# "Blue nose" pitbull & human aggression



## ahorner58 (Feb 5, 2014)

Hello all,
My son was fostering a blue pitbull for a local rescue and my husband and I decided to adopt him. He was approx 1 yr old when we got him. He was cute, lovable and showed no aggresive tendencies what so ever. Fast forward to the same dog at 3 years old. Still cute but now aggressive towards people but not dogs. Gets along great with our 2 cats as long as they aren't outside with him, then they become squirrels. He has been through obedience training has great recall off leash and as long as he is with us no problems. He was at the vet for a case of hives when he accepted a treat from her then immediately turned around and snapped at her. We had a friend visiting and Blue started showing teeth, growling and snapping at her. Long story short. Was trained using an e-collar (not saying that was a problem) until he started acting very anxious when the collar was put on him in the mornings. Our vet suggested seeing a behavioralist at the university in our town. Came to find out after a 3 hour session Blue is a highly anxious dog. She explained "Blue" pitbulls were/are in demand and unfortunately backyard breeders are only breeding for color. Not taking into account any behavioral issues the parents might have. We are learning techniques to help make him feel more comfortable around strangers. 

Does anyone else have any behavioral issues with their "Blue nose" pit bulls? This is a pic of Blue on his "place" mat.


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

The behavioralist is correct....too many are breeding dogs for color with no care for genetics and behavior. I personally wouldn't own a dog that would take a great from someone and then snap at them...sounds very unstable. 

Perhaps taking him for 5 mile jogs every day will help his anxiety and aggression as he will be worn out...


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## ahorner58 (Feb 5, 2014)

"Perhaps taking him for 5 mile jogs every day will help his anxiety and aggression as he will be worn out…"

I can't jog, bad knees. He gets two 2 mile walks daily. We put him through three 15min command drills daily, sit, down, place, etc. He gets his meals in puzzles he has to work to get. On walks he gets high value rewards when we come across a stressful situation (construction, etc) to take his focus off the stressor. I have no intention of giving up on him. All of our house guests know about his behavior, he goes to his "room" when they come over. And on walks we have a yellow collar and leash with the word caution on it and don't let anyone near him. At home with us he is a playful goofball of a dog.


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

We have such a bad name with this breed as is really an HA dog should not be tolerated .. Unfortunately if it is genetic there is not a whole lot you can do that will curb this aggression.. I have a blue dog with a sound temperment infact I have visited hospitals with her . I personally agree with the post above this is an accident waiting to happen , trust me though I know how hard this can be on an owner though.. As long as you can assure 100% you have control and there can never be an oops with him where he gets out and lands a report on tv for another "pit bull attack" then good on you... I personally would look at PTS if it was my dog but to each their own. You have to look at quality of life too , can he still live a dogs life or are you living with fear when you have him out, is he living his life locked up , and of course safety of others around you like neighbors and kids. This is a big reason breeders need to pay more time into studying the dogs they breed past just then color... Best wishes for you with him.


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## MSK (Aug 13, 2008)

Since you have bad knees maybe try a flirtpole for extra exercise to keep from beating yourself up to curb anxiety. Drills are good for mental stimulation but with most dogs that are of a terrier or working breed group they need more then just walks and depending on how in shape he is, walking speed and climate some of the tired you see from him could be just heat induced. 30mins on a flirtpole can equal up to a 5 mile jog for a fit dog. Also alot less rough on an owner whom cant jog.

Here I was mentally and physically stimulating my boy Lou with just a flirtpole and it tired my arms but knees were fine. Mind you this video is a year and a half old.


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## ahorner58 (Feb 5, 2014)

He will have nothing to do with a flirt pole. I had tried on numerous occasions to get him interested. My sister's pit bulls love them. The behaviorist at OSU rated him a 5/10 on an anxiety scale. We started Prozac a month ago and are seeing some response. I would say his quailty of life is pretty good. He still has playdates with a pittie down the street, very closely supervised. He is not locked up in a kennel, only when we leave the house and there is almost always someone home with him. The only time he shows HA is when someone approaches him. As long as there is a healthy distance between him and a stranger he could care less that their there. It's when they enter his space. I brought up euthanasia with the behaviorist and she didn't think it was the way to go with him..yet. We realize that might be a possibility in the future if he doesn't respond to training and meds.


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

sometimes just obedience training getting him out and attention on you and working him mentally on recalls and sit stays or try some agility stuff .. sounds like you just have to find something that motivates him.... thought of trying weight pull with him? my XL was high strung and even just training him with that a few times a week helped drain some energy from him. he food motivated?


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## jimxxx (Dec 5, 2013)

I had/have the same problems with Lola.
I take her for long walks, play/work a lot with her, let her swim.
But what really works great is biking/joring, urban/off-road mushing 
many threads on youtube, but always supervise her and be consistent,
sometimes she fall back in her bad behavior, but is now ''easier'' to control 
Also I asking visitors not to immediality walk to her to ped her or make eye contact enz...
Just let her get used on the situation.
BTW Lola is also from a BYB only she's a Am-Bulldog x Presa Canario mix.
It will cost time and a lot patience.
Success........


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

My dog is badly bred, I agree with the assessment it has to do with breeding, but not just because he is blue. Can you get a cheap treadmill off craigslist for you boy to run on? Sorry you are having this problem. If you can find the triggers and be able to work with him I wish you luck. Safety is an issue and if you know he is OK with you and your family, have him in another room when visitors arrive and wear a muzzle at the vet. I do not feel a dog that bites a human is human aggressive. Usually there is something else going on with them fear anxiety dominance so many factors and a behaviorist would be ideal in helping you through. Good luck, not an easy road and I commend you for taking it.


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