Almost 3-Year-Old Pit/Shepherd Mix Reactivity Is Getting Worse and I Don’t Know What to Do

Hi all,

I’m sorry if this is all over the place.

I have had my pit/Shepherd mix since he was about 12 weeks old. He was actually my ex’s “dog,” but he mistreated him, so when I left, I took the dog with me. I’m not sure if that’s relevant, but maybe it helps provide some background.

As a puppy, he was amazing. Very outgoing, sweet, and friendly. I could take him anywhere. He got along with people, dogs, cats, basically everything. That all started changing when he was around 1.5 years old.

In the house, he’s still a great dog. He’s cuddly, calm, listens well, and is honestly a huge mama’s boy. Sometimes he’ll bark when he sees people outside, but overall he’s very well behaved at home.

The problem is that he only really likes me and my boyfriend. He likes my mom and a couple of friends he’s known since he was little, but that’s about it. Very occasionally he’ll accept a new person.

When people come into the house, he’ll alarm bark, pace, pant constantly, and sometimes won’t even drink water because he’s so stressed.

We used to live in a house in a large neighborhood. He had a big backyard and we had trails and fields where we could walk without seeing many people. Back then, the biggest issues were pulling on leash and barking at people. It wasn’t ideal, but it was manageable.

He always got along with dogs, so when a friend was mistreating one of her dogs, we took her in. That turned into a disaster. During their first introduction, he attacked her. Thankfully everyone was okay. This was about 8 months ago, and after a lot of crate-and-rotate management, they now play, cuddle, and get along really well.

My other dog is honestly the easiest dog in the world. She can be off leash because she sticks right next to us and loves everyone. Looking back, this is where we made a huge mistake. We thought maybe we’d let him run between me and my boyfriend about 10 feet apart. I didn’t want to do it because I didn’t trust him, but my boyfriend wanted to try.

The second he got loose, he hooked a right and took off through the neighborhood. We couldn’t catch him. When we finally did, he was alarm barking, lunging, and trying to bite a man getting into his truck.

Then life happened and we had to move into an apartment.

Since moving, things have gotten so much worse.

He lunges, drools, barks, hyper-fixates, and reacts to everything. He tries to go after children. Cats hide under cars in the complex, and now all he wants to do on walks is search under cars for cats and bunnies. He knows exactly where the dogs that hang out on patios are and actively looks for them.

I avoid everyone as much as possible when we walk. We do long walks in the evenings around the fields near our complex. We run, play, and do everything I can think of to help burn off energy.

It’s almost like he thinks everyone and everything is out to get him, even when nobody is paying attention to him.

Yesterday was kind of my breaking point.

A kid ran up to us asking if he could pet the dogs. I told him he could pet my other dog because she’s friendly, but not my pit mix. My boyfriend moved away with him, but the child kept walking alongside us asking questions.

My dog completely lost it. He was jumping at the kid trying to bite him. The look in his eyes honestly scared me. My other dog walked over like she was trying to comfort him, and he snapped at her. Then he redirected and bit my boyfriend.

My boyfriend has wanted to rehome him for a while, and now he really wants him gone.

The problem is that I can’t bring myself to do it. I love this dog so much. He is the sweetest, cuddliest mama’s boy at home, and I wish other people could see that side of him.

I’ve tried trazadone, gabapentin, muzzle, gentle leader, no pull harness, and probably other things I’m forgetting. Nothing has really made a difference.

I’ve contacted trainers, but the cost is so high, and I honestly just don’t have the money right now. It makes me feel awful.

I’ve thought about saving up for a board-and-train program, but I know those can be controversial.

I guess I’m just looking for advice. Has anyone dealt with something similar? What helped? What would you do in my situation?