[chrisn6104]

I rescued a pit about a week ago from the local shelter.
I have a MinPin and a Boarder Collie.

The pit has shown zero sings of aggression towards me my GF or my dogs. Even some submissive ones towards the minpin (backing off a dog bed etc).
I have walked the pit alone and with my other two dogs around the neighborhood (45min) every day since I picked him up. He walks good doesn't pull but does get distracted and wants to look around.
I took him to a park with my GF along with my other two dogs over the weekend. This was his first time around dogs other then my two. Right off as I expected he wanted to sniff and get close to every other dog that went by. My other two walked straight ahead as they already know the rules and this is not allowed.

Here was the problem I noticed with the pit. If a dog came near that was not leashed he gave them the hard stare down (he would focus on the dog) then a sudden lunge . This was done with no barking, no growling, no teeth, and no hair standing up, tail was at half mast. It wasn't a vicious continued pull, rather just one lunge then settle down. Some dogs would even walk up look at him and back off before he went for it almost looking scared themselves. Now I'm looking at the top of his head and keeping a tight leash. I could not see for sure if there was any open mouth. Based off his other behaviors I am thinking he was one of those dogs let loose at a dog park and he did nothing but chase other dogs with no set rules. (I have not got into play time with balls/toys yet, probably not for a couple more weeks)
Am I missing aggressive signs here that need to be dealt with right away or did I just take him to the park to soon?
I've never had a pit before and never thought I would have one. This guy just impressed me with his overly calm behavior in the shelter.

 

[Spicy1_VV]

You have done the right thing by keeping him leashed. Owners of unleashed dogs are being irresponsible and their dog could get hurt one way or another. In many places there are also leash laws, though not all places.

Being a Pit I wouldn't expect barking, growling, teeth showing as they are often deathly silent. Though not always, Pits can have different kinds of DA the same as other breeds so they might show the same reactive signs. Other then that they are going to be focused on another dog. You have to pay attention to the warning signs. Even though they might be more subtle then in other breeds it's up to you to catch them. They might also have their tail up, or their tail wagging look for the same signs you do in a dog that wants to go after prey. Sometimes they are not completely silent but will whine and make crazy sounds like that. If a dog gets close enough in his reach he could possibly grab that dog and bite it.

When he sees one of these dogs you need to distract him before he has a chance to focus and get worked up. You should practice this without your other dogs and work solely with your new dog for awhile. This doesn't mean you can trust him not to ever harm another dog but it does mean he will learn to stay focused on you/the walk and give you his attention rather then to the other dog(s) out there. You also should be carrying a breaking stick on your walks just in case it is ever needed. It is better to have one and not need one then need one and not have one.

My friend had a dog that also took issue with off leash dogs. Dogs might not think the same way we do but they are smart enough and can tell when a dog is retrained or not. She would know a dog is loose.

Based off his other behaviors I am thinking he was one of those dogs let loose at a dog park and he did nothing but chase other dogs with no set rules.

I also do not understand this statement. Though I haven't been privy to all his behaviors. Only from what you described he sounds like a Pit Bull that possibly has some DA.

Here is a resourceful link. This is only one link there are many web and print resources to help you become educated on the breed of dog you have.
It is a rescue sit but check the links on the left to helpful pages.
PBRC

 

[Toby4Life]

Sounds like the OP was at a dog park so I'm not sure if the leash law comment applies here. Assuming that...

Personally, I don't think APBTs, SBTs, ASTs, etc. should be at dog parks. Not because they are vicious, or mean, or prone to attack or anything like that; just because it's not worth it. The damage done to the breed(s) by just one incident IMHO far out-weighs the benefits of going to a dog park w/ unknown dogs, people, things, etc.

Whether you are dealing w/ DA or not is too hard to tell and you're better safe than sorry. From my experience w/ our SBT mix - he gets excited and tends to lunge pretty hard when on leash and he sees other dogs. However whenever he's interracted with these dogs he's been fine and to date we've never had an incident.

Moral of the story - be safe and don't take any chances. Nothing wrong w/ keeping the breed and what goes along w/ that in the back of your mind, but don't let that overwhelm your opinion of him and his actions.

 

[chrisn6104]

I also do not understand this statement. Though I haven't been privy to all his behaviors. Only from what you described he sounds like a Pit Bull that possibly has some DA.
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What I meant by the statement is this:
When I take my collie to an off leash park sometimes we have issues with other dogs. She is focused on me and the ball only. We don't sniff or associate with other dogs nor people at the park at all. Some people have dogs that do not know how to play nice and are a little rough. I throw the ball and out of no where another dog comes along and tackles my collie because she is running. When this happens we stop and keep walking ignoring the dog until it is gone. I have even gone as far as had another dog follow me and the collie outside the park with the owner so far away they are screaming for the dog to come back.

In a way this is how I feel he might be. He seems to not know how to play nice with other dogs and is rather rough. Not vicious but just rough not knowing his own strength. It will be some time if ever that he is off the leash in a park such as that. The rough play is conflicting though since he has never been rough with the MinPin or Collie.

My Collie and MinPin are focused on me the entire time we're at a park like this. They never wander far and return to my side on command. We don't socialize with strange people or strange dogs at these parks. It's meant for some free turf sniffing and ball play.

This park has both a leash area and off leash area. He was more aggressive in the off leash area because dogs where free to come to him. He would still lunge after dogs on a leash but I expected that behavior.