# Rough play or aggression



## jpetrilla (Nov 6, 2010)

Is it to early for a 3 month old Bully to have dog aggression? The vet tells me I have to wait till he is 5-6 months old before I can get him fixed. This sounds like bulls&*t to me.


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## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

I'm sorry, J, but neutering your dog will not take away any dog aggression. On a side note, from what I've learned about the American Bully thus far, they tend not to be dog aggressive. So, unless you're using a general term when you say Bully, then I wouldn't think your dog would be showing dog aggression. 

Also, I'm going to move this thread to the proper section, as the Support and Feedback section is for issues concerning your account, or the website in general. 

Your thread will be located under the General Discussion section.


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## ashes (Jul 7, 2010)

not necessarily, some vets have their own opinions when a dog should. I think if I'm wrong someone can correst me is 4 months.


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## ashes (Jul 7, 2010)

*correct lol


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

It's long been held by vets that ~6 months is the appropriate age for spay/neuter. There's quite a bit of debate going on now, however, about whether that is too soon and you should wait until the dog reaches maturity at 2-3 years of age. AFAIK, most vets still stick with the ~6 months simply because it hasn't been widely accepted within the veterinary community to change it to the 2-3 years.

IMO, if you aren't going to breed the dog, there's no need for it to be kept intact. But like has been said, neutering will *NOT* get rid of dog aggression. Neutering doesn't prevent marking and/or humping, either. It simply makes it less likely for dogs to develop those behaviors if you neuter them before they get the chance to do them.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

Both my boys have been around 4-5 months old when they went in. As was stated above getting him neutered will not take any DA away from him. Maybe you can tell us a little more about whats going on with him. I don't no much so it's hard to say if it's just play fighting. One thing I'd like to ask is, has he been socialized with other dogs and how often?


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## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

Even 1 year old is too young IMO. The dog isn't fully developed yet and neutering at this age will affect his growth and muscle development. And as others have said, it won't affect temperament. What he needs is training and not to run around loose with other dogs.


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## jpetrilla (Nov 6, 2010)

I got him when he was 6 weeks. I already had a Male Pomeranian and a small female mixed breed. He gets along fine with the female mixed breed. She is 12 years old and tries to be the alpha female (if there is such a thing) or mother of the pack. She will stop the rough play between him and the pom. Yesterday Sonny and the pom were playing when all of a sudden, Sonny grabs the pom by the thick fur and starts draggin him across the room yelpin and crying. I think it was rough play, but the wife says ( she was here, I was at work), it looked more like fighting. I dont know. Thats why I came here to get ya'lls opinion.


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## DarkMoon (Nov 26, 2009)

Unless we can actually SEE what's happening, it's too hard to tell if it's DA or play. While it's more uncommon for an Am Bully to have DA, it's not unheard of. Your best bet is to find a good trainer or behaviorist and get their opinion of it. Your dog really should already be seeing a trainer by the sounds of it. You might have a hard dog on your hands (a very very very stubborn dog) and starting the right type of training will help you later in life.

As for neutering, if your responsible enough to keep your dog contained and away from any bitch in heat, all the newest data out there points to keeping makes intact until at least the age of two. If you have fears of your dog scaling fences, breaking out of your house, or you have a lot of unaltered females around, then PLEASE be proactive and neuter your dog as soon as your vet will allow. There are so many Pit Bulls unwanted as it is, there is no need to add more.

I'd keep your dogs separated until you have a trainer take a look at your dog's interactions or at least on STRICT supervised playtimes. No interaction unless you are right there.


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

It sounds like it was rough play and rough play that gets out of control can turn in a sec to a fight so you might want to stamp out excessive rough play. 

I have been a firm believer in nuetering my dogs at 5mo of age. I don't beleive any of this new study stuff that says you should wait. I never had any dogs have a problem with being neutering young and as I take in rescues I have had them neutered at an old ages as well and those are more bothered by the surgery they are sorer and tend to lay around a few days longer.


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## Goliath (Dec 22, 2010)

*Aggression*

I have a 2 yr old American Bulldog. She began going to dog parks at around 3months old. Everything was great. She would roll over and show her stomach to show that she is submissive thus having no issues. When she reach around 8mths or so, Belle decided that the submissive role was not for her. Many of the dogs at the park would show dominance by placing their head over the shoulders of other dog, mounting dogs, the stare down, what ever method they could use to show their place in the pack. Belle was attached several times before she reached the conclusion that being submissive wasn't working for her. At that point, Belle decided to get them before they could get her. Which meant that Belle could not longer go to the dog park. She is still aggressive toward some dogs, not all dogs. She will accept some dogs into her pack but others she will not allow them to have any contact with her. When Belle is around other dogs I must constantly watch her for any sign that she is getting ready to attack another dog. She gets along great with my chihuahua, cat & parrot. She also has a schnauzer, beagle and boxer that she accepts without hesitation. Belle is great with people & children. 
Does anyone else have a dog that behaves in the same manner??


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

That's a typical bully breed. Now that she's gotten older, and after being pushed and attacked a couple times, she's learned that in order to protect herself, she has to be aggressive first.

You need to find a trainer that can give you tips on how to MANAGE this behavior. This won't go away, it's part genetics, part previous experience with her.


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## MISSAPBT (May 10, 2009)

You have a bully breed, he is prone to DA, its just in his blood lol


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## Lex'sFart (Dec 30, 2010)

Yep fighting and farting


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## Goliath (Dec 22, 2010)

*So all you guys are saying that I need to understand that she is a bully & this is the behavior that I should expect. If that's so, it's OK. I just wanted to make sure that my bully was not any different than most of the other bullys. I guess I should count my blessings that she is great with the dogs that I have "slowly" introduced to her and with her pack, a chihuahua & a cat, there has never been a problem. However, I never take my guard down because I know that this could change in a manner of seconds. Thanks for your comments.
Goliath*


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## beccaboo (Dec 27, 2009)

To the OP I had my boy done @ 4 months and now @ 15 mo the he's about 70 lbs and about 25 inches at the shoulder I have a hard time believing his early neuter stunted his growth... Lol. I believe to an extent neuter decreases agression because marking and the like is all territorial stuff. The story you gave tho just sounds like rough play and ur boy was the only one havin fun... Then again he isn't very evey matched up with a playmate... Puppies will be puppies but all the same even playtime needs boundaries and if the dog playin with him can't set them his person needs to. This breed can be very stubborn, smart and persistent. At the same time and in keeping with the breeds history they can be very aggressive with other animals. I would keep an eye on playtime. If he is excessive with nipping or tryin to overpower the other do I suggest playte just be with his ppl, tug, flirt, walks and fetch.


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## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

Goliath said:


> *So all you guys are saying that I need to understand that she is a bully & this is the behavior that I should expect. If that's so, it's OK. I just wanted to make sure that my bully was not any different than most of the other bullys. I guess I should count my blessings that she is great with the dogs that I have "slowly" introduced to her and with her pack, a chihuahua & a cat, there has never been a problem. However, I never take my guard down because I know that this could change in a manner of seconds. Thanks for your comments.
> Goliath*


That's pretty much it. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.


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## jpetrilla (Nov 6, 2010)

Thanks beccaboo, I've been watching him and the other 2 and I think it was just rough play.


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## Goliath (Dec 22, 2010)

*I have never owned an APBT only the American Bulldog. Can someone who has had BOTH BREEDS tell me how they think these two breeds compare on dog on dog aggression??
Tks
*


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## Cherryb26 (Dec 31, 2010)

some vets do it later then others the vet that i take my pit 2 does it as young as 12 weeks but i recommend waiting till 6 months which is what im doing


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## beccaboo (Dec 27, 2009)

Goliath said:


> *I have never owned an APBT only the American Bulldog. Can someone who has had BOTH BREEDS tell me how they think these two breeds compare on dog on dog aggression??
> Tks
> *


Goliath start a new thread so ppl will see it and be more likely to answer... Yours keep getting hidden in this one...


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## Lex's Guardian (Aug 8, 2009)

*This should help ya*

Leerburg | Streaming Video
Leerburg | Streaming Video
Leerburg | Streaming Video

It's imperative you socialize & counter condition - if you feel you're having an issue then listen to your gut instinct the first time. I suggest you seek professional training help familiar w/ APBT's, Certs & references. Be careful w/ trainers cause some can just make the situation worse. Find one that not only you but your dog likes as well.

The reason I suggest prof. help is sometimes our instinctual reaction if a pup gets riled up is to pet them, telling them it's okay. Thinking this is how to calm the dog, when really it's rewarding the pup in that mind state. As an owner, most of us really are not prof. in behavioral training when it comes to a dog/pup - body language etc.

here are a few books that were recommended to me:
Before & After getting your puppy
Amazon.com: Before and After Getting Your Puppy: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, and Well-Behaved Dog (9781577314554): Dr. Ian Dunbar: Books

After getting your puppy
Amazon.com: After You Get Your Puppy (9781888047011): Ian Dunbar: Books

A vet can't tell you everything about proper behavioral training w/all dogs, vets are a great resource of knowledge but they're usually trained specifically for medical - a good vet should have training resources to recommend you to.

Good luck!

However if the pups biting - that's normal puppy behavior.

Re: ^^^Here's another cross post I found as a good read:
http://www.pitbullforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16101


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