Posted by Lee Ann Clark, Saturday, September 06, 2008 at 06:37 PM

My pit bull mix shows aggression around male children. How do I change this behavior

Estelle is a female pit bull mix that was found as a stray and lived in the pound for a year then went to rescuee for a few months prior to me adopting her. I'm single and not a lot of males are coming in and out of my home but apparently she was adopted a couple of times and had problems with the males living in the homes that is why she was returned. On day to day we don't have a problem but when we go out of town to my sisters she has 2 boys and 1 girl the girl can hang on her and she won't so much as flinch but the boys accidently get to close and she grows and shows her teeth. She does cower down to older men and run from them. How can I help her not be scared of boys and men?

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Posted by ml

October 01, 2008 at 05:19 PM

previously abused dogs obviously have pasts we cannot know, however if she shows this behavior solely to men and boys one can make certain assumptions. I have owned a number of preowns, some badly unnerved by their past abuse and and the turnaround time on learning to trust varies widely. Slow progress... but generally with consistent kindness and a calm controlled owner they will come around. Obedience training and desensitizing, starting with even talk radio, looking for that male voice and if you have a confident male friend who can visit and just be in the room with your pooch, letting her come to him, even if it takes repeated trips. Let Estelle learn to trust and it may take a lot of time. Watch the kids, check into obedience training somewhere, pet stores have group training sometimes and of course there are plenty of other trainers. Be sure you feel good about their methods. You having confidence and Estelle having a secure place knowing what she is expected to do with praise will help her and help you enormously. Basic obedience is really important and gives you and your dog a better relationship. Also I found it helpful to read Paul Loebs books ,E.M Thomas and, or try Beyond Obedience, By April Frost. Your and Estelles best shot is getting an understanding of how dogs think, and lots of exercise in different places for the change in stimulation, more fun for both of you.... good luck and bless you for giving her another chance.

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