My 3yr old male pit (fixed) is very devoted to me -follows me around the house, lays under my feet, etc.. We have had him (and our 4yr old female) from a puppy and I have always been the primary feeder, groomer, trainer, etc. He listens to both of us very well under most circumstances. Although my male generally has a good relationship with my husband, he gets VERY upset whenever my husband and I hug or play around (crying and running back and forth)- the more active we are (wrestling and laughing), the more upset he is. He is even worse if I am holding my 1yr old son at the time. We have tried having my husband ordering him to go lay down on his pillow (since it seems to be him he has a problem with), which works temporarily, although he usually has to repeat the command multiple times before he will stay. Even worse, If I am asleep he lays nearby and guards me - then when my husband comes into the room, he growls at him (the dogs no longer sleep in our bedroom because of this, although the female doesn't do this). I've never seen him act this way to anyone else or in any other situation (although no one else has probably walked up on me sleeping). The crying is bad enough, but actually growling at my husband is unacceptable. He does it submissively (not meeting his eyes, and kind of under his breath) and has never taken it further, and I wake up and scold him and make him go lay down in another room, but this is just a short term fix! And I don't know what would happen if a guest happened to come across me sleeping! I'm not sure if he thinks he is alpha over my husband or if he is somehow afraid that my husband is going to hurt me or my son. Does anyone have an idea of how I should handle this?

Keep him out of your room entirely, for starters. He doesn't sound like he has other major issues, so I don't really think this a huge problem PROVIDED YOU DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO NIP IT IN THE BUD NOW. My oldest GSD is the same way. He doesn't care who you are or even if he likes you under normal circumstances; if you are anywhere near me when I'm sleeping, or really sick (I have heart problems), he makes sure you aren't getting any closer. He did a great bark and hold to my mother who tried to walk into my room the day I got out of the hospital. If I was feeling normal or awake, he'd have greeted her cheerfully. My Chihuahua does the same crying/running and eventually growling. It's not the dog, per se, it's the situation. Your dog thinks he's doing the right thing, I'd bet my last dollar.

Not to say any of this is good, but I do think it's normal. Your playing around/wrestling is making him nervous that you're going to get hurt; the fact that he's crying and running back and forth makes me this is what it is and not outright dominance. Also, you say it is worse when you have your little son. I, personally, would crate him in a quiet room if you're going to be doing that; why upset him and even chance that he could escalate the behavior?

It's great that you already kicked him out of the bedroom. A low growl is a warning....he's not being submissive. Please try not to over-analyze and instead just take precautions to make sure this good dog doesn't end up having problem behaviors that are much harder to fix.

To reiterate...your dog is normal, unless there things you're leaving out. He needs to understand that he is 4th in rank...you, your husband, your son, THEN him. I don't think you will have too many issues w/this if you are religious about removing him from the scene BEFORE he gets upset to the point he will growl.

I hope no one thinks I'm making light of the situation...I was just relieved to read a Pit Bull "problem" that sounded rather normal and fixable!

I don't think you are making light of it, I think you are spot on. When my husband retired from running his shops, that meant my male APBT transitioned from a shop dog to a house dog. Now granted I am of the mind set Pits should be very little guardian (right or wrong), it was apparent to me that outside of our "pack", me, my husband and my daughters (teenagers at the time) my Pit was very uncomfortable with male teenagers that came in close proximity of my teenage daughters in my home and out side of my home. Not that as a parent of two teenage girls I would not have SO LOVED to take advantage of this behavior, I knew it was displaced. The methodology that morphed from observing his behavior and knowing what he would respond to is ......

At the first sign of protective posturing --- MY DAUGHTER was to put him in a down and make him stay as she and her guests continued to do their thing (note all horseplay was strictly forbidden). My male LOVES food, so if he became calm my daughter would reward with a treat. If he did not calm down and stay where he was directed, he was removed to his crate. This scenario was repeated until the unwanted posturing stopped. I do have to say it made the teenage boys think twice...heh heh

We also would distract him from the "guarding" mode to begin with, in other words people visiting is not a situation where guarding is required. Sitting on the floor staring at the door and windows is no longer necessary. Laying outside my daughters doors after they go to sleep is not required. Any place where I thought he might be protecting I would move him off to a "pet dog" activity. Throw him his ball. Take him out for a walk. Practice some OB.

The end result is when people visit he does come to see them but he looking for a pat on the head any more rather than to surveil the situation. It took a long time for him to move off the guarding behavior - I would theorize he was always at the shops with my husband as a pup and a young dog behind the counter....he even did react in a way that we believe could have ended very badly for my husband without my boys intervention.

So when it was my boy and my husband they were the pack, the guarding behavior complicated things, when my boy came home he had to learn not only family members are higher in the pack but all two leggeds are and the "guarding" behavior is no longer desired.

Glad to have you weigh in, Val. I saw him as a dog who genuinely thinks he's being a good boy...and he needs a clearer list of duties. I was a little afraid that others would think I was underreacting, as I tend to do sometimes b/c my home situation is so different than most.

Yep,
A clear list of duties is a good way to put it.

I'd go a step farther though.
My last GSD started running into conflicts similar to yours Rebecca. My wife starting having problems with the dog (or rather vica versa), and what I did was to tell my wife that whether she liked it or not she was going to have to be more proactive in the training and work of the dog or we'd continue to have 'issues'. I showed her how and she started doing some OB with the dog and started making the dog behave during their play time. It wasn't long after, any 'issues' disappeared.
After that the only times the dog had any problems was when one of us happen to slap a mosquito on the other's back, the poor dear would be beside her self not knowing what to do.

Get your husband to become more involved in/with working the dog.

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

Randy, I agree w/you to an extent. I agree her husband should be more proactive, but it sounds like under 99% of circumstances, the dog and husband have a fine relationship.
Now granted I am of the mind set Pits should be very little guardian (right or wrong)

I agree with Randy, not just generally.Since this isnt a single owner dog, or competition dog that will spend it's life kenneled. it's going to need to respect other family members. I don't think a bark and hold on any member of my family is acceptable from either my Rott or when he's older, my German Shepherd.

Wow. Great thread. My best friend has a Pitt that started out mildly protective and is now over the top.

He is gorgeous and the behavior as indirectly rewarded. Hubbt thought it was cool.

Fast forward three years and the no longer have friends over and they rrhimed their other pets. Sad but I can see how it slowly gets out of control.

Jenni,
To me the oper's situation sounded like more of a pack structure issue than anything else.
My GSD I spoke about was fine in day to day living with my spouse, and in fact she grew up in the same house with both of us. The dog just starting becoming possessive of me at about 2 1/2 years as I was the one doing all the work with her. What ever reason she decided to take possession of me was soon transferred to both of us as soon as my other half assumed a more proactive roll. Dominance from the dog wasn't an issue on that front.

If there is a breed specific thing going on. I can't speak to that.

Randy

Well, Steve, you are an adult man whose personal, physical safety is not a big concern to you, probably. Ever had your house broken into by a stalker? Ever been nearly killed by a psycho? My guess is no. Moreover, you are blending my posts and replying in a way that is out of context, IMHO. Your bark and hold comment is unrelated to the OP, IMO, as well, and doesn't remotely pertain to my post directed to Randy. To clarify just to humor you, my mother is hardly a member of the family in the sense you say (ie, Caleb met her about twice when he was 8 weeks old and then didn't see her again for a few years.) Hardly a member of the family. For the record, as a parent, she had zero problem w/the "greeting."

You are certainly entitled to your opinion and to train your dogs the way you see fit; for me, personally, I have little use or interest in family-style dogs and prefer one person dogs. However, this does not mean my dogs need to be kenneled when guests are around; they are stable and their OB is suitable enough that they will not do anything w/out permission as long as I am alert and in command. I brought the example simply b/c it was similar to the OP's situation...dog is fine except when she's sleeping.

BACK TO THE OP'S QUESTIONS....I, too, agree w/Randy, as I said, but I simply don't see this dog as so out of line. We're not talking about baring teeth at her husband when he tries to approach her in the kitchen or anything like that. He runs back and forth and whines when they rough house. Maybe I'm reckless, but I just see that as an area that needs to be improved on, not as a dog who is really lacking in respect in the common sense.

He sounds like a basically good boy who needs more structure and less chance to make his own decisions, and that's the main point I was trying to make.