Selectively Aggressive Pit Bull

[shadowedskys]

I adopted a full blooded American Pit Bull from one of our local shelters about 3 weeks ago (so far I call him "Fathead" but have yet to come up with a normal name, haha). They guessed that he is about two, and he was already neutered when I found him. There are several things about this dog that are apparent to me: One, he has had some basic training as he eagerly preforms the sit command, maintains the stay command as long as you do not leave his eyesight, takes treats and rewards very gently, rides extraordinarily well in the car, and has good leash manners. Two, he has been in at least one gruesome fight as he bears white-haired scars in places along his sides and on his face (he is mostly black so some of the scars are quite visible). No one at the shelter offered any history on the dog so I have made what conclusions I can: He is only "big dog" aggressive, probably out of fear from one or more previous encounters resulting in his physical pain. When he encounters small breeds such as the local chihuahuas and dachshunds that run around untethered, he either engages in play or is otherwise disinterested in them. On walks however, he will intently watch large dogs in the distance, and will usually lunge, sometimes growl at larger dogs more his size in passing, especially ones behind a fence that are barking incessantly at him. He has gotten better at listening to me when I tell him no and guide him away, and I always praise him for ignoring the instigators when he does. I intend to train more heavily with the "leave it" command in the days to come once I have the "down" command down pact (he is a very eager learner!) However, two days ago I was out minding my gardens and was unaware that another Pit Bull had wandered into the yard. Usually he barks when there is ANY sort of intrusion (lots of cats in the neighborhood) but the next thing I knew, he was totally entangled with this other dog and a very vicious and bloody altercation ensued. He was on a tie out line at the time and the only thing I could think to do was reel him in. He of course, being of the breed, refused to let go of his victim and I could see that the other dog was torn up pretty badly. I was understandably a little hesitant to get involved not knowing whether my or even the other dog would turn on me instead but I managed to scruff my dog and he slackened his hold on the other dog enough to allow her to bolt out of the yard. He was calm again in seconds and suffered only 4 or so shallow punctures to the muzzle. I had never seen that other Pit Bull in the neighborhood before (and I doubt I will ever see it again after that) and I can only imagine the turmoil that her family is enduring.

I don't even have to say that this behavior is completely and absurdly unacceptable. I am sure there are more than several contributing factors to the situation- an unfamiliar large dog entering HIS territory while HIS family was present, poor early socialization, and of course any previous experiences he might have had with other aggressive dogs. But whether he acted out of fear or protection, the fact that he very nearly killed another dog still remains.

I do not want him to sense my tension while on walks because I know that only fuels his reactions, but I am also not going to limit the number of walks and other outdoor activities he gets to experience because he needs those outlets. All I can do for now is divert him from other dogs in the park even though I also feel it is important to his development to expose him to non-aggressive large breeds. For now we go on long hikes at local parks and we work on commands when we get home. Eventually though (I know I have only had him a short time...) I would like to be able to take him out socially to meet other dogs without that constant fear he will bark or growl or lunge.

Can we develop a custom training method for him?

[Mike D'Abruzzo]

The first place to start would be with just general KNOWLEDGE (step 1 on our system) of what you are starting with. Overall, it seems like you have a good dog. I don't see any evidence of people aggression issues, but there is an issue of when he fights with other dogs it is over the top. This is actually quite normal with pit bulls that have either fighting bloodlines and/or have been fought in the past. You have to think from the standpoint of the breed and their use. Pit Bulls should NOT be human aggressive. If they were human aggressive they would not be able to be handled during the heinous activity of dog fighting. Although, IF not far from fighting bloodlines they tend to go over the top when they do fight. This has a purpose when it comes to a life of strike harder and faster or be killed.
The good thing is that every pit bull I have ever encountered fights for the same reasons as every other dog (feeling threatened is one of them), but they are more likely to do as you witnessed first hand rather than the more normal escalation of aggression. Accepting this and understanding what goes along with owning one ,most likely from a fighting line, is part of the plan.
This would be no different than saying it is unacceptable for a German Shepherd with a history of being used as a guard dog to bite a stranger who entered your home without knocking. In that case you would manage by keeping your doors locked so you could prepare and guide your dog properly before someone entered.
I am wondering if you have leash laws where you live? Because reading your account I would say that the fight was the fault of the loose dog's owner. Any dog tethered in their own yard is very likely to fight because of the combination of feeling vulnerable AND territorial at the same time. It is one of the most common scenarios found even when dogs kill humans. The loose pit bull's owners are to blame for her injuries, not your dog.
As far as a plan goes I would start with some simple management tools, so you can keep your dog out of trouble and protect the dogs at risk because of their careless owners that allow them loose in public. "Spray Shield" is a great thing to carry on walks, because if there is a loose dog that seems threatening to you or your dog you can generally surprise that dog when it comes withing 10 feet with a harmless burst of citronella to drive it off. This has saved me from having to break up COUNTLESS fights when i take my client's dogs on field trips.
More than any training right now, you want your dog to feel that you are in control of the situation and he does not have to worry about being so on guard. YOU will protect him, he doesn't have to protect himself anymore.
A comfortable basket muzzle is a great thing to get him used to for when you want to introduce him to a gentle larger dog, but don't want to take any chances until "Fathead" has shown he is also comfortable. This is what I do for all the ex-fighters I work with that really need the chance to see that not all big dogs are out to get him. But, every bad encounter he has will be a step backwards. This dog sounds a lot like a dog "Bo" we have at our place. Here are two vids. One of him getting used to a muzzle and one (his adoption vid) that shows him playing with a bigger dog. Never would have been possible to test safely without the muzzle. I also let him play with my little terrier. Bo WILL fight back with expertise if another dog attacks him. He has fighting scars from wherever he came from and his instinct and genetics combined with his past history will not allow him to half ass the fight. Because of this I am always aware of the situations I put him in and would never for instance subject him to the chaos of a dog park - where he would feel very vulnerable around so many new dogs at once. NOT a place for an ex-fighter.
If you can give your boy a name that will make him feel good about himself and be prepared to manage him we should be able to teach him to respond to that new name and learn leash manners and a great "heel" to walk past these other dogs with. If he is food motivated we should be able to throw in some counter condtioning around these larger dogs on the walks and we have the start of a plan.