I have a pitbull who is 16 months old and a Boxer Mix who turns 1 in november.We had the pitbull for 3 months and the boxer for like 1, my question is, they play good together, put recently they have been fighting, fighting so bad they are breaking skin, and making each other bleed, and i have gotten bitten trying to break them up, weve had to move the pit to my parents and im heart broken over it, i want her back, but i dont want the fighting and i have an 18 month old little girl, who i dont ever want to get bitten. What can i do? The Pitbull also pees and poops in the house and tears up stuff all the time!

Is your pitbull and your boxer mix spayed? Are they fighting in the same area- maybe territorial? I have a spayed 8 month old puppy and my brother-in-law brought his 8 month old female american bulldog over along with his 6 year boston terrier female who are both unfixed to come over and play. The 2 puppies have played with eachother for months and play hard. In an instant my puppy attacked the boston terrier (i realized later the dog was sitting in her "personal space") so i seperated them to let them calm down. A few weeks later...the american bulldog came over to play and she lounged unto my puppy right at her neck and we could not get her to let go cause she has jaws like a pit. We finally did...and luckily no damage happened but the 2 girls have to be constantly monitered and when we do let them play we let them play in a wide yard so they both have their own personal space.

Not sure if this will help you, but i feel your pain...

CeeCee answered on 9/3/08. Helpful? / 0

I am no expert, but my advice to you would be to consult with one immediately, and do not let your dog anywhere near any children until you do. Find a good local behaviorist with lots of experience with your breed and/or aggression problems. If you had a small breed, I would say by all means, do some research on your own. But you have a large, powerful breed that has already caused some damage to your other dog, and to you. I certainly don't want to sound preachy, but this is not a problem that I would even consider solving on your own without the guidance of a competent professional. The cost of a behaviorist pales in comparison to the cost of having your daughter, yourself, or someone else seriously injured and/or being forced to put your dog down if she bites another dog or person outside your household, or family circle. This same advice applies to your boxer.

Hanna answered on 9/3/08. Helpful? / 0

I've recently read that as nice as a Pitbull plays with another dog, you should never leave them alone with another dog...they were bred to fight and it's in their genes. Since the Boxer and Pit have been fighting, I think any animal behaviorist would agree that you have no choice but to keep them apart. Also, if your dogs are both male - and either one not neutered - you're inviting trouble...not only can another male become aggressive towards a non-altered male (an instinctual reaction), but one dog may try to dominate the other through aggression. As for the Pitbull peeing, pooping and tearing stuff up, it sounds like you seriously need to get training -- for both the dog and for you. You need to learn how to control a dog and not with tactics you'd use on a human: no hitting or physical punishment. Educate yourself -- read some dog training books and invest in dog training classes. You have to be a responsible parent to human children as well as to pets.

Gracie answered on 9/3/08. Helpful? / 0

It sounds to me like you have your hands too full with 2 young dogs and a young child. It also sounds like your pit bull (and probably also your boxer) doesn't get nearly enough exercise or mental stimulation, including training.

If you're committed to keeping them both you absolutely must get on top of exercising the hell out of both dogs and keeping their minds busy. Use interactive toys and daily obedience and trick training. That will curb the destructiveness. Buy a crate and crate train them.

The 2 dogs are probably fighting for several reasons. They have not been raised together so there's not a lot of bond going on. The more alike 2 dogs are (age, size, sex) the more likely they are not to get along. There may also be come competition for territory, food, water, or toys going on. Have them both neutered if not already done.

To me it seems part of the problem is your dogs are understimulated and frustrated about it. However, they may just be incompatible, unfortunate

TK, CGC answered on 9/3/08. Helpful? / 0