Please help I have to make a tuff decision

MY male dog cassius has always been very dog aggressive but recently he seems to be developing some form of human aggression he snaped at a friend of my who tryed to pet him through the fence and then me and my bf took him to the vet all the vet assistiants were excited to see him and they all crowed in the room to pet him (which made me a little nervous) he was waging his tail and seem very happy until one of the guys squated down in front of him and grabbed his face I guess he took it as a challange of dominance he then grawled and as we jerked him back snaped nobody was hurt and everybody seemed to feel it was pretty much the assistants mistake but it was still very upseting are whole yard has electric fence around it and any time we take him out he has a muzel but is this enough am I being irresponsiable by owning this dog I love him so much but I dont want anything to happen thats going to make my other dogs look bad along with the rest of the pitbull breed on top of that im not making any progress with sable she still runs from any human she sees and shes even started to bark at us when we come to the yard
I am very frustrated I dont know what to do kya and sasha are wonderful they love every human and every dog they meet but I dont know what to do about cassius and sable im at a loss I love all my dogs but what do I do :cry:

 

Im not sure about Sable (maybe I missed another post about her) but with Cassius youve got a serious problem.
How old is he?
Is he neutered?
Do you have unspayed females around?

As I dont know your dog personally I always initially would say make sure there are no medical issues that could cause a sudden change in temperement.
If thats ruled out then its the behaviour, with the information youve given Id say you have a couple of choices.
1.Get him trained with a GOOD behaviourist/trainer, theres a lot of people out there who are training who really shouldnt be and the wrong one can make the problem worse. So check with your vet or other sources...and do it quick, the longer this goes on the worse it will get and the more chance there is that he will attack/bite someone.
2.Find him another home with someone who knows how to handle him and can work on the problem with him, the dog to dog aggression will most likely always be there to some extent even with training but the human aggression, in most cases can be worked on and greatly diminished or sometimes eliminated.
3.I never like to say this but it may come down to you having to euthanize him if either of the first 2 suggestions are not options for you.

Most dogs that do seriously bite someone, whatever the breed, have shown signs beforehand, most people ignore those signs thinking that 'their' dog would never actually seriously damage someone, or will never 'get out'....if they didnt ignore the signs then there wouldnt be so many dog bites. Youve done the right thing asking for advice and Im sure youll get plenty here, what Ive said is just my opinion but Ive heard similar stories to yours over and over again. Your now afraid of your own dog, you need to fix this one way or another now. Its not something that can wait.

 

If I had a dog like this I would cull it without 2nd thoughts but I understand he is your pet and you really do love him and its hard, its really responsible things to do but you still might have other options open.

I 2nd the behaviorlist, keeping him in the yard or muzzled isn't enough because their is always the what if or what could happen. You want to find out WHY he is acting like this and fix that problem, treat the problem instead of controlling the symptoms. You will need to find a good one, as they are not all equal, try to get refferences. I applaud you on being as responsible as you can with the fencing and muzzle, they are good protective measures, and crated/put in a room when you have guest until you can get the problem sorted out. I'm sorry you are having to go through this and can be so tough to deal with and maybe even a hard final decision.

 

no hes not neutered but hes got an appt next week as for training I did think about it as an option the problem is finding someone experienced enough that would be willing and safe to work with him
I was going to do the training with sable when I took her up to petsmart the trainer was very rude she said that she didnt think the training would do anygood that her training is reward based and it would be hard to train a puppy who was uninterested in humans (sables not aggresive just very very afraid of people im worried about her becoming a fear biter when she gets older ) and thats pretty much the only trainer I could find in my area the other one I found wasnt willing to work with pitbulls
as for finding him another home thats not really an option I would feel really unsafe placing him in a home with anybody else I know this dog better then I know myself I can tell his moods and pick up his signals my bf didnt even know what was going to happen at the vets office if I hadnt jerked him back I dont even want to think of what might have happened
I dont know what to do the vet acted like it was just no big deal but its a big deal to me I dont want to be one of those ignorent pitbull owners on the news desperately trying to hold back her "vicious pitbull" lord knows this breed doesnt need anymore bad press
I dont know where to turn it seems as if theres no one around here willing to help and my family including my bf arent really taking me seriously hes 3 now they all know him as well as I do and could never imagine him hurting somebody,
But like I said I know enough about pitbulls to know that this is SERIOUS with him and sable I just cant get anyone around me to take me seriously and those who do dont want anything to do with this situation I feel very alone in this I was giving him a belly rub yesterday and I just started to cry because I know I not only have to do whats best for him but whats best for my other 3 dogs as well as the entire pitbull community

 

The neutering should help but at this point he really needs training by a professional also, have you asked your vet? are there any Pit Bull rescues around that may be able to help you? If theres none near you maybe look on line and contact them, they may know of someone in your area. (For Sable also)
What happened with him at the vets office, being snapped at, growled at etc is something that you kind of get used to so Im not surprized in the vets reaction to it, was it a serious attempt at just wanting to attack or is it possible the dog responded because of your anticipation (some people when they are a bit nervous because they know their dog may bite will tighten up on the leash without even realizing they are doing it....the dog automatically responds by trying to bite...it happens in a split second) either way its not good. (That said though...anyone working around dogs should know better than to put their face right in front of a dogs face and grab it)
I understand your decision in not wanting to rehome him and if you cant find a trainer then it may well come down to the last option, I know how hard that is because Ive had to make that decision myself many years ago with one of my dogs for agression problems.

As for Sable, its a bit strange for a professional trainer to turn down a Pit Bull just because its a Pit Bull ( at least its strange with the trainers I know), theyre actually great fun to work with, theyre usually extremely focused once you get their attention, which happens, after theyve 'played with your head' for the first couple of days....I really think they thoroughly enjoy that.....!!!
As for the trainer in petsmart, I dont think Ive ever heard anyone say that a dog cant be trained because its 'uninterested' in humans....as a trainer its part of her job to make the dog interested....its what we call 'motivation'.

 

PetsMart trainers are NOT the way to go! You need to find a real trainer that handles aggression issues but in a POSITIVE way - no harsh methods or you will just make him more aggressive.

For Sable, you have to get through the fear before she can be trained. I don't have much experience with that issue, but from what other people have said it takes a LONG time and you really have to let the dog go at her own speed. They do things like sit in the same room or enclosure with the dog and do nothing. Let her approach if she wants. Don't reach out to her. Have food or a toy or something with you and just sit there. You have to take it very slowly.

 

Yeah I wouldn't think rehoming him would be a good option either. But also agree that petsmart trainers are not the way, OB trainers probably won't be much help you need to find a behaviorlist to help you out. You might be able to find one you can contact online that is near your area.