Fight Prevention

Some people may be uncomfortable with the following recommendations. PBRC agrees that the issue of dog fighting is quite unpleasant, especially on a rescue site. However, we also believe it is irresponsible to deny the original purpose of this breed and not be prepared for any eventualities. Our goal is to minimize the risks for problems and to facilitate successful pit bull ownership by addressing all aspects of this wonderful breed. We see too many dogs forced to find a new home (and in some cases injured or killed) because of dog-to-dog aggression problems, to not emphasize the consequences of misunderstanding this breed. We want to make these events as unlikely as possible by informing potential pit bull owners.

Of course, each situation is different and our recommendations may not apply to all circumstances. It is mportant for pit bull owners and rescuers to understand that there are precautions to take when dealing with dogs with a fighting heritage. We encourage all pit bull owners to follow the guidelines described in this page.

How to prevent a fight
The very best situation to prevent a fight in your home is to have a pit bull as the only pet. Pit bulls are people-dogs anyway and if they receive enough attention from their family, they don't need a canine companion to be happy. However if you prefer having two dogs, and many people do, the next best situation is to have a compatible neutered male and a spayed female, whose interactions are always supervised. If you have multiple pit bulls or a pit bull in a multi-pet home, you might find our Crate and Rotate page helpful.

There is a higher incidence of aggressive behavior between dogs of the same sex. Two males or two females often view each other as rivals even if they appear to get along most of the time. This is a fact for every breed. Most dogs however, don't resolve conflicts with the determination and intensity of the Pit Bull. Remember that these dogs were "bred" to fight. Submission signals that would indicate the end of the hostilities can be ignored in the heat of a fight by Pit Bull type dogs.

We do not recommend allowing a fighting breed dog to establish pecking order on its own. The hierarchy will, therefore, remain unclear and cause tension between the dogs. Tension is a trigger for fights.

There are other stimuli that can trigger a fight, even with dogs of opposite sex. For that reason, PBRC does not encourage placing pit bulls in multiple-dog homes as problems between the dogs will surface eventually. It could take several years before conflicts reach serious proportions. Unfortunately, pit bulls are usually the dogs people rehome when serious problems occur.

Properly introduced, a neutered male and a spayed female with compatible personalities should be fine. They will, however, require strict supervision all their lives. Please follow the guidelines offered by PBRC to insure the safety of your dogs and avoid unpleasant situations.

Responsible Pit Bull Ownership Guidelines
Take note that a fight can strike suddenly and for no apparent reason. Warning signs can be very subtle with Pit Bulls and even completely absent in certain cases. Two dogs may be best friends for years, sleeping together, cuddling, playing, even eating from the same bowl, and one day something triggers one of them and boom! Often, the dogs act like best friends as soon as the fight is over. They might even lick each other's wounds. You have been warned, though. If they fight once, chances are they will fight again and will get better at it each time.

NEVER leave Pit Bulls unsupervised with other animals. We can't emphasize this enough. When no one is around to keep an eye on them, the dogs should be safely crated or in separate rooms even if they are best friends. You never know what might trigger a fight in your absence. All canines can fight, but Pit Bulls were bred to never quit. If no one is home to break the fight, the dogs could inflict serious injuries to each other, or worse.

Have your dog(s) spayed or neutered as early as possible. Females in their reproductive cycles and males that are triggered by their sexual hormones tend to be far more reactive and aggressive than those who are not.

Always monitor the dogs while they play and don't let things escalate. Roughhousing can trigger a fight if not kept under control. Pit Bulls like to play rough and can be pretty vocal. Their games often mimic a real fight and can be overwhelming for the other dog. Don't let the dogs push it too far. As the "leader" of the pack it is YOUR responsibility to set limits and keep the dogs under control.

Never leave food, bones, toys, or anything that could trigger a fight at their disposal. Keep in mind that certain dogs tend to push out any competition for what they perceive as limited resources - your attention, food, toys, etc.

Note that in general, the first fight is often an indicator of more to come. At this point, it may be necessary to separate the dogs. Many loyal Pit Bull owners have learned to live with dogs that don't get along. It is feasible but requires a great deal of commitment and discipline. Those who adapt their lives for this situation will tell you that the dogs are worth the efforts.

ALWAYS have your Pit Bull on leash when you take him/her for a walk.

Do not bring an adult Pit Bull to an off-leash dog park or any other area where it may come into contact with other dogs running loose.

Early socialization MAY help, but is not a guarantee that your Pit Bull won't become dog-aggressive at some point. ALWAYS be prepared for it!

Additional Information: Breaking Up a Fight

http://www.pbrc.net/fightinfo.html

 

Great info Marty =)

 

The average person has never seen a dog fight and I do not mean a professional fight in the pit. Just your average backyard I am gonna kill u fight between 2 dogs that accidentally found each other.
Friend of mine runs a rescue group for cats but she does have 3 dogs, they are her first dogs and she has only owned dogs for 2 years. One is a pit bull mix, 1 just a mutt and a little sheltie. In her home she has a room in the basement for the dogs and a nice fenced in area out back.
One day she finds a female APBT and brings her home. Not knowing there could be a problem she takes the dog down to the dog room, puts out food for all 4 dogs, then calls her dogs in. Her pit bull mix is alpha dog. Before she knows what is happening the APBT and her pit bull mix are in a full blown dog fight. By the time she gets them apart she has been bitten numerous times. She calls me totally hysterical. tells me what happened. I explain to her that it is normal behavior for dogs. She was shocked by the viciousness, the noise and the desire to kill each other. I guess she thought they fought like cats... a little spitting and a few punches thrown. She asks me to come over check the dogs wounds and take her to the hospital. She was bit up bad...tore the shi$ out of her leg and mangled her foot. Found out the foot was broken and she had to have 2 operations to fix it. Her arms where all torn up also but she only needed few stitches for them.
I guess my point is how do you prepare a person who has never been in the middle of a fight between 2 dogs to really understand the need to prevent fights?

 

Breaking up a fight between mutts is a whole different ball park, I had to laugh when I heard my cousin had tried using a breaker stick on chow mut who'd pinned his hound. His dog bit him then the chow let go and bit him twice and walked off.

Some what decent article on how to break up a dog fight (w/ non fighting dogs) - http://www.leerburg.com/dogfight.htm

 

Yupper, This one should be a sticky...

Yeah so far my two have not had any Quarrels however I have noticed some tension when playing with their rope swing, funny thing is It's only when I am standing there with them..Seems to be that they are either trying to impress me or they are trying to establish rank!
DISCLAIMER: I do not let them establish order on there own....

 

great read......

 

Here are some more links on the subject, I have not read them so pick and choose

http://www.geocities.com/Augusta/2525/multidogs.htm

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_FightsBetweenDogs.php

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2303&S=0&SourceID=47

http://www.isabellevets.co.uk/health_advice/dog/info/fightingdog.htm

Always remember Google is you friend

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=How+To+Separate+Fighting+Dogs&btnG=Google+Search

 

Great post Marty! I have two males...just happened that way. After the pup reach maturity we do the rotation routine. We are lucky enough for our boys to have their own rooms and they are rotated and excerised separately. I have seen ONE dog fight (over a chew toy) and that was the end of play time together. A friend has a female pit that gets along great with my youngest...but when she is over there is NO toys, food, or bedding out and they are monitored closely to make sure that roughplay doesn't get too rough. I rather be super safe than sorry.

 

just to add ..even when you have two dogs or a dog and another pet and they get along..dont count on it when your not home...i had a goat..my dog loved the goat all day long drilling the goat or atleast trying to..went on a over night camping trip when i came home ..happy dog.. headless goat...and they would run around and play together...he would try and rape the goat..then one day just f____ing ate the goat..

 

I have a roommate who has a Shepard/Greyhound mix (?)--about 80#, about 3 years old. He is really rambunctious and though generally submissive, displays many dominant behaviors (peeing on my dog's pee, food aggression, bed/toy/human possessive). He would NOT STOP mounting my pit when they first met, despite the warning postures and growls of my dog. ( I was desperate to move! What can I say? )

They have been getting along fine, but the other day they got into it over something--don't know as I was in the next room--and the shepard put about four holes in my pit's head, whereas my dog just grabbed the other dog's collar and held on. It sucked, obviously.

I also just started a job in a kennel/daycare and am able to take my dog with me. I am a little worried now because though he is neutered and totally minds his own business when it comes to other dogs (completely interested in people or toys, not dogs so much), they LOVE to pick on him, try to hump him or get all dominant with him in other ways. I want to bring him and not leave him at home with my roommate's dog, but will he be able to deal with it??

what do ya'll think??

 

I think your dogs a wuss!....no im fucking with you my dog Joe is very much the same way ,submissive and always try to avoids fights,Whenever Chloe starts her crap with him he will run away from her,anything to avoid a fight.But,he will fight back when he has to,if he's cornered or something.
I wouldnt worry about it your dog will fight if he has to ,and if he avoids it thats a good thing.I seriously doubt that he will just lay down and let anothetr dog kill him.I read somewhere that ,a real pit wont pick a fight ,but also wont back down from one.

 

That's the thing though, I'm not worried about him getting (seriously) hurt by another dog, I'm concerned about the trouble he could get into by defending himself against annoying dogs who persist in pestering him. Of course it would be the fault of the evil pitty, not the other dogs' stupidass behavior. I generally keep him close so that I can better supervise interactions with other dogs, but my new P/T gig is at a kennel where I can't watch him all of the time. I would just leave him at home, but then my roommate has to watch both my guy and hers, and since they got into that fight recently I'm concerned about not being here when they are together (we seperate them when no one is home).
I'm going to take him to the kennel today and just see what happens. I'm nervous about it, though, I'll admit.

 

holy moly..................

 

Great post, something that people seem to forget about this breed is that they will fight at the drop of a hat. There is no bluff and then escalation they jump right into the fight and try to end it. I have heard that snarling and hackles up is a cur behavior... ideally your dog is wagging its tail with a high pitches exctied yelp trying to get to the other dog. that is wild .

I have been in the unfortunate situation of having to break up a fight between two bullys and with no breaking stick. talk about hard to do. I had one dogs(brindle male) rear legs and the owner of the other dog(red male) had his dogs by the rear. He is yelling No and out and stop to the dogs, and i am looking around quietly. then a friend of the red dogs owner comes running outside with a broom. this guy is wacking them in the head with the broom stick... and I am telling stop he is just making them mad. they did little more then close thier eyes and wag thier tails between hits and i am telling you he was letting loose. I am scanning the ground looking for a stick that i can use to break them. and then i finally see one. I ask the guy who doesnt have a dog to give me that stick. He is looking and i think the size of the stick i asked for threw him because he walked right past it.
now mind you this entire time then are biting each other. one has a mouth full of cheek and the other has some neck fur as they jostle for position they both release and the brindle male catches the red male on the top of the head the red male has nothing in his mouth.

he is looking around "what stick?"

I point "that one right there... give it to me."

he holds up the stick bewteen two fingers looking at it and then at me like what the hell are you going to do with this little thing... "this one?" in a are you sure tone.

"Yeah.. give it here." hands me the stick i work it in between the dogs teeth and then look and the other guy "Now i am going to open his mouth you need to pull your dog back when i tell you to.

I twist the stick downward and shout "now" I pull the brindle male up and away from the red male and heave him over a fence keeping a firm hand on his collar to be sure that he stays there.
it sucked, these guys both owned pitbulls and were completely oblivious as to how to seperate them.

how anyone has a pitbull and no breaking stick is beyond me. I rarely go anywhere with my dogs without one. not because of them but because of other dogs. You can have the best trained dog in the wrold but if someone elses dog runs up and starts it... they are going to fight back.

there is so much that seems like common sense to people that deal with dogs, that other people would never fathom. I go over to a guys houw he has three males in the backyard and a female in heat in a kennel. its like what the hell are you thinking!!?

some peoples kinds, i tell you.

 

OMG can you imagine trying to break up a fight between two non pit bulls from the front...dang can you spell "swiss cheese"

 

very informative. Thanks for posting this.

 

You leave a predator with his natural prey alone?

 

Heres my dog fight...

 

I REFUSE to break up any fight between any non-pitbull dogs. If a pit and a cur dog get into it, oh well. Im not getting bit by some cur just so I can save its POS life from a bulldog.

I have had my male and female Presa get into fights before. I just stand back let them do there thing and wait for one to start turning and wanting to quit. Then I take action.

 

My personal opinion is that Bulldogs (APBTs)just can live in a herd as for example Rottweiler, Tosa Inus or Dobermans. There can be extreme problems if you hold together 10 Rottweiler .It can turn into awful fights .....of course something like that can also happen with 10 Boxers or Owtcharkas. Yes, of course also with APBTs. If we are speaking only about the aggressiveness towards other dogs we find Bulldogs (APBTs) with certainty not on place 1 . Only my personal opiniun. With several dogs heavy fights can break out (This counts, by the way, also for APBTs). :rolleyes: