Well not many people on this board know that I at one time did have 2 Pits. Our first dog was Marshmallow, we brought her home from my husbands aunt's house (more on that later) when she was 4 months old. She had been caged with a 6 month old deaf dog since she was born, and had little to no human interaction (dogs sleep, potty, and eat in their cages at her house). We had no idea who her parents were, and she didnt come with any papers (why else would a breeder GIVE us a free dog?) She was PERFECT from the day we brought her home, no problems house training her, no HA at all, no DA (as of yet) and she's just been a complete gem with our daughter and everything. Sooo...we wanted another dog, we waited for her next litter of pups (here's the background info on this "breeder") She cages over 20 dogs in her house. They get let out once a day (if they're lucky) and none of them get any human interaction. She does register her registerable dogs, and has produced some REALLY nice looking pups.
I didn't know much about Pits until after I got Marshmallow, so I was cautious before getting a new pup. I checked the dam and sire's papers and although there was some line breeding, and I knew the dam, I was sure after paying 500 for this new pup that she'd be a top quality dog. I brought home Aries when she was about 7 weeks old. We had a VERY easy time training her, and by time she was 4 months old, was 95% potty trained, gave her paw, sat, laid down, and took commands from my 5 year old daughter. Things were going VERY well. Around 7 months of age, the little brat started SNIPPING at my daughter every chance she could get. My daughter was NEVER left unattended with her so I saw her do it every time, and it was never provoked. Well, after about 3 or 4 times, I was fed up. I told my husband to take her back to his aunts house, I couldn't have a dog around worrying that the bigger she got, the worse it was going to get. I had NO idea if I could train her to recognize my daughter as being above her as she did my husband and I. (And I tried to provoke her, I'd go to her and push her down, or lightly tug on her ear, and she didn't even look at me funny!)
My question is this: do you think that I handled that wrong? Was there something I could have, or SHOULD have done differently? I was told on another board that she needed to be put to sleep, but I did sign an agreement with his aunt that I would return her if I had problems with her. She is living there still, of course caged like all the other animals, and doesn't show outright HA from her cage, but dont know what she'd be like in a house environment. There are,
, 2 OLDER kids living in the house who help care for the dogs, and she hasn't shown any aggression towards them-but again, it is very limited contact.
I also have one more question for you. At the end of last year, my husband and I split up, and Marshmallow moved back home with him. They were living with his brothers 2 year old Pit with a questionable temperament. His sister was taking the trash out one day, and the dogs got out. His brothers dog attacked the neighbor (left 2 gaping holes in his leg) who was walking to his car, and Marshmallow scratched the guys hand with her teeth. Both dogs were seized (after the cops came to the house where the dogs were inside acting normal, and the cops sprayed both of them in the eyes with mace!!!) and after court, decided to put the 2 year old to sleep, and the guy who got attacked admitted that Marshmallow appeared to be playing more than anything else. They quarantined her for more than 2 weeks while we went back and fourth to court, and she acted like an idiot in quarantine, but as soon as we showed up to visit her, she was her same self (we could tell she was very scared) There's a front part of the kennel where they lay, and a dark part in the back to potty in, she would sit in the back cowaring in the corner tail in between her legs, and growl at the people who walked by. They told us there were a few females that she was comfortable with. We have not had a SINGLE problem with Marshmallow since then, and I feel very comfortable with our decision not to euth her. She doesn't show any aggression in public, doesn't growl at strangers who come to the house, and has never attempted anything else like that since this happened a year ago. I chalked it up to her following a "pack" mentality and we had a trainer come to our house a few times just to let her see how she was. Do you guys have any comments on that?
And just so you guys know I wasn't on this board when this stuff happened, I was on another board, and I have learned SO much from this site, I'm hoping not to get attacked for what I'm asking. Thank you all for your responses! Sorry for such a long post!