Pit Bulls

Guests Respond
Now Including Answers to Guests' Questions

(Please remember that you are responsible for your own dog. Any advice given here is intended as helpful suggestions, not a guarantee. Rifka has trained dogs professionally, but I have not. Neither of us is responsible for the behavior of any person or dog as a result of advice offered here.)



Hi. Either your creator or someone who visits this site met my fiancé at an outing recently. He had our pit bull with him (who is a typical pit - very friendly, outgoing, loves people and dogs), and was given this site to look up the article in the kitchen. It was a very nice article that really does tell the true story of these wonderful dogs, and I just want to say thank you on behalf of many pits and pit owners for being a knowledgeable person and for posting this so that many people can read it. Perhaps slowly we can change the stereotype these dogs didn't earn.

sent 5/13/00



Rifka Pheilshifter's piece on Pit Bulls was great! I have owned two in the past and grew frustrated and outraged at the treatment of 'pit' dogs, exacerbated by the ignorance of people in general. Thank you for that article.

Nicole
(posted at a temporary message board for The Wayshelter on 11/21/00)



Hello,

I am writing in response to your web posting on pit bulls. My fiancé and I just got a 10 week old pit bull/chow yesterday from the SPCA, and he seems to be a very loving and alert dog. His mother, who was with him at the shelter, was of a very good temperament; and although she was protective of her pup, she let us get in the cage with it, and both were very friendly and energetic. I have been alerted by my mother that there have been children hurt and even killed by these animals, and I am wondering if it was really because they weren't trained properly or if the mean, fighting quality was just embedded in their DNA. I want to keep this puppy, but we want to have children and are hoping that the dog, with proper training, could be perfectly safe around our kids.

If you have any answers or insight I would be extremely grateful.

Thankyou, Terri.
sent 9/13/02





Hi, Terri---

I'm glad you've e-mailed me about your concern. I hope I can supply you with the information you need to help you make a choice with which you and your fiancé can be satisfied. Please bear in mind that whatever information we can give is my opinion and the opinion of the author of the article you read, not a guarantee for the future of your dog. Your decision is up to you, and each dog and family are unique. The author's response to your question can be found below.

My sister, author of the article, has just had a son herself. She's had her dog for somewhere around eight years. He's a therapy dog, certified to work even with children (which requires a higher standard). I have yet to hear her express any concern that the dog will, just because he's a pit bull, be any danger to her baby. In fact, I know she thought ahead about how he would react to children, even before she thought about using him as a therapy dog. I'm going to pass your question along to her for an answer, because I think she'll be able to tell you more. I hope very soon to be able to either pass back to you her own personal reply or at least send a reply of my own based on information she's given me, depending on how much time she has now that her baby is here. In the meantime, don't rush to give up that puppy! Pit bulls are terriers - energetic dogs requiring lot's of attention and guidance. You'll want to start right away, with a kind but firm hand, to let the dog know what's okay and what isn't. He needs to know he can trust you but that you're in charge. He'll test the limits because such dogs are among those particularly inclined to, *not* because he's destined to be a threat.

Please keep in mind that various dogs, over time, have inherited the reputation of being particularly vicious by nature. Owners have often tried to both protect their property and enhance their own reputations in some way by owning a dog that not only can be vicious by training but that also has a tough image in the public mind. Pit bulls are neither the first nor the last in the line of dogs used in such a manner. It's sad to think that an entire breed can be feared because of the kind of behavior that has been produced in a few by training them to be violent, abusing them, and (in some cases) compounding this with the psychological problems that can be associated with excessive inbreeding. Dogs of any breed that are inbred and then trained for fighting are a whole different matter from healthy, well treated dogs who grow up surrounded by love and positive training. Pit bulls are no more likely to be inbred than any other kind of dog. I suspect the exception would be where owners are trying to keep themselves supplied with a sufficient stock of dogs to replace those they lose in the fighting ring and to make money off others looking to buy potential fighting dogs.

Shelterkeep





Rifka responds:

A dog's fighting instinct, if any, is dog on dog, not dog on human. Dogs must learn to be human aggressive. There are two ways this can happen: They can be taught intentionally, or it can be accidental through lack of socialization and human contact (not necessarily neglect).

Dogs must learn familiarity with people. This is true of any dogs, not just pit bulls. Dogs constantly isolated (in yards or wherever) are not exposed to and do not understand normal human behavior. This applies also to their understanding of children's behavior. Children exhibit erratic behavior, have high pitched voices, and are low to the ground. Dogs not used to this may be uncomfortable with normal children's behavior. Dogs who have attacked children have not been socialized properly. People always say the dog was not provoked. But provocation is in the eye of the beholder. 80% of all children attacked by any breed of dog are attacked by dogs they know, and 50% are attacked by family pets. The reason is that family pets are often kept away from a new child in the home. Therefore, they never learn to interact properly. Relegating the dog to the basement or yard whenever the child is present (worrying that the dog has dirt or germs or that it might step on the child, for example) sets up jealousy on the part of the dog and prevents socialization.

It is your responsibility to make your dog safe for neighbors, visiting friends, and family. Start now. Puppies are open to all kinds of new situations and are easy going, being "children" themselves. They easily accept the behavior of small children (tail pulling, waving arms, poking, screaming). To them, that's all fun and games. The best thing to do is to expose your dog to as many children in as many circumstances as often as possible. These encounters should always be closely supervised, because all puppies can be inclined to nip. They don't know any better yet. Basic obedience training will also help to control your puppy in social situations.

I have an eight year old pit bull who has been exposed to children since puppyhood. His ability to handle and tolerate childlike behavior is no accident. We worked very hard to train him and expose him to many situations. That is why he is so good with our newborn son. One of the challenges you may find with any pet when a new child is in the home is a bit of jealousy. Keeping your dog's routine as much as possible and making sure he is included in your new family life will help.

Pit bulls are very loving dogs. Something you should do is get books on each kind of breed that is found in your dog (pit/chow) to help you better understand the personality of your puppy. I hope I've answered your questions. If not, please feel free to write again. Enjoy your new puppy!

posted 9/24/02



Hello my name is Dana. I have a 5 month old Pit Bull that I have been trying to train, but it doesn't seem that I am making any progress. She knows the basic "sit, lay down", but I have had troubles with her. She likes to play, but she doesn't understand when to stop. But my main problem with her is that when she plays, she constantly bites and scratches. She jumps up and tries to bite you. I'm sure you kinda get the picture of what I'm saying. I'm just looking for a solution for this biting problem that she has. I'm not sure if it's her way of getting attention from us. For example, I have two younger sisters, and when they walk by, she likes to bite at their pants. I thought if I took her outside and ran her down, she wouldn't be as bad, and some days that works. But I haven't been able to get her out as much as I would like, with the cold weather. I read in your Website and others that they just like to please their owners, but she seems to do the opposite, like she doesn't want to listen. She's a wonderful dog when she's calm, but when she gets excited, she doesn't stop. I guess I'm just looking for a solution to this. I don't want to have any problems with her in the future, with her attacking someone. But she makes me nervous sometimes. I want to be able to help her be a better dog. Please respond ASAP.

Thank you

Dana
sent 2/23/04




Rifka's computer was down when this question came, but Dana and I exchanged several e-mails concerning her question. My answers were based on talks with Rifka, books and Websites, and my own experiences with my new chow mix puppy of the same age as Dana's dog. Here, edited into a single response, is the information I gave:

Thanks so much for your e-mail! I can identify two excellent decisions you've made so far: 1)You've chosen a pit bull to raise, which is really a wonderful dog with lots of potential. 2)You've decided to get right on top of this biting problem while the dog is still young, before she's mature and it gets way out of control. You're right to think leaving this problem unaddressed would be a mistake.

At my house, we have a mixed breed with some chow in him. Like your dog, he's also wonderful when he's calm. But chow chows are particularly noted for both nipping people and being extremely stubborn. Ours is a bit over five months, just like your pit. I'll tell you what helps us. Whenever he bites or puts his paws up on us, we give him a stern verbal chastisement ("no" or "off", according to which he's done) and then withdraw attention for a few moments to let him know he will not get attention that way. This can mean taking away our hands to withhold petting or turning away to prevent him from putting up his paws on our chests. Sometimes, when he's really determined, it even means having to stand if we've been sitting.

I've made a very interesting discovery, and I'm wondering how it will work with your dog. I don't know if it will be effective for you. I do think it's perfectly safe and will do no harm. I was struggling in the usual way one day, making the usual slow and steady progress, when I finally had an idea that I hoped would make things better: Why not try using a spray bottle of plain water to get the dog's attention? I went to get an ordinary plant mister type of bottle, filled it from our water filter, and set it on the table by the couch. Then, instead of following the usual practice of putting the dog in his crate while eating lunch, to keep him from trying to "help" me eat it, I let him be out in the room. What I discovered was, after a few squirts in the face with the bottle, he took me and my new training tool seriously. He stopped biting, jumping up on me, bothering the cat... I've used it to stop everything he normally does that we try to teach him not to do.

The bottle works because he's not hurt by it, but he doesn't interpret use of it as play. It keeps him from becoming more and more aggressive in his attempts to get me to wrestle him. Instead, he simply takes notice and gives up. However, I also discovered that I need to keep it out of his reach when I'm not in the room. He doesn't like it, so he treats it as a foe to be subdued if I'm not careful. I left it on that table and went upstairs only to discover that he had it in his mouth when I came back down. I had to put a temporary seal on a puncture he made with a tooth by dripping wax on the hole and pressing it in a bit. Then my girlfriend bought a couple of new ones on her way home from work. Now we have the old one as an extra (which should never be left in the sun, because the wax might melt and leave us with a puddle if it's full!), an upstairs bottle, and a downstairs bottle. All we have to do is put them up where he can't get them whenever we're not using them.

I've come up with some guidelines I think might help with use of a spray bottle. First of all, only use water. If water doesn't work, this method is not for you. Second, make sure it's only water you would be willing to drink. If your water is high in sulphur or minerals, so that you filter it or used bottled water, that cleaner water is what you want to use for the spray. Third, only use a container for spraying that you would be willing to drink from. I'll wash out our new bottles before using them, so as to remove whatever residue may be on them from the factory where they were made. Remember, the drops of the spray will reach your puppy's eyes, nose, and mouth.

In addition, please use this method judiciously. If it doesn't work in the first place, more use will not make it start to work. If it does work, it may work very, very well. If that's the case, you don't want to overuse it until she either starts to ignore it or feels like she can't do anything, even so much as twitch, and then becomes depressed. Anything that works as well as this does for our pup is a powerful tool, even if it causes no pain or injury. You should treat it as seriously as you would anything else you use in her care, training, and discipline (training collar, leash, crate, scolding, etc). Keep in mind also that this is a tool for correcting bad behavior, not a threat to make the dog do good things, such as sit and stay. Finally (and this is very important), be sure to use the same verbal commands you would otherwise use when your dog misbehaves. It can seem easy to be lazy and just reach for the bottle if you're watching TV or on the phone. But don't let those other activities stop you from training properly. When our dog bites, we still tell him, "No biting!" and take the hand or arm he's biting away before we spray, for example. This gives him a chance to quit before the spray comes and keeps him from feeling hopeless about preventing the squirt. He's a smart dog, as I'm sure yours is, too. He's now getting the prompt he needs to figure out exactly what we're trying to tell him. And when the usual is not quite enough, he already knows what the bottle is about well enough to stop sometimes just because he sees me put my hand on it. All this in just a day!!!

For all I know, your dog may be unphased by spraying water. You'll have to just try it and see. But if it works, your life may be about to get a whole lot easier.

The best approach to discouraging unwanted behavior is two pronged: discouragement (often a small part) and positive reinforcement (the really big part). First, as I mentioned, use the taking away of hands or turning away and withholding attention to show that even negative attention cannot be gotten by biting and jumping up. Use the spray bottle just long enough to get the dog to take notice (a single squirt will usually do) if necessary and effective. Then, for biting, offer your dog an alternative object to bite to show what's acceptable and praise the dog well. Also, for jumping up, praise the dog well but perhaps more calmly. Here's the key to making this work: persist, persist, persist, every time the problem appears. This means acting quickly, over and over again, always applying the techniques while the dog is still in the act of misbehaving rather than after the fact. It's the positive reinforcement that will make this work. Otherwise, the discouragement will serve only to get the dog attention at the dog's demand. You're in charge, not the dog. The positive reinforcement must come often and be in a cheerful and loving way, no matter how many times you have to repeat this exercise over the course of a day or even an hour or a minute. Remember also to be friendly with your dog whenever you get a free moment and especially whenever she comes to you willingly, whether of her own accord or after you've called her. Never call her to you and then chastise her. She'll associate the chastisement with coming to you, not with whatever you're displeased about. Remember, she thinks she's punished for whatever she did last, including coming when called.

I'd like to recommend three things for further help: a Website with some useful hints and other info, a book, and a class. The Website is http://www.lollypop.org. The book is Canine Good Citizen, by Jack and Wendy Volhard (ISBN 0-87605-420-3). The class is basic obedience training. You can see if your local Humane Society has a Website with additional information. The book is a great help in teaching your dog some things at home. Be careful with the 30 minute down they talk about if your dog turns out to want to fight the whole time, though. We've had better success with a more gentle approach that keeps our dog from becoming upset and encourages him to want to be down. It's really a judgment call on your part. As for the class, your local Humane Society or pet store may offer or be able to recommend one. It's really a good idea because of the formalized setting, the personalized help you'll get, the support you'll find for your efforts (which can make a big difference for you), and the opportunity to socialize your dog with other people and dogs. Please don't miss the opportunity to do this if it's at all possible to take advantage of it. For a stubborn dog, it can often make the difference between a dog that is just barely manageable, if that, and a dog who behaves really well. And don't forget how important it is to be with others who are sharing the struggles they're having with their own dogs. They and the instructors will help you to feel more hopeful about your efforts.

Good luck with your wonderful pit bull. Things really will get better! Down the line, let me know how things are going. I'll be happy to hear of your success.

Best wishes...

Shelterkeep




Spring '04 Update: As of our last correspondence, Dana hadn't had a chance to try the spray bottle. But she tells me things are improving with her dog, who is now listening better and becoming a joy to be around. With the warmer weather, they've been going to a creek and field to play fetch. Dana tells me she's become very proud of her dog!

As for our pup, he's since been neutered and has recovered nicely. We graduated with him from Basic Obedience Class in May, and his behavior is much improved over the way it was when he first came to us. We never bother with the spray bottle anymore. We do sometimes pop him into his crate briefly if he becomes too rough, but he calms right down and usually behaves much better afterwards. The need to do this is becoming less and less. The greatest tool is still, and will always be, positive reinforcement. Also, puppies go through things like losing their milk teeth (causing a drive to chew) and are full of a great deal of energy (remember to walk and play with your dog often). They often mellow as they grow up, if they are well trained and cared for. He's past losing his milk teeth now, and he's learning more all the time how much he enjoys petting and playing without getting out of control. He's wonderful to snuggle! He also loves his soft squeaky chew toys, nylabones, squeaky nubbly ball, and braided fabric rope toy. He misses his soft toys terribly when we have to temporarily take them away to repair them! Chasing the cat is more of a passtime than either she or we really appreciate, though. Oh, well. That's life, I guess. Anyway, he still has a lot to learn, and so do we. We're looking forward to a wonderful future with our dog!



Here we are with Cody
at basic obedience training.
He's 8 months old here.

We were very proud of him...
(Photo by the Class Instructor)



Spring '05 Update:



Here's Cody with me at home,
at about a year and a half.

What a much more grown up dog he's become!
(Photo by his favorite friend of ours, Phillipe)




Need more help? Try watching
Good Dog U on Animal planet. We recently stumbled across it and think it's a great show. Check your local listing for day and time.





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