I was just out in my backyard taking my APBT on a little potty-break and we had a bit of an "incident."

Our backyard is not fenced in and it backs up against a strip of land that is owned by the city. Beyond the strip (which is about 12 feet across is a small prairie. Dog owners will walk their dogs along the strip, but not very often because it basically looks like you're walking through peoples' backyards.

Anyway, I had my dog on a six-foot leash and I see some lady and her miniature Schnauzer (on a fully-extended Flexi-lead) meandering along the strip. My dog saw her dog before I did and just looked at him, pulled a little on the leash, like he usually does. Then the Schnauzer started barking and throwing a fit, which made my dog let loose a nasty growl which was unmistakably aggressive. I said "No!" right after the growl and gave my dog as hard of a correction as I possibly could (he was also on his prong collar at the time) and snapped him out of it, but he still was doing the staring and straining at the leash. We were about 20 yards away from the lady and her dog.

Afterward I immediately took him back inside and now he's in his crate, sleeping, not seeming any worse for wear, though I admit that I'm a little shook up about it.

As for some background information, he's 2 years old, I've had him for a little over a month. I understand that this is the time when dog aggression can start to appear, and I'm worried because god knows we don't need anymore dog aggressive pit bulls in this world. He has not displayed this kind of behavior before. When we pass by other dogs on our walks he will stare at them and pull on the leash, but there's never any barking or growling. He does seem to be more intense toward small dogs, I'm guessing that is prey drive? I'm not sure. He shows no aggression at all toward my other dog.

My question is how can I prevent this situation from happening again? Or if I can't prevent it how can I deal with it?

Best way to deal with it IMO, is to keep walking. If you've only had him a month, this can set your tone and rules into place for him. Firm, fair consistant leadership. Focus work helps immensely I have found, and the sooner you get that going with him in lower distraction areas, you can start to incorporate other dogs into the picture. You are the most interesting thing in this dogs world, remember? Make it so!

It is hard to face any hint of dog aggression with a calm demeanor, but by prepping yourself mentally to be calm if and when those situations arise, will help too.

I realize this thread was from last month, but also be aware of two things; generally a pitbull IS a dog aggressive breed! A non-dog aggressive pit is no more correct than a retriever that won't retrieve, or a Border Collie that won't herd. You chose that, so don't be surprised when you get what you ordered.

This being said I am a full believer in a dog controlling it's instinct at the request of the handler. Just as that retriever doesn't collect ducks willy nilly, and the BC will herd ONLY when and if the rancher tells him to. So number one, realize you may never have a dog park dog. If that is important to you, get another breed. I know you didn't mention dog parks, but there's a world of difference between a dog who can listen to you in the presence of other dogs (possible) and actually enjoy other dogs (may not be possible).

Also be aware that a prong used improperly (as in, too weakly) which was evidently the case is going to BUILD frustration and drive. Not what you want. If I get the picture of what happened, he growled, you corrected, so he shut up but still stared the other dog down as you stood there. His lesson? Don't growl once the handler realizes you're doing it. A strong enough correction would have had him spin, turn and look and be like "what the hell did I do?!"

I don't suggest attempting to correct this behaviour with a prong in your case. I think it will be mere months before even that prong correction doesn't faze him. Instead, as michele suggested, have him focus on you. Get out a tug and encourage him to tug. Have him SO focused on that tug that all you have to do is pull it out and he's ready to play! Then when you're out and you notice another dog, have him tug. My guess is he will continue to play with you because it is more fun than a dog he can't get to anyway.

Eventually add obedience into the mix. So play, sit, reward with play. Down, reward with play. Heel a few steps, okay reward with play. It won't be easy, but you can probably get this dog heeling nicely past another dog with his attention focused on the tug. Ordinarily I'd want him to focus on YOU in the absence of the tug, but that's a more complex teaching process to explain and you would probably need other resources to explain it better (ie. videos, books, a trainer in person).

I think you don't want to win any obedience competition anyway, and would probably be pretty happy with a dog that just listens to you and channels his drive into the toy, right?

I quote Ms. Ruzsa,
'I realize this thread was from last month, but also be aware of two things; generally a pitbull IS a dog aggressive breed! A non-dog aggressive pit is no more correct than a retriever that won't retrieve, or a Border Collie that won't herd. You chose that, so don't be surprised when you get what you ordered.'
I'm sure you want to give this some second thoughts Jennifer.


If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

I'll assume that this is the first incident with your new dog. And now you've realized that a little bit of work needs to be done about your dog and how it reacts to strange dogs. Just because it's a APBT doesn't mean that it's always going to have issues(if you get your poop in a group now with him) and get him on track with training and focusing on something else when you see someone else walking their dog(s) and he's out. I've been around pits that get along great with other dogs and never showed any agression towards any of them.

I give you props for having him on a leash, and for correcting him right away. I agree with Michele on doing focus work-get him to focus on you or a toy instead of the strange dog. That will be better than having to correct him every time he sees another dog. Good luck!

 Quote: randy allen

I quote Ms. Ruzsa,
'I realize this thread was from last month, but also be aware of two things; generally a pitbull IS a dog aggressive breed! A non-dog aggressive pit is no more correct than a retriever that won't retrieve, or a Border Collie that won't herd. You chose that, so don't be surprised when you get what you ordered.'
I'm sure you want to give this some second thoughts Jennifer.

I agree.

Nope, not really. I stand by my statement. I didn't say the behaviour was (or should be) uncontrollable. But there are certain traits within every breed that serve it for it's intended purpose. The APBT is a fighting breed. It isn't the dog's fault, or the owner's fault. Embrace it, acknowledge it, respect it... But don't pretend it doesn't exist.

I think the owner can handle this dog if she understands that she is going to be working AGAINST the dog's instinct. Some people don't want to do that. Some people get huskies and then complain when they pull and run away. What ELSE was a husky designed to do?! So they take the husky to the shelter and get a lab. Wonderful. The problem here (if the owner won't acknowledge that dog aggression IS A BREED TRAIT) there is a risk to the safety of the community. Nothing I stated was untrue or unfair. I certainly didn't tell the owner to give up, just understand what she is dealing with.

If the owner realizes that she's working with a dog who by breeding and nature will have a tendency towards dog aggression, and is willing and able to deal with that, then I believe it absolutely should be controllable. If not, then it will never be. The worst people for this breed are not the thugs that put spiked collars on their dogs... It is those that refuse to acknowledge the dog's nature, and expect them to be safe with very little work or effort. I don't need to give it any more thought than that. I love this breed, but I just don't think people should be *SURPRISED* when dog aggression shows up. That of course is a general statement, not necessarily directed to the original poster.

 Quote: Jennifer Ruzsa

But there are certain traits within every breed that serve it for it's intended purpose. The APBT is a fighting breed.

no, the APBT is NOT a fighting breed. please, get it right.

the pit was USED for fighting, but it is first and formost a BULLDOG. a catch dog, a farm dog. NOT a fighting dog.

having the ability to grip and hold, and being remarkablr agile and compact means it was used for fighting, but it was NOT bred for fighting(originally), and the CORRECT temperament for a bulldog is NOT dog aggression.

refusing to back down and being independent are correct, dog aggression is NOT, and should not be tolerated just because it is a pit bull.

a pittie with a correct temperament will NOT be dog aggressive, any more than it will be human aggressive.

game(refusing to back down) and being independent combined with a poor handler can easily equal dog aggression, but that does not mean the dog is a dog aggressive breed.

I will assume that Ashley knows more about the breed than she is being given credit for. And I would guess that she considered the history before getting a 2 yr old APBT.

I do understand where your coming from, Jennifer, with not blaming the breed or the owner for it's instincts. APBT's do have dog fighting in their backgrounds and they can have the potential to become dog aggressive without proper training. But any dog can become dog aggressive. APBT's are a powerful breed that needs a firm, stable handler, perhaps a more experienced handler.
I don't think that anyone ever said that the owner should give up on the dog or that what you said was untrue or unfair.

JMHO, but ANY dog that has not had the proper socialization or had a bad experience with another dog(got attacked) has the possibility to become dog aggressive. If this doesn't sound right, I apologize in advance.

There is a lot of debate about this topic.

I believe that dogs are bred for certain characteristics, and the APBT was bred for it's athleticism, strong willed personality and compact body type. Unfortunately, this also made it appear to be good for dog fighting. They have turned into a status symbol for people who are not conciencious pet owners (to put it kindly!), and thus the aggression problems develop and are sometimes fostered. The same could happen with any breed of dog, though.

I worked in Buffalo, NY's City Animal Shelter as a volunteer, and it killed me to see all the injured/ fearful/ aggressive "pit bulls" that filled the cages, the ones at the end of the hall, away from the dogs that people could adopt, as they waited their brief time until euthanasia. It was a constant flow of new dogs, often from the same addresses (which were at the time posted on the cage.) I tend to be a "peace loving hippee", but I had dreams of visiting those addresses and killing the people responsible for the treatment of those dogs, after I tortured them. I visited all the dogs, if only from a distance, in hopes of bringing a small amount of comfort or happiness to their lives. That's one experience I will NEVER forget; I tear up now thinking about it.

It isn't the breed. It's the people who are responsible (or irresponsible, whichever the case may be.)