[sweeterthanurgrandma]

Help! I have a 6 month old pit bull that won't stop:
BITING ME
JUMPING UP
GROWLING

She jumps on everyone. It's cute now, but she's hefty and will soon knock people over.
She bites my hands, pant legs and sleeves all the time!! It tears my clothes, and it HURTS!! She is just playing, but when I tell her "NO" in a firm, calm voice, or in an angry, mean voice, she thinks I'm playing, she growls, and she bites harder! She's started lunging at my face too, which is really scary!! She's not doing it aggressively, she's just playing, but sometimes when she, for instance, goes for my pant's leg, she get's my ankle, and it hurts and bleeds! When I try to forcibly remove my hand/clothing from her mouth, she flips out and she growls (still waggin her tail), and it's scary!! I don't know what to do!

This is what I've done so far:
She doesn't TOUCH my boyfriend (bite him or growl at him). He has "established dominance." The first time she bit him (hard), he snatched her up by her collar and lifted her off the ground. I thought this was really mean, but she hasn't bit him since, but me she just goes after! I mean, he can be playing with her, pulling on one end of a towel, etc, and she will DROP IT and come BITE ME. I have watched that show "dog whisperer" a thousand times, and tried all of his techniques and none of them worked. I held her on her side/back for OVER 3 HOURS and she did not submit to me. All I ended up with was a sore back. I have no idea what to do! PLUS she has started doing it to other people (friends, thankfully) but you know what happens when pit bulls bite... in play or not. They get (P-T-S). I don't acknowledge her when I first come home, ignore her when she's bad, tried ignoring her when she bit, and the list goes on and on. The only thing she does that is submissive to me is when I feed her, she'll sit and wait til I tell her to "git it." Please give me some advice, I feel like a moron but MY DOG WONT LISTEN TO ME. (I'm a female, she's not spayed, I am at work 8-7, any of these things might have an effect?)

 

[sweeterthanurgrandma]

Oh, and she growls and barks if I don't feed her when I eat, but leaves BF alone when he eats. She growls if I push her off the bed, but will actually jump off herself if my BF tells her to.
I know she's a good dog, and she's SO smart it's incredible (she learned sit, lay down, and paw the first day we got her), but she thinks I should be submissive to her. It's rediculous! I haven't put a finger on her but my BF does (not in an animal-abuse type of way, just a smack on the nose if she's bad), but I heard so many bad things about doing that to pitties that I don't want to. I KNOW she knows what I'm saying. Why won't she stop? I WANNA BE ALPHA FEMALE!

 

[gazar]

If she has not been to obediance classes, that would be the first place to start with YOU taking her through the classes. Secondly, do not let one second go by when she displays this behavior. Just as your boyfriend did, stop her in the act and really staighten her out. Let her know that you are boss and not she. If necessary, crate her until she calms down. You can not at any point in time let her get by with this behavior, it only teaches her that she can do it again.

 

[sweeterthanurgrandma]

I don't have money for obedience classes. We have a form of crating- we put her in an empty closet with a nightlight until she calms down. But normally, she'll calm down as soon as my BF says the word. When you say "straighten her out," I don't know what to do. I don't want to pick her up like my bf did, cuz it looked like it hurt her (he grabbed her by the collar and lifted her right off the ground, put her to his face and yelled NO). She's too heavy (for me) to do that anymore anyway. Any suggestions?

 

[sweeterthanurgrandma]

We've tried eveything to make her see I'm boss. I feed her- I teach her tricks- I walk her- I let her in/out- I give her toys/treats- I tell her to get down etc. But she just won't listen and when you come home at 7 PM after 8 hrs of work, all you want to do is sleep, let alone argue with a DOG. I try my best but she has only gotten a little teensy weensy bit better. It's the biting I'm mostly concerned about, if I can solve that I think I can handle the rest.

 

[gazar]

I don't have money for obedience classes. We have a form of crating- we put her in an empty closet with a nightlight until she calms down. But normally, she'll calm down as soon as my BF says the word. When you say "straighten her out," I don't know what to do. I don't want to pick her up like my bf did, cuz it looked like it hurt her (he grabbed her by the collar and lifted her right off the ground, put her to his face and yelled NO). She's too heavy (for me) to do that anymore anyway. Any suggestions?

Well, if she is a bull dog, you are not going to hurt her. But you do not have to lift her up, you do need to take a hold of her collar and give it a strong half twist so that she knows you mean business and look directly in her eyes and say "NO BITING!!! Now go lay down." Make sure that she does. Make her stay there for at least 10 - 15 minutes. Then go and release her from the stay position.

For Obedience training start with this site:
http://www.dogtrainingadvice.com/Obedience_Training.html

Good Luck

 

[Bustersmommy]

Step one you need to show her you are BOSS
Take all toys and put them up, only give her A toy when you want to give it to her and take it when play time is over
End play time fun this way she will learn you are in control of the toys but it is still fun for her

You eat first, she waits until you are done
Hand feeding may be an option to show her again you are in control and are the hand that feeds her
Coming in or out of the house she is to wait until you go in or out first

With Buster I had to summit him a couple times and he realized I mean business and wont tolerate any bad behavior
Not something you are to do often but it does show them who is boss.

These are just a few things to try.I am sure others will have more to add

 

[msvette2u]

If you don't take control now you will be hurt. I wouldn't worry about putting her on her back, but put a leash on her and hold the leash down so she is forced to lay down. Do NOT let her bite at you. If she gets mouthy and bites, take her scruff (half twist her collar if you must) and pin her over on her side. You have to do these things or find a trainer, even if you cannot afford this.
Don't shriek or yell but show her you are angry, a LOW "growling" tone works best.
Ignore her totally when you eat. If you have to, attach the leash and put it under your foot so she's laying down while you eat. Only feed her AFTER you eat, and then, make her SIT first.
If you don't get this under control you are right, she WILL wind up being PTS. If you cannot get it under control, you need to look into finding her a new home or having her put down, she will continue to bully you and others and it will increase.

 

[Vertes3]

I was just reading that showing your dog that you are alpha by physical means, doesn't work.....because they show your dog that you are in a position where you are having to confirm/fight for the fact that you are alpha. Supposedly it shows that your alpha position is questionable. Personally I don't know what to think about this, I agree with the article and disagree at the same time. It said to only use the "nothing in life is free" method.

For me, I had a dog who tried to always be dominant....and alpha roles, and showing him who the boss was worked when he really stepped out of bounds (I also used the 'nothing in life is free' method as well). With the new puppy I have if I try to show any kind of physical dominance (now I'm not saying that I beat my dog, I'm just saying if I put him in an alpha role, or hold his head down), he thinks it's game on, and i can tell he thinks it's a challenge....I could definetly see this being a big problem if I tried any of that on him as an adult. I think the way he respects us is mostly through food (he is highly motivated by food, LOL). So maybe some dogs are different??

Bottom line....I think that you really need to save up the money and get your dog some training. You need some guidance on how to establish your relationship with her, before she gets too big and you can't handle her at all. The fact that she is starting to show dominance to your friends as well is a major red flag!

 

[Beatvdub]

My male got out of line a couple of times in the past and i had to grip him up by his collar and tell him NO im not saying i beat him or anything like that i just had to let his butt know who is the boss. My wife didn't think it was very nice at the time and kinda made me feel bad about it then it happend to her and she had to grip him up and do the same. Ever since then we have never had any problems with him try to be alpha with us even when i yell at my 6year old little girl/He used to get weird when we would correct her for something she did that was bad/And he is her dog so he is allways up her butt/You just gotta show your dog who's the boss or this will become a real problem

 

[Francis]

the "knee"

When the dog jumps up I recommend lifting your knee and turning to the side, meeting the dog before she gets up on you. She will kind fall off of you pretty quickly. After that, remain calm, even ignoring her unless she jumps up again. Just repeat the same procedure... she'll stop... if she hits your knee with her chin or chest she'll definitely learn that the behavior is not acceptable, and that you are the dominant one.

As far as the biting/chewing goes, I had the same problem with my bulldog. That bitter apple spray works wonders... they HATE IT! Spray some on your hands (you will need some lotion later... it dries you out a bit), sleeves, or pant legs if she's chewing on you... it works INSTANTLY! It also works on anything else around the house that she likes to chew on. Hope this helps!

 

[Vertes3]

I had a dog who LOVED that sour apple spray, and it actually encouraged him to chew things....weird huh?

 

[Francis]

I had a dog who LOVED that sour apple spray, and it actually encouraged him to chew things....weird huh?

That's really weird... kinda like a kid who liked having his mouth washed out with soap, so he kept saying s#!t and f^@k! Funny!

 

[sweeterthanurgrandma]

Thanks everyone! I'll try your advice and see if any of it works... she's actually a pit, not a bulldog, I dunno if this makes any difference?
The only time she submits to me is when I feed her. She sits as soon as I get the bag of food out and remains sitting the whole time I pour the food and put the bag away. She won't go for the food until I stand up and say "get it good girl!" So I know she has it in her.
Also, she has toys, but doesn't play with any of them. She only wants to chew me and play with me.
Does anyone know where to buy a "flirt pole," or how to teach your dog to play with one?

 

[gazar]

Thanks everyone! I'll try your advice and see if any of it works... she's actually a pit, not a bulldog, I dunno if this makes any difference?

We call them all "BullDogs" or "Bullies" as a general name
and then they are their individual breeds.

 

[sweeterthanurgrandma]

Ok, I took away her toys. I eat first. I come in/out first. I tried giving her the collar twist. She is still biting me and jumping on me, although she doesn't growl anymore (last time she did was when I did the collar twist- she looked shocked!).
Ok, so I go and I'm playing with her, having a nice time. She's pulling on one end of a towel, I'm on the other. All of a sudden, she lets go of the towel, lunges and BITES the hell out of my hand. I mean, I started gushing blood. She was waggin her tail and having so much fun, I don't know what the hell happened! Help! She's such a sweetie but what the f-ck??

 

[HausMommy]

I would not play tug with her anymore.

How old is she?
What did you do when she bit you?

As for the jumping, the knee thing doesn't always work. You're still having physical contact with her which is a form of attention. My foster dog is a jumper, and the thing that works best with him, is just to turn your back to him before he can jump on you. At first, I was spinning in circles, making myself dizzy, but now, it only takes a couple of times and he'll sit.

 

[sweeterthanurgrandma]

She is about 7 months old. When she bit me, I screamed (it really hurt, she's a pit) and jumped up. She let go right away. Then I ran in the bathroom. That probably was not the best thing to do, but she hit that big vien right down the middle of my hand- I've never seen so much blood! I don't believe it was an aggressive attack, but it was so weird, she was so happy and then BAM! she lets go of the towel and goes right for my hand. She did let go immediately, I think if she was attacking me she would have clamped on. But she still bites my hands when I try to play with her, and nips my ankles when I ignore her. Also, sometimes when she is playing with my boyfriend (see previous posts), he'll get her all riled up, and then she will just turn right around and bite me. I feed her, walk her, and give her treats/toys. I don't know what to do, she's my dog not his, but she is so mean to me!

 

[HausMommy]

You need to implement NILIF. Nothing in life is free. You need to be in control of everything. Get her a real crate, and do not be afraid to use it. How often do you walk her? I'd suggest doing it 2x a day at 30 minutes a piece. She nips when you're ignoring her, to get your attention. Don't pay attention to her. Make her work for the attention, food, treats, play time. Do not play rough with her, and do not allow your boyfriend to do so. It's just confusing her. Don't play tug, keep away or any other games that could rile her up.

 

[gazar]

Ok, I took away her toys. I eat first. I come in/out first. I tried giving her the collar twist. She is still biting me and jumping on me, although she doesn't growl anymore (last time she did was when I did the collar twist- she looked shocked!).
Ok, so I go and I'm playing with her, having a nice time. She's pulling on one end of a towel, I'm on the other. All of a sudden, she lets go of the towel, lunges and BITES the hell out of my hand. I mean, I started gushing blood. She was waggin her tail and having so much fun, I don't know what the hell happened! Help! She's such a sweetie but what the f-ck??

From the way you described the situation, it was play to her and she would have done the same thing to another dog if she were playing with it. She is not recognizing when to play easy and who or what she can tussel with. You did not say what your reaction was when she bit you, but it needed to be one of loud shock and"OUCH", "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?", "NO BITING", and then put her in time out to calm from the play. This should make her recognize that she has hurt you and she should feel bad because of it. I do not rough house with any of my dogs in the house. It only leads to them getting rowdy and confuses them on when they can be rowdy and when not. I train mine to play rowdy outside and nice inside. She is still a pup at 6 months and is getting more energy and wants to use it. I would get her a frisbie and a ball and play catch outside with her to work off some of her energy so that she will be calmer inside. Whatever you do, do not let her get away with biting you - correct her immediately.