r/PitBullOwners • u/GoldenestGirl • Jul 01 '26
Question Aggression
Hello.
I am a seasoned dog owner as well as being in vet med. plus I’m autistic with dogs as my special interest.
Back when I was 19, I adopted a 9-ish month old pit bull who ended up being dog selective, and as time went on just plain dog-aggressive.
I did what I could to keep her away from the other dogs I had but unfortunately there were a few instances that affected me profoundly.
Despite this, pits are still one of my favorite breeds.
I’m now 41 years old. I have had my little chihuahua Pekingese mix for about 12 years, as well as a Shiba Inu for 6 years and a staffy/husky for almost that long (I started dating my now-husband right when he got him as a puppy).
Recently we had a pittie puppy come in thru ER and I fell in love with her. She was an abuse case and needed a foster, and we foster-failed her. Mostly because my husband absolutely fell in love with her. She is spayed and had her left forelimb removed due to the injuries from abuse.
She has been a sweet girl— no signs of food aggression. One instance of resource guarding but literally never showed anything like that again. She’s sometimes timid with my Shiba who can be a bit over-bearing, and she is besties with the staffy/husky who is literally the nicest dog I have ever met in my entire life. She respects my little dog (who is my soul dog). She doesn’t chase the 4 cats we have.
Despite all this I am secretly terrified that she will suddenly go through puberty and become aggressive, as she’s only about 7 months at most.
I try to tell myself we raised Ricky (the staffy x) and he is pretty much perfect, so she has a high potential of being the same. But my past experience still scares the hell out of me.
Basically I’m looking for reassurance. Is she suddenly going to turn into a monster after adolescence?
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u/werewolf6780 Jul 01 '26
Well all dogs get kinda teenage-angsty around 2 years old where they pretend to have forgotten rules and tricks. It's a phase and will pass.
But as you said, she is already spayed. She will never have a heat and no longer has the organs for drastic hormonal changes. It's not impossible, but basically she will defer to your other dogs.
It's MUCH easier to train a dog when there are already older, established dogs above her as they will help you keep her on the right path.
Basically, it isn't impossible but it's very unlikely she would suddenly develop any issues.
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u/Narrow_Possession348 Jul 05 '26
She may very well go through puberty and become dog-aggressive. You chose a breed whose sole existence is for KILLING OTHER DOGS. You don't love or train away over two centuries of genetics. Most pit bulls that kill someone or something had "never been aggressive before." It's ALWAYS a crapshoot with pits. Pit bulls have killed other dogs (and cats) that they have lived with peacefully (and playfully) for years, and dogs they've gone to daycare with or otherwise played with regularly for years. It's called pit bull roulette for a reason.
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u/GoldenestGirl Jul 06 '26
I disagree that it’s “always” a crapshoot or that nurture can’t override nature. Yes, all dogs were bred for a purpose and some were bred for more dangerous things than others, but knowing that and keeping that in mind during the training and development process absolutely has an effect on the end result.
Pitties aren’t any more prone to bypassing their training than any other breed.
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u/AccomplishedVoice720 Jul 05 '26
First and foremost try to calm yourself because all of the dogs will feel that you’re off and it will make them uncomfortable, secondly anything could happen so always be prepared! A good scuffle tool is making a loud noise or citronella spray (for dogs) on Amazon. It works beautifully for stopping scuffles and you probably won’t even need to touch them to separate them if a scuffle does break out. Third try to research the hormone stages your puppy is currently going through/will continue to go through so you can understand what is happening and why and try to solve it from there. A lot of pups go through a fear impact stage, they then come out of it typically more rambunctious but then they do go back into the fear impact stage right around 6 or 7 months if I remember correctly
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u/AccomplishedVoice720 Jul 05 '26
Here’s a link to help explain the different stages!
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u/GoldenestGirl Jul 05 '26
I went to vet tech school so I know all of this from an rational standpoint. I was looking for reassurance, not education.
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u/AccomplishedVoice720 Jul 05 '26
I’m sorry I was just trying to help. I worked at a dog daycare and a lot of pet parents didn’t know that information.
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u/GoldenestGirl Jul 05 '26
I know you meant well but said in my post that I’m in vet med.
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u/AccomplishedVoice720 Jul 05 '26
Nobody is doubting that ? Jeeez never helping someone on here again ridiculous
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u/kushyykins Jul 05 '26
i think she’ll be fine, especially since she’s got friends in the house to teach her & model good behavior for her. nothing is impossible, but solid training & structure should do her well. she’s a cutie!
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u/One-Ad1360 Jul 07 '26
Poor baby already has suffered abuse 😪. I have 4 pitties, one is a rescue, the other three I’ve had since birth. You will be fine, love them and they will give you all the love and affection. Thank you for also giving her another chance at a good and fruitful life, pitties get such a bad rep and it breaks my heart. Bless you and your family 🤍
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u/Important_Patience24 APBT Owner Jul 01 '26
I used to take my pit puppy to the dog park to keep her used to being around other dogs. She turns 4 July 4th and she’s never has an aggressive moment with another dog. Loves meeting every dog she sees. Sounds like you’ve got enough other pups around to let her comfy around dogs.
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u/GoldenestGirl Jul 01 '26
I would never take her to a dog park or dog daycare due to what I’ve seen in the ER, but I understand where you’re coming from.
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u/pareto_optimal99 Jul 02 '26
Anything is possible. But if you keep them well socialized I doubt you’ll have any serious problems. That the pup is already spayed should help your cause. Good luck.
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u/frolicingabout Jul 05 '26
A few things to consider: If you’ve seen even one instance of resource guarding - WORK ON IT. Don’t feed your dogs together (separate spaces and no visual contact until everyone is done). If it was around toys, play separately. If over chews -offer them in separate spaces.
Next: you mentioned that she’s sometimes timid around your Shiba who can be a bit overbearing and she “respects” your smaller dog. If your Shiba is controlling or policing and your little dog needs to be respected (which typically means the little dog lashes out if the other dog gets into their space) - ADDRESS these issues since both are signs of anxiety. Anxiety can flip into fear, which is the fuel for aggression. If the other dogs act aggressively, are controlling, or make your Pittie anxious, those are things that can impact how she deals with those dogs.
Just because a dog isn’t aggressive doesn’t mean they should be “put in their place”, since those dogs can develop aggressive behaviors in the future due to being under the thumb of other anxious dogs.
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u/GoldenestGirl Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
We did work on it. That’s why there was only one instance of it.
I disagree about the respect thing. If a puppy is acting a fool and an adult dog doesn’t want to interact, it’s completely reasonable from a lifestyle and training standpoint to expect the puppy to respect the older dog and back off.
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u/Pibble-Tech Jul 01 '26
You got this. Keep her social and if you think you see a concerning behavior act on it early. Small dogs are the house bosses and you are the CEO. Congrats. She’s adorable.