my weimeraner pit bull mix seems aggressive, any advice?

You should have the dog evaluated by a professional trainer. It's possible that you and your boyfriend need to learn how to train and handle this dog (it's often comes down to the owner(s) not the dog). Seven months is not too old to be taught proper behavior and how to obey commands. It is possible the dog is naturally aggressive, in which case you might have to make some serious decisions as to if this is the right dog for you.

thank you for your feedback! I agree about the trainer-you can never have to much help or knowledge! I also believe that we are certainly capable of training her, we have done lots of research, and are not necessarily concerned as far as our skills in training dogs-however my concern is the actual chances of her aggressiveness being a natural thing, something that no matter how good of trainers we are or hire, what are the odds training can break these certain habits? You said most of the time it comes down to the owner(s)-is that to say that the odds arent stacked against us, that we most likely control her outcome with proper training?

I own six dogs, three of them are 100 pound plus Kuvasz that are bred for pedator control with livestock to fight wolves and bears, and I used to do dog rescue where I had up to 12 dogs in my yard and house at one time. I would not accept a pit bull or pit bull mixture into my home if you held a gun to my head. I understand that you love the dog but I would bet you that someday that pit bull mix attacks you or your other dog. Most likely it will kill your other dog.

I think it is lazy thinking and trite to say that there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. In 1985, the roommate of my girl friend got a pit bull puppy that I helped raise. It was a cute and loveable dog while young. At about 18 months the dog turned and attacked without warning the boy friend of the woman. I had to grab a floor lamp and beat the dog until it released the mangled leg of the boy friend. That is my experience with the breed and it ought to be wiped off the face of the earth. A pit bull is the only dog I do not think that I could protect myself from harm if attacked.

Aggressiveness can be a natural thing and some breeds are much more aggressive than others. I have seen some tough dogs controlled by good handling, but it means you cannot assume an aggressive dog will be good on it's own. Some dogs just cannot interact with other dogs in a friendly way and that is why you should have a professional evaluate the dog to see if training will help. I think as the owner, it is hard to make a judgement call on this.

A canine officer in the Lansing, Michigan, area had adopted a pit bull after she'd had it aggression tested at Michigan State University. The dog passed the aggression testing.

At some point, the pit bull attacked her police dog. She tried to break up the fight. The result? Both dogs were shot dead and the officer lost her arm.

I will post a link to the story, if I can find it.

I also seem to remember reading somewhere that sexual hormones in male dogs tend to trigger aggression.

I just saw Kuvasz's response. I didn't really want to get into the good breed, bad breed debate that goes on here so much, but I agree pitbulls tend to be excessively aggressive. Yes, some dogs are just bad and should be put down, but I've been around pits a lot and owned a rescued one for 8 years. Most people who own pits probably shouldn't, most of them shouldn't own any dog at all, but that's another topic. I understand why some places have banned the breed and I personally would not get another because of their unpredictable nature. That said, I've have also seen pits (mostly rescues) that were properly trained and controlled by their owners so as never to be a problem. Some of dogs showed signs of mild aggression when young, but when properly worked with these dogs became good pets. It why I suggested you have an outside evaluation. A good trainer can give you a better idea as to the true temperament of the dog and if you are the best owner for this particular dog. Kuvasz is correct in that these dogs can kill and it is a risk you will have to decide to accept if you keep the dog. I hope you will first do everything possible to work with the dog before making any final decisions about his fate. Good luck.

I have a bad feeling about it.
From your description, your responsibility to Shuggar and
to your neighbor the choc. lab, requires u to protect them from the pit bull.
If or when she attacks either of them, the injuries
may be: sudden, unexpected, grave, fatal and permanent.

Looking back and lamenting the past does not help anything.
PROTECT your pooch.





David

Actually, David's post reminded me that if your insurance company finds out you have a pitbull mix they will charge you a "dangerous dog" fee. Depending on what state you are in it can be a few hundred dollars extra on your home liability insurance.

FOR SURE, that is the most cogent argument that u have ever presented, 11.





David

There have been cases of pitbulls inflicting fatal injuries upon innocent human victims,
that resulted in severe criminal liability (like a long time in prison) on the human owner
for criminally negligent homicide for harboring the animal.
That has not been as uncommon as it shoud be.

(That is without even beginning to consider civil liability in tort, nor legal fees.)




David

Unexpected depredation:
Maybe around 8 years ago, at a summer resort, I was walking across
a grassy open, parklike area, when I saw Boris, attached to his human
by an approximately 30 foot leash.
Boris was a big Malamute mix. He looked very happy n content,
with a huge smile as he sat on the grass.

I commented on this to his humans, a couple, whereupon, Boris'
ears shot up and his eyes locked on me as I continued to walk.
Boris slowly ambled toward me continuing his giant smile
and happy look in his eyes, until he 'd approached to within
about a yard, when he raised up one side of his lip into a snarl
and went airborne, coming in for a landing with one fang on my left forearm.
It looked like I 'd been shot with a .22 caliber slug,
as blood fell out. I looked down on Boris with disdain, as tho
to say: "what the hell r u doing ? " and he ended his attack instantly
and seated himself on the grass, resuming his smile,
thereby obviating counter attack. His dad pulled back on the leash,
but there was a lot of slack; ineffective. His mom hurried over,
to whom I gave assurance that I was not going to sue.

That was my first n last meeting with Boris n his family.





David

Some insurance companies will deny coverage if the dog has bitten before, and some will deny coverage for pit bulls. Check with your insurance company. The dog no longer gets one free bite.

At a minimum, muzzle the pit bull.
It remains an open question whether she can wrest off the muzzle.
About 60 ago, I knew some dogs who coud do that, and did it.

This is all wrong!! I am a dog trainer and own a pitbull myself and pitbulls are also my favorite breed to train because they are willing to please dogs. I refuse the thought of them being aggressive for No reason and it is easy to understand why the aggression is acutally happening and easy to handle it with watching what it is that gets the dog to react the way he does. I have changed the way a lot of peoples thouhts about these Rafet to please, full of love dogs around me with the way my pitbull treats kids strangers and even cats!! It just takes love and patients the harder you react the more your pitbull Will think you want him to act like you with aggression!! It's the monster on the other end holding the leash punish the deed, not the breed!!

When someone tells me that they "refuse the thought of them [pit bulls] being aggressive for no reason," I do not consider them knowlegable enough to have further conversation. It is not that one does not accept from the animal unwarranted aggression, but that it is potentially true for all pit bulls, and has been shown to be literally true for many of them, REGARDLESS of warrant.

As to the trite saying that you espouse, viz., there are no bad dogs but simply bad masters.

Bull ****. There are bad dogs.

Shoot the dog, before he kills some other dog or a child.

There is one and only one legitimate use for pit bulls which I've ever heard of, and that is hog hunting and it only goes on in farm areas. There is no possible reason or excuse for owning a pit bull in an urban or suburban area.

So, it has been a while since i have gotten on here (as i have been busy as you may imagine!) I would like to start by thanking all of you for your responses, i like to absorb info from all angles whenever possible. also before i start, i must correct myself, we are not exactly sure pit bull is the breed she is mixed with, we are simply assuming. My bad on my wording before

Those who responded with horror stories-i know all about horror stories about pit bulls, I have heard it all, and seen videos, and blah blah blah. I did not post here to be be-littled, or made to feel wrong for taking in a dog of possible pit bull breed. I understand that that is something that will happen in a blog online, however, i have to say, that i thought the saying "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all" was instilled in all people from early childhood on...so i was more looking for animal advice in general, i did not think that i placed emphasis on her breed, so much as training tips, if i did, my apologies, as that was not my intention. and negativity is not reality, and perspective is everything-as it goes hand in hand with energy, which happens to be a huge part of communication in general, and entirely with dogs.

Those who responded with common sense or positivity, thank you. I appreciate your feedback and its always nice to see a positive note.

Now, as I said before, we are not sure what her exact mix is, and i have made a serious effort to be the best trainer i can be, specific to her possible breeds as well. My boyfriend grew up with a boxer pit mix (also said to be aggressive breed) who recently passed away as one of the nicest, respectful and respectable dogs i believe i was blessed to meet. And he was huge and scary (much like say, a pitbull), therefore, I disagree with it being "lazy and trite" to attribute most of dog behavior to owners, because it is, infact, a lot of work to train a dog strictly, and properly. Dogs rely on humans for boundaries and it takes work to set and enforce them. I would also like to add, that among my research and socialization with as many dogs as possible, I have seen a yellow lab attack-dogs who are said to be one of the best breeds.

I would agree that there are people that should not own pit bull breed, or a dog of any sort...because dogs sense energy, and not many people are in tune with themselves enough to be able to control their energy output.

Bella has since come a long way, her aggression has completely stopped, and we are moving toward controlling her dominant excitement-which can easily be confused for aggression. She has not exerted any abnormal behavior since our series of techniques have unfolded. We are very strict, calm, consistent, persistent and loving toward eachother as boyfriend and girlfiend, and more-so with our dogs, as we agree that stability is the foundation for long lasting relationships. I have been so delighted with our progress in bella yes, but me, especially, as a dog owner. If bella had been taken to a pound, she would have been euthanized bc ppl are "lazy and trite" and do not want to take the time to teach a dog how to be loved, or to find suitable owners for certain needs a dog may have. I am not a know-it-all, nor am i a dog expert, but when my older sister acts up i dont immediately think about putting her to sleep, everyone has a different love language and you cant just eliminate certain people or oppurtunities because of something that may have happened. its like having a bad experience with a person of a certain race, therefore holding everyone of that race accountable for that one person's actions-stupid, and unacceptable.

I will continue to love my dogs and ensure the safety of everyone individually, to the very best of my ability.

This is a very uneducated and non fact-filled argument.. Did you know, percentage-wise, golden retrievers bite more people than any other dog? Pits got the bad name from cruel owners that fight them, and people that have NO clue how to properly train any dog let alone a put. I truly hope you rid yourself of this false knowledge so maybe you can one day enjoy one of the most loyal breeds in existence.