[majorpain]

Hey I just adopted a new puppy from a local shelter. Her name is Sunshine and she is a 4 month old staffie mix, I already have a 2 year old pit and my roommate has a golden. When they are out in the living room playing she is very loud, she growls and barks and bites them. she sounds like she's going to kill them... and her growl is meaner then my full grown pit, Major. She doesn't appear to hurt the other dogs and she has never made them bleed but its a little scary. The weird thing is if they are in my bedroom together she is fine and plays nicely. What should I do? Do you think she will get meaner as she grows up?

[Dulce]

Oooh man..I think you should read a little more of Pits/Staffies.

She's a puppy, and puppies play rough. Sounds, teeth baring, etc, are normal. Puppies, especially of this breed, have a tendancy to play a bit more rough than most.

Take her to puppy class ASAP! Training is so important.

She isn't being "mean", majorpain, she's playing. If you are really worried about it, give her a time out when you feel she is getting too rough. Let her cool down for a few minutes, and continue to let her play.

[Curbside Prophet]

Yes, she could get meaner if she does not live a balanced life filled with plenty of mental stimulation (owner controlled training), physical stimulation (owner controlled exercise), and social stimulation (owner controlled visits to new people, dogs, and places). What have you done for her in these areas? Do you practice NILIF with your dog, and all the other dogs in the house? Please don't be offended, but your dog is not a bad puppy, it could be that she is not being fulfilled in one of the areas I mentioned, and that's usually an owner problem. Could you give us more info on her daily routine? BTW, welcome to our forum .

[Dulce]

I'm going to have to disagree with you here...

She is not MEAN, and this doesn't mean she's going to GET meaner. Like I said, she's a puppy, and puppies play rough. I think he/she may be exaggerating (sp?) a little bit.

But yes, DO be VERY firm with her, and absolutely be in control of EVERYTHING..exercise,training,socialization, etc. as Curbside said

Originally Posted by Curbside Prophet

Yes, she could get meaner if she does not live a balanced life filled with plenty of mental stimulation (owner controlled training), physical stimulation (owner controlled exercise), and social stimulation (owner controlled visits to new people, dogs, and places). What have you done for her in these areas? Do you practice NILIF with your dog, and all the other dogs in the house? Please don't be offended, but your dog is not a bad puppy, it could be that she is not being fulfilled in one of the areas I mentioned, and that's usually an owner problem. Could you give us more info on her daily routine? BTW, welcome to our forum .

[majorpain]

Her daily activeity:

5:30 AM-- I let her and Major out for a walk then I let them play and the porch. I feed her and him. And they play together until I go to work at 8. I put her an her cage when I am gone.

My roommate lets them out to go pee through out the day and I get home at 4:30 and l let her out. I work with her a little bit on simple commands like sit, down, and stay.. ( I wish major would just teach her) But she runs around until 11 when I during them upstairs to go to bed. I do let her sleep out of the cage..

[Curbside Prophet]

Not sure what you are disagreeing with me on because I think it's a fair statement that any dog, staffie, pit, lab, or chihuahua can become agressive if they don't live a balanced life. However, neither of us can see the dog so I don't think it's fair to say with certainty that it's just good ol' rough housing or a characteristic of a staffie, or just puppydom. It's certainly possible, but the poster is concerned, and needs something to evaluate. And I believe if they look at how they provide for their dog in the areas I mentioned, many answers to the original question can be found there. That's all I'm trying to get at. I did not state her dog was mean...in fact I stated just the opposite. Sorry if I confused you, but you do have the right to disagree.

[Curbside Prophet]

Sorry, I have more questions... You said you let them oyt for a walk...does this mean you let them walk around on their own, like in a backyard, or do you personally walk them? And if so, for how long? Do you practice NILIF? What do you do when your dog is growling and biting the other dogs?

[Pitbull]

She's too young to tell whether or not she will possess dog aggression or not. This usually starts to come about during the maturing phase, which is at around 2-3 years of age...she could be perfectly sweet until then...or she could be rough now and mellow out later on...its hard to tell..but I agree with some of the other posters...

did you do your research before you got another "pit bull"?
did you have any knowledge of the breed prior to? And owning the other pittie isn't adequate enough..were you aware that the breed could posses animal/dog aggression?

The dog is still young, I strongly encourage training classes...talk to the trainer about the situation and see what he/she says..make sure you visit someone that is pit bull friendly..the last thing you want is a pit bull hater giving you advice on how to train/socialize your dog...eek

Good luck..keep us updated.

[majorpain]

If I have time in the morning I run with them. but sometimes I cant so after I walk them on the leash for a little bit then I let them run out in our "yard" thing its small and fenced but it gives them room to play and not be running in the the walls and knocking over stuff.
When she growls I tell her no and pull her away and have her sit next to me for a little while.
I dont know the program you are talking about. What is it?

And yes, I have had other pit bulls before but I never had a problem.
Also, I noticed last night that Major is being to bark and growl too but only at my roommates golden who is 7 months old and not fixed. They seem to team up on him. Maybe is because they speed allot of time together and don't play with him as much...

[Curbside Prophet]

Having multiple dogs in the house, puppies or otherwise, can be quite dynamic, and your role as pack leader become exponentially important by as many dogs that are in the house. Practicing NILIF is a must I believe when dealing with multiple dogs.
Nothing in Life is Free
As you know, dogs are pack animals, with a certain pack dynamic, a hierarchy. We humans wish to live our lives equally with our fellow humans, however in the dog world, life is not so equal. There are the alpha dogs, and everyone else falls in order by their presumed rank. Unlike most people, dogs are happy and willing to be followers, as there are very dew alpha dogs...that's why they make for such great pets, we can control them by being there pack leader. And NILIF is a simple method you can employ, and it sounds like you do already, to help clarify the pack dynamic for your dogs. I'm not all knowing of your situation, but I think if you look at the ways you apply NILIF you may find some things you need to work on. I'm not saying this is your case, but some people want to treat their dogs as children and give and give and give...without asking for anything in return. This can confuse a dog into believing you're not actually his/her alpha so they do things that we consider to be misbehavior, but in all actuallity it's the human's fault for not understanding how a dog needs to be a dog...and not a child. This is just something to think about when you look at your situation with your dog. And certainly, if your concern is elevated by the action of your dogs, seek the help of a professional, and one who is comfortable in multi dog situations. Often times a professional can find where the real problem is quickly with a visit to your home. Good luck!

[col1019@optonline.net]

It has been my exp that a dog needs quality bonding time with the "owner". Letting it out to pee is not quality time. You need to engage this dog a little more both mentally and physically with you as well as other people. Good luck with your new "kid".
Col

[cheyenne]

Contact a dog trainer if gets worse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!