Aggressive Pit mix

Question
i own a 18 month old pit bull mix named Charlie. He is very friendly around people and other dogs that he sees when he goes on daily walks.

A day ago i wanted to adopt a female dog from the SPCA but i had to know that Charlie wouldn't try fighting them. I let the 1st dog in and he went crazy, he barked and tried to nip at her. the 2ed dog i let in he did the same thing, over and over again to all of the dogs there.

I don't know why he did that, he never acts that way around people. Is there anyway to stop Charlie? I wonder if that aggressiveness will be turned on others when they walk by, come to say hello, etc.

Is there a way to help it? Or is he just scared of them and turns fear into aggression?

Thanks,
ALLY  

Answer
Hello Ally,

Your questions are difficult to answer because I wasn't there and don't know how you introduced Charlie to the other dogs.

It would seem that you did something wrong since Charlie apparently doesn't display this aggressiveness when out walking. Perhaps you were apprehensive and Charlie picked up on your tension. Again, I simply can't explain Charlie's behavior from the information you've provided.

I'd suggest you ask if the SPCA has a resident trainer to help you introduce Charlie to the other dogs. It would be important to view you and Charlie's body language and other things that are going on to determine if this is fear, dominance or a host of other possible issues.

Good Luck!

Sandy