QuestionI just rescued a pit puppy who someone dumped in the desert. I have never owned a pit but have owned other large breeds (Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound.) My Dane had a bit of dog aggression but we got that under control pretty quickly. I am guessing this pit pup is about 14 to 18 wks old and he exhibits very strong aggression towards dogs when we go for walks. I took him to the vet to be fixed today. While we were waiting he saw a large poster of a golden on the wall and he went crazy when he saw it, barking and snarling! I had to take him over to it and show him it wasn't real. When a woman came in with her too pugs he strained and barked constantly. He has twice snarled and snapped at me when I gave him the "sit" command in these situations. The other time was when we went for a walk and a fenced rottie didn't like the looks of him. Gibson (my dogs name) has only been with us a week and is doing very well. He sits on command, does it automatically now when asking to go in or out or to be fed and he is crate trained and sleeps in my 11 year old son's room at night. He has only had 2 small accidents and that was on his first day. He is sweet and loving most of the time to all of us. I am discouraging too much puppy biting by diverting him to acceptable chew toys and telling him "no" in a firm voice. My question is this: I used a prong collar on my dane for awhile to help him past his dog aggression problems but he never really "took" to other dogs. He was just able to handle going to the vet and going for walks. I think I waited too long to socialize him to other dogs. Should I start this puppy now, this early, on a prong collar? Do you have any other ideas that may work? We are responsible dog owners and are determined to make this dog a happy member of our family. I work at home and can spend alot of time with him. That's good because he is like your basic toddler. I have to watch him like a hawk! Thanks for all you do here.
AnswerI don't see anything wrong with using a prong collar on your dog as long as you are using it correctly. In my opinion, it is better to get him used to it now than to wait until he is bigger and more set in his ways. The same goes for socialization- it really is better to start off when they are younger.
I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is that you need to be consistent and you need to be patient. I realize that you have quite a task ahead of you, but I assure you that it is not a hopeless cause. While you may not be able to get rid of your dogs animal aggression, you will hopefully be able to have control over him enough to keep him focused on you and your commands and not what is going on around him.
And, of course, when in doubt, you can always seek assistance from a professional trainer! No harm in that.
I would also like to say "thank you" for taking the time to give that dog a chance at a good life. Not many people seem willing to do that any more. Good luck to you and your dog!
