes and how things are progressing. Will you see Jane Harper? It's actually pretty exciting to get the opportunity to work with an expert professional behaviourist, it's a really fantastic opportunity to learn about dog behaviour and psychology from the best in the field. It's worth every penny when you can get a really good training and behaviour expert to teach you the ropes.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Edited October 21, 2012 by Wobbly

[r8chl]

Thank you so much for the helpful information. he is not aggressive towards people if we are out walking, I am wondering weather he has become yard territorial maybe. I don't think he would actually hurt another dog, for example when I take him to the vet and another dog comes in the waiting room, he will just bark like mad at it, when walking he will bark at other dogs but I can usually distract him. My main concern is the barking and nipping at children (he doesn't actually bite them)I don't know why he does this now and what if he does hurt someones child? That is mostly what I am worried about, he probably has the potential to be a great dog but he needs a lot more time put into him at this moment I have been pretty unwell with morning (ALL DAY) sickness and my other half is here week on week off, there is a couple of trainers in the area that come to your house but they do cost alot and they want you to pay upfront, which does make it hard. I am in Rockhampton QLD

[r8chl]

I had a very dog reactive dog that was 60 kilos and I couldn't walk her without quite a bit of risk involved, so I set up a course in my backyard with jumps and tunnels and seesaw things, it wore her out and she didn't have to see other dogs. I still use it now (although slightly adapted) when I'm not well enough to walk my current dogs, it's very useful.

Thats a great idea :)

[r8chl]

I am not a fan of just getting rid of pets if they become too much trouble, that is why I came on here to ask someone for help, also what about de sexing? i would prefer for him to be done will it make a difference now at this age?

[Guest Willow]

Personally, I would have him PTS...going solely on the info provided, I think he sounds like a ticking timebomb. I've been where you are, pregnant, with a small child and a dog with aggressive tendencies, and I decided to PTS. I felt very sad, and I loved him, but I would never feel 100% comfortable with him around my children, or other people.

Having all day sickness and trying to deal with other children and a dog with these tendencies would be absolotely horrible,you have my utmost sympathies, and I hope you find a solution you feel comfortable with.