 my pits have some problems...
i had originally posted this in a post on the new dogs on the block section and then someone told me i'd be better off posting it here...
a little background info on the dogs at hand...
Baby - 7 month old female chocolate and white American Pit with a licking and loving problem. purchased from a reputable breeder.
Tank - 2 year old male brindle red nose/blue American Pit with a new found aggression. rescued from being placed in a shelter because his owners couldnt have him any longer.
here are my problems... hopefully someone has some advice....
My Baby is a lover... an INTENSE lover. She's very well socialized and takes to new people well, a little TOO well in most cases. When she sees someone she hasn't met before or seen in a while something in her just snaps. She flails around like a fish out of water, her tongue can't be controlled moving at about 100 licks per second and her body spasms. If a visitor is sitting down she comes charging at them full speed and flings herself into their laps covering them with kisses. If the visitor is standing she becomes an acrobat, jumping and flipping into the air trying to get close enough to lick them in the face. People don't typically mind the intense greeting until her nails come into play. And as she gets bigger I fear she's going to really hurt someone if this doesn't stop. I've tried restraining her by leashing her and keeping her within arm's reach of people until she calms down, but this doesn't stop her. The only people she doesn't get hyper with are children. She just walks up to babies and kisses them, or lays down to cuddle with them. but to everyone else, she's just insane. she's also like this with other dogs until the pecking order is established. I want her to be well socialized with people of all ages, that way she doesn't get the same bad rep that all pits get, so caging her when people come over is not an option as she sees the cage as punishment and has had quite a few issues with her cage that have her quite scared of it (a few months ago she was caged and somehow had managed to get her lower jaw weaved into the slats where she couldnt get out. this frightened her more than it caused pain and thankfully she survived the ordeal with no jaw problems and all teeth in tact. shes managed to do it a few more times since then) She's extremely intelligent and listens very well to commands, but its like shes a different dog when new people come around. I'm running out of options with this little 35lb acrobat.
Her tongue is also an annoyance. I've met her mom and one of her littermates and they all have this uncontrollable tongue problem. Even when she's calm the tongue just goes. If someone so much as says her name, her tongue starts going crazy like someone fed her peanut butter. While I don't mind a few kisses, I do mind being bathed by her. HELP!
Now, Tank on the other hand, is calm with new people and very gentle. Instead of jumping he'll back up, stand up on his hind legs and walk towards someone to place his paws on their chest lightly. No one seems to mind this because of the way he goes about getting his hugs. BUT... I have a problem with him as well. When I first brought him home, he and the other male dog that lives here didn't have a problem with each other. Recently the other male has been using intimidation tactics and instigation methods for some unknown reason. the other male whom is a chow/shep mix will purposely growl at my dog when he passes by him, snarl, snap, and tease. I suppose hes trying to play alpha male, or maybe he's grouchy because he's so old. At first Tank didn't mind it, but lately he's becoming fed up. The two dogs will fight through the glass door, growl at each other and have gotten into a few altercations--as a result of someone letting them both out at the same time. I have to keep them seperated at all times, but Tank is just getting to the point where he's out for vengence. Tank is kept in my bedroom while the other dog (not by my choice) is allowed to roam the house at all times. i dont find this to be fair, but i really have no say in the matter. If he hears the other dog somewhere in the house he goes off in a fit of barking and growling. The other dog will purposely lay in front of my door or gate as a means to tease. This scares me because the gate can only hold back this dog for so long. While Tank is very gentle and loving towards everyone, and other animals (including other unaltered males) he's become extremely aggresive towards this dog and this dog only.
They've gotten into 3 fights these past two months, and while Tank has never broken the skin of the other dog or injured him (they wrestle one another to the ground), he is a lot stronger, and a lot younger and I fear that someone is going to get injured in the future mainly by trying to break them apart. To make matters worse, my pit puppy feels that she has to get into the middle of everything and protect the older dog by placing herself directly in the line of fire. I do all that I can to keep Tank calm and keep the two seperated, but I'd like to get him to stop going off everytime he sees or hears the other dog. while there is always someone here to watch both of them if i'm not, they feed a lot of negative energy into the situation. if tank goes off when i'm home, i'm able to have him calmed within seconds, but not everyone else has this ability. And since his previous owners taught him commands in a different language than English (or German--what my dogs have always been taught in) its hard to get him to listen to others. i feel obedience training might be my only option but dont have the money to put him through the courses at this time. if ANYONE has any suggestions on how i can get my male to stop being aggressive towards this other dog, or the other dog to stop being aggressive towards mine, i'd greatly appreciate the advice. | 
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