Can he be "fixed"? (VERY LONG)

[SILLY6PAK]

He is still young. Trust me the behavior at your house is the beginning of bigger issues ahead.I do not see them equiped to adress these serious issues when they were not equiped to handle normal care and well being of a puppy. Rehoming is his only hope but euthenasia is probably in the distant future. Hopefully not after some child pays the price for your friends "love".
Sorry if that seems harsh but this is a serious situation. By your own admission she has no time, energy or emotional support for a dog let alone a Pitbull.

 

[RoxiesEcho]

Wow. Looks like the debate is getting a little harsh. Sorry for your situation but I applaud the fact that you are trying to find a way to help instead of either pawning him off on someone else or putting the poor guy down. We used to have a Shar Pei that didn't like anyone but me and my DH. We learned to take steps so that she couldn't harm anyone - there was no way she was going anywhere but with us!

Any chance he can spend even more time at your house while your friend is getting through this stressful time? I've seen dogs that for some reason or another just don't like certain people. I think in time you might find that he will learn to respect your BF with some training and positive reinforcement. Or maybe Tyson is trying to tell you something? I'm sorry, just trying to lighten the mood, I'm sure there is nothing wrong with your BF

 

[Kaybie's Mom]

Wow. Looks like the debate is getting a little harsh. Sorry for your situation but I applaud the fact that you are trying to find a way to help instead of either pawning him off on someone else or putting the poor guy down. We used to have a Shar Pei that didn't like anyone but me and my DH. We learned to take steps so that she couldn't harm anyone - there was no way she was going anywhere but with us!

Any chance he can spend even more time at your house while your friend is getting through this stressful time? I've seen dogs that for some reason or another just don't like certain people. I think in time you might find that he will learn to respect your BF with some training and positive reinforcement. Or maybe Tyson is trying to tell you something? I'm sorry, just trying to lighten the mood, I'm sure there is nothing wrong with your BF

LOL.....actually the BF and I are kind of "taking a break" right now so maybe Tyson did know something I didn't! LOL!

Anways, I really appreciate the kind and encouraging words. I really don't want this to turn into a debate and get the thread closed......I truly am looking for advice (just minus the criticisms).

I might be able to have Tyson with me more. Honestly, she'd probably let me take him anytime I want because she feels guilty that she is sleeping while she's home and he's bored. She likes it when I take him for play dates. She actually just asked me yesterday if we could get the dogs together sometime soon to let them play. She always tells me that when I bring Tyson back home after playing at my house, he sits at the doorway after I leave for like an hour waiting for me to come back. My little Tysie Bysie

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t305/bignik26/Tyson/?action=view&current=Dogs3.jpg

 

[Kirby Kirb]

I have a very close friend who had a pit. Her and her bf, had the dog from a puppy, raised him in a family with 2 young toddlers, and a older child. This dog was spoiled just like any boxer on this site. I saw this dog almost daily on visits, and was friendly to EVERYONE. At the age of 3-4 for some reason he just started acting strange, similar to your friends. Plus he was neutered. My friends father would come to visit, who the dog knew very well, and would often go on walks with, suddenly became defensive to, its was very odd. They spent thousands at the vets, and on behaviourlists trying to figure out what happened to there baby, but all got no answers, besides advise to put him down, because of the breed. Of course they wanted nothing to do with that, and kept working with him, because after all they didn't believe in the pitbull reputation, and this was there first baby. After a few months of this, and no success, the dog almost killed a friends child, and attacked its owner, who was trying to remove him from the baby. It was a very sad ending for both dog, and child, who is scarred for life, and of course the dog was put down.

This is just one of the stories. I have had several friends with pits as pets, and friends who of course know others who have had them. Personally I don't say anything negative about them, because I personally have never owned one, but to be honest, never will. Some people are fine, and they have a happy life together, my husband has a friend who ownes one, and him and his wife have a young baby, and we see them walking with the dog attatched to the stroller!! You just never know.

I wish your friend the best, and hopefully this will be sorted out for not only there best interest, but the dogs as well.

 

[punchinella]

What about a behaviorist?

I agree. I think a professional who spends time with Tyson could better assess the situation. I do not feel euthanasia is the quick answer here, however, his behavior needs to be addressed immediately. Pits have bad reps, and that is unfortunate for the breed. I have known many pits with very sweet temperaments. However, that being said, they are extremely dangerous when they become aggressive. They are almost solid muscle, and I, being a 110 lb. female, would be very hardpressed to defend myself against one should it attack, much less a small child. Hence the reason they should only be kept as pets by people who are willing to spend the time and energy to properly train them and are capable of handling them.
I do wish you and your friend the best. I hope that someone with more experience and knowledge in this area is available to help you. Tyson looks like a very sweet pup, and I hope he gets the help he needs and deserves.

 

[Mama's Boys]

I think I would urge your friend to go ahead and get Tyson neutered immediately, regardless of what her husband thinks. As you mentioned, they are already not on good terms with each other, and he does not care for the dog at all. Therefore, with her as Tyson's primary caretaker, I think she certainly has the right to (and certainly should) get Tyson neutered right away. She should just make the appointment, take him, and let hubby find out after it happens.

Along with the neutering, I also agree with everyone else that a behaviorist and training are definitely needed as well.

I'm so sorry to hear about all of this. I love seeing your posts and pics about Kaybie and Tyson.

 

[Louie's Mom]

I'm sorry if I seemed like I was attacking or insulting your friend - I didn't mean for it to come out like that.


But you have to realize that half of the stories in the news start out like the situation you're in right now.


Tyson's behavior is changing - he's only a year old and he's maturing - he he's not an adult yet, if nothing is done right now - by the time he's 2.5 he will most likely be a completly different dog, in a bad way. He will start acting out more and more, his happy to see people attitude will change and become less and less.


You say that he loves people and loves kids, very submissive and goes belly up. But that's only sometimes, because you also said that he was lunging at your husband multiple times and also acted that way at someone elses house.

That is not stability, it is a sign of something wrong and it's only going to get worse. It's great that you work with him and improve his behavior, but the fact that he feels the need to go after your husband is bad, very bad.

He needs someone who can give him lots of structure and discipline, your friends are not providing that - if they can't do it then he needs to be rehomed with someone who's very experienced in problem pitbull behavior.

He can be saved and turned into a happy secure dog - but not while he's in the situation that he's currently in.

 

[Kaybie's Mom]

I'm sorry if I seemed like I was attacking or insulting your friend - I didn't mean for it to come out like that.


But you have to realize that half of the stories in the news start out like the situation you're in right now.


Tyson's behavior is changing - he's only a year old and he's maturing - he he's not an adult yet, if nothing is done right now - by the time he's 2.5 he will most likely be a completly different dog, in a bad way. He will start acting out more and more, his happy to see people attitude will change and become less and less.


You say that he loves people and loves kids, very submissive and goes belly up. But that's only sometimes, because you also said that he was lunging at your husband multiple times and also acted that way at someone elses house.

That is not stability, it is a sign of something wrong and it's only going to get worse. It's great that you work with him and improve his behavior, but the fact that he feels the need to go after your husband is bad, very bad.

He needs someone who can give him lots of structure and discipline, your friends are not providing that - if they can't do it then he needs to be rehomed with someone who's very experienced in problem pitbull behavior.

He can be saved and turned into a happy secure dog - but not while he's in the situation that he's currently in.

Thank you for taking the time to post this. I appreciate your words.

I went to their house yesterday and I asked my friend if Tyson's behavior is getting worse and she said no, just staying the same. She admits she doesn't really trust him. I asked her what she's going to do and she just kind of says, "he's just going to drive me crazy for life.....".......she has zero intentions of letting him go. I'm going to do some research and see if I can find a local trainer/behaviorist and then make some recommendations to my friend. Hopefully things can get better.......looks like there is only so much I can do......

 

[Roscoesmommy]

Try looking at apdt.com. You can punch in your zip code and it will tell you a list of trainers in your area that are approved by them and only use positive reinforcement. I found quite a few in my area, so I think you would be able to find more in the GR area.

 

[Kaybie's Mom]

Try looking at apdt.com. You can punch in your zip code and it will tell you a list of trainers in your area that are approved by them and only use positive reinforcement. I found quite a few in my area, so I think you would be able to find more in the GR area.

Thanks. I'm going to do a search on there today. Hopefully something will come up that my friend will try.