Anyone else have a pit mix?

[Anonymous]

OP has become defensive on being called out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We adopted a rescue dog about a year ago. We were told that he was a greyhound mix but according to one of those DNA tests, he is ~ 24% pit and the rest is Golden Retriever, Chow Chow, and Chihuahua.

Anyway, I'm just feeling a little unnerved by him because of the news about that horrible pit attack on the two babies.

He's a sweet dog but can be skittish around strangers. For this reason, we require our kids (youngest is 11 and oldest is 15) to be very careful about how they approach him or pet him. They know to gently put their hand out to allow him to sniff first and not to put their hands on top of his head. We're careful about observing his body language and respecting his boundaries if he seems tense, if he's yawning or licking his lips a lot, if he's giving whale eyes, and especially if his tail is tucked. They know not to approach him on his bed and to never bring friends or strangers around him. He's very open and affectionate with me and DH, probably because we feed him. For exercise and boarding, he goes to a specialty daycare and his file is accompanied by a warning that he might bite so I don't worry about that too much. They know how to handle dogs like him and he has warmed up to the staff considerably. Daycare has definitely been helping his socialization issues. But how do we know if he is a ticking time bomb at home?

He doesn't have the typical pit musculature or jaw, does that matter? He has a long narrow snout and long skinny legs (which may be why the shelter thought he was part greyhound).

I'm just a little unnerved by this idea that a loving family dog who has been nothing but perfect for years can suddenly snap and maul two kids and their mom.

I am unnerved about all the considerations and modifications you have had to make.

+1

I can’t believe you make your kids live this way in their own house. My God. Way to teach them where they rank to you.

OP here. I’m sincerely baffled by this so hopefully someone could explain in a non snarky way? I don’t think the kids are “walking on eggshells” around the dog just because we’ve taught them to note his body language and leave him be when he wants space. Or when he’s in his “safe space” on his bed (we don’t use a crate). I also don’t think it’s a bad thing that they’re not allowed to bring their friends around the dog. Who cares? Why is that a big deal? They are still allowed to pet/cuddle/play with the dog when he wants to and they want to, which is often.

They truly love and enjoy the dog. I don’t understand this idea that you all have that we’re putting the dog before them. He’s a rescue dog, he has “special needs” lol. I’m kidding but also not. We don’t know what his history was but he has scars on his body and he was stray at least for a while.

OP, welcome to the crazy world of DCUM. Years ago I posted something in another topic and was blindsided by the ugliest comments imaginable. Some people on here really have strange ways of interpreting a post, and feel the need to us their time tearing down the person that came looking for help. There ARE a lot of good people that will offer you great advice on this board, but you have to take those along with the crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In what world does a pit/Chow/golden mix look anything like a greyhound?

Serious question. This description completely strains reality.

OP here. We did a reverse image search on one of his photos once. He looks very much like a Tennessee Treeing Brindle. Or a brindled black mouth mountain cur. He’s brindle colored, long snout, black mouth and lips, floppy ears, long skinny legs. White pouch on his chest. Plus he was underweight by 10-15 pounds when we got him so that might have contributed to the grey hound misperception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We adopted a rescue dog about a year ago. We were told that he was a greyhound mix but according to one of those DNA tests, he is ~ 24% pit and the rest is Golden Retriever, Chow Chow, and Chihuahua.

Anyway, I'm just feeling a little unnerved by him because of the news about that horrible pit attack on the two babies.

He's a sweet dog but can be skittish around strangers. For this reason, we require our kids (youngest is 11 and oldest is 15) to be very careful about how they approach him or pet him. They know to gently put their hand out to allow him to sniff first and not to put their hands on top of his head. We're careful about observing his body language and respecting his boundaries if he seems tense, if he's yawning or licking his lips a lot, if he's giving whale eyes, and especially if his tail is tucked. They know not to approach him on his bed and to never bring friends or strangers around him. He's very open and affectionate with me and DH, probably because we feed him. For exercise and boarding, he goes to a specialty daycare and his file is accompanied by a warning that he might bite so I don't worry about that too much. They know how to handle dogs like him and he has warmed up to the staff considerably. Daycare has definitely been helping his socialization issues. But how do we know if he is a ticking time bomb at home?

He doesn't have the typical pit musculature or jaw, does that matter? He has a long narrow snout and long skinny legs (which may be why the shelter thought he was part greyhound).

I'm just a little unnerved by this idea that a loving family dog who has been nothing but perfect for years can suddenly snap and maul two kids and their mom.

I am unnerved about all the considerations and modifications you have had to make.

+1

I can’t believe you make your kids live this way in their own house. My God. Way to teach them where they rank to you.

OP here. I’m sincerely baffled by this so hopefully someone could explain in a non snarky way? I don’t think the kids are “walking on eggshells” around the dog just because we’ve taught them to note his body language and leave him be when he wants space. Or when he’s in his “safe space” on his bed (we don’t use a crate). I also don’t think it’s a bad thing that they’re not allowed to bring their friends around the dog. Who cares? Why is that a big deal? They are still allowed to pet/cuddle/play with the dog when he wants to and they want to, which is often.

They truly love and enjoy the dog. I don’t understand this idea that you all have that we’re putting the dog before them. He’s a rescue dog, he has “special needs” lol. I’m kidding but also not. We don’t know what his history was but he has scars on his body and he was stray at least for a while.

OP, welcome to the crazy world of DCUM. Years ago I posted something in another topic and was blindsided by the ugliest comments imaginable. Some people on here really have strange ways of interpreting a post, and feel the need to us their time tearing down the person that came looking for help. There ARE a lot of good people that will offer you great advice on this board, but you have to take those along with the crazy.

And for what it's worth, I have had two pit mixes and they have been great family members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We adopted a rescue dog about a year ago. We were told that he was a greyhound mix but according to one of those DNA tests, he is ~ 24% pit and the rest is Golden Retriever, Chow Chow, and Chihuahua.

Anyway, I'm just feeling a little unnerved by him because of the news about that horrible pit attack on the two babies.

He's a sweet dog but can be skittish around strangers. For this reason, we require our kids (youngest is 11 and oldest is 15) to be very careful about how they approach him or pet him. They know to gently put their hand out to allow him to sniff first and not to put their hands on top of his head. We're careful about observing his body language and respecting his boundaries if he seems tense, if he's yawning or licking his lips a lot, if he's giving whale eyes, and especially if his tail is tucked. They know not to approach him on his bed and to never bring friends or strangers around him. He's very open and affectionate with me and DH, probably because we feed him. For exercise and boarding, he goes to a specialty daycare and his file is accompanied by a warning that he might bite so I don't worry about that too much. They know how to handle dogs like him and he has warmed up to the staff considerably. Daycare has definitely been helping his socialization issues. But how do we know if he is a ticking time bomb at home?

He doesn't have the typical pit musculature or jaw, does that matter? He has a long narrow snout and long skinny legs (which may be why the shelter thought he was part greyhound).

I'm just a little unnerved by this idea that a loving family dog who has been nothing but perfect for years can suddenly snap and maul two kids and their mom.

I am unnerved about all the considerations and modifications you have had to make.

+1

I can’t believe you make your kids live this way in their own house. My God. Way to teach them where they rank to you.

OP here. I’m sincerely baffled by this so hopefully someone could explain in a non snarky way? I don’t think the kids are “walking on eggshells” around the dog just because we’ve taught them to note his body language and leave him be when he wants space. Or when he’s in his “safe space” on his bed (we don’t use a crate). I also don’t think it’s a bad thing that they’re not allowed to bring their friends around the dog. Who cares? Why is that a big deal? They are still allowed to pet/cuddle/play with the dog when he wants to and they want to, which is often.

They truly love and enjoy the dog. I don’t understand this idea that you all have that we’re putting the dog before them. He’s a rescue dog, he has “special needs” lol. I’m kidding but also not. We don’t know what his history was but he has scars on his body and he was stray at least for a while.

OP the dog sounds fine. I grew up with a Springer Spaniel and an English Setter. They were amazing family dogs, but occasionally my sisters and I would be normal annoying kids and do something that would cause the dogs to growl or very rarely snap at us. They were not vicious monsters and instead of rehoming them, our parents reminded us to respect the dog's boundaries. I think the dogs just viewed us as puppies that needed warnings and corrections at times. I mean dogs are not teddy bears, they are allowed to let you know they don't like something with a warning growl. However, if a dog does not give warning growls and bites to break the skin without warning, that is when there is something not right with the dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP has become defensive on being called out.

I am one of the PPs who tried to explain why what she is doing is so problematic because OP genuinely asked. It doesn’t help OP to attack her as defensive.

OP adopted a rescue dog. Unfortunately there are a lot of problematic rescues out there who are unwilling to be honest about just how dangerous and unpredictable pit bulls can be (and some PPs on this thread sound like them). It’s not OPs fault that she trusted an organization that puts itself forth as trustworthy, and she should not be shamed for trying to learn about the real harm of what she is putting her kids through. OP is asking questions and that is good.

[Anonymous]

OP, I find it really weird that you said your son was thrilled when the dog laid its head on his lap recently, like that is a very rare thing. That’s a red flag to me. Your sons have been living with this dog for a year and are still not able to just walk up and pet it on the head….

My rescue dog wallows herself all over my kids on the couch, never met a pet she didn’t like, and doesn’t even bark at strangers. She just wags her tail and goes up to them. That is normal.

Of course, my kids know they need to talk to her if she is asleep, because she could startle and snap if woken up by a touch…but any dog could. That’s where “let sleeping dogs lie” comes from. And I put her in a crate when little kids visit, for her own good because no dog likes poked and prodded by toddlers. She’s like every dog I ever owned.

Your dog sounds very unpleasant to be around and very unsocial/skittish. It’s not typical. I am glad she works for your family, but hopefully you can see why people see red flags.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your dog isn't viewing you as the pack leader/alpha dog. YOU set the boundaries. A quick Google search will tell you how to become dominant over your dog. it's not that hard, they have "pack mentality ".

the number of people on this board that are so quick to re-home the dog, you are part of the overcrowding of shelters. Pets aren't people! Take the time to work with the dog and get the help of a reputable trainer
Do you rehome your children if they do something wrong?!? Give the animal a chance, for God's sake.

Oh, look, the Cesar Millan ignoramus has showed up. Dominance theory is garbage.

OP, does your dog ever approach your kid's friends after they've been over a lot? Or are all strangers to be avoided? Not saying the latter would be a problem, exactly -- some dogs just aren't minglers. Some are turned into non-minglers by bad experiences. Some lose interest in mingling after a certain age.

Respecting that sometimes a dog wants to be left alone is a skill everyone should learn. Years ago, my sister's kids were obsessed with my dog. They were too young to control their impulses to follow her everywhere no matter how many times I reminded them that when she was in her bed, she needed to be left alone, so after one particularly exhausting Christmas, I started leaving her home with a petsitter. "Oh, the kids will be so disappointed!" my sister told me. "They were really looking forward to spending time with her!" Yeah, I know. That's why she's not here. Not because she'd have bitten them, but because your kids are making her miserable.

Really? You clearly haven't had many dogs. You absolutely let the dog know who is in charge. Find me a reputable site that backs up your claim that it's "garbage".

OP, aggression is any dog is born out of fear. And there are many things you can do to correct the behavior. Dogs need training! I am amazed at the number of people that just say "get rid of the dog". For starters, you can muzzle the dog when your children or visitors are around. If the dog is approached by someone and doesn't growl, reward with positive reinforcement. Lots of praise! This is just one of many things a good trainer can help you learn and implement.

Do you consider veterinarians "reputable"?

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/dog-behavior-and-training-dominance-alpha-and-pack-leadership-what-does-it-really-mean

[Anonymous]

OP here. I do t think I am back tracking. I’m just trying to explain the situation accurately. He’s not a bad dog. He actually has a lot of great qualities. I’ve met way worse dogs. He rarely barks, he’s not clingy, he doesn’t have separation anxiety, we can easily leave him home for 4-6 hours, he’s not destructive in the house, he doesn’t have onerous exercise needs, he doesn’t shed much, he doesn’t beg or jump up in our counters. He doesn’t even come up our stairs. He has utterly *fantastic* recall. He has great bite inhibition. He’s snapped at all of us but very gently with his mouth. He’s never nipped or bitten, he must have been trained about how much pressure to apply by someone else.

The main drawbacks are: he doesn’t like strangers in his house (not a big deal to me personally) but he’s fine with people outdoors at the park or on the street or even in our backyard. And he’s not open for pets and affection 24/7. Now that we‘ve known him for a while, we can usually tell by his body language. You know how sometimes dogs will curl up in a tight ball to sleep? If he’s like that on his bed or “his couch” in his room he might give a very low, soft growl if you approach hand out to pet. But just as often he’ll stretch out and invite tummy scratches. We let him lead and have not had problems since we started doing that. When we leave the house and come home, he’s excited and happy to see everyone and get pets from everyone including the kids. He runs up to them as soon as they get home from school for pets. Then he goes back to doing his thing (he really likes to sit on the couch and look out the window).

He’s a very regimented dog. He likes to eat and do the same things at the same time every day. He likes to play in the evening and will play tug of war with the kids. But he ants to be asleep and left alone by 9 pm. I don’t feel like it’s that hard to respect this boundary?

Does this really sound so bad?

Would it sound less bad if he weren’t half pit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I find it really weird that you said your son was thrilled when the dog laid its head on his lap recently, like that is a very rare thing. That’s a red flag to me. Your sons have been living with this dog for a year and are still not able to just walk up and pet it on the head….

My rescue dog wallows herself all over my kids on the couch, never met a pet she didn’t like, and doesn’t even bark at strangers. She just wags her tail and goes up to them. That is normal.

Of course, my kids know they need to talk to her if she is asleep, because she could startle and snap if woken up by a touch…but any dog could. That’s where “let sleeping dogs lie” comes from. And I put her in a crate when little kids visit, for her own good because no dog likes poked and prodded by toddlers. She’s like every dog I ever owned.

Your dog sounds very unpleasant to be around and very unsocial/skittish. It’s not typical. I am glad she works for your family, but hopefully you can see why people see red flags.

Agree with the bolded. That’s a huge red flag. It’s also a problem that the child was so excited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your dog isn't viewing you as the pack leader/alpha dog. YOU set the boundaries. A quick Google search will tell you how to become dominant over your dog. it's not that hard, they have "pack mentality ".

the number of people on this board that are so quick to re-home the dog, you are part of the overcrowding of shelters. Pets aren't people! Take the time to work with the dog and get the help of a reputable trainer
Do you rehome your children if they do something wrong?!? Give the animal a chance, for God's sake.

Oh, look, the Cesar Millan ignoramus has showed up. Dominance theory is garbage.

OP, does your dog ever approach your kid's friends after they've been over a lot? Or are all strangers to be avoided? Not saying the latter would be a problem, exactly -- some dogs just aren't minglers. Some are turned into non-minglers by bad experiences. Some lose interest in mingling after a certain age.

Respecting that sometimes a dog wants to be left alone is a skill everyone should learn. Years ago, my sister's kids were obsessed with my dog. They were too young to control their impulses to follow her everywhere no matter how many times I reminded them that when she was in her bed, she needed to be left alone, so after one particularly exhausting Christmas, I started leaving her home with a petsitter. "Oh, the kids will be so disappointed!" my sister told me. "They were really looking forward to spending time with her!" Yeah, I know. That's why she's not here. Not because she'd have bitten them, but because your kids are making her miserable.

Really? You clearly haven't had many dogs. You absolutely let the dog know who is in charge. Find me a reputable site that backs up your claim that it's "garbage".

OP, aggression is any dog is born out of fear. And there are many things you can do to correct the behavior. Dogs need training! I am amazed at the number of people that just say "get rid of the dog". For starters, you can muzzle the dog when your children or visitors are around. If the dog is approached by someone and doesn't growl, reward with positive reinforcement. Lots of praise! This is just one of many things a good trainer can help you learn and implement.

Do you consider veterinarians "reputable"?

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/dog-behavior-and-training-dominance-alpha-and-pack-leadership-what-does-it-really-mean

Big deal. You can do a million searches on the internet until you find the answer you want. There are two million more that contradict this article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I do t think I am back tracking. I’m just trying to explain the situation accurately. He’s not a bad dog. He actually has a lot of great qualities. I’ve met way worse dogs. He rarely barks, he’s not clingy, he doesn’t have separation anxiety, we can easily leave him home for 4-6 hours, he’s not destructive in the house, he doesn’t have onerous exercise needs, he doesn’t shed much, he doesn’t beg or jump up in our counters. He doesn’t even come up our stairs. He has utterly *fantastic* recall. He has great bite inhibition. He’s snapped at all of us but very gently with his mouth. He’s never nipped or bitten, he must have been trained about how much pressure to apply by someone else.

The main drawbacks are: he doesn’t like strangers in his house (not a big deal to me personally) but he’s fine with people outdoors at the park or on the street or even in our backyard. And he’s not open for pets and affection 24/7. Now that we‘ve known him for a while, we can usually tell by his body language. You know how sometimes dogs will curl up in a tight ball to sleep? If he’s like that on his bed or “his couch” in his room he might give a very low, soft growl if you approach hand out to pet. But just as often he’ll stretch out and invite tummy scratches. We let him lead and have not had problems since we started doing that. When we leave the house and come home, he’s excited and happy to see everyone and get pets from everyone including the kids. He runs up to them as soon as they get home from school for pets. Then he goes back to doing his thing (he really likes to sit on the couch and look out the window).

He’s a very regimented dog. He likes to eat and do the same things at the same time every day. He likes to play in the evening and will play tug of war with the kids. But he ants to be asleep and left alone by 9 pm. I don’t feel like it’s that hard to respect this boundary?

Does this really sound so bad?

You might have already said this, but how long have you had the dog?

Would it sound less bad if he weren’t half pit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We adopted a rescue dog about a year ago. We were told that he was a greyhound mix but according to one of those DNA tests, he is ~ 24% pit and the rest is Golden Retriever, Chow Chow, and Chihuahua.

Anyway, I'm just feeling a little unnerved by him because of the news about that horrible pit attack on the two babies.

He's a sweet dog but can be skittish around strangers. For this reason, we require our kids (youngest is 11 and oldest is 15) to be very careful about how they approach him or pet him. They know to gently put their hand out to allow him to sniff first and not to put their hands on top of his head. We're careful about observing his body language and respecting his boundaries if he seems tense, if he's yawning or licking his lips a lot, if he's giving whale eyes, and especially if his tail is tucked. They know not to approach him on his bed and to never bring friends or strangers around him. He's very open and affectionate with me and DH, probably because we feed him. For exercise and boarding, he goes to a specialty daycare and his file is accompanied by a warning that he might bite so I don't worry about that too much. They know how to handle dogs like him and he has warmed up to the staff considerably. Daycare has definitely been helping his socialization issues. But how do we know if he is a ticking time bomb at home?

He doesn't have the typical pit musculature or jaw, does that matter? He has a long narrow snout and long skinny legs (which may be why the shelter thought he was part greyhound).

I'm just a little unnerved by this idea that a loving family dog who has been nothing but perfect for years can suddenly snap and maul two kids and their mom.

I am unnerved about all the considerations and modifications you have had to make.

+1

I can’t believe you make your kids live this way in their own house. My God. Way to teach them where they rank to you.

OP here. I’m sincerely baffled by this so hopefully someone could explain in a non snarky way? I don’t think the kids are “walking on eggshells” around the dog just because we’ve taught them to note his body language and leave him be when he wants space. Or when he’s in his “safe space” on his bed (we don’t use a crate). I also don’t think it’s a bad thing that they’re not allowed to bring their friends around the dog. Who cares? Why is that a big deal? They are still allowed to pet/cuddle/play with the dog when he wants to and they want to, which is often.

They truly love and enjoy the dog. I don’t understand this idea that you all have that we’re putting the dog before them. He’s a rescue dog, he has “special needs” lol. I’m kidding but also not. We don’t know what his history was but he has scars on his body and he was stray at least for a while.

OP, welcome to the crazy world of DCUM. Years ago I posted something in another topic and was blindsided by the ugliest comments imaginable. Some people on here really have strange ways of interpreting a post, and feel the need to us their time tearing down the person that came looking for help. There ARE a lot of good people that will offer you great advice on this board, but you have to take those along with the crazy.

And for what it's worth, I have had two pit mixes and they have been great family members.

And many that have killed family members.

[Anonymous]

The dog is problematic.

[Anonymous]

Our relatives have pit bulls. They are ugly and stupid animals and we do not see the appeal. To walk on eggshells around the dogs and have the fear that they could potentially harm the baby, really defeats the joy of dog ownership.

We fear that one day our family members will get attacked. So yes, the dogs should be culled in our opinion. Now, how do we get a brain transplant in our relatives? They were the morons who got pit bulls.