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Signs Of Potential Pit Bull Aggression (Long)



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 28th 05, 08:36 AM
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Default Signs Of Potential Pit Bull Aggression (Long)

How can you tell if a pit bull might attack a person?

Here's the deal. I had dinner at my brother's house. He has a son (my
nephew) who adopted a fully-grown pit bull a few months ago from the
pound. He claims it's a pit bull mix, but it looks mostly pit bull,
with maybe a little bit of boxer. It's a muscular dog.

Nephew says the dog is very friendly. He sleeps with family members.
The dog was relatively friendly with both me and my sister, but it
reacted badly to my elderly mother. He growled at her with a low
growl, and fixed her with a stare. I got the dog away from her, and he
was fairly obedient. My mom did nothing, and was friendly to the
animal; she didn't pet it, but she spoke to it in a kind voice. When
the dog was exposed to mom again, the same thing happened: low growl
(for an extended period), and a piercing stare and stiff body posture.
We got the dog to the next room, but when he wandered back to mom, same
reaction. It was spooking out my sister and I, as mom is in her 80s
and just having her knocked down by a dog wouldn't be a good idea, let
alone have anything else happen. I can't think of anything mom did
other than this dog just instantly took a dislike to her. My mom
wasn't scared, but she couldn't figure out why the dog didn't like her.
I insisted nephew put the dog in another room, which caused the boy to
have a snit and say I was unjustly prejudiced against pit bulls. I
should add that during all these little episodes of aggression, nephew
was in another room and was not even attempting to control the dog. He
is totally unconcerned that this dog has any potential of aggression,
and thought we were blowing smoke about the growling and staring. His
great aunt on the other side of the family insisted the dog was
growling "because he just wants you to play with him."

Again, this dog has no history, since being adopted, of aggression
towards the limited number of visitors to my brother's house. But it
was adopted as an adult, so they have no idea what its history is, why
it was brought to the pound in the first place, etc. I don't know what
the signs are of an imminent pit bull attack, but I have no idea how
you get the dog to like someone they seem to so instantly dislike, or
what form its dislike will take upon continued exposure. Many media
stories about pit bull attacks seem to involve elderly people or small
children. The attacks mostly seem unprovoked, and often it is reported
that the dog had never attacked anyone before, had friendly relations
with its owners, etc., and people are shocked by the horrible violence
inflicted by a formerly friendly animal. Was I being paranoid? Or
does this dog have the potential to be a time bomb?

  #2  
Old March 28th 05, 01:26 PM
I'm bAck wIth my Fav4iteMidis
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Signs Of Potential Pit Bull Aggression (Long)

Group: rec.pets.dogs.behavior Date: Sun, Mar 27, 2005, 11:36pm (EST-3)
From:
How can you tell if a pit bull might attack a person?
Here's the deal. I had dinner at my brother's house. He has a son (my
nephew) who adopted a fully-grown pit bull a few months ago from the
pound. He claims it's a pit bull mix, but it looks mostly pit bull, with
maybe a little bit of boxer. It's a muscular dog.
Nephew says the dog is very friendly. He sleeps with family members. The
dog was relatively friendly with both me and my sister, but it reacted
badly to my elderly mother. He growled at her with a low growl, and
fixed her with a stare. I got the dog away from her, and he was fairly
obedient. My mom did nothing, and was friendly to the animal; she didn't
pet it, but she spoke to it in a kind voice. When the dog was exposed to
mom again, the same thing happened: low growl (for an extended period),
and a piercing stare and stiff body posture. We got the dog to the next
room, but when he wandered back to mom, same reaction. It was spooking
out my sister and I, as mom is in her 80s and just having her knocked
down by a dog wouldn't be a good idea, let alone have anything else
happen. I can't think of anything mom did other than this dog just
instantly took a dislike to her. My mom wasn't scared, but she couldn't
figure out why the dog didn't like her.
=A0=A0I insisted nephew put the dog in another room, which caused the
boy to have a snit and say I was unjustly prejudiced against pit bulls.
I should add that during all these little episodes of aggression, nephew
was in another room and was not even attempting to control the dog. He
is totally unconcerned that this dog has any potential of aggression,
and thought we were blowing smoke about the growling and staring. His
great aunt on the other side of the family insisted the dog was growling
"because he just wants you to play with him."
Again, this dog has no history, since being adopted, of aggression
towards the limited number of visitors to my brother's house. But it was
adopted as an adult, so they have no idea what its history is, why it
was brought to the pound in the first place, etc. I don't know what the
signs are of an imminent pit bull attack, but I have no idea how you get
the dog to like someone they seem to so instantly dislike, or what form
its dislike will take upon continued exposure. Many media stories about
pit bull attacks seem to involve elderly people or small children. The
attacks mostly seem unprovoked, and often it is reported that the dog
had never attacked anyone before, had friendly relations with its
owners, etc., and people are shocked by the horrible violence inflicted
by a formerly friendly animal. Was I being paranoid? Or does this dog
have the potential to be a time bomb?


Have you ever watch on NEGO channel. Where I live it's on channel 210 on
Comcast Cable The Dog Whisperer. He's good. I don't know where you live
but you got to watch that show if you do I know you'll want to get in
contact with him. Find out when he'll be on to day. He's on a few times
a day. If I had a problem like yours whether it's a pitbull or not & I
don't think this has anything to do with your dog's breed why he don't
like your mom but I do know it has to be stopped before your mom is
hurt. That's why I'm hoping you take my advice even though I don't
belong to any group I'm not a dog trainer or anything like that. I just
seen how that man works with dogs & their owner. His name is Ceasar
Romano.Watch his show..Please

  #4  
Old March 28th 05, 03:13 PM
Michael A. Ball
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On 27 Mar 2005 23:36:26 -0800, wrote:

How can you tell if a pit bull might attack a person?
... Was I being paranoid? Or
does this dog have the potential to be a time bomb?


Your concern is well justified, because all dogs have a potential to be
violent.

The local shelter has been adopting PBT for a couple of years now. They
must arrive with no history of aggression and pass a fairly demanding
temperament test.

I consider your nephew more dangerous than the dog, because he is an
irresponsible and/or unenlightened dog owner, at present. When one of my
dogs (formerly Chow Chows, now Shelties) show inappropriate aggression,
we get to the bottom of it immediately.

As an octogenarian, your brave mother might have a posture problem, her
skin texture and voice might be different from the people around her;
and her scent might be different--things that happen to all of us
eventually. Besides that [which is only offered for consideration], the
dog might have been abused by (or because of) an elderly person.

As a volunteer, I sometimes encounter a shelter dog in the public area
that dislikes me at first sight. Even if it is friendly to other
visitors, I still spend time with it until it accepts me; or at least,
tolerates me. If I can't get a good feeling about the dog, I report it
to the front desk, so they will have some point of reference for any
trouble the dog becomes.

There are a lot of variables and possibilities here, but I believe this
dog just wants to see if he can manipulate your mother. Dogs definitely
test us to see what they can get away with! I suspect the dog has
already been testing his "master".

I wouldn't want to start a family feud, but seeing that your nephew is
not controlling his dog, he should grant your mother the freedom to
control the dog. She needs to speak to the dog assertively and her body
language should tell the dog that she can't be bullied. She should never
tolerate having her path blocked by this dog. Just as with humans, dogs
have to respect us before they like us.

Your mom can speed things along by offering the dog a few special
treats. Thereby becoming someone that can not be bullied, but does have
treats!

One icebreaker technique is to have your mother sit next to a family
member the dog does like, and encourage the dog to come visit. Let only
your mother offer a yummy treat. If the dog is acting out of fear, this
approach will help him to see that your mother is not dangerous.

I've probably over simplified this, but it has become relatively simple
for me. At the shelter, many growling dogs will actually change to a
whimper, if I persist in approaching/touching them. They have no desire
to harm me, but can't let go of their fear, just yet. Often, the instant
their realize its safe, they can't get enough petting. Its thrilling to
witness the turn around.

I take more time and care with dogs that show me their teeth. I love
them all and I'm not afraid. I do respect their right to be nervous and
afraid, but I also know that can prevent them from being adopted. I
speak to these dogs calmly and patiently while forcing them to pass
close to me, if they want to move around in their run. Sometimes, I
stand at their run gate and look out. The dog usually comes and does the
same thing. Considering these are three-foot gates, the dog's joining me
tells me that he's beginning to mellow out.

It recently took my third daily visit before I got to hug a certain dog.
He was put to sleep by the next day. Shelter dogs truly need to be as
tolerant and predictable as possible.

I hope your nephew will learn about his dog and control of his dog. It
is very important because our dogs need to be safe around the general
public and especially people we invite into our space.



School - Four walls with tomorrow inside.
  #5  
Old March 28th 05, 10:41 PM
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Thanks for the input. I know I'm right about that dog, that it needs
to be controlled, and that my nephew is too irresponsible, IMO, to have
this dog. And I'm afraid it may trigger a family feud. But I don't
know what to do about it, other than not take my mom to visit my
brother (I'm the one that has to drive her, and she rarely sees him
anyway; he's more likely to visit her house, sans dog).

My mom is a bit bent over, as people her age are wont to be. And has
wrinkles, an older-type voice, etc. She's friendly with animals, but
not assertive, is not strong, etc. It just scares me that a sizable
number of pit bull incidents seem to involve elderly people, and have
happened in family situations where the dog didn't have problems with
other people in the family. The stooped posture might be interpreted
as threatening, they are different than younger people, may smell
different, tend to be less assertive, etc., as you pointed out. But in
any case, my nephew does not take his responsiblity as a dog owner
seriously, and doesn't seem to register that his new dog is different
than the extremely friendly (this current dog is much more tentative
with people, even though somewhat friendly), less-strong English
retriever he used to own. And his family doesn't take it seriously
enough, either. They have my sister-in-law's aunt living with them,
and she's somewhat younger than my mom, but not much. Plus, they often
babysit a friend's toddler. It's worrisome. And there's not much I
can do about it, because they're close-minded people that won't listen.

"Haley"

Michael A. Ball wrote:
On 27 Mar 2005 23:36:26 -0800, wrote:

How can you tell if a pit bull might attack a person?
... Was I being paranoid? Or
does this dog have the potential to be a time bomb?


Your concern is well justified, because all dogs have a potential to

be
violent.

The local shelter has been adopting PBT for a couple of years now.

They
must arrive with no history of aggression and pass a fairly demanding
temperament test.

I consider your nephew more dangerous than the dog, because he is an
irresponsible and/or unenlightened dog owner, at present. When one of

my
dogs (formerly Chow Chows, now Shelties) show inappropriate

aggression,
we get to the bottom of it immediately.

As an octogenarian, your brave mother might have a posture problem,

her
skin texture and voice might be different from the people around her;
and her scent might be different--things that happen to all of us
eventually. Besides that [which is only offered for consideration],

the
dog might have been abused by (or because of) an elderly person.

As a volunteer, I sometimes encounter a shelter dog in the public

area
that dislikes me at first sight. Even if it is friendly to other
visitors, I still spend time with it until it accepts me; or at

least,
tolerates me. If I can't get a good feeling about the dog, I report

it
to the front desk, so they will have some point of reference for any
trouble the dog becomes.

There are a lot of variables and possibilities here, but I believe

this
dog just wants to see if he can manipulate your mother. Dogs

definitely
test us to see what they can get away with! I suspect the dog has
already been testing his "master".

I wouldn't want to start a family feud, but seeing that your nephew

is
not controlling his dog, he should grant your mother the freedom to
control the dog. She needs to speak to the dog assertively and her

body
language should tell the dog that she can't be bullied. She should

never
tolerate having her path blocked by this dog. Just as with humans,

dogs
have to respect us before they like us.

Your mom can speed things along by offering the dog a few special
treats. Thereby becoming someone that can not be bullied, but does

have
treats!

One icebreaker technique is to have your mother sit next to a family
member the dog does like, and encourage the dog to come visit. Let

only
your mother offer a yummy treat. If the dog is acting out of fear,

this
approach will help him to see that your mother is not dangerous.

I've probably over simplified this, but it has become relatively

simple
for me. At the shelter, many growling dogs will actually change to a
whimper, if I persist in approaching/touching them. They have no

desire
to harm me, but can't let go of their fear, just yet. Often, the

instant
their realize its safe, they can't get enough petting. Its thrilling

to
witness the turn around.

I take more time and care with dogs that show me their teeth. I love
them all and I'm not afraid. I do respect their right to be nervous

and
afraid, but I also know that can prevent them from being adopted. I
speak to these dogs calmly and patiently while forcing them to pass
close to me, if they want to move around in their run. Sometimes, I
stand at their run gate and look out. The dog usually comes and does

the
same thing. Considering these are three-foot gates, the dog's joining

me
tells me that he's beginning to mellow out.

It recently took my third daily visit before I got to hug a certain

dog.
He was put to sleep by the next day. Shelter dogs truly need to be as
tolerant and predictable as possible.

I hope your nephew will learn about his dog and control of his dog.

It
is very important because our dogs need to be safe around the general
public and especially people we invite into our space.



School - Four walls with tomorrow inside.


  #6  
Old March 28th 05, 11:06 PM
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"during all these little episodes of aggression, nephew was in another
room "

If the dog reacts to grandma the same way every time then it should be
easy enough to set up a scenario where the nephew can see the problem
first hand, right? Once he sees this dogs behavior he should be willing
to listen to resonable suggestions. If hes not, then the answer is
easy, get that dog away from him, he is to irresponsible to have it!


Alan

  #7  
Old March 30th 05, 04:03 PM
Michael A. Ball
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On 28 Mar 2005 13:41:02 -0800, wrote:

Thanks for the input. ...It's worrisome. And there's not much I
can do about it, because they're close-minded people that won't listen.


I believe you already realize that your mother is not the only human in
danger. I am especially concerned about the friends' toddler. Even
really fine dogs sometimes get confused about small, strange-sounding
critters--such as toddlers. Hence the absolute importance of never
leaving the two unattended.

In regards to the numbers of PBT incidents, I think you'll find some
common threads: such as lack of discipline. I've had the opportunity to
meet several PBT now; and for the life of me, I can't see how they are
different from any other breed. Sure their strong, and some might have a
truly strong drive to attack other dogs/animals. I never forget that,
but I can't help believing that drive can be monitored and controlled.

Of course, and unfortunately, your nephew is the typical ill-equipped
PBT owner. Any significant change in him would have to begin with his
attitude; hopefully, before anyone is injured.

I don't know very much about family life; so, I can't really advise you
on how to deal with your nephew. Making him aware of the legal/financial
liability he's facing might help.

I wish I had more wisdom for this problem, but I don't. I do want to
emphasize that I do Not blame the dog. Dogs only do what we train them
to do--or fail to train them to do.

Please, keep us posted. Most of us are still learning.


One jihad Mom to another Jihad Mom: "sigh"Kids"..." They blow up so quickly!"
  #8  
Old April 16th 05, 10:38 PM
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Here is a new attack by pitbull:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/15/pit....ap/index.html

 




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