Human aggressive pitbull advice

[Officially Retired]

Hello Mr. Koerner,
I bought your book during Christmas time, a few months after I got my dog from a well known game bred apbt kennel. The reason I am writing is because I seem to have gotten a human aggressive pitbull. I bought him when he was 5 months sight unseen over the internet and he was the last of the litter ( whether or not the breeder new is something that is irrelevant at this point). He has attacked my family on various occassions, with a determination I have never seen before.

First of all, thank you for your order and welcome to the forum. I think you started things off with a great topic, that is going to be controversial, and yet very important.

To start off with, are you saying this pup has launched a full-blown attack on your family? If this is the case, I personally would kill the dog. If he is just playing rough, then he is just playing rough, and sometimes inexperienced people cannot tell the difference. However, if there truly is hate in his heart toward the people who feed him, then I would put the dog down or ask for a replacement.

Human-aggressiveness can be tolerable (even useful) with strangers, but absolute human-aggression (even towards people he knows) is an intolerable flaw, especially in a family setting! I mean, if you were on 20 acres, and had 60 dogs, and were a competitive dogman and this dog was just one of many on a chain, then maybe see if he's a good one. But if you are in a suburban neighborhood, and are keeping a truly human-aggressive animal in your family's home, then I would consider this to be criminally-irresponsible.

Hello Mr. Koerner,
The dog however, is wonderful and I believe he is game however he has that HA flaw. I attribute it to his insecurity around strange people and new situations. My question to you and I probably have many is how to proceed with this matter. I care deeply for the animal and have provided much socialization with the dog and my family and we have made great progress, but I know that I can never leave him alone with them ever again, since my family doesn't have the same amount of dog psychology awareness necessary to approach a dog so insecure as him.

It doesn't sound like there is anything "wonderful" about the dog; he sounds like a tragedy waiting to happen. You simply don't have enough perspective to see the full picture. You are confusing your "attachment" to him, because he's "yours," with the dog actually having wonderful qualities. Truly wonderful dogs are not so stupid, or reckless/indiscriminate, that they attack their owners. It is as simple as that.

Hello Mr. Koerner,
I contacted the breeder to get a replacement dog with the option of me keeping the dog (since I have grown attached to him and I will never give up on him) and he has asked for a video of the dog . That is where I stand now. Before I go any further with this matter I decided to ask for your expert advice and I would rather remain anonymous so as to not hurt the breeders and dogs reputation. I hope you understand. My question to you is should I breed this dog in the future from the same line and ask the breeder instead for a discount on a future more stable pup given the fact that I wasn't expecting such a liability?

I think you are handling this matter with class, and I understand a beginner's attachment to "his first dog," but my expert advice is that you need to get rid of that dog for the sake of your family (not to mention for the sake of avoiding an inevitable tragedy with a neighbor too). The last thing I would be thinking about was breeding this dog. You only should breed "what you want more of," and the last thing you should be wanting more of is an unstable, problem dog.

There are too many sweet, wonderful, temperamentally-fantastic dog to put up with a nasty, dangerous dog--again, especially in a family situation. Again, if you were a dogman on 20 acres with 60 dogs, and this was just one of many on a chain, then maybe see if he is worth a bet as a match dog. But AS A FAMILY PET this dog is the last thing I would be having around my family.

Hello Mr. Koerner,
I was thinking of preserving this line and discovering what I have, as you mentioned people should do in your book. However, there is a good chance that the offspring will be HA as well, right? What route do you suggest I take? I can't help but think I was scammed, but I also read in your book that even from the best litters sometimes things go wrong and a recessive gene pops up. I've read that some dogman where tolerant of HA. Should I feel grateful of what I got, after all the dog is bred beautifully on paper? Perhaps I will have to wait and see what he produces and then I will no for sure? And even if his pups come out O.K there is still a chance that if I breed sister/ brother or another combination the HA gene might pop up again, right?
Thank you

Again, what in the world are you trying to "preserve" here? Human-aggressiveness?

My honest perspective (based on raising HUNDREDS of pups) is that your pup is not suitable for a family, and (at best) should be in a professional dogman's hands, and (at worst) should be culled altogether, but he certainly is not a wise choice for a house dog in a family situation. The very fact that you fear for your family's safety should be a clue of what you need to do.

Get rid of this dog. Spare yourself (and, more importantly, your family) of a future tragedy. Get a new pup ... a truly suitable, happy pit bull (which is what they're supposed to be), and you will quickly forget all about this one here.

Good luck, and sorry if it isn't what you want to hear, but it is the truth.

Jack