Beyond Genetics: The handling of Pit Bulls and other canines.

10/8/07By Kellie S. Snider

Co-developer with Jesus Rosales-Ruiz, PhD of Constructional Aggression Treatment.

http://www.tawzerdogvideos.com/JesusRosalesRuiz-KellieSnider.htm

There’s no way around it. Pit bulls and the many varieties and related breeds are large and powerful. If you’ve ever stroked the side of a healthy Pit Bull, you know that solid feeling of strength. Even if the Pit is looking up at you with a goofy grin you can feel the capacity under your hand. Those muscles ripple under the skin with scarcely a hint of padding. He may not look lean because of the bulk of his solid structure, but he is a substantial mass of hard muscled dog. Even a sweet, loving Pit Bull is a formidable dog. Keeping an animal of such power requires a responsible owner, not because Pit Bulls are genetically different from other dogs, but because they are big and powerful.  We are all aware that not everyone who elects to keep Pit Bulls is what society at large would consider responsible. The readership of this blog are probably on the same page when I say that responsible ownership includes at a minimum keeping the dog healthy and well-fed, housing him securely out of harsh weather and providing frequent access to social activities with humans and other dogs so that he learns to accept both humans and dogs as family and friends. I hesitate to say the responsible owner trains his or her dog because some kinds of training make dogs more aggressive, but indeed, the responsible trainer trains. The responsible owner does not introduce his or her dog to situations in which he could hurt someone (either canine or human), he does not encourage his dog to fight, nor does he or she subject humans or other dogs to unsafe interactions with his or her dog.

 

More and more zoos are moving to a no-contact or protected-contact policy with powerful animals. It’s not because elephants are always mean or that giraffes can never  be trusted. The reason these policies are becoming more common is that large animals can and sometimes do kill people, both intentionally and by accident. An irritable elephant can easily kill an adult human. So can a completely friendly elephant, by accident. When I’ve been inside zoos watching keepers care for and train the animals, it is quite apparent that most of them love the animals dearly.  But they also respect their strength and safety precautions are taken.

 

It is my view that when we own large, powerful pet dogs precautions must be taken.  Should we only interact with them from behind bars? I’m not saying that. But we must not be tricked into complacency because this particular powerful animal happens to be a dog and a pet rather than a zoo resident. We must remain constantly aware that the friendly dog at our side is not necessarily going to be friendly to everyone else.Let me be perfectly clear. The friendly dog at my side need not be a pit bull to behave different around different people. Every dog on the planet behaves differently under different conditions. My 12 pound Chinese Crested mix, Pan, is lovable around me and my family but he would bite a child who did not respond to his noisy warnings. We see very few small children in our home. I take him out into public where we might accidentally meet up with a child, but it’s quite easy to pick him up and tuck him under my arm when they come around. 

The thing is, pit bulls have their preferences, too. If an 80-pound-Pit Bull who is precious around all the adults in his life but has never been around kids and decides the noisy darting small humans aren’t to their liking, I haven’t met the owner who can swing him up under her arm pit to ward off trouble. While the thought of a pit bull under someone’s arm is amusing, the difference between the damage the pit bull and my Chinese Crested cross could do is not.

Checking the replies to earlier posts you’ll find one that claimed dachshunds never kill humans.  I presented a newspaper article that said, alas, at least one dachshund killed a human infant. The response to that was that the killing of people by dachshunds is different and rare. The fact is, it’s rare only because dachshunds are little. It’s not any different.

Simply put, the owners of little dogs get a break the owners of big dogs don’t get. And it’s not about discrimination. It’s about what each animal is capable of. Sure, little dogs might bite, might bark, might growl, but they can’t do as much damage and do it as easily as a large dog. Yes, some tiny dogs have killed people and a lot have injured people. But for a little dog to kill it takes everything he’s got.  For a pit bull or a German Shepherd or a Rottweiller to kill doesn’t take nearly as much effort because they’re big and powerful.

So the owners of large, powerful dogs have additional responsibilities. Sadly legislation leans toward what to do to punish you after your dog causes damage or toward simply making it impossible to have a large dog. It would be so much more useful if the legislation was proactive and occurred on the front end of pet ownership. I know that some of you frown on any kind of legislation, so let me just throw out a few of the things I consider best-practices by dog owners of dogs of any breed, especially large, powerful breeds.

 1)       If the dog is adopted as a puppy, or if you breed a litter, begin socialization activities immediately. (For breeders this can start when the pup is one day old, long before his eyes are even opened.) Gently introduce the puppy to new things every day.          

a.  Lay him on a hard floor for a few minutes and let him crawl around.

b.  Lay him on a scratchy carpet.

c.  On a warm day hold him briefly in front of a fan and let him feel the air.

d.  Carry him around the neighborhood and introduce him to your neighbors.

e.  Set him down in the grass.

f.   Restrain him and release him when he stops struggling. This will teach him that restraint isn’t a cause for alarm.

g.  Brush his fur with a soft brush often no matter how short it is, no matter how pointless that seems.

h.  Touch his nails with the nail trimmer every day, and make clipping noises with it even if his nails don’t need trimming that day. 

i.   Give him regular baths from the time he is a wee dog.

j.   Take him to the park, to the pet store, for rides in the car.

k.  VERY importantly… introduce him to a new person of a different type every single day.  People in wheel chairs, people on crutches, babies, toddlers, preschoolers, pre-teens, adolescents, adults, elderly people.  People in uniforms (rush out to meet the mail carrier as often as possible!), people in hats, people riding bikes. 

l.   ALSO important… introduce him to as many friendly dogs as possible.  Yes, I know that veterinarians are concerned about health issues when puppies are quite small so make sure the dogs your puppy is introduced to are vaccinated and healthy themselves, but do it. If your puppy meets all sorts of dogs he is far less likely to freak out when he meets a weird one when he’s 2.

    i.      Special note… it is great to take puppies to socialization and early training classes, but make 100% sure it’s not a force-based training class.  No choke chains, no prong collars, no corrections.  Why?  Those are the dogs whose owners end up calling me saying, “My dog was fine until we took that training class.  Now he’s aggressive.” 

 2)        If you adopt an adult dog, do a modified version of the above. 

a.  Take him/her on walks in different places, carefully observing how he or she acts.

b.  Arrange play dates with friendly dogs, being very observant.

c.  Introduce him to a lot of different kinds of people.

d.  Let him walk in grass, on concrete, on tile, etc.

e.  Expose him to different noises, smells, sights, touches.

f.   Gently begin daily grooming activities, even if they’re fake “getting used to things” sessions.

g.  Train him to do some basic good manners behavior.  E.g.  

                      i.      If you are on that mat while I’m cooking I’ll toss you treats.    

                      ii.    If you stay here when I say “Wait” very soon I will get you and we’ll go have fun.

                      iii.      If you keep your feet on the floor I will pet you, but if you jump on me I will turn away.

3)      PUT THE PROPER KIND OF GEAR ON YOUR DOG!!!!!a.  If you cannot manage your dog on a flat collar or a body harness, use a Halti, Gentle Leader, Snoot Loop or New Trix head collar.                        

i.      Do not fasten it too tight, but ensure that he can’t slip out of it.                         

ii.      NOT OPTIONAL:  Fasten the head collar to the flat collar or a body harness to ensure that the dog doesn’t back out of the head collar.b.  If your dog has shown any kind of aggression or gets stressed or fearful, put a muzzle on him when you go out.  Tell your neighbors it’s a just-in-case measure.

c.  Can your dog bite through nylon leashes?  Get a chain leash.

d.  Has your dog ever broken a leash or collar?  Put two on him. Yes, two at once. Consider a head collar attached to a body harness with the leashes attached to the head collar.   

4)        Can you physically restrain your dog in an emergency?

a.  Think hard before adopting a dog you won’t be able to physically restrain in his adulthood in an emergency.

b.  Do not consider training classes optional. Take your dog to a positive-reinforcement based training class at least once a year, and practice what you’ve learned in between.

c.  Give some serious thought to how and where you will take him out. (I once attended a seminar which a woman who had recently had back surgery attended with an adult aggressive German Shepherd. Not a good idea. She could not handle that dog without risking her own health and the safety of others present.)  d.  Find a walking buddy. Take your dog out with a companion the dog knows and trusts to help you.    e.  Take him out to places that are lightly populated.

 

5)      If your dog shows signs of aggression, do not hesitate to find help.  

The Constructional Aggression Treatment DVD is one option.

http://www.tawzerdogvideos.com/JesusRosalesRuiz-KellieSnider.htm. 

6)       Do not subject any dog to forceful, painful training methods. 

Copyright 2007, Kellie Snider