Questions, Questions, Questions

hello I have three different dogs one the oldest about 7-8years old is a ridgeback pit bull (weiser), the second is a 8mos old and is a female pit (love) (but we have been told by outsiders that she doesn't look pure), and the third is a blue pit male who is about 61/2mos. old (polu).

now Love and Weiser get along great and Love is in heat as of now and weiser sleeps next to her cage. But Love and polu will fight any chance they get. Love and polu are very posessive over me and will actually begin to fight if one is in my lap and the other isn't. I love both of these dogs very much and I really can't get rid of them.

But I also don't want to hit them in order to show discipline I have a brother who is the buyer of polu and he wants polu and love to become mean for some reason so he hits them alot in order to either show disicpline or to get them to fight with him. (I've begged him to stop but he sees nothing wrong with it so I have been trying to make up for it by showing polu all of the attention possible but then Love gets jealous and they start to fight.) He says that this is the only way for them to protect the family. Is there anything I can do to stop them from fighting and maybe preventing them from becoming vicious mean dogs.

I mean I realize they were bred to fight but is there a way to control it so that they will stop right when I say a word.

Also how will I know when my female is done being in estress? she dropped blood two-three weeks ago but is still hanging low, is it safe let her mingle with the males again? If not when will it be ok?

How will one know when she will go into heat again...(i realize I should know this stuff and shouldn't have dogs but my brothers got them {love was to replace my cat who died to night before where as polu was gotten to be her mate and we've had weiser for awhile} and well I've ended up taking care of and being the owner of them.)
Please Help~A recently converted Dog lover~thanks

 

This is a very serious matter. I don't understand how you could allow this? Begging your brother? Maybe you should just set him straight, sure he is family, but that doesn't mean you should look away or have to be nice because they are family. You should be concerned with the welfare of the dogs and not with your brother at this moment. You need to tell him that he is wrong and TO STOP, and what an ignarant person he is. Tell him if he does not stop the abuse you will turn him into the police for animal cruelty and follow through. Don't for get to mention what a dumbsh*t he is either. Don't be hesistent. It may not be your full responsibility but could you live with guilt over something you could have prevented. Ex: The dog turns on him and kills him or serious injures him because of the abuse. Attacks or kills a child or innocent person because it is fearful obviously from the abuse. This is the more common, some APBTs will eventually turn on their owners after a lot of abuse, but they are more likely to have fear aggressive and attack other people before. Having the dog detroyed because of this? Adding to the bad reputation because of A-holes like your brother. Your brother doing prison time for manslaughter. A person losing a loved one to the dogs attack. I don't think you want to live with that. These are very real situations. He is your brother but the dogs welfare is more important at this time. You know of this and need to really stick it to him. Let him know about his ignorance. What kind of dog is going to protect a person who abusing it??? Yeah he may become dear aggressive and bite people looking to do no harm because he is scared, but won't do anything but runaway when a serious person looking to harm your brother shows up. Why in the first place did he get an APBT? If he wanted a protective dog them maybe he should have bought a protective breed. You need to tell him all this. Don't by a herding dog for sled racing, don't by a friendly people lover for protection/guard work. Its as simple as that. The Pits you find who protect (and don't act aggressive or protective at all) are well bred ones properly raised, who have never shown aggression in their lives. Its called discretion. Even when buying the proper bred you can't abuse it, then it will do little to protect you.



I would suggest making an appoinment with your vet to have the female spayed and then you wont have to worry about another heat cycle.[/b]

 

Heat cycles is usually 21 days. You should have kept track of when she sttarted bleeding. This would have helped calculating when she would be out. But it is different for every bitch, not all are 21 days.
Her vulva will never return to the same size after being in heat.

 

Are they all YOUR dogs now? If so, don't beg him, TELL HIM TO NOT HIT YOUR DOGS!

As True_Pits said, the dog will not protect someone who beats them. If you love them, and build a strong bond with them, they will be much more likely to risk their lives to protect their owner.

Unfortunately, probably not. As you said, pits are fighters (towards other dogs, I mean).

Don't let your brother near your dogs, and continue to care for and love them as much as possible.

My vet says that their heat cycles are usually 5-6 months apart. Of course, each dog is different.

As True_Pits said, their heat usually lasts about 21 days start to finish.

Also,
True_Pits said

I have to ask - why haven't you already had her spayed? You don't plan on breeding her do you? Especially if she isn't even pure? Not to mention all the other stuff (that I'm not going to go over, cause it's off-topic) that you'd need to have done before even thinking of breeding her.

No.

Also, how do Weiser and Polu get along, just out of curiousity. If they've never had play time together, and you're not sure how they'll get along, make sure that the first out of crate meeting is done very carefully, not to mention, be sure to be watching them every second. Same sex dogs usually don't get along with each other.

If this is the case, I would give them seperate time with you. While you are spending time with Love, have Polu in his crate and vice-versa.

 

Your kidding me right? So let me get this straight, you know its wrong, you watch him do it and all you do is say "Stop"? Oh come on! If you don't stop him now, serious consequences are going to happen. I suggest you stop him now, or turn him in.

I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but I'm going to be frank with you.

Get the female fixed, obviously you don't have the capablilities nor the mind to raise a litter of puppies, and with two males (mixed and not breeding worthy) this is ineveitable. She will eventually get bred.


This is animal abuse, a bad case of it, and if you don't stop it, SOme one will, and YOU"LL Be on the TROUBLE end of it as well!!!! I'd stop it now, before it brings you and the dogs down further. Your just as guilty as he is for doing nothing about it.

I would also suggest taking the dogs to a diffrent location where he has NO contact with them.

 

Here's an article they may help you a bit with the question about canine heat cycles.
Good Luck To You.

The average heat cycle for a dog is approximately 3 weeks and since this an an average, some heats are shorter (as little as 7-10 days), others are longer (4 weeks or more). Average times between heat periods is seven months but some dogs can cycle as early as every 4 months, some once a year. Lengths of heat cycles and intervals between cycles are different for each dog but most dogs hit somewhere close to the averages. The first part of heat you will notice bleeding from the vulva, swelling of the vulva, possible increase in urination and the most noticeable, male dogs hanging around the house. During this period (proestrus), females will not allow the males to breed with them although the males will be very persistent. The second part or estrus is the time in which the female will allow the male to breed her and this can last anywhere from 4-21 days. A female, most of the time, will allow most any male to breed during this time. As the female starts to go out of heat or enter diestrus, she will be less willing to breed. Again this stage can last 4-14 days but averages approximately 7 days. The next cycle usually begins about 7 months from the start of the last heat cycle, not the end of that cycle but again this varies from dog to dog. The interval stays the same even if she becomes pregnant. If you do not intend to breed her, you really should consider spaying her. There are many health benefits associated with spaying such as decreased chance of mammary tumors and you will not have to worry about pyometra, metritis or unwanted litters (overpopulation is a big problem - just take a trip to a humane shelter). If you elect to spay her, this can be done during heat but it may be best to wait until the heat cycle is over to decrease the chance of complications.

 

EEK! Okay, first off I assume he lives with you? How old are you? Are you able to kick him out, or look for other places for you and your dogs to live? The reason is this - he is not going to stop abusing the dogs, so the responsible thing is the remove the situation. If you are unable to do so, the next responsible thing to do is to place them in different homes.

You should talk to a trainer. Pits aren't bred to fight anymore, well, maybe yours were, but the responsible breeders don't. With training you may be able to control the aggression. I know someone that has 4 dogs, all large, and 2 of them are very aggressive. So, although the owner can make sure they do not fight, it takes A LOT of hard work and time and patience. They may be able to live together, but they will nevr be able to be alone together, and you will ALWAYS have to be on "guard" to make sure this doesn't continue to happen. By allowing your dogs to keep fighting over you, you are teaching them it is okay.

NEVER hit a dog to "control" them. It is not a way to make them stop. In fact they may associate the pain to the dog they are fighting, and go after them harder. Call a behaviourist. Some dogs need to be only dogs, this may be the case. I am sure your girl being in heat isn't helping. Are you planning on getting her spayed when she is done her cycle?

Abusing the dog is NO WAY to "teach"it to protect the family and house. All that is going to happen is you are going to have an unsocialized and abused dog, who will become unpredictable and SOMEONE WILL get hurt.

The heat cycle will probably come again in the next 6-8 months. You need to stop this situation before it becomes any worse. Threaten your brother to call the authorities on him. YOU are the only one that can help these dogs now. Without you they are as good as dead, because they will never get the proper love and socialization they should.

 

What do you mean by this? Because many dogmen are responsible and are putting out a lot of good dogs to this day. They have created the greatest bloodlines and continue this currently.

 

Okay, maybe I said that wrong True_Pits. I am not sure how the whole gamebred/dogmen thing is done but I have read some stuff on it, and am to uninformed to state my opinion on it. In the case I stated above I was thinking street fighting by abusive owners, which is what it sounds like to me. That is just my opinion and take on the situation that she presented.

 

Okay I fully understand Bully. Although I don't think person's dog is bred for fighting at any rate. (its a possibility though), I just doubt it. APBTs can be naturally dog aggressive, they should have been aware of the breed before buying. Training may help, this doesn't sound like either dog is a "fighter" just jealous, but it can lead to one being a "fighter" if you allow a major fight. Then you will never be able to have them near eachother(or most other dogs), if they find they enjoy fighting just to fight. I guess this particular problem sounds like a normal dog problem in any multi dog home and not related to APBT dog aggressive. I agree with giving them their attention seperatly, otherwise you are making them more jealous.

 

I agree 100%. Harley is extremely dog aggressive, and unfortunately for me I had never had to deal with dog aggression even in Pit Bulls that I had known prior to Harley were not dog aggressive. She may just be a produc tof bad breeding and I know poor socialization. multi dog families are hard to handle, add on that there is 3 stubborn dogs all wanting attention and it could be a recipe for disaster. I thiknk the first step in her situation though is to either remove the brother or all of the dogs.

 

I read you post and had to respond because of an experience that I have had. I've always taken in throw away and unwanted pets. Six years ago I took in a beautiful chow that was beaten so bad that it effected her eyesight. She was si afraid of people,it took weeks before we could even touch her. She never got along with the other female dogs, though she never minded the male. (All spayed and neutered). We always had to keep her separated from the females to keep them from fighting. With in the next couple of years, she was almost completely blind. She became more definsive. She was so fearful, we couldn't even groom her. Then last July when my husband and I were getting ready for work, he accidently left the door open that separated them. When I saw what had happened, I tried tp come between them so they wouldn't fight. The chow thought she was biting the other dog when in fact she was biting my leg. She had no idea that she was doing it because she was blind. She tore the bottom of my leg apart before my husband was able to come and help me. I had surgury to remove dead tissue and muscle, and pieced the rest of it together. Today I have a disfigured leg, I will always have a limp, and have to have physical therapy until nerve endings mend and with tightening of scar tissue. But what hurt me more than my injury was that I had to put her down. I couldn't save her spirit from all the abuse she endured. May she now rest in peace. To this day I still grieve for her. What I want to say to you is, stop what has been set in motion. If you love your dogs,and things keep going as they are,it will break your heart. Nothing but tragedycould come from your situation if things aren't changed. If you can't stop your significant other from abusing them, find them new homes, or get rid of him. It's in my opinion that a person who is abusive to animals, is abusive to people in general. Spay and neuter your dogs right away. Don't bring any more dogs into your home. This is not just a P.B. thing, it applies to all breeds of dogs who have been abused. In time a dog will turn on people when it's known nothing but abuse by them. I have stop taking in "throw away pets". I no longer have the heart for it. It's like I'm fighting a loosing battle. Now I have my two pits that get along great together. They are shown nothing but love. Please have mercy on the ones that don't.

 

As I understand, Love is your dog. YOu have authority over her, not your brother. Let him know that, and don't let him take it lightly and shrug it off, make sure he knows, and that if he hits her again there will be consequences. (depending on how old you are, if you are younger, tell your parents). You also said you have kind've adopted polu, tell your brother to take responsibility for his dog, or better yet, buy the dog from him, so he really is yours. Even if you take care of him, if your brother bought him, he can still use that against you.

 

response to some answers

Weiser tolerates polu he doesn't really play with polu (mainly because polu is so young and energetic and weiser isn't)

Now in regars to some comments: Yes Love is mostly my dog but I didn't buy her my other brother (kellen) did so in essence she is his dog. ANd polu is (adrians dog). And Adrian is the one who hits the dogs. All of my brothers are older then me and Kellen trusts Adrian more then he does me so he is going to allow Adrian to treat the dogs however he wants and not really put a stop to it just because I said so.

They won't spade or nueter the dogs because they are planning on breeding them.

Now I don't live where the dogs are 3 days out of the week so this is the times that adrian most likely "abuses" them when I am around it isn't as much (I guess) I would love to bring both dogs to where I am but again they aren't my dogs (I just treat them and take care of them as if they were my own) and I am living in the dorms of a university that just won't allow pets. Also in regards to the comment of the person who said I was to stupid to raise puppies, I'm not sure what I am if I'm dumb whatever but all I know is that I am trying to do everything my power to make these dogs be normal I've never raised my hand to them except to maybe push them off me (when they playfully jump) and I am trying to get as much information that I can get so that when they do breed (which I'm positive my brothers will breed them) I will be equipt to take care of and handle them with the uttmost love and care. So if you can help me Please if not I "beat myself up" enough as it is.

Also if there is anyone, like the lady who picks up strays, who knows how to help the dogs become less violent. I have just been teaching them to heed my word like in regards to coming so that if I just call them they might stop fighting or attacking. (I have no idea if this will work) I have also been teaching them to sit and stay so that incase an intruder does come in I can get them to come, sit and stay and not have to worry about them attacking (but again have no idea if this will work) so if you guys and gals have any sure fire ways of helping me Please I am open to suggestions and to those who have given constructive thoughts Mahalo (thank you very much).

Also I will show my brothers the articles that you all have written (being from professionals and all) hopefully he will see and understand what I have been trying to tell him and hopefully he will quit Thanks again. ~Recent converted dog lover~ Oh yeah and I'm 20

 

Hi,
again, especially because you are only there 3 days a week, you should consider calling the Animal Control in your area. It may seem harsh now, and there is a chance the dogs wil be taken away for good, but that is a far better way for these guys to live, rather than out of fear, and continual abuse. Unless you are willing to leave the dorm and possibly school to take these guys with you, calling Animal Control may be your only other option.

 

I don't think people were calling you too stupid to raise puppies? They were talking about not having knowledge to breed, but its your brother and not you they should have been talking about. So he is a dog abusing BYB and breeding a bitch that isn't even pure how sickning.

 

I'm sorry when you first post, I thought it was your boyfriend, not your brother who had the dogs. Adrian has this "macho" sence that if he hits the dogs, they will become tough. What will happen is these dogs will become so afraid of people, that they will turn on Adrian and any human they come in contact with. I have taken in dogs that have been abused so that they will be more aformative, only to turn on their owners and their family, to be cast aside as being an "unusefull liability." By then they are so spiritally damaged, there is no hope for them. First of all convince your brother to have the dogs spayed and neutered. There are low-cost and free spay and neuter programs available. Check to see if any are in your area. Have your brother start rewarding the dogs for being good instead of hitting them for being or not doing what he wants. They want nothing more than to please. Keep them separated if they have a tendacy to want to fight. Personally I feel that new homes should be found for these dogs where maybe they can have a possitive environment . You have done nothing wrong but being unable to influence your brother into being a caring dog owner. It sounds like he needs to mature a lot.

 

Thank you and some more questions

Also I was wondering I realize that 21 days is the heat cycle but weiser is still trying to mount love even though it has been a month now is this because she is still in heat or is it because she has reached sexual maturity and therefore weiser the "boy" dog want's to mount her?

 

It's because he's a male.........and they are ALL the same. :wink:

 

LOL!!!