Unfortunately, the mishandling of some dog handlers has caused pit bulls and their peers to currently suffer an unwarranted bad reputation around the world. Although it is true that genetic inheritance does influence a dog’s temperament, its behavior will fundamentally depend on the education, socialization, and environment provided by its handlers. Even those dogs with a genetics prone to show aggressiveness may never experience it if they receive a good education.
Therefore, it is not appropriate to speak of aggressive or dangerous races, since aggressiveness is not an inherent or exclusive characteristic of certain races. It is a serious behavioral problem that must receive appropriate treatment to preserve the safety of the dog and those around him.
If your pit bull is becoming aggressive, you shouldn’t believe the 10 false myths about pit bulls and other detriments that accompany these dogs. Your best friend is very intelligent and will be able to learn to relate positively with people, with other animals and with their own environment, but it will be important to be attentive to some key aspects of their routine and their education to prevent these behaviors from remaining. If you wonder ” my pit bull is becoming aggressive, what can I do? “, You have entered the right place, in Expert Animal we will guide you so that you know how to handle it.
You may also be interested: Why has my cat become aggressive?
Index
- Legal measures for the responsible possession of PPP dogs
- Why is my dog becoming aggressive?
- What should I do if my pit bull is becoming aggressive?
- The first step: ruling out pathological causes
- Training and socialization: the pillars of good education
- Recommended Exercise Routine for Pit Bull Dogs
- Teach your pit bull to inhibit bite and drop objects
- Do you mentally stimulate your pit bull?
- Does your pit bull spend a lot of time alone?
- Diet is also an important factor
- Create a positive bond, don’t be authoritarian
- What to do if my Pit Bull Dog is very aggressive?
Legal measures for the responsible possession of PPP dogs
The pitbulls (american pit bull terrier) exhibit a strong body, a well – developed musculature and a powerful jaw. Due to these morphological characteristics, they are classified as a potentially dangerous breed in most countries. Although strength and physical appearance are not decisive in the character of any animal, the truth is that we must adopt preventive measures to guarantee the legal and safe possession of PPP dog breeds, especially when we talk about problems of aggressiveness.
For this reason, even if your pit bull is very sociable and kind to you, remember to comply with legal regulations when walking with your dog, such as always carrying it with a muzzle and a leash (if it is extendable, not exceeding 2m in length) in public spaces. There are many details to take into account, for this reason, if you still do not know them all, we recommend you consult the regulations for potentially dangerous dogs in Spain or the regulations for potentially dangerous dogs in Argentina .
Why is my dog becoming aggressive?
Many people wonder ” Is the pit bull a dangerous dog? ” Because of the alarming events that have appeared in the media. As we have advanced in the introduction, aggressiveness may be due to genetic causes, but in most cases it is due to a problem related to education, lack of socialization, lived experiences (including trauma) and even a possible pathology.
We will detail all of them in the following sections in a much more precise way, but it is important to highlight previously that the pit bull is an intelligent and very sensitive dog , which shows great devotion and great affection for its relatives, especially with children. So much so, that history has classified the pit bull as an excellent nanny dog .
However, it is also true that a pit bull can be considered dangerous when it exhibits aggressive behavior, due to its strength, its jaw and its great physical resistance. But this is not an exclusive fact of this breed, but that any aggressive dog represents a potential danger for itself and for other dogs and people around it.
Wondering why your pit bull is getting aggressive? The aggression in dogs can have many causes and there is no single explanation for why a pitbull can develop aggressive behaviors. Therefore, it is essential to be attentive to the routine of your furry to be able to identify the explanation of this behavioral change and know what to face in this situation. Here are some crucial things to consider to combat and prevent aggressiveness in your best friend.
What should I do if my pit bull is becoming aggressive?
If your pit bull is aggressive towards other dogs or towards people, it is vital that you do not ignore this behavior or leave its treatment until later, when you can no longer effectively control the situation: aggressiveness is a very serious behavior problem which must be dealt with promptly , when we identify the first signs of aggressiveness. If not, it will be much more difficult to deal with the problem, which will cost us more time, effort and money.
The most important thing to prevent our dogs from being aggressive will be to prevent this type of behavior from the first weeks of life, with an adequate period of socialization and proper management, always based on positive education and respect for the animal.
But if your pit bull is already displaying aggressive behaviors, read on to find out what you can do and how to properly handle this case, whether you have an adult dog or aggressive pit bull puppy.
The first step: ruling out pathological causes
Some pathologies and hormonal problems explain why a pit bull is aggressive. These diseases directly affect the behavior of our dogs and favor the development of aggressiveness. A fairly common example would be canine hypothyroidism , which could be detected with a simple veterinary test.
A dog can be aggressive when experiencing high pain or feeling weak, for example. For this reason, if your pit bull presents any alteration in his habitual behavior, do not hesitate to go to your vet to analyze his state of health and rule out possible pathological causes.
In addition, we must emphasize that offering adequate preventive medicine to your dog is essential to prevent all kinds of diseases and behavioral problems. For this reason, remember to visit the vet every 6 months, in addition to respecting your vaccination schedule and deworming routine.
Training and socialization: the pillars of good education
One of the main fears of people when adopting a pit bull is that their dog will be aggressive towards other animals. The pitbull’s coexistence with other dogs will depend fundamentally on their education and socialization, which are the pillars of good behavior in dogs. The education of puppies pitbull dogs should begin the moment they arrive at their new home, but always respecting the optimal age of weaning . From its infancy, we will need to transmit the basic rules that we expect our dog to respect throughout its life, so that we do not have to correct misconduct in the adult dog.
When our puppy has completed its vaccination schedule and can start walking, we can begin to dedicate ourselves exclusively to socializing the dog. It is very important that our furry begin to socialize from the first age, because only in this way will he learn to relate to other dogs, to understand the limits of play or bite, for example. However, if you have decided to adopt an adult pit bull, you should know that it is also possible to carry out the socialization of an adult dog , although it is inevitably a much longer and more complete process, which in most cases requires supervision and guidance from a behavior modification specialist.
Regardless of the dog’s age, we must remember the importance of positive reinforcement as recognition and stimulation for learning. Physical punishment, violent attitudes and the use of accessories such as necklaces for hanging or barking can hurt the animal and are counterproductive in its education. By subjecting a dog to situations of high stress, as well as physical and / or emotional abuse, we favor the development of aggressive behaviors and harm their emotional well-being.
Recommended Exercise Routine for Pit Bull Dogs
When we talk about the pitbul dog and its features, we cannot ignore that it is a dog with a lot of energy , which must learn to channel it in a positive way to maintain a balanced temperament. A sedentary routine is dangerous and very detrimental to the physical and mental health of these dogs. A pit bull that does not do enough physical activity can develop numerous health problems (mainly associated with being overweight and inactivity) but also behavior. By not expending energy, the dog accumulates anxiety and usually shows several of the stress symptoms in dogs , among which can be found the increase in aggressiveness, hyperactivity or repetitive behaviors.
Therefore, do not stop providing daily physical activity to your pit bull and you can also consider starting it in a canine sport. At Animal Expert, we show you some recommended exercises for pit bulls that are excellent for improving their muscle mass and physical endurance, but without compromising their joints.
Teach your pit bull to inhibit bite and drop objects
Another great myth about PPP breeds is that tug-of-war games can incentivize aggressive behaviors, such as biting people and other dogs. Nothing is further from reality! Working the inhibition of the bite of your pitbull and teaching him to drop the objects , are essential exercises for these dogs, since it allows them to teach them an essential command such as “release”. It is important to note also that pit bulls are dogs that need to nibble , so avoiding these games and not providing toys encourage the appearance of unwanted behaviors (not always related to aggressiveness) such as destructiveness.
The risk in tug-of-war games appears when we do not do it correctly. It is important to avoid at all times that it can reach our hands, for this we will use a large knot or teether and hold it at both ends, allowing the dog to bite the center. If we notice that it comes too close to one of our hands, we should let go of that end and ask for a “release”. If the dog does not want to drop the item, we will ask it to be exchanged for a prize while we repeat the order.
It is also essential to understand that during the game we must give in and “let him win” sometimes , but that we must also retain the toy on some occasions, in this way, we will prevent our dog from starting to generate possessiveness with toys and other objects.
In the event that our dog growls at us, displays negative body language or bites us, we must stop the game and in no case will we reinforce the dog. We can ask you to “drop” and save the item, an action that will teach you that misbehavior results in the end of the game. Conversely, if your dog doesn’t let go of the item, you’ll wait for it to stop playing with it and then save it.
Do you mentally stimulate your pit bull?
Unlike other smarter dogs, such as a Border Collie , Pit Bulls are somewhat slower in their learning, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn a variety of commands, canine skills, or tricks. And most importantly, it also does not mean that they should not receive mental stimulation.
The Pit Bull is an intelligent and sensitive dog that must exercise its mind and smell on a daily basis. For this, we can use interactive toys, intelligence toys, food vending toys or, directly, carry out activities with it, such as planting for dogs , an excellent exercise in smell.
