My Pitbull.. My pit who I love so much just went after my female shepherd. I think it's food aggression.. I just fed…

I would look into training our older dog got that way when I was pregnant and our younger dog got to where she wouldn't eat I was feeding them in separate rooms my hubby took the older one to a trainer and within 2 weeks the problem was resolved for us it was anxiety over the change in the "pack order"

He's 2 and she's 6. I just realized that I think he's possessive over me.. he was over here getting my attention and she walked up and he was growling at her until she went and laid on the opposite couch. Now that he's not on top of me he's okay..? Idk. I know some of it is food aggression cause once in a while he growls at her when I'm filling their dishes if she's too close. But he's also being possessive? I'm gonna have to look into training.. I'm not even sure how he is going to act around the baby. As much as I don't want to get rid of him if my husband catches this behavior he's gone.. aggression is not a good sign at all. Our shepherd is a part of the household too and he's been around her since mu husband brought him home from the breeder. I'm just so upset over this! I feel like I can't trust my boy. I love him so much and this is making me hurt seeing him like this.

I've had pitbulls & the males can be more aggressive & possessive. Also He's young,but you can still teach him boundaries & let him know not to snap @ the other dog.

As far as the baby goes, I know female pits are amazing around babies & younger children, & older males are also great around them. With the proper disciplinary training from you I think your male dog might have a chance.

I grew up with pitbulls. If trained properly they are very loving and protective dogs. Ours hasn't gone through any training yet. I'm gonna talk to my husband about putting him through obedience courses. He's a very loving dog and I would hate to see him go but my husband's been wanting to rid the house of him for a bit now.

I'd feed him more. Just because you think you over feed him, doesn't necessarily mean you do. Active dogs eat more because they burn more calories. If he's not putting on weight and you think he's too skinny, try feeding him more and see if it helps.

Isn't that unhealthy though? He gets lots of food already. Downs it in 5 mins and then usually tries to eat the other dogs food. If I'm not paying attention he's usually successful at eating hers too.

Is the pit neutered? If not, I would look into it. If you don't plan on breeding him, I would recommend it.

Do you know his bloodlines history? A lot of pits are inbred at some point which causes psychological problems. He may be sick. A good friend of mine had a great Dane who at sexual maturity, (around the age of two) just went f*** ing berserk. He became possessive and food agressive with the other dogs first. Then it moved on to people. Now he basically lives his life on a chain or in his crate because he's not trust worthy. We looked into it more and he was just a bad dog because of poor back yard breeding.

I'm not saying that this is your problem, but it's how his started. Just be aware it's a possibility. I whole heartedly think a pit with good bloodlines and who is raised right will make the best dog you can have. But I also believe some of them are just bad dogs, by no fault of their own. It's poor breeding, poor mental health, and easily man's fault.

I hope your guy has a better outcome.

tread carefully as this could be a sign of what may come. I hope it works out for you and you all get to be one big happy family. I have two dogs so I understand your situation. it would be heartbreaking to have to rehome one because of a very bad attack on the other dog or a person. good luck!

He's not neutered yet.. we plan in it very soon though. And there's no inbreeding in his history. He just seems to be getting worse and it's tearing me up.

Could he have parasites? It wouldn't hurt to check for that. I only mention it because you mentioned that he eats very well and doesn't put on weight. Some parasites can cause pets to eat more and not put on weight because the parasites are taking the nourishment. Causing puppy head to be more hungry. Possibly more aggressive about his food.

Dogs are just like humans. Some eat more than others and some need more calories if they're active. It would be like athletes needing 2,000 calories to fill in what they loose while working out vs regular people who only need 1,000. A more active dog will eat more than one who is more laid back.

My dogs are both boys , they aren't big dogs so their fights aren't bad but they are aggressive over food we ended up feeding them in different places and they also fight over toys so we just have to make sure they both have the exact same toy and if they fight they get separated and shut away from everyone for like ten minutes and then when we let them out the room they always run over to eachother and check eachother are okay lol, they usually get on really well like on walks they follow eachother everywhere , but I know one of my dogs are greedy and just tries to eat both bowls of food, and I don't think it's to do with your dog being a pit , loads of dogs are territorial over food , I know someone who has an English bull terrier and a jack russel and they are both really protective of their food, you just have to find a way that works for them and you , before the aggression becomes a habit maybe get him neutered aswell that should help a lot ... Could be all them hormones

He's got nothing wrong with him. I know that. I'm very big on regular vet visits. Sometimes his weight is where it should be and sometimes it's low. I've been asked if I feed him and yes I do. He just runs it all off. I'm gonna try upping his intake and then maybe burning off excess energy with him. See if that calms him down. I'll look into a trainer as well.

Yeah that's a good idea my dogs are ten times more calm after a long walk , and your female dog could be eating his food? That's why my dog gets aggressive

@Katie I don't think this has anything to do with him being a pit either but every breed of dog has different traits as well that can influence certain behaviors. My post would still be the same if I had a chihuahua that was starting to become aggressive. Naming the breed helps people understand and help me try to figure out what's going on with him.

@Katie The female won't go near his food. It's always him trying to eat hers.

@flyingspaghettimonster he's got a hip issue that I've been monitoring. If it gets any worse than it is now he needs a replacement.. he's only 2 and I dint think he has arthritis. I do know his breed is high risk for hip dysplasia though. I'm monitoring his hip issue that he has now. He's had it since a pup. Sometimes running around he will pop it out. He let's out a big yelp runs around with around limp for 5 mins and it corrects itself. It that gets any worse I know he'll need corrective surgery.

Obedience class is a good idea OP. Pits are great dogs & they are great family pets & very over protective when it comes to their human companions . They are a very misunderstood breed because of all the negative press they get, but I'm hoping everything works well. He seems like he needs a little guidance.

Also, is it perhaps time for his distemper shot?

Hmmm , does she watch him eat ? Or does he just get way too protective of his food ? And I know I was just saying because someone was saying pits can have mental problems but then so can all dogs , pretty sure my dog is loopy as hell

is he neutered?

you ay have ti start feeding them in separate rooms. /:

just saw that he isnt snipped yet.. that needs to become a priority expecially with a baby in the house. it will chill him out and will make him chill out with this whole dominance issue.

Breed has nothing to do with it. I have a golden retriever and he's the most gentle dog I know. However, when he was a puppy he was on a feeding schedule. I accidentally ran out of puppy food once and he didn't eat for a few hours after his scheduled time and growled at the cat who, before we had ran out of food, he had willingly shared with. They had even ate at the same time at the same bowl no problem. In that one circumstance though, it was nature and survival of the fittest. His instincts kicked in and he protected his food. Any dog would do the same if they felt that their life was threatened. Which could be the case if the pit feels he isn't getting enough to eat.

Is he a true APBT? APBTs are naturally dog/animal aggressive because of what they were originally bred for. They are a game dog and tend to not tolerate other animals well. 2 years is when dogs are finally at their maturing stage and when a lot of male dogs flip their switch and spaz out. I'd get him into training, but training can't always help in this situation. If you have to rehome him, please send him somewhere where there are no young kids or other animals. Also, make sure the person is very familiar with the breed/bloodline that he is.

And while neutering can be great, it can also make the situation a lot worse. When male dogs get neutered at this point in their life, the mix of hormones can make them snap. Neutering isn't a cure all in anyway.