[Pit-Bull-Daddy]

So I think that DA is starting with Suzie, every time she see's another dog she hackles up, tail curls upward and she goes crazy whine / bark / growl kind of deal. She pulls hardcore to get to the other dog as well. Haven't had anything happen yet. Would it be safe for me to assume this is DA?

 

[MamaTank]

Never assume that it isn't. If she is acting aggressive, then assume that it is DA. There is no good reason to risk your dog or the other dog.

 

[Jazzy&Veronica]

My dog is dog reactive not aggressive; and while it is technically a different behavior; the management to a large extent is the same...no contact with strange dogs. The difference for me is it is easier to work with her around other dogs (teaching watch me, ignore the other dog etc) because I know she isn't itching to immediately kill the other dogs first chance she gets. Mine has zero social skills and while she wants to interact, she cannot because it is clear that a fight would start.

It's too soon to tell whether your dog wil be reactive or aggressive; but I think the tell tale sign is the level of stimulation and exitement you see around other dogs. That's never good because even if her intent is positive, the switch can get flipped pretty quick and if she interacts with that kind of intensity it can go from friendly to fight in the blink of an eye.

If it were my dog I would stop letting her meet strange dogs and closely monitor her interactions with known dogs. If you want to be able to take her places (I take my dog almost everywhere dogs can go) I would start working on ignoring other dogs, but definitely keep her around other dogs to ensure she gets lots of constant practice (with my girl it's use it or lose it).

I also personally think socialization is important for as long as it can be done safely. My dog can interact with certain other dogs (generally males) if they have the right temperment and if they are introduced properly. By interact I mean walk together and have some on-leash play time (Currently this translates into one dog she interacts with @ 1 to 2 times per week; and she so obviously loves it. He has been a tremendous help in helping her get over some fear issues and she just absolutely glows (if a dog can glow) while in his company.) If we had the luxury of being able to have her spend allot more time with him, I do think they could maybe play off leash with extremely close, hands on supervision. (I'd have to assess as we went along).

I guess I am saying you are sort of at a crossroads and I would make a plan for how you are going to handle the behavior so you can influence it's direction. If you want to avoid flat out DA (if that's genetically possible with your dog) then make sure she doesn't have any negative experiences with another dog. Way back during my dog's development and my learning curve; I let her say "hello" to a "friendly dog" that snarked and nipped at her and my dog freaked out. She became extremely hypervigilent to dogs and turned into a snarling, lunging beast on the end of her leash, It took me over 6 months to get her back to "ignoring" and not making a scene reliably.

Hope this helps.

 

[Pit-Bull-Daddy]

My dog is dog reactive not aggressive; and while it is technically a different behavior; the management to a large extent is the same...no contact with strange dogs. The difference for me is it is easier to work with her around other dogs (teaching watch me, ignore the other dog etc) because I know she isn't itching to immediately kill the other dogs first chance she gets. Mine has zero social skills and while she wants to interact, she cannot because it is clear that a fight would start.

It's too soon to tell whether your dog wil be reactive or aggressive; but I think the tell tale sign is the level of stimulation and exitement you see around other dogs. That's never good because even if her intent is positive, the switch can get flipped pretty quick and if she interacts with that kind of intensity it can go from friendly to fight in the blink of an eye.

If it were my dog I would stop letting her meet strange dogs and closely monitor her interactions with known dogs. If you want to be able to take her places (I take my dog almost everywhere dogs can go) I would start working on ignoring other dogs, but definitely keep her around other dogs to ensure she gets lots of constant practice (with my girl it's use it or lose it).

I also personally think socialization is important for as long as it can be done safely. My dog can interact with certain other dogs (generally males) if they have the right temperment and if they are introduced properly. By interact I mean walk together and have some on-leash play time (Currently this translates into one dog she interacts with @ 1 to 2 times per week; and she so obviously loves it. He has been a tremendous help in helping her get over some fear issues and she just absolutely glows (if a dog can glow) while in his company.) If we had the luxury of being able to have her spend allot more time with him, I do think they could maybe play off leash with extremely close, hands on supervision. (I'd have to assess as we went along).

I guess I am saying you are sort of at a crossroads and I would make a plan for how you are going to handle the behavior so you can influence it's direction. If you want to avoid flat out DA (if that's genetically possible with your dog) then make sure she doesn't have any negative experiences with another dog. Way back during my dog's development and my learning curve; I let her say "hello" to a "friendly dog" that snarked and nipped at her and my dog freaked out. She became extremely hypervigilent to dogs and turned into a snarling, lunging beast on the end of her leash, It took me over 6 months to get her back to "ignoring" and not making a scene reliably.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for reply....Yeah that's kind of what I had been thinking in regards to being at a crossroads. She has never actually come in contact with another dog and all of her behavior has been from a distance. I have always kept her from coming in contact with other dogs, her whole 11 months of life. She has no doggie friends or dogs she knows.

I am thinking for safety sakes I better just plan on her being flat out DA and plan accordingly. Especially how she reacted the other day, my wife was pretty freaked out how our sweet loving Suzie could act that way with just the sight of another dog. Rather than try and influence her into not being DA, since it is genetically impossible to train DA out.

 

[stonerreakinhavok]

Thank you for reply....Yeah that's kind of what I had been thinking in regards to being at a crossroads. She has never actually come in contact with another dog and all of her behavior has been from a distance. I have always kept her from coming in contact with other dogs, her whole 11 months of life. She has no doggie friends or dogs she knows.

I am thinking for safety sakes I better just plan on her being flat out DA and plan accordingly. Especially how she reacted the other day, my wife was pretty freaked out how our sweet loving Suzie could act that way with just the sight of another dog. Rather than try and influence her into not being DA, since it is genetically impossible to train DA out.

you got it always expect a bulldog to fight, its what they were bred to do. also in the future if you decide that your dog may or may not need a companion. no pit bull ever died from not having a dog friend. just thought id toss that in