Dog Aggression . . .waning?

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Postby SisMorphine » May 30th, 2006, 10:31 am

My friend has a 5 year old female pit. When she was a puppy she was fine with dogs, at about a year and a half she started to become aggressive. It wasn't with all dogs, usually just new ones, and sometimes if play would escalate with some of her older friends.

She has noticed recently that the dog aggression seems to be disappearing. She has not snapped at another dog in about a year, and has actually met a few new dogs, including another female pit bull, who she was all fine with. She even ignored Venus who was in her crate when my friend stopped by a few weeks ago.

Both of us are perplexed as we had always been told that pits can grow into their aggression . . . but she seems to be growing out of it. Any thoughts on this?
"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France
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Postby Romanwild » May 30th, 2006, 11:02 am

Maybe with age comes confidence?

Attacking new dogs can be a sign of insecurity. :|
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Postby SpiritFngrz » May 30th, 2006, 11:41 am

yah, maybe that and just socialization has helped?
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Postby SisMorphine » May 30th, 2006, 12:01 pm

SpiritFngrz wrote:yah, maybe that and just socialization has helped?

Well she was very very socialized up until the dog aggression started in, and since then there hasn't been much socialization (except with Wally because she loves him, and a few other dogs that she knew prior to the aggression issues).

I'm also wondering if it's because she is feeling better. She has horrible skin issues, so much so that for almost 2 years she had no fur at all and was a constant bloody mess (and this was under the care of two vets, getting injections every week, etc). Since my friend moved (they figured it was the mold in her old apartment the dog was the most allergic to) her skin has gotten much better, now has fur on most of her body, though is still pretty itchy. So maybe since she's feeling better (though not fabulous) that has helped also. I dunno.
"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France
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Postby Malli » May 30th, 2006, 12:48 pm

Could be.

I think Oscar's dog dominance/reactivity is fading a little too. The farther away any bad situations are in time, the dimmer they are in memory too, I think :|
I also think he is settling into his adulthood quite a bit now; we also avoid offleash dogs like the plague and only play with our "special" buddies he has.

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Postby cheekymunkee » May 30th, 2006, 1:10 pm

I wish I could say that were true for Munkee. His disdain for other dogs has not changed one bit. Maybe it is because she is feeling better because usually, once they turn on, they do not turn off.
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Postby mnp13 » May 30th, 2006, 1:53 pm

I would hazard a guess that a skin condition like the one you described would be pretty painful and maybe that's why she was on the defensive all the time - because new dogs might hurt her in play?
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Postby Pitcrew » May 31st, 2006, 6:41 pm

Also consider the posibility of the drugs and injections she was on.
Prednisine and other steroid treatments are common, as well as many different antibiotics.
Many meds, alone or in combination (especially steriods), can affect a dog (or a persons) mood, tolerance, energy level, etc.
The pain and discomfort ALONE can also cause many problems.

Glad she feels better.

Unfortunately theres no way to know for sure. If she ever has another outbreak and goes onto a similar treatment and the problem re-occurs...
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