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1yr Old Male Pitbull Scared Of Me

Discussion in 'Training & Behavior' started by beanx, Jan 23, 2011.

  1. beanx

    beanx Pup

    I have a almost 1 year old pit and ive had him since he was a few months old. He acts very weird sometimes especially if i try to pet him or if i try to move him by his collar he will hunch down and put his tail between his legs like he is scared. When i pet him he will flinch like he thinks im going to smack him. Other than this he is a very well behaved dog and acts very very happy. I just dont want him to be scared of me and i dont know if these acts are him being respectful to me or if he is deathly afraid of me. I am i bigger person i am 6ft7 and 340lbs so im not sure if that comes into play or not. Ive only "beat" him once because he pulled the leash out of my hand and took off into an xtremely busy street almost killing the both of us because i ran out into the road to stop the cars from hitting him, and i kinda lost my temper and hit him more than i should which was bad on my part and i have never hit or smacked him since. That happened when he was maybe 5-6months old so it was quiet a while ago. I just dont want him to fear me to the point of him thinking im going to hurt him. Like i said its only when i reach to pet him quickly or pulling him by his collar. Just wanting to see if this is normal behavior or what it means if anything and if there is a way to correct it. thanks :|
     
  2. Zoe

    Zoe CH Dog

    At this age, he is going through what is called an adolescent fear stage. It's very common for dogs to act fearful even of things they are used to. As well, some dogs are just naturally more timid. Of course that one beating probably didn't help, but you can no doubt get him past this. When it comes to petting him try crouching down, averting your gaze and turning to the side, instead of towering over and looking face on at him. It will just be less intimidating. With really scared dogs, I've even sat down or lied down on the floor and often they will run right to you. I have a dog that is very sensitive about her collar being grabbed. She'll either shut right down, fear pee, or try to roll onto her back. Try to create a positive association with you touching his collar. Is he very food motivated? Try using some REALLY high value treats, like cheese or meat, and work to desensitize him to it. Make him think good things are going to happen when you reach for his collar. Make sure you never grab his collar to punish him or it will just be counter productive to the desensitization process. What type of instances are you grabbing his collar for? How responsive is he to verbal commands?
     
  3. TheIII

    TheIII Big Dog

    6ft7 guy can't hold a leash lmao. Anyways dog needs some confidence take him everywhere and keep him around you car rides, sleep in your room & walks. Dog needs to learn to trust you again you big idiot :p
     
  4. beanx

    beanx Pup

    Thats good to hear its something they go through, its only at random times too it seems like he will only do it sometimes. He has no problem coming to me like i said he is a very loving dog its nothing like he is scared of me and runs from me its just i feel bad when i reach to pet him and he kinda crouches away and closes his eyes like he is about to get hurt. Ill deff try the things you said i appriciate the great response. The instances when i grab his collar would be when im taking him off the chain and walking him to the house he will stay real low to the ground or when im trying to get him to come into the bathroom to take a bath lol. Verbal commands he is awesome at, i really havent spent that much time with him on sitting or shaking or coming to me when i call him he has always just totally understood what im asking of him he is a very very well behaved dog he always listens.


    It was a situation where he was standing next to me and i was talking to my gf in a parking lot and he jerked the chain when i didnt have a strong hold on it, and being my size has nothing to do with it. I do take him everywhere with me he always sleeps in the bed with me and my g/f if not in the bed he will be sleeping in my closet that is next to my bed that we have made him a small room out of, we go on daily walks and during the summer we go to the parks multiple times during the week. I dont know why he wouldn't trust me like i said this is just something he has all of a sudden developed within the last month or so. Anytime he does something wrong like chewing something up when im gone i take him to what he chewed up and make him sit down and i pick it up and show it to him and i can tell by his reaction that he knows he did wrong and then ill let him go to the closet for a little while and think about it before ill pet him and stuff again i dont hit him or do anything remotely mean to him at all i love him like a son thats why i dont want him to be scared of me.
     
  5. beanx

    beanx Pup

    [​IMG]

    here is a picture of my little guy, you guys dont care but i figured id post it anyway.
     
  6. He's a cute dog. It probably is just a fear stage. Ignore it and reward good behavior. It'll pass soon enough.
     
  7. kalenhcc

    kalenhcc Big Dog

    Just keep him with you as much as you can like said before or like u have been doing. It might take awhile but like brock said it will most likely pass and he will learn to trust u. Good luck and he looks great I like the way his head is shaped.
     
  8. BKNLS

    BKNLS Big Dog

    I would agree with adolescent fear, but also its a sign of respect for you as alpha (ears back, hunching over, tail tucked, rolling over). I would be weary of any dog that was not respectful of me. Cuz that usually means they are aggressivly jumping all over you, nipping, and possibly thinking they run the show. A dog like that in the back of my mind I'd be ready to put down...jmo
     
  9. forty6mantis

    forty6mantis Big Dog

    aside from all that's mentioned, i also noticed that when i argued on the edge of violence with my ex, it scarred my dog and made him fear cowl like that at random times. if i played video games and yelled out of anger of swore, he would run out of the room in a lowered stance and shake under a table. I noticed it was bc he thought when my ex and i argued, that he was being yelled at. i never argue in front of a pup anymore bc they cant discern btwn that and me scolding them for something they did. sounds lame but it's what i noticed.
     
  10. CCDINO

    CCDINO Pup

    Try using hot dogs. When you call him to you. They can't resist hotdogs.he'll get past this when he realizes good things come from you.my male was the same way.
     
  11. pit#5

    pit#5 Banned

    Nice looking dog , It should pass, But be careful not to hit a dog like him ,he may not deal well with it ,some dogs are stronger willed and can handle a strong hand some can't
    any way a good dog needs no hitting.
     
  12. Is this a new behavior? If it is, that would point toward a fear stage. But not all fearful dogs are going through a stage. It could be his temperament or it could be learned from that beat down. Perhaps he is just really sensitive to his handler. Is he like this with other people?

    A good way to build trust is hand-feeding and hand-walking. Reward based obedience is also helpful. Free the dog up and just enjoy him and show him how much fun you can be.

    Seriously? There is a median between a dog that is uber submissive (or just straight up fearful) and a dog that is out of control. None of my dogs tuck tails, hunch away from my hand or any of that other crap. I'd get rid of a dog like that before I got rid of a confident, even cocky, dog.
     
  13. ATEXAN

    ATEXAN Big Dog

    You can fix it in about 20 minutes. Does your dog have a toy he likes? Get the toy out, start horsing around with him. Then shoot your arms at him like you do when he gets scared but stop short of hitting or grabbing him and rub or pet him instead, repeatedly incorporating his toy. With in about 5 minutes it will be a game to him. That way you can show him that the big fast movements by you arent always meant to correct or hit him.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 27, 2011
  14. blackbisquit

    blackbisquit Banned


    ohh what a sweetheart lovely dog..
    think you need to give him some time and let him make a move to you:)
     
  15. Patch O' Pits

    Patch O' Pits CH Dog

    Good info posted above!

    Another way to build confidence and trust is by doing old fashioned positive based obedience training.

    Your dog is adorable.

    I hope everything works out and he comes around.
     
  16. old goat

    old goat CH Dog

    does he pee when you pet him at first ? to me you need to play with him more and pet him . always picking him up easy and show him as much love as you can . take him for ride in the car .send as much time as you can and he may still be shy .but he will trust you and respect you more .
     
  17. beanx

    beanx Pup

    yes this is a new behavior, he seems to be getting better at it ive noticed he only does it every once in a while now. No he has never peed when i pet him or anything like that. And whoever mentioned the arguing with ur spose thing, it reminded me of me and my g/f were well, having sex (haha), and well he thought i was hurting her i guess and he came flying out of the closet onto the bed and was pulling on my arm lol. But yeah i dont plan on hitting him anymore it was a 1 time thing when i first got him and i regret it, i dont think i could ever hurt him. Ill try everything u guys are saying its just weird because he is around me all day as well as my g/f and my parents, once summer comes around i plan on spending alot of time with him and my g/f and her dog at the parks and stuff i feel bad that he sits inside all the time, and i try to take him for walks as much as i can, its really cold here right now usually 10-20degrees at the warmest and he doesnt like being in the cold he shakes really bad if he is out to long so i try to limit his time outside to just using the bathroom and stuff. About him doing this to other people, the answer would be I dont know because he is ALWAYS with me he always follows me around and he doesnt listen to anyone else in my house/family im the only person he will acknowledge. But thanks for the comments guys he is deff. a cute pup he is almost a year old and that just seems crazy i feel like i just got him lol, he is like my little kid!. Here are a few more pictures of him, thanks for the help guys!

    Him and my g/f a few weeks ago lol
    [​IMG]

    Him and my g/f again a few weeks ago
    [​IMG]

    Lookin Fierce!
    [​IMG]

    Him and me with him lookin like a stud in his polo my g/f got him lol
    [​IMG]

    Older picture of him and his duck!
    [​IMG]

    Him resting after playing with my g/f and her dog at the park, this is an older picture too..
    [​IMG]


    On his ride home from the vet after gettin his ears cropped :( i will never do this to another dog again i felt so bad about it.
    [​IMG]

    Him when i first got him! :(
    [​IMG]
     
  18. He is good looking dog, thanks for posting pics!

    You are a huge guy and that probably has a little or a lot to do with it.

    You need to build the dogs confidence.

    One way of doing this is cutting up very small treats, like cheese as it smells so strong, and placing them around the room. Let the dog in and get him to sniff out the treats and when he finds them it is self rewarding.

    This is just one way of building confidence.

    Hand feeding and a little focused, general obedience every day are other things you should consider.
     
  19. forty6mantis

    forty6mantis Big Dog

    beautiful dog! is he fixed? i ask this bc the male i had the same problem with was fixed and i noticed it after his fixing. prior to that he was more solid in temperment. after his fixing, he seemed sporadically freaked out for no reason at times. scared the piss out of me bc i started thinking he was running away from ghosts that i couldn't see or something. but my other dogs never reacted like him so i dropped that idea.
     
  20. beanx

    beanx Pup

    nope he isn't fixed, i know its suppose to make the dogs better, but after the ear cropping i told myself i wouldn't do anything to him that i wouldn't want done to myself so at least for now there will be no choppage of the balls.
     

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