[julzfla]

My son adopted a 2 yr old pitbull last yr.Due to relocating my mother now has the dog.I was unable to take her as I have two other dogs.Not sure how long we will have the dog before my son returns but in the meantime I'm worried about socialization skills.My mother is 70 and very attached to the dog but she is not strong enough to give the dog the exercise it needs.I walk her as much as I can but due to my schedule its very difficult.My son always had her around other dogs and people but my mother is afraid if she acts agressive she will not be able to restrain her.Lately she's been acting very aggressive if she sees other dogs.We want her to be able to interact with other dogs.Are there training programs around (St lucie County) that teach socialization skills.I've had her around my 5 mo. old lab and she is great but when it comes to toys she is very possessive.I keep her within 2 ft. of me at all times.We feel that she needs interaction with other dogs and people but aren't quite sure how to go about it.Any suggestions or comments would be much appreciated.

 

[Blue_Nose_Bella]

Unfortunately I wouldn't expect to much from her at this point when it comes to other dogs. She is at the age where the dog aggression can start. This is a dog aggressive breed so the only thing you can do at this point is take her to an obedience class with a trainer who is familiar with the breed. At least you will be in a controlled environment and teach her how to properly behave around other dogs. As far as your 70 year old mother keeping her.....definitely not a good idea. Pit bulls are to much dog and have to much energy to not be trained and excercised on a daily basis. If you or your son can't take her than I would seriously consider rehoming her to someone very responsible and who can do right by her. To many of these dogs end up in shelters due to being ill mannered and lack of training. Just my opinion on your situation but at this point you have to do what's best for the dog and your 70 year old mom. I hope you can figure something out soon. Good luck and keep us updated

 

[Joewilly]

Hi,

As blue nose bella said, most pit bull owners will tell you that our dogs don't need dog friends, mostly because of the possibility of dog aggression. I general, they're very happy w/ their human friend(s).
That being said, we have a male and female who get along great, but are always supervised when together. ( They play rough and I have to intervene at times) Because we live in a city, they encounter other dogs on every walk, the female is fine but the male has tons of drive and ties to bolt at many encounters, I keep him on a harness and short traffic lead in public for that reason.
We've always made a point of socializing them with everyone they regularly encounter, so they'll be good citizens / greet politely, and have a little community of supporters.
If you have access to training help that's great, if you don't ...try working regularly with basic obedience and NILIF as a start ( nothing in life is free) eg, to eat you must sit and stay, to get the ball, to get attention from the neighbor, no jumping, sit calmly...etc. To them, obedience becomes a game where they are rewarded.
For exercise, fetch doesn't require much from the handler, I do this w/ mine to burn off energy, they will fetch ( never together) as long as I'll let them. If Mom's got a securely enclosed area this could be an easy alternative.

BTW, I'm new here also, and haven't looked through the 'Training' threads yet... don't want to state the obvious, but if you haven't done that either, why not take a look for ideas.

 

[julzfla]

Thank you both for your suggestions.We are looking into training now.Mom does have a fenced in yard and she gets out there regulary to play fetch.We are very attached to her and giving her up is not an option.I do worry that she doesn't get the exercise she needs but she gets plenty of love which is more than she would have gotten sitting in the "pound".I will keep reading and learning as much as I can about this particular breed and hopefully we can offer her the guidance and training she needs.I am starting to realize that she may not need the interaction with other dogs to thrive.Thank you again.

 

[Nizmo]

#1 rule with owning the breed, dont ever trust them not to fight. thats what they were bred for. some PB's can get along just fine with other dogs, but some cannot. and like what was said, its at the age where a lot of dogs' DA "light switch" will go on.
they dont need other dogs to thrive, or be happy, just human interaction is what they will do anything for.
but good idea with the socialization idea's, its not a bad idea, but dont be disappointed if it doesnt work out.
sounds like you got your ducks in a row

 

[simoneh]

Any suggestions with socializing my 2 year old pitbull with people? She has never been socialized and she is a sweet as pie with me and my kids..but she becomes a little aggressive with barking when she sees strangers or people that come into my home i have to crate her when other family members come over

 

[PerfectPit]

Many other's may have different ideas but what I did when I first got my boy (I was unsure how he would react to other people) and the kids started coming over. I taught him basic manners before they were allowed over. I gave the kids each a bag of treats and had them sit on the couch. I put him on a leash and brought him out of his room. I told the kids not to look at him and slowly walk around and just drop treats randomly. He learned that kids/people brought goodies. Now they can hang out with him freely as long as an adult is present. When I see him or the kids getting too active. Everyone takes a break and he goes in his room for awhile until things settle down. With adults, they used treats or a ball and played catch with them, with him on the leash. He was more fearful of men. I could tell this by his body language at it takes longer for him to accept men.

 

[ames]

Any suggestions with socializing my 2 year old pitbull with people? She has never been socialized and she is a sweet as pie with me and my kids..but she becomes a little aggressive with barking when she sees strangers or people that come into my home i have to crate her when other family members come over

this is an old thread, you may get more replies if you startrt a new one. Take a look at these, they have some great ideas. Keep in mind your dog might never be able to be around other animals, but socializing has nothing to do with making other dog friends.

http://www.gopitbull.com/obedience-...ing-american-pit-bull-terrier-your-puppy.html
http://www.gopitbull.com/general-discussion/38109-socializing.html