[k8nkane]

No more dog parks or doggy daycare for Kane.

We were in Petsmart today and there was a lab (male) that was remarkably well-behaved. So, we (the other owners and I) let our dogs greet. Everything went great, they got their sniffs in, and Kane went into his usual playbows and zoomie-butts and they started to play a little bit.

And then the lab put his paws on Kane's side, which I could tell was a gesture meant for play, but was pushy and rude anyways, and Kane got still and growled at the lab. I immediately pulled Kane back and stepped between him and the other dog, and got his focus with a simple sit. The other owner reined her dog in to scold it for being rude, and everything was hunky-dory; she was understanding about Kane, didn't blame him at all, and said she was working on her lab's behavior during play with other dogs. But I don't think I needed to worry about pit bull stereotype coming from her because her family has had pit bulls all her life, so.

Anyways, that's the first time Kane has ever growled at another dog and it was a typical pit bull reaction -- I won't start anything, but push me and I'll push back. And he was actually quite nice about the lab being pushy and gave it a warning instead of just attacking.

But no more doggy daycare or dog park because obviously you can't control dogs during play and Kane seems to be at the beginning stages of going from dog-social to dog-tolerant. Right now, I think he'll get along with most dogs, as long as they aren't rude or pushy. Remains to be seen if he will go fully towards dog-aggressive or not, but I'll be looking for it!

*sniffles* My wittle baby is only a little over a year ... but he's starting to grow up!! :love2:

 

[Xiahko]

Good thing to catch it early,and take action right away. I have a feeling Bruno and Beia will be crate and rotate when she's older,they both seem to be dominate,and if Bruno hurts Beia on accident(plays to rough) Beia will either grab Bruno's foot and shake it,or his throat. Soooo. Yeah... Don't think they will be ok together forever,but here's to wishful thinking.

 

[wild_deuce03]

Way to catch it! Good for you and Kane!

 

[k8nkane]

Good thing to catch it early,and take action right away. I have a feeling Bruno and Beia will be crate and rotate when she's older,they both seem to be dominate,and if Bruno hurts Beia on accident(plays to rough) Beia will either grab Bruno's foot and shake it,or his throat. Soooo. Yeah... Don't think they will be ok together forever,but here's to wishful thinking.

I remember someone saying that one of the reasons pit bulls have dog aggression issues is because they expect to be dominate over every dog they meet and some dogs are too stupid to realize that pit bulls should be. :rofl: Don't know how true it is, but that seems to be the case with Kane. I've been walking around Petsmart the past couple of days just to get a feel for Kane's reactions with other dogs and he's okay with them unless they are pushy or try to dominate him, which is fine with me. I don't need another dog giving mine crap anyways.

lol @ Beia. It sounds like she's got some attitude to her, lol. Good luck!

Way to catch it! Good for you and Kane!

Thanks!

 

[OldFortKennels]

I think that is a smart move on your part!

 

[IngridH]

Good for you! What's the old saying? "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"???? Something like that...

 

[pit.bulldog]

I know this may get a lot of flack, but Mercy is already as 'hot' as she's ever going to get. She's dog tolerant, but very social and friendly with dogs she already knows, and prefers to meet them in her own comfort zone (her home). As long as there are no toys around, she loves to wrestle, and is VERY polite about it. She is almost always the bottom dog, and only wrestles on top when she's trying to instigate play.

Why? Because I stay on top of her like white on rice, and constantly correct and reward behaviors accordingly.

Not all dogs are going to respond, but it's worth a try to keep him dog tolerant. Lots of treats/praise/play/pats and pets, lots of soft corrections and immediate redirections. There are still some dogs that Mercy cannot come face to face with without getting upset, but she's so conditioned to look at me for guidance that she immediately moves away from them when I ask her to and there's never a scene of my dog screaming and lunging at another one because she got too worked up.

 

[davidfitness83]

you can always have play dates with polite females

 

[apbtmom76]

Kate, you did the right thing and I am glad the Lab's owner corrected her dog as well. Is nice when owners are on teh same page about dogs as you are Good move though

 

[Sadie]

Welcome to the world of owning bulldogs. Honestly I would be highly concerned/suspicious if any of my dogs never showed an ounce of DA. LOL Bogart thought he was hot stuff right @ 8 weeks old. I took him to Marty's house when he was just about 3 months old and his dog Lil Bit was barking at my Bogart when he jumped out the car on his leash he was barking and growling back at her chocking himself trying to get at her and she is 4! I was seriously laughing @ him like what do you think your going to do you little pip squeek. He's been hot out of the womb I just laugh at him because he's still so young and thinks he's so tuff. Good idea to keep Kane away from other dogs. You just never know when it's going to come out.

 

[william williamson]

the old guys told me all, pits were dog agressive,some just didn't act out.
I've yet to bury one.
you did good.conclusions early are always better than late.

 

[k8nkane]

Thanks everyone. I try to do my best by Kane and I know a lot of you (okay, everyone :rofl disagreed with me taking him to dog parks or doggy daycares.

Not all dogs are going to respond, but it's worth a try to keep him dog tolerant. Lots of treats/praise/play/pats and pets, lots of soft corrections and immediate redirections. There are still some dogs that Mercy cannot come face to face with without getting upset, but she's so conditioned to look at me for guidance that she immediately moves away from them when I ask her to and there's never a scene of my dog screaming and lunging at another one because she got too worked up.

I'm still going to be taking him to pet stores and stuff to keep up the exposure to other dogs. I think that's very important. And I know quite a few dogs that are dog aggressive, but their owners have trained them really well to stay focused on their owner instead of the other dogs around them. My hope is that, if Kane does get into DA, I can train him to do that with some help.

you can always have play dates with polite females

That's exactly what I'm going to do. I actually have a playdate for Kane scheduled for later this week with a female dog. We're meeting at Petsmart first to test out the waters and then go from there.

Welcome to the world of owning bulldogs. Honestly I would be highly concerned/suspicious if any of my dogs never showed an ounce of DA. LOL Bogart thought he was hot stuff right @ 8 weeks old. I took him to Marty's house when he was just about 3 months old and his dog Lil Bit was barking at my Bogart when he jumped out the car on his leash he was barking and growling back at her chocking himself trying to get at her and she is 4! I was seriously laughing @ him like what do you think your going to do you little pip squeek. He's been hot out of the womb I just laugh at him because he's still so young and thinks he's so tuff. Good idea to keep Kane away from other dogs. You just never know when it's going to come out.

:rofl::rofl: I love Bogart. Mister Tuff Stuff. I gotta be honest though. I don't know who's tougher, him or YOU. LOL.

the old guys told me all, pits were dog agressive,some just didn't act out.

^^^ I love that quote, Will. I'm going to file that one away.

 

[Sadie]

I am! He melt's like M&M's around me. He is only tough with other dogs. But with me he's a love bug he knows who loves and feeds him lol

 

[davidfitness83]

find him a herding girlfriend even better those dogs love to play chase and don't wrestle as much.