My pitbull is shy/aggressive towards strangers?

Question

i am going to ask this again since i only got 2 responces last time

When I take my Pit Bull on walks and she see's a stranger, all of her hair goes up. Sometimes she will keep on walking but with her hair up until we are about 10 feet past them and sometimes she wants to run in the other direction, (mostly when the stranger is making loud noises.)

I know you are supposed to turn in the other direction when her hair goes up, but sometimes she doesent see the people until we are within 15 feet of them and if I turned around, we would just be walking right next to the stranger. What should I do in these situations?

and also, what should i do when she see's a "loud" stranger and wants to run away from them in a different direction? It seems like if i ran with her in the other direction, i would be telling her it was ok for her to be scared

thanks ahead of time

Answer 1

Ok, so she is not socialized. Here is what you do. Stage "stranger" approaches with friends. As they approach, they should keep looking forward and throw a little treat towards your dog. Do this over and over again.

I also suggest you take her to the vet and get her thyroid tested. Sometimes hypothyroidism can cause dogs to be nervous and wary.

Answer 2

the best thing to do is mule your dog and when you see people coming DO NOT turn and walk away from them. believe it or not this is causing her to think there is a reason to be scared. just use a muzzle so she cant bite and make her walk past them. if she freaks out just make her sit and allow the other person to walk past, the only words that can be used are No(in a dominant voice if she is freaking out). she will learn that not everyone is a danger. as time goes by and progress is made allow her to sniff people calmly and eventually she will be fine.

Answer 3

You have to make meeting strangers a good experience for her. Maybe have some friends who she hasnt met give her a treat when they see her.

check out this site

http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/...

Answer 4

Sounds like a complex problem better handled by a professional dog behaviorist! I love pits, but the last thing the breeds needs is another case of dog biting a stranger. It can be a serious problem, not to be taken lightly.  

Answer 5

Find complete details of pitbull's aggressive nature at http://puppylounge.com/index.php?option=...

Answer 6

Does she get socialized enough? You do not want to encourage this behavior, it can very easily lead to fear aggression. When you walk her always, and i stress always, have her right at your hip on a very short leash. This gives you full control incase she wants to run at them or away from them.

A lot of pits have weird fears... mine is afraid of clicky pens and spaghetti sticks. If it becomes too stressfull for her you may need to start taking her for walks in quieter areas away from a lot of people. Mine is dog aggressive, therefor we do not go on walks in any park anymore because of other dogs. He automaticly reacts to them and it just causes too much stress on him.

I would also look into talking to a behaviorist for her.

Answer 7

I like your thought process with respect to when to turn around, and when you're just going to be encouraging her... so that's encouraging :)

I think your best chance is to try to expose her to as many things as possible, from a distance.  Are you "comforting" her when she's showing signs of stress (running, hackling)?  The best idea is to bring her just close enough to something out of her comfort zone that she is aaware of it, and just stand there and stare at the clouds for a bit while she decides how to react.  If she stays calm, you can give her a pat, and a treat, and further reward her for being calm by leaving the area.  Playgrounds with FENCES between you and the people are a great tool for this.  Construction zones and the far end of parking lots are also good tools for this.

But I think you're right, turning and walking away when she shows signs of stress might be positively rewarding her for being stressed.  

Why don't you try putting her in a sit or down stay a few feet away until people pass?  You'll have to explain to people firmly that your dog cannot be petted or approached.  This way you might be able to keep her far enough from people to not spook her, and following the people leaving you can "release" her from her stay, and praise her for staying for you.

Other than that, you might want to consider a behaviorist, as these behaviors might be some signs of more serious underlying issues.  Do you know her history?  Is there a chance she was abused before you got her?  

Answer 8

what I would do... have a friend or two help you. I would tell them to come down the street one at a time... the first one yelling and screaming... stomping and shouting. Then when they get close to you they should stop and hand her a treat and continue shouting as soon as she takes it. with the other friend... they should just walk past. make sure these are people who dont really see her. Or...if people in your area are nice enough... you could ask them to help. When they hand the treat make it something like chicken or something. Do this a few times and then in about 2 days try again. I have heard of turning around and walking the other way before... ive tried it... and as you say, you end up walking next to them. it does not work out too well.

You could also step to the side when the noisy people walk past. Maybe they shouted at her when they were hitting her. I know people think that hitting cures things, not with any animal. it is hard to not hit when they think that they are right.

I hope this helps. Worse come to worse...just walk her till she is tired then have them walk past shouting and stomping... she will be so tired she wont care. Once she walks past with out a problem... make sure you give her loving and treats rewarding the calm behavior!

ignore the negitive and she will learn she is not getting her way!!

Good luck with your baby!!!

Answer 9

did you get her from the pound or an animal shelter? if so then she may have had a bad history with people she didn't know. also the pound may have made her act angry at the people in the pound because she was in a cage and she may not have felt like she could protest herself. if you bought her from a breeder were the parents shy? that may have something to do with it. she may not like loud noises.  what does she do during thunder storms? does she bark at the thunder or does the hide?if she hides from thunder that may be a sign that she doesn't like loud noises. also a dog's sense of hearing is far more acute than that of a human. she may have been born with sensitive hearing.that may be why she runs away from the noise. also your cousins mistreated her horribly. you should set them straight about how you should care for a dog. that may be another reason why she's shy.  well i think that's about it. i really cant help with that but i can give you my thoughts and theories.