Hi, I have an 18 week old pit bull mix and i'm not sure what to think of his "aggressive" behavior. Maybe someone could help me interpret what is going on?

Ok, this is whats happening: He's usually extremely obedienct and willing to please with the exception of a few situations. For example, if hes sleeping and i try and move him he gets nasty and starts to growl and nip. I usually correct this behavior by scolding him and he usually stops. However, if i try to grab him by the collar again he just growls and tries to bite again. The only way i can get control of him is to approach him softly and tie a leash to him. I usually isolate him when he's bad like this for about 30 minutes because he hates to be alone. Up until today, i didn't think much of this behavior and simply assumed it was normal puppy behavior associated with puberty and him testing his boundaries.

He doesnt do it all the time, only about once a week he gets nasty. A good scolding is usually enough to discourage it for a week or so. However, today he actually scraped me with his teeth and slightly broke my skin when i tried to pull him off the couch.

Now i'm very concerned and am beginning to wonder if this is normal and if it's not how do i get him to stop? He has actively engaged in obedience training and responds very well to it. In fact, he learns faster than most dogs twice his age and seems to be exceptionally intelligent. I also demand that he obeys every command by ignoring him or his wants (for example a treat) until he obeys. I always make him sit before going outside and if he decides he doesn't want to he doesnt go out. Before he eats, i ask him to perform a certain command like roll over and he always listens. So i've ruled out the possibility of him thinking he outranks me. I dont know what to do anymore, any advice please?!

Hi

What he's learnt is that if he wants a treat or to go out he has to obey you for it! That's fine as long as there is something in it for him! When it is just you and him on a one to one basis with no rewards..then he doesn't have much respect for you. He does think that he is important and you are a nuisance disturbing him - that is why he is reacting!

If he is growling and biting then he is being aggressive towards you and its unacceptable. He's asleep and you are manhandling him so he reacts and then he gets stuck alone for a while which he hates He may not associate the isolation with his aggression but with being disturbed from sleep so you could try and break that pattern. Don't physically wake him up by moving him but try calling him and waking him with your voice instead. If you want him off the couch then go behind it and tip it up so he lands on the floor! I personally would not let him up on the furniture at all until he learns some manners.
Be firm but don't shout and overreact as you may be frightening him - you don't want him to become afraid of you but develop a good strong bond with mutual respect.
Lara

I don't always reward him with treats and stuff, sometimes i just command him to get off the couch and he usually does but sometimes he simply refuses and i have to manually remove him. That's when he growls and nips at me.

Blimey - you're quite lucky then! I have to pick up both the beagle and the dobe off the couch when they're fast asleep! They just refuse to wake up no matter how much noise I make! You try dragging a full grown dobe off a couch against their will!!!

Lady G
(with muscles of steel)

Do the problems occur mostly when you take hold of his collar? If this is the case it may be worth practising collar grabs in a different room and place, and rewarding him accepting this, so he associates colllar grabs with pleasant things.

Besides you never know when a dog will have its collar grabbed, so it's never a bad thing to teach to accept :)

Do you have a command for moving him, or getting him off the couch? There can be many reasons for his behaviour, such as not understanding (whatever you do, don't use the command DOWN for getting off the sofa, as to the dog, he IS already lying down. So much confusion is caused just bythis one word....!!!) He may be upset if you are saying the command crossly, or reading your body language; he may have hip problems, may be hard of hearing, etc.

You could try putting a house line on him, and setting up training situations so that he gets rewarded for obeying "Off, boy" and you can calmly pull him off (don't face him straight on) and then still reward him when he is off. And I agree once he definitely understands, but chooses not to comply, absolutely tip him off the sofa. It's totally non-confrontational but totally shows him "Er, excuse me but you will do as i ask thankyou!" :D

Good luck
LIndsay

"....whatever you do, don't use the command DOWN for getting off the sofa, as to the dog, he IS already lying down. So much confusion is caused just bythis one word....!!!"

Ohhhh it took me about three weeks to figure out why Speed was being "naughty" and refusing to get off the sofa when told.... i felt like such an idiot when i realised, i'd been saying "get down"!!!! She moves first time when i say "off"!
Live and learn eh!! She's got me well trained now though :D :D :D

Annette

It's suprising how many people also tell their dogs to 'sit down' when they want it to 'sit' without realising what they are actually saying!!!

Tell me why he is allowed on the furniture in the first place. He thinks he has a right to the cofty sofa and would you be happy if some one grabbed you and woke you while you are snoozing on the sofa? Keep him off, be consistent in the action NEVER let him on the sofa!!!!

I do have a command for getting off the sofa: (off the couch). And yes, I also do grab him by the collar when he chooses to ignore me. However, he's used to being grabbed by the collar and i do it daily. I've thought about encouraging him off the couch with rewards like treats but i don't want him to get spoiled and only comply when there is something in it for him.

I guess i'll just try approaching him slowly and petting first then trying to push him off the couch because tipping over this 300 pound sofa-bed is not an option.

By the way, i allow my dogs on the couch and bed because i enjoy cuddling with my dogs. Besides, it strenghens the bond between owner and dog by sharing affection on a regular basis. I always make it clear to both my dogs who is in control and who excercises leadership in the household. It really isn't a question of who's alpha and who is beta. I govern my dogs with strict and very diligent training and obedience lessons at least 5 times a day for 10 minutes a session. Besides, they LOVE their training sessions and i enjoy watching them learn. So, i wouldn't even consider restricting couch access to them. I would rather resolve the problem rather than avoid it by not allowing them on furniture.

In the meantime, i guess i'll just have to try collar handling sessions with him and reward for compliance. Hopefully he wont interpret it as confrontational play.....

I'll keep everyone updated on his progress....thanks for the help and any further advice would be very welcome and appreciated!

Oblivious

theres nothing wrong with dogs being on the sofa, my dogs are always on there (yes the new one) :) and they no as soon as I say off there off.

But Huskies are not terriers and they don't growl at you when you want them to move, Heidi. :)

Sofa/bed priviledges are not any guarantee that problems WILL develop....but they are one of those symptoms which occur when a dog or a puppy gains a certain mindset that it's ok to be territorial towards a human.

If the puppy is already beginning to be possessive and growling about being moved (disturbed sleep or not), don't let the situation develop in the first place. Instead of bringing him up to your level...go down to his.
Cuddle on the floor or a beanie bag. But your human possessions are yours. This doesn't have to be permanent, just through adolescence into adulthood. The dog by that time should have learned that sofa/bed access is a privledge that you choose to provide...not his territory to guard or protect.

Oh, and tug of war --- not a good idea until he's an adult either. It sets him up to compete with you for a precious resource that increases and allows aggression towards you. As a puppy, he won't recognize much difference between play and his desires.

Yep, terriers and bull mixes have different considerations than other breeds...but so do those other breeds vs. terriers and bulls.
take this as you will, but it has been learned from experience and observations :)
regards,
toodles

Eoghania

Hi No the huskies do not growl at me when I push them off the settee, BUT they are very funny about chews/treats etc. Especially Zeus who is 2 Itried to tkae his Kong ball off him last night and he growled at me, as much as it scared me I knew I had to get it off him. So I tried to take it again he growled so I gave him a firm NO he still growled and I was not goiing to stand for that. So I got another treat out the cupbard and he dropped the kong for it. I took thr kong away from him then gave it him back and took it off him again, he did not growl this time so he had the kong back.

Belive me they can be little sods sometimes. Saskia who is 10 months came in from the garden yesterday with blood on her neck, I washed it off and there was no bite marks I could see, she had a small cut on her nose and a gash under her chin, possiably a tooth mark. She was fine in herself, but when I got Zeus in she had bit him next to his eye, they are fine I think it is a dominance thing at the moment as she is very bossy where Zeus is very placid, she keeps trying to mount him which winds him up- hence a fight breaking out. :)

I dont think i expressed my words well!! What you wrote is exactly what I was trying to say!! I did not mean NO DOGS on sofas just this particular dog with this problem!!!!!!! Sorry if any one took it the wrong way! ill try and explain what i mean in longer terms next time!

:)

Eoghania, very helpful advice. From now on, couch and bed privileges will be minimized and only allowed when they earn it. If they abuse their privileges by being agressive, they will not be allowed on for the rest of the day. Thanks!

"Oh, and tug of war --- not a good idea until he's an adult either. It sets him up to compete with you for a precious resource that increases and allows aggression towards you. As a puppy, he won't recognize much difference between play and his desires. "

"No tug of war" with puppies is a myth, in my opinion. As is, tug of war is okay, as long as you did not let the puppy "win." I know it is very common advice, but I have never seen any puppy's behaviour changed by playing tug of war. There's not much puppies can do - other than run around and use their teeth. Tug of war is fun and mimics the types of games wild canines play. If a puppy is naturally agressive, tug of war will not make them more so. If anything, it will give them an outlet for their agression that they can express in a safe way.

Stacey

Actually Stacey that too is a myth about letting the dogs win. My Winston loves playing tug of war he 'wins' all the time but the minute I let go he stops playing sticks it back into my hand and asks to play again. His 'winning' has not resulted in him trying anything on with myself.
Bec

I always let my dogs win the tug of war - it's a great confidence builder. My dogs know who's the boss in our household and ultimately I can remove the toys from them. They will release anything from their mouths on command.

Bec,

Sorry I was not clear, I meant that the advice to not let a pup win a tug of war is a training myth too.

Winston is a wonderful name for a dog. He sounds like a lot of fun.

Stacey

"If a puppy is naturally agressive, tug of war will not make them more so. If anything, it will give them an outlet for their agression that they can express in a safe way."

Sorry, but I disagree completely with what you've said.
By encouraging the behavior, you are allowing the aggression to continue and towards you. It's best to not allow a situation to develop where an already pushy dog is allowed to act aggressive, safe outlet or not.

It's ok that we agree to disagree. This is my view and I will maintain it. It's like the bed issue, if there isn't a problem in the first place...no biggie. But an aggressive puppy/dog should not be competing with a human for a possession.

I just have found that terriers will get more mouthy and possessive after tug playing than if they never do it in the first place. It's also not that healthy for the developing jaw of a puppy. It's one of those things that imo, it's easy enough to avoid and definitely more logical than making an issue out of going through the doorway first or second :P :rolleyes: :)
regards,
toodles

It's my terriers that have benefited the most from tug of war, actually. Really seems to calm them down and make them less "mouthy" overall. Maybe it depends on the breed, mine have been Cairns and a Yorkie (a terrier, no matter where they are classed officially). But as you say, to disagree is okay. It's what makes life interesting - otherwise, what would there be to talk about?

On the question of jaw development. I am miffed at my hubby, but as he does not listen to me with regard to our new pup I risk an all out "war" with regard to that very topic. My pup graps a sock or soft rubber toy and my husband will drag her around the room with her jaw clenched on the toy - he calls it "carpet surfing". I have told him more times than I can count that it is not good for the puppy's jaw. It is still developing, etc. It is falling on deaf ears. The pup loves it. Husband loves it. I'm the bad guy. Grrrhhh!

Stacey

LOL Stacey, I completely agree with you about Yorkies being terriers and not "toys". :) :D :) They really need to be re-'categorized'. :)
But to me, Yorkies and Cairns are not really that mouthy to begin with and really don't have a problem as they grow older, if properly trained. That's why I say that if there's no trouble to begin with, it doesn't really matter...except for soft/developing jaws of a young pup.

The times that I've found tug to increase 'assertiveness' is when I've been around dogs that really loved to put their mouths around people's hands ....lab puppies for one (out of habit, not aggression), bull/terrier mixes or future larger breeds, and basically any other dog that wanted to 'claim' something as his own in seriousness and not play.
I hope I"m making some sort of sense. Regardless, it's just a view I've grown to have..and causes no harm to the dog or anyone else :)
regards,
toodles

Toodles,

You have to my Cairn pup, Abby. She wakes up mouthing. As long as she keeps a soft mouth I let her, which is probably a mistake. As soon as it gets a bit harder than gumming, she gets told "no". It works, most of the time. Unless she is over-excited.

You are making sense to me. Abby is not "serious" about claiming something as her own. She's not agressive. She is clearly just playing and as clearly just loves to bite.

Stacey

Hi there

Can you tell me what type of pit bull mix the dog is?. (staffy cross/english bull cross/APBT cross)

Sorry Mr. Murphy, he was a rescue and there is no way of knowing for sure what he is mixed with but we do suspect he is mixed with some type of mastiff or maybe even a boxer?

i dont know why people who arent experienced with these type of dogs go out and own them.im sorry but i dont beleive just everyone should own very dominant breeds unless they know what they are doing.
its thing like this that lead to a dog not being taught what he is allowed to do and what he isnt allowed to do and this could involve people getting hurt-by accident but none the less still getting hurt.
any way to go on just my opinion.
try alpha role with him.for example let him know you are the boss in everything you do.like let him watch you eat the feed him.dont ever let him walk out of the house or any other door before you.if he gets aggresive and tries to nip you put him on his back by rolling him over and scoulding him.try and spend as much time with you as poss.make him wait for his food before you let him eat and only on your command allow him to go to his food.
especially try the alpha roll when he gets aggressive you must let him know that this behaviour with you is not allowed.
good luck with it all

People can also get hurt by following advice given over the internet - 'like try the alpha roll'!!
This is a dangerous manouver in inexperienced hands and certainly outdated :(. If the dog rises to the confrontation and attacks then you can be in BIG trouble.
Lara

Im sorry Im a bit late at getting into this post. You say in the heading Pit bull mix. I asked what type of pit bull and you said you did not know but it has boxer or mastiff in it. It came from a rescue centre. It cant be a pit then as rescue centres cant knowingly hand out any dog with APBT in it. So how did we end up with Aggressive pit bull mix?. If you dont know what it is why do you say Pit bull ?. Why not say I have an aggressive mongrel ?. Not sound tough enough for you ?.
Leave the dogs you know nothing about out of your conversations. Im sorry if Im being hard on you but my chosen breeds get enough blame for other dogs bad behaviour. Leave the breeds you know nothing about out of the conversations.
I doubt your dog is a pit x. Its just a mongrel, albeit a big mongrel.

Easy tiger - I am sure they were only asking for some FRIENDLY advise as they are concerned about their pup which is fair enough I think we would ALL agree. No need for anyone to get on their high horse.

OBLIVIOUS- good luck with your pup, lets all hope you haven't got a problem with your cross, but you really must be firm from the very start and with a problem pup being aloud in YOUR space will cause big problems! I had a Wiemaraner when I lived with my parents who was allowed in their bed, on the sofas etc (BIG MISTAKE) and he attacked me twice due to the fact I asked him to get off as as far he was concerned this was HIS space. He got worse and worse and ended up going for any dog or person that went near my mum and step father when on a walk, and also dragged me by my arm out of their room as I stroked him in HIS space, luckily he stopped after my mum had heard my screaming and scared him off but he could have easily done some serious damage. Some dogs are born with this streak as he was, but either way they must know their place.

I wish you every bit of luck and hope you dont end up with my result which was my boy being put to sleep as although we persevered with him for four years trying training medication, muzzle etc he got worse and worse and we had no other option adn after four years he was a part our family and was loved very much as at times he was a dream.

Good luck

Soppy

Hello Soppy

I sincerely hope they dont have a problem too. However if they do I hope they dont say its a pit bull.
Im only on my high horse as the pit bull is getting the blame of being aggressive again when in reality this dog could be made up from any number of breeds and is probably no nearer a pit bull in breeding than poodle is.

Regards Mick

I agree Mick it is not the breed but the owners that cause these breeds to be blammed for agression. My Uncle had a pitt bull years ago and she was softer than any dog I have had. It makes me so angry that some evil idiotic pigs breed this agression into some breeds, and I hope to god that they are all punished in one way or another.

And yes no one should presume that an agressive dog must have pit bull in it as it puts ideas into nieve peoples heads.

Mick what breeds do you have?

Soppy

I have ISBTs although I prefer to call them Irish bull terriers as they are a combination of bull & terriers of different breeds and came about in Ireland. The exact make up is unknown and never will be, this is the same for all breeds though. Several hundreds of years ago the history of any breed will become hazy. Before this I had pit bulls. Before this I had staffs (36 years of bully's). Ive rehomed several bully's as well over the years. Even the so called dangerous ones that I have met have been okay if you understand them. I will never understand the public perception of these dogs. I think the people who bad mouth them without cause must be sub intelligent or something.
A couple of weeks ago I was in a freinds house and they have 3 staffs, 2 bitches, 1 male. I had my male and female with me. Between them they ranged in ages from 4 months to 10 years. They had never met each other before and were all in the one room. Was there trouble ?. No. Not a sign of trouble at all. Have always found Bull Terriers of all variety's to be very sociable dogs if they have been reared properly.
Regards Mick