# Excessively Clingy Pit Bull



## Hayden K. (Oct 23, 2011)

Hi everyone. I have a young pit mix named Gimli. I rescued him out of a fighting ring last year and ever since then he's been my main man. He even helped me chase off 4 burglars we caught breaking into our neighbor's house. I love this damn dog, and he loves me, but it seems like he's crossed the line from loyal into clingy. I've been staying at my mom's for a while, and she tries to get him up out of bed before I get up. He goes limp on the bed and cries until I get up to go with him. He has to come into the bathroom with me or he sits outside the door and whimpers. When I leave for work or school, he sits by the doors and will not move until I get home, and sometimes that's hours later. He won't eat or drink if I'm not there. Is there anything I can do to help him?


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## Joewilly (Mar 6, 2011)

Sounds like my male...it's kind of endearing and also a pain in the neck. Rocco doesn't wait for me to get up or cry..he bats me w/ his paw to wake me at 6 every day for his walk.
Mine doesn't have separation anxiety tho and he'll buddy up with anyone else...u might want to search 'separation anxiety' threads.
Crate training is y I think mine doesn't fret my absence..he knows I'll come back...If your guy isn't crate trained that may help.


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## Hayden K. (Oct 23, 2011)

He does way worse in the crate. He has a really ugly bark and he wails if we lock him up.


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## phrlandy (Apr 13, 2012)

Hayden K. said:


> He does way worse in the crate. He has a really ugly bark and he wails if we lock him up.


Is there a toy that he likes that may distract him when you are abscent.


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## Hayden K. (Oct 23, 2011)

No. He lives with five other dogs, you think that'd be enough. Is there some way to wean him off of me?


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## NYBlueNose (Apr 22, 2012)

Hayden K. said:


> Hi everyone. I have a young pit mix named Gimli. I rescued him out of a fighting ring last year and ever since then he's been my main man. He even helped me chase off 4 burglars we caught breaking into our neighbor's house. I love this damn dog, and he loves me, but it seems like he's crossed the line from loyal into clingy. I've been staying at my mom's for a while, and she tries to get him up out of bed before I get up. He goes limp on the bed and cries until I get up to go with him. He has to come into the bathroom with me or he sits outside the door and whimpers. When I leave for work or school, he sits by the doors and will not move until I get home, and sometimes that's hours later. He won't eat or drink if I'm not there. Is there anything I can do to help him?


The real question is; how is he when you're not home? Is he whining and non-stop crying? Is he destroying things while you're gone?


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## ::::COACH:::: (Apr 4, 2012)

Personally, I would start teaching him the "stay" command. He needs to know that you WANT him to stay home ( or better yet, in the crate). Have him go in the crate and give Him a yummy bone and then shut the crate door and then you can just sit next to the crate. Eventually you want to work you way to being on one side of the room while he is crated in the other. Then you can start leaving the room for maybe 10-30 seconds and then going back in, slowly increasing the amount of time that you are out of the room.


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## papertissue (Apr 14, 2012)

Since I was with my pit constantly since she was 4 weeks old, due to health problems. I have a lot of the same problems that you have. For the first couple months of her life I was unable to do ANYTHING without her. So here's how I'm handling the situation. She's 6 months right now. When it comes to separation anxiety the earlier you start the better.

This link really helped me.


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## Hayden K. (Oct 23, 2011)

NYBlueNose said:


> The real question is; how is he when you're not home? Is he whining and non-stop crying? Is he destroying things while you're gone?


He cries quietly for awhile, and then just sits and waits. He doesn't destroy stuff. Just sits.



::::COACH:::: said:


> Personally, I would start teaching him the "stay" command. He needs to know that you WANT him to stay home ( or better yet, in the crate). Have him go in the crate and give Him a yummy bone and then shut the crate door and then you can just sit next to the crate. Eventually you want to work you way to being on one side of the room while he is crated in the other. Then you can start leaving the room for maybe 10-30 seconds and then going back in, slowly increasing the amount of time that you are out of the room.


That's a great idea. Thanks! 



papertissue said:


> Since I was with my pit constantly since she was 4 weeks old, due to health problems. I have a lot of the same problems that you have. For the first couple months of her life I was unable to do ANYTHING without her. So here's how I'm handling the situation. She's 6 months right now. When it comes to separation anxiety the earlier you start the better.
> 
> This link really helped me.


Thanks so much!


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## Kingsgurl (Dec 16, 2011)

God, all mine can be like that, especially my boy. I would work at desensitizing him to the crate while you are around, make it a fun place to be. I say this because you mention that there are 5 other dogs. There will be times you may need him separated from them (like when no one is home, or if he needs to go to the vet for anything)


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

My boy is like that. I didn't mind at first, like you said its not that bad, but there were times when I needed to do things by myself, lol. I started to understand I created this when he would make a sound or a slight whine and I would look at him and figure out what he wanted. Well that needed to stop and I had to change how I did everything. he needed to take queues from me, not the other way around.

You do not have to do EVERYTHING listed here, but start to take baby steps and go from there.

http://www.gopitbull.com/obedience-training/11559-nilif.html

You will need patience and your neighbors might hate you while your crate training him, but you CAN NOT allow the barks to get to you. You have to teach the crate is a good thing, play a TV or a radio or something. Freeze a kong with peanut butter or something good in it that will keep him busy.


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