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Cries all night and aggression

2K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Pax 
#1 ·
I am literally at my wits end. My boyfriend went and got a pit bull puppy over the summer, brought her home at 7 weeks old. I warned him against this, as we both work full time jobs. She is almost 6 months old and still keeps me up literally all night crying in her cage. My boyfriend works midnights so he does not have to deal with this, but it has been months and I am barely surviving on 3-4 hrs of sleep a night. At this very moment, she has been crying for an hour and thirty four minutes in her crate. I have been using the crate since he first brought her home, acclimated her, she always has things to chew on and she is thoroughly exercised throughout the day. Over the weekend my boyfriend got her off of the couch to put her in the crate so we could go to bed and she bit him in the face. I just do not know how to handle this behavoir. I have had rottweilers and a german shepherd in the past and have never dealt with the things I am dealing with from this dog. I am beginning to think there is nothing that can be done.
 
#2 ·
There are definitely things that can be done, but it may never get 'perfect'. It sounds like first and foremost you should take a night and crash at a friends to get some sleep-you'll think more clearly in the morning. You're only going to be looking at this through a haze of sleeplessness otherwise, and maybe it'll show your bf that you are serious and something needs to change.

You'll also have to invest-time, money, and energy-into working on this dog. I think this is more of a conversation your should have with your bf-it's not sustainable for you to have no sleep if he's going to be away and not work on the training. I would recommend a certified behaviourist to assess and guide you in the right direction, since it may be more than one issue causing the reaction.

Topics to look up: barrier frustration, resource guarding (spaces), separation anxiety, trigger stacking, calming signals

I highly suggest "How to behave so your dog behaves" by Sophia Yin as a cheap starting point on top of the trainer.
 
#3 ·
where do you keep the crate? also, i believe a dog shouldnt be on the couch in the first place. puppys do cry, so the first few weeks/month it is just something you have to put up with. if you are keeping the crate in your bedroom, im not surprised if she cries, as she proberbly feels i was just comfy on the couch, why cant i sleep in the bed?
she is now 6 month old, so you will really have to start working with her, to teach her what is and isnt acceptable. i know this is differcult when you are both working full time, maybe get in the help of a dogwalker, or trainer?
 
#5 ·
where do you keep the crate? also, i believe a dog shouldnt be on the couch in the first place.
That is a personal choice and has no bearing on training. If you want to let the puppy on the couch go for it. Now, if she is resource guarding it that is a different story.
Did she bite because she was guarding? Didn't want to be moved? Maybe she was startled awake and just snapped because she was scared. For the crate, some dogs do better if the crate is in the bedroom with it's people, some dogs do better with the crate in a different room. Is the crate covered? It helps some dogs, others will just pull the cover in.
 
#4 ·
What type of bite in the face are we talking about here? That's really alarming to me...more concerning than the other issues. Especially from a 6 mo old. Did your dog bare down and bite? Does your boyfriend need medical attention?
 
#6 ·
I agree with @Naira - what kind of bite are we talking about? If this was a serious bite, you need to find a behaviorist. If she was startled awake and surprised, that might be something you can work with.

All of my dogs are allowed on my couch and my bed, but my 5 month old BC happily goes into her crate to sleep at night (which is in my room), so I wouldn't stress about the couch situation.

What kind of exercise does she get during the day? And is there mental stimulation as well? If both of you leave during the day does she cry loudly in her crate? If you've acclimated her properly, I'm quite surprised she would still be crying at 6 months old, which would lead me to believe there could be an anxiety problem. Does she try to escape the crate or just cry?
 
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#7 ·
I don't think the couch is the issue, with that said, we used to allow our dog on the couch, but she just acts like a jerk, wants to play and kicks up all the cushions, and resource guards "her spot" so we revoked her permissions. Problem was solved, however in your case it is not nearly as simple as that.
 
#8 ·
Ok. Crate is in living room and covered. When she bit him, she did not want to be moved. I work day hours, my boyfriend works midnight so usually he will run her when he wakes up and then he will play fetch with her throughout the day out in the yard. When I come home, we run at the park. She is also taken to the dog park on the weekends when we are both off (she has not encountered another dog at the park as of yet). I have no idea what she does in her crate when we both leave. If I am outside doing yard work, she is usually quiet in her crate as far as I can tell. She does not try to escape the crate, just cries constantly. She will also cry when either of us get into the shower. Whether in the crate or not. As far as the couch goes, he has allowed her on the couch since day 1, that was not my decision, but she does not go into my room or get on my bed at all.
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#9 · (Edited)
well, if the dog wasnt on the couch, it wouldnt be at face level. im not steriotyping, but it is a pitbull we are talking about, and they can seriously hurt, and unfortunately have "that" reputation. im a believer in "its not the dog, but the owner."
so if that was my dog, i would let it know where it stands with kind methods. i can fully understand the dog, as if i was all cosy on the couch, i wouldnt like to be moved, but yes, a dog on ground level is easier to deal with.
i cant see anything wrong with the crate, sounds like you will just have to stick it out. put plenty of chews and toys in, and maybe items of old clothing of yours. :)
 
#10 ·
When Pax was a pup he was the same way...He was in a crate in my room but still went bonkers at night. Issue was that he could not see me up on my bed. As soon as I jacked up his crate to where he could actually see me and added a dim night light he slept like a rock through the night. May be a separation issue.
 
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