Reader Mail!

Here we have another edition of Reader Mail! If there is a particular question you have about pit bulls, please drop me a line at passion4pits@gmail.com, I'd be more than happy to answer any and all questions!

A red-nosed pit bull

This one comes from Elizabeth. She writes, "I have a 2 yo Red nose Pit. His name is Capone. He is a wonderful dog when he is with my boyfriend but when I'm with him he doesn't listen he pees and poops in the house. He pulls me when I walk him and he doesn't let anyone near me, he wants to bite them, anyone even children. And I love him dearly but I'm scared he will hurt someone!"

Thanks for writing in, Elizabeth!

Capone has issues that many young male pit-bulls have- he is territorial, acting tough, hard to handle on a leash... This makes me wonder if he is neutered? If not, I would strongly suggest neutering him as soon as possible.  It will help with marking (peeing) in the house, aggression and territorial issues  and there health benefits for him as well. You can read more about this here.

Secondly, I would recommend getting a muzzle right away. I recommend a basket muzzle for a strong male dog, rather than a nylon one that may slip off. If he has bitten in the past or threatens to bite anyone, especially children- this is a must. He should wear it outside the home and inside if guests are over. It is for everyone's protection, including his. If he does bite someone- depending on where you live, you could have to put him to sleep. Once he is muzzled, you can work on the other issues.

 If crate training is done correctly, your dog should like being in his crate

If he is peeing and pooping in the house- I suggest crate training (Info on Crate Training) him or putting up a gate to block off a small space for him that is easy to clean - usually the kitchen works best for this. The smaller the area he is confined to- the less able he will be to get away from the smell of his own urine and feces, and dogs hate being around that and will not soil their own "den". They tend to hold it rather than go when they are in a confined area.


For pulling- I suggest a prong collar (read about prong collar training here)- if he barks and lunges, use a sharp yank of that collar with a firm and loud "No!". Your confidence will become apparent to him and he will start to know you are in control. If he listens to your boyfriend and your boyfriend can help you- start putting Capone on his back and place your knee on his chest- he will struggle at first, but soon he will know that you are in charge. If he breaks the rules you put in place for him, place him on his back and stare into his eyes and say "No" in a confident deep voice.

Your situation with Capone reminds me a bit of this dog, Buddy, who Cesar Milan worked with on "The Dog Whisperer." Check it out here or watch part 1 below.



Best of Luck to you!
Jessica

Doggies drive us nuts sometimes...

When Bruno and Winnie want more attention that we can give them because mom is busy applying to graduate school and dad is busy studying for law school exams this is what happens... They are banished to the crate to calm down for a bit.
Notice they can fit comfortably if only Winnie didn't hate it when Bruno rests his head on her bum ( yes she will growl a him for it!)

Bruno's destruction...

So we have been trying to limit the amount of time Bruno spends in the crate by trying him out in different rooms in our new apartment. Winnie of course can be left anywhere because she does no harm to any of our belongings or the carpet, but as you may remember- whenever he is unsupervised (AND ONLY when he is unsupervised) he will reak havok by eating everything in sight and going to the bathroom all over the house.

We tried successfully for a while keeping him in the kitchen. It was small enough that she didn't want to be confined there with whatever mess he could make, and easily cleanable if an accident occured. However, within a few weeks he figured out how to somehow leap over the gates without toppeling them over- I'm imagining some sort of dear like elegant bound...

Next we tried leaving him in the Office- a room with a door. Here's what happened the very first day:

Bruno's destruction....

Look at that guilty face!! He must be super anxious when we leave.
So for now he is in the crate all day- which I'm sure he doesn't enjoy but we are not sure what to try next.
Any ideas?