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April 12, 2011

We have a very aggressive Pit Bull. We are concerned about our 12 year old daughter. What should we do?

Full Question:
I been reading your articles on aggressive dogs and I was hoping you can give me some advice on my situation. We own have a pure bred American Pit Bull Terrier, Bambi (who just turned 2 years old this week). We purchased her from a breeder and both parents were on site (and were very nice and loving). She is UKC and ADBA registered. The breeder has since moved w/o leaving a forwarding address.



She has always been aggressive when the doorbell rings and has trouble calming down. She is very stand offish around strangers. When people come over she sometimes growls at them even after they have been there awhile. She is very dog aggressive, as well. She went to the basic obedience class and had to stay by herself (away from the other dogs) due to her aggression.



Recently she bit a friend of mine (who she has known for about 1 year) on the hand. This occurred as he was entering the house and I released her to sniff him. The skin was slightly broken.



After this occurred we had a trainer come over. This trainer feels she is a very shy dog and cannot be trusted around people. The first bite was a 'warning bite' and the next one will be more serious. She recommend we either keep her away from all people/dogs or put her to sleep.



We have a 12 year old daughter and her friends come to the door all the time. Bambi barks/growls at them like they were gangsters or something. We keep her in the crate when the door bell rings. My fear is that one day she will get by my daughter and attack her friends. She also has growled and gone after children in the park (but the leash restrained her). She can only be walked on a pinch collar. If we walk her when other people are around, she growls at them (even if the are across the street).



However, she is a perfect lovebird with the 3 of us (and always has been) She is not dominant in the home and my daughter can do just about anything to her. They sleep together and have never growled at one of us.



We are reluctant to put her to sleep due to our love for her but I am getting more concerned everyday about her attacking someone. The local pit bull rescue group says she is not a dog they would recommend for re-homing.



Mike
Ed
Ed Ed's Answer:
This is a no-brainer for me as an outsider. Either put the dog to sleep or build an outside kennel that is 100% safe and keep the dog there when you are not home. This dog has weak nerves, similar to a fear biter. It sounds like you got good advise. I would not risk children's’ safety over a dog. Put the dog down or find it a home where it can be a guard dog behind a fence. Maybe you want to contact some local security companies and offer them the dog.

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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