Quote:
Originally Posted by
tthemadd1 http:///t/394151/pitbulls-lets-have-the-debate/100#post_3508552
One thing about my dog. Always take a multifaceted view. When the weather is bad and we don't walk daily she can get hyper and start running around to wear off energy. When she does this she seems a little vacant. During these times we slow her down by focusing her attention on commands. Kids tend to get excited easily and I would think that playing to rough could cause issue. Dogs in general don't draw a line they only react to lines or commands given.
As I am a pit lover I feel the proper responsible position is to keep aggressives with calm and responsible adults.
Make your decision and live with it. My family did, daughter is 17, and treat the dog as it should be treated. Loved but cautiously responsible
My German shepherd Atticus won't play with me, I can toss a ball but he would never play wrestle with me, even as a pup...not tug of war...nothing, he will play "chase me for the toy" with the grand-kids, and won't trot any faster than they can run, but with a certain male family friend he really gets going and wrestles and growls playing like a crazy dog. Yet if I even lay down beside him, he will get up and move to lay at my feet instead. He will put his head on my lap to be petted and loved on, but I have call him because he won't engage unless he knows I want him...like he doesn't want to bother me. He watches me as I sleep, and if my breathing pattern changes, he wakes me up. I have severe sleep apnea and stop breathing 111xs an hour, I found out after tests...before then I didn't know why he woke me up every hour on the hour, I thought he had a weak bladder. I never trained him for that, he just does it. I use a Bi-Pap machine now, and he and I both are getting better sleep.
He is aggressive towards all strangers, he does bite, and has done so, but always intruders who just walked into the house, and he won't even allow the children to play fight, he barks and gets between them.
Oh yes, I almost forgot...when he was 6 months old...He bit my husband over our granddaughter Amanda when she was 5. It was the funniest thing. He tried to grab Amanda away by grabbing her pant leg, but only managed to pull her little pants off, all the while she was laughing hysterically and crying stop to Granddaddy...pants in his mouth...he realized he couldn't grab anyplace else to help her, so he bit my husband on the butt...Just a nip to let him know that when kids laugh and cry stop, it means stop.... Dan stopped instantly and grabbed his rear, turning around to face the dog...who dropped his head and went to the nearest corner to stand in...he thought he was hiding. It's hard to get mad at a dog who protects the grand-kids from an adult, even an adult he considered his master.
He is turning 8 this July, and I have had him since he was 10 weeks old. He was growly at strangers since we got him. The lady at our puppy training classes said she had never seen a growly puppy, and that I would always have to take precautions with him...she told me he was afraid, and would be a fear biter. Oddly Atticus could care less about other dogs, but Tamerah my female, has already gone after one small dog, she mouthed it but released it on command. So I know she can't be trusted with other animals.
My dogs are aggressive, and over protective. I take extra care to make sure my dogs and all the neighbors are safe. Having an aggressive dog means being extra careful, but that doesn't mean you can keep them....but you have to stay on your toes at all times, and never forget that "Fido, who is great with the family" is dangerous to strangers.
