What do we do.

[Black RiverWolf]

Our Pitt Skye had an inciden the other day with our neighbor who comes over all the time and plays with her. she met him at the end of her lead which is at the front door of the house all teeth. she has never done this before. Chana heard her bark and went down stairs. as soon as she got there she was all tail wags and licking to both the neighbor and to Chana. what we had noticed though is that she has become increasingly protective of the house since we found out that i was PG. Nobody that does not live in that house dare walk up the front steps if shes out on the front line. is it because she knows and her momma instincts have kicked in or is it time to think about putting her in a rescue. Shehas been through puppy classes an all of that. And this is the first time that it has happened but how is she going to be with a baby

[SilverMaiden]

I don't know that much about pitts to be of any help. Checking out some of the message boards for pitbull breeders and rescue sites might help.

[Seren_]

It might be worth asking your vet or something. Dogs can become very protective of their owners if they're pregnant, and extremely protective of the baby once it comes along...or extremely jealous of it. Either way, there's a potential danger on your hands which you need to think about (and obviously you are :) ). It's something I'm thinking about too, being pregnant and a dog owner. Everyone's being *helpful* and telling me to get rid of him because he might savage the kid...he really wouldn't harm a fly, but I have been thinking about what I'd do if there were problems in the future. I personally feel that getting rid of a dog because of what it might do is wrong (but then my dog hasn't been aggressive yet). If my dog gave me genuine cause for concern, then yeah, I'd think about the issue more, and seek professional advice. :whatgives: I would still consider rehoming as the very last option. My dog's part of the family too, y'know?

It may be she calms down after a while and things are OK, especially if you make it clear that her behaviour isn't acceptable. Perhaps it might be a good idea to consider a muzzle in the meantime - if she does get aggressive, you could be accused of having a dangerous dog on your hands...that's not good for either of you.

[LacyRoze]

I had a similiar situation when I was pregnant. Our lab was a very loving and friendly dog but when I became pregnant no one she didn't know could get near me. After my daughter was born we gradually introduced the 2. We would bring our dog in the house, on a lead which hubby held tightly, and let the 2 get to know each other. Our dog was fine with our daughter from that point on. Now all dogs are different so I can only suggest you think the matter through very carefully. Our pets are family members too and the thought of turning them over to someone else is heartbreaking but you have to do what is best in your given situation...

[Black RiverWolf]

We are hoping that se calms down after everything is said and done. The other dogs arn't doing that River the house mutt is still his calm and normal self. The male dogs that we have could care less they are just a little more alert than normal. Its just Skye who is just teeth and barking she is kept in the kennel right now as a just in case we still give them all love and attention we give her a little more so that she knows that nothing has changed. im going to get a baby doll soon and start carrying it around the house and stuff with me so they get used to the idea. I am hoping that helps a little to.

[Atropos]

I've heard of people playing tapes of a baby crying helps too. To get the dogs used the new noises.

[Mumsy]

Sounds like it's time for an obedience refresher course for all of you. Check with her vet and see if they can recommend a good behaviorist to help you. Pit bulls have a lousy reputation, but I've found most of them don't warrant it as long as the family is good about keeping their training up.

It sounds like you know her shortcomings and are willing to try and overcome them. You're ahead of the game and that's important! Best wishes to all of you and congratulations on the pending arrival!

[Odilla]

yeah, I would have to agree with a lot of people above. Don't get rid of him because he might do something. He's your baby too.
I think maybe talking to a vet, or going to a trainer might be good...
and also with the baby doll, and noices and such might help.
I think there might even be books on the subject.

[Black RiverWolf]

See we have 7 dogs total and work with them all. out of the seven 3 are pitt. and the rest are on the list of dangerous breeds as well so we keep their training up. it just surprised us all when she did this. and she is the only one who has. She was told no and to sit right away and she did it no questions so Im hoping that with the new noise and stuff will help. we are going to the vet soon with another one of my dogs so i hope she will be able to give more hlp as well thanks guys.