[jml32788]

My Aunt came over the other day with her 2 kids that are 4yrs old and 2yrs old. I brought 7 month old Hemi out to greet them and he went bazurk with the 1yr old. Not so much the 4yr old though. I did have a hold of his collar cause i was expecting him to want to play with her. This was not the case. he had that death stare and was very content on getting at this baby. His hair was up, ears were pinned, and teeth were beared. The works. Also when my girlfriend brought over her pug puppy he was very sketchy. He didnt like the dog being in my lap and nipped at him when he started climbing on me. The real problem was when the pug pup wanted to play and started playfully nipping at Hemi's face. This was a No No, Hemi did not like this at all, his eyes went blank and got that death stare that he has. I pulled the pug away just in time cause as i was pulling the pug away hemi's teeth were following. This was the second time she brought him over. the first time he was fine with the pug, except for a little domainance problem but no aggression. I understand that pittbulls are naturally domaniant and can be dog agressive. How can i make it safe for him him to be safe around infants and small dogs??? HELP!!!

[Michele]

How can i make it safe for him him to be safe around infants and small dogs??? HELP!!!

DA is normal. You can manage it but you won't train it out of this breed. As far as him going after the infant, that's a big no-no. This breed is not supposed to be HA at all.

Where did you get Hemi from?

[fearlessknight]

At 7 months old....there MAY be hope for him...but it all depends on how bad it is.....had it been MY dog....I would already have him PTS....and this would no longer be an issue.....HA SHOULD NEVER be tolerated, especially with this breed.......
My only advice is you better lay the law down NOW.....or put him to sleep!
If you wait....it will get worse, and you and the person (in this case a child) will pay dearly for it.

Where did you get from....(as Michele asked) I too would like to know....

[debo-dumbo-ears]

I'm going to disagree to a point. I've seen strange behavior out of Debo around infants & pre-walking babies. Maybe it would be described as dominance behavior. Debo wasn't socialized around small children when he was a puppy & I don't think that he understands that infants are human. Once a kid can walk, he is just fine. But before that he just seems confused.

If you feel like you can get Hemi to be totally submissive on your command, then I feel like you should try to socialize Hemi around the infant. Just holding the infant & playing w/ it while Hemi is in a down stay will get Hemi used to the smells & Hemi will see by your actions that the baby is important.

If you don't feel like you have good enough control over Hemi to have him/her be totally submissive on your command, then you better work on that!

And it should go without saying, that all dog/children interactions should be extremely closely monitored.

[Michele]

Debo: you bring up a good point.

[jml32788]

Putting Hemi to sleep is not an option. At all. I got him from a freind of the family that works with animals and a fairly knowledgable. He is a submisive dog, hes not food agressive or HA agressive even to stangers. Just things that are smaller than him he has a problem with. I think its a domanance issue that needs to be worked on. I wish i could work more with him around infants but hemi wasnt raised with him and i dont really know anyone with a baby except my aunt. but she lives in NY and im in MD. We do the dog parks and take him to petsmart and hes fine with adults. Its just the babys on the floor that just bug him. Its mainly just toodlers, our next door neighbors have small children and hes completely fine around them. And they have a small toy poodle or soemthing and he plays with that with no problems. This one event really has me confused as to why he didnt like my little cousin

[Michele]

Originally Posted by jml32788 Putting Hemi to sleep is not an option. At all. I got him from a freind of the family that works with animals and a fairly knowledgable. He is a submisive dog, hes not food agressive or HA agressive even to stangers. Just things that are smaller than him he has a problem with. I think its a domanance issue that needs to be worked on. I wish i could work more with him around infants but hemi wasnt raised with him and i dont really know anyone with a baby except my aunt. but she lives in NY and im in MD. We do the dog parks and take him to petsmart and hes fine with adults. Its just the babys on the floor that just bug him. Its mainly just toodlers, our next door neighbors have small children and hes completely fine around them. And they have a small toy poodle or soemthing and he plays with that with no problems. This one event really has me confused as to why he didnt like my little cousin

Dog parks are not a good idea. As far as the little baby, it could be that Hemi needs socialization around infants.

The real problem was when the pug pup wanted to play and started playfully nipping at Hemi's face. This was a No No, Hemi did not like this at all, his eyes went blank and got that death stare that he has. I pulled the pug away just in time cause as i was pulling the pug away hemi's teeth were following.

This is why dog parks are not a good idea. This breed doesn't need doggy friends. They want to be with their human.

[bahamutt99]

Rest assured, putting him to sleep will be the only option you will be given by animal control if he ever lays teeth on a child. For you to say he's not HA, and then say "oh, he's only HA to little babies" is a total contradiction. Babies are people too, and they tend to be the people that society is most protective of. Do as you wish; he is, after all, your dog. But I hope you appreciate the gravity of the situation, and just how bad things can get if he ever hurts a child. That's the #1 death-worthy trespass a dog can commit, and for this breed, it is accompanied by media frenzy. And the only thing you'll be able to say when they're sticking a camera in your face is "I saw this coming, but I was in denial. I mean, we go to the dog parks and everything!"

I am not trying to belittle you. Just trying to get you to realize that this baffling event should not be dismissed out of hand. He needs to be worked with extensively, or he needs to be put down. There is no room for error with a dog who will hurt somebody if given a chance. I personally probably would've given him a swift ass-whooping the first time he even presumed to get that "look" in his eye. If it continued, I would hold my dog while the vet gives him/her their last shot, then I would go home and cry for days.

This breed should be bombproof with people. They're too much dog not to be. I just hope and pray you realize what you're dealing with, and find some way to make it right.

[fearlessknight]

Originally Posted by jml32788 Putting Hemi to sleep is not an option. At all.

Like I said before...I WOULD HAVE...didn't tell you too.....BUT

If it is not an option....you had better a grip on that dog before it's too late!
He needs extreme socialization and training! NOW!
He is 7 months old...not 3 months old!

[Michele]

Bahamutt: great post. I have a question. Is there any way this dog could possibly just need infant socialization? Or is that just hoping?

Also, a question for the OP: Are you doing NILIF?

[Teal]

Baha said it best!

But I will add my own thoughts as well...

Saying that putting your dog to sleep is not an option, at all... is dangerous. Especially with risky behaviour like this, that may or may not be fixable. Sometimes, you have to put aside your own feelings and do what is best for your dog, the breed, and the people your dog might encounter. It's not an easy, decision, by far... but responsible, loving owners WILL do it. Am I telling you to put your dog down? No. I'm just saying... it always needs to be an option when dealing with HA in this breed.

I would venture to say that some dogs who have prey drive see infants as prey, because of their size and how they act. Yes, they are people... and WE know that. But when it looks like prey, and it acts like prey... we can't always expect a dog to see a baby as a person.

I would recommend a lot of training, NILIF, and enforcing that your dog is not ANYONE's boss. Perhaps even a professional who is familiar with this breed...

[jml32788]

Im not doing Nilif, but i am looking into a training program that can straighten his butt out. I just cant see my dog being one of those dogs you see on the news. Its not like him at all. I know that animal control will put my dog down if he bits someone. But who wants to admit that their best friend may actually need to be put down??? Im going to do training but i dont know what exactly what kind of training he needs. If you all could suggest some programs and mayb some links or something thatd be great. Tryin to nip this thing in the bud before it gets outta control. I'll keep you updated as he goes through training

[DieselDawg]

I think the biggest mistake was bringing the dog out for immediate contact. You have to be able to control the dogs behavior before he is approached or allowed to approach. Make sure he knows/learns to be submissive at first meeting with any child/toddler. With other dogs on a one-on-one basis you also need to introduce them slowly and watch them carefully...even when it looks like everything is OK. Myself, I am not of the school of PTS at the first sign of any type of aggressive behavior. There is a point of common sense and reading the situation. If YOU put the dog in an untenable circumstance, you need to re-evaluate your skills ( I do not mean this in a demeaning manner whatsoever). As much as your dog has to learn about this world...you have just as much to learn about your dog. If you are doing everything correctly and the dog is obviously HA, that is another story. It will not take a "bite" to see the signs...you will know...

[Michele]

Here is a thread on NILIF

The only other thing I really want to stress is that if you see no improvement in your dog as far as HA, then the dog is not wired correctly. You need to put aside your feelings and do what is best for this breed, which is putting the dog to sleep.

And I would not be visiting dog parks.

[Teal]

Originally Posted by jml32788 I just cant see my dog being one of those dogs you see on the news. Its not like him at all.

I know you know your dog needs training and management... but this is the statement said by the owners of dogs who make the news, because they ignore warning signs or aren't educated enough to see them.

I agree, no one wants to admit their best friend might need to be put down... but sometimes your own feelings aren't the most important thing

Good luck! And I'm happy you had the sense to know that your dog's behaviour isn't right and needs to be worked on

[monkeys23]

Originally Posted by jml32788 I just cant see my dog being one of those dogs you see on the news. Its not like him at all. I know that animal control will put my dog down if he bits someone. But who wants to admit that their best friend may actually need to be put down???

This makes me sad because you ALWAYS see some person saying to the news media after a horrid incident that they never thought their dog was like that and such. Well yeah no one wants to admit it, but geeze isn't it better to make sure that your dog is safe and not posing a threat to himself and others by showing aggression toward people/children? And please keep in mind that if you love your dog and thereby love the breed, the LAST thing the breed needs is more negative press that could have been easily prevented.

People have posted lots of good advice for you and I hope you take the opportunity to learn lots of useful stuff here and apply it successfully. NILIF works wonders and is an important building block of general good behavior. Start with that and then decide what methods of reinforcement you want to use for obedience training.

[bahamutt99]

Infant socialization could be a possibility, if done very carefully. You figure a dog can be desensitized to anything, if the owner wants it bad enough. Myself, I just no longer mess with any kid-aggressive dogs. I've seen that go down once, and once was more than enough for me. This dog really should've gotten the socialization with babies as a young puppy, but that doesn't mean it can't be done now, if you think that's an option. Just be very, very careful.

[Miakoda]

Originally Posted by bahamutt99 Infant socialization could be a possibility, if done very carefully. You figure a dog can be desensitized to anything, if the owner wants it bad enough. Myself, I just no longer mess with any kid-aggressive dogs. I've seen that go down once, and once was more than enough for me. This dog really should've gotten the socialization with babies as a young puppy, but that doesn't mean it can't be done now, if you think that's an option. Just be very, very careful.

It could be, but who's going to volunteer?

As a monther of a 20-month-old son and soon to be newborn son, there's not a chance in hell I would volunteer my children to be used as guinea pigs so some infant/child aggressive dog can get used to them. Dogs react and move MUCH faster than us humans ever could and all it takes is a split-second and now you've got a dog with his mouth on a small child.

I've owned dogs a loooooong time and APBTs for 10 years. In all that time, I've only had one dog that reacted to children like prey, and he's buried out at my parents property.....and he never had the chance to do anything more than growl at a child. Out of 48 APBTs owned & co-owned by myself (with family members and friends), that dog was the only one. And not all of them were raised around or even around infants or children much.

As much as I love these dogs, we must put people first...especially children. There's NO room for "oopsies" and "accidents" in this equation.

I wish you the best.

[Miho]

In defense my dog is my child (and much better behaved then most kids I know).

From 7 weeks on we have exposed Orion to kids. I was nervous because he is hyper, but it has been going so well. When we are at the pet store he is interested in two things, puppies and babies, he could care less about the toys or adults that want to pet him. He sees a baby and he wants to kiss it all over and his tail goes like crazy. BUT whenever I try to socialzie him with anyone (especially young children) I always have him on his leash and halter first. This way if someone is too rough with him or I think he is afraid I can pull him back.

I wish the best for you....

[Miakoda]

Originally Posted by Miho In defense my dog is my child (and much better behaved then most kids I know). From 7 weeks on we have exposed Orion to kids. I was nervous because he is hyper, but it has been going so well. When we are at the pet store he is interested in two things, puppies and babies, he could care less about the toys or adults that want to pet him. He sees a baby and he wants to kiss it all over and his tail goes like crazy. BUT whenever I try to socialzie him with anyone (especially young children) I always have him on his leash and halter first. This way if someone is too rough with him or I think he is afraid I can pull him back. I wish the best for you....

Infants cannot control themselves, and 1 and 2-year-olds aren't necessarily the most well-controlled and this has nothing to do with obedience. It's just their nature and maturity level.

My dogs were also socialized with as many kids as possible. However, in this person's case, the dog already has a known aggressive issue with them. I don't personally feel that it would be responsible at all to ask someone to "borrow" their child so that the dog can interact with it. I do think that just walking the dog down the street on leash a distance from the children to work on behavior modification is ok, but I personally don't think it's worth the risk to someone's baby or small child to try and use them to "rehabilitate" and an aggressive dog. Someone will get hurt. And then it's too late to say "I'm sorry."