I just can't take this rough-housing anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RubyandStewiesmom

I've tried seperating them during the day with a gate for a sort of "seperation time out" if they play too rough...but they just play through the gate! LOL! 

miranadobe

I lived w/a pit & ACD who loved to play this way - we simply sent them outside when it started to get too noisy or threatened to break something and they wouldn't quit.

 That is the rule here too - outside for rough play :)

Do you walk them 30-45 minutes every day? I have a co worker who's pitbull is exactly how you describe yours. The sweetes pitbull ever but FULL of energy, the owner does not walk her whatsoever and therefore she is like a jumping bean 24/7

A tired dog is a good dog, backpacks and weight pulling are pitbulls favorites. Some pitbulls can pull more weight than an Alaskan Malamute and they are half of the size, just to have an idea of how hyper and strong they can be.

Until Spip was operated my two were big inside rough-housers.

The rules were simple; they could do it only in the office (no furniture in the middle to run around like on a race car track) under supervision, we broke it and asked for long down stays every time they got too rowdy or over-excited. If they started in another room, they had either to leave the room or to down. If one of the two kept egging the other one, she went to spend some cooling of time in the yard by herself.

We did not leave them together loose at night or during the day for a long time. Since it seems they only want to rough-house when we are there (and as close to us as they can whether it is inside or out) they have earned loose time together. To tell you the truth, I am eagerly waiting the day when I will feel confident enough that Spip's knee is completely healed to let them start rough-housing a little again because they enjoy it so much but I understand that with a baby coming, it can be more of a problem. Setting rules about the when, how, how long and where rather than trying to stop it completely could perhaps be a solution for you.

Thanks miranadobe for your reply.

Yes, they have separate crates...they are the travel sort of crates that are plastic, and then we have a large blanket over each one...so they are completely separate.  We did the separation time out for over 3 months...it was exhausting...some days it helped, but thus far it hasn't completely.

I'm not overly thrilled about just putting them outside to rough house...  To me it seems like I should probably correct the bad behavior first...and not reward it by sending them outside...which is their favorite thing in the world anyways!

They get close to 2 hours of intense exercise each day (my husband runs for an hour each morning with both and for an hour they are outside playing while I feed the horses and sheep).  They are very active while outside, running, chasing their balls, we generally play fetch while I'm doing chores as well.  We don't take them on walks because living in the country they seem to have much more fun running with the animals, and running with my husband on his morning jogs.  During the summer they do go walking with me at some local parks for about half and hour to 1 hour a day.

I wish that only 45 mins of walking was enough! LOL!  But these two generally need 2-3 hours of good hard running/play/fetch/outdoor stuff!  So I believe I'm getting them enough playtime/exercise time....they just like to wrassle! LOL

espencer

Do you walk them 30-45 minutes every day? I have a co worker who's pitbull is exactly how you describe yours. The sweetes pitbull ever but FULL of energy, the owner does not walk her whatsoever and therefore she is like a jumping bean 24/7

 

Lol, that wouldn't cut it for these two! LOL!  They run for an hour each day with hubs and also do outside chores with me for an hour feeding the horses and sheep.  We also always play with they go out to "do their business"...so that is what seemed to have stumped the behaviorist we had here.  Generally they get between 2 and 3 hours of good running outdoor play.  She was just trying to figure out why they weren't pooping out...but even when they're tired...they love to rumble!  It seems like I've always got a big ball of pitbull rolling around here!

RubyandStewiesmom

I'm not overly thrilled about just putting them outside to rough house...  To me it seems like I should probably correct the bad behavior first...and not reward it by sending them outside...which is their favorite thing in the world anyways!

 

 Playing isn't really bad behavior though. Mine learned very easily that they had to go outside for rough play and had to be fairly calm in the house - it taught them good manners :)

RubyandStewiesmom

We did the separation time out for over 3 months...it was exhausting...some days it helped, but thus far it hasn't completely.

I'm not overly thrilled about just putting them outside to rough house...  To me it seems like I should probably correct the bad behavior first...and not reward it by sending them outside...which is their favorite thing in the world anyways!

Thalie's method could be very useful here:

Thalie

and asked for long down stays every time they got too rowdy or over-excited. If they started in another room, they had either to leave the room or to down. If one of the two kept egging the other one, she went to spend some cooling of time in the yard by herself.

Also, considering how much experience you have with pits, I don't doubt you for a second that you know their exercise needs and have met them.  In this case, it's suuuuper fun dog behavior for them that's getting them into trouble w/mom, not necessarily that they're bored or under-exercised.

 when I had 3 dogs at once Tootsie and Sammy would constantly wrestle. Big time! They used to hurl themselves onto the couch so hard, that the couch would move. I'm talking about two 20 lb dogs too. They got sent outside to do their wrassling or one out and one in until they were calm.

RubyandStewiesmom

To me it seems like I should probably correct the bad behavior first...and not reward it by sending them outside...which is their favorite thing in the world anyways!

Their rough-housing isn't bad behavior, really.  They are playing...they just play rough.  I deal with the same thing with Heidi and Bruder.  They get in an excited state and they go at it.  What I do is get Heidi's attention with her most valued ball.  Keep her attention with it and have her walk with me away from the spot of last excitement.  Then, as I've got her attention, put her in a down stay.  Bruder naturally comes over and I put him in a down stay as well.  Depending on where we are and what we are doing deems how long they stay down.  Typically after their brains have switched gears and stayed in rest....they can be released and we go on to something else.

I don't allow rough-housing in the house.  If they start it up and they don't stop with "enough", out they go.

Ah yes, two male dogs under 2 years, we have a lot of rough-housing here. I used to intervene, but I don't bother anymore. We don't have any reason not to let them do zoomies inside, though.

Try the chill out game? Google it. I think it's written by Dee Ganley. 

Sometimes dogs need a little help to settle down. You could practice off switch games with them? Erik now has a cue for "settle down". He gets rewarded for slow eye blinks and for his tail coming down and that kind of thing. It helps. Massage also helps. Only, now we have a dog that is addicted to massage and I never signed up for a lap dog.

 I think this might help: http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/LoweringArousal.pdf

This is Dee's site: http://www.deesdogs.com/index.html

She used to train Schutzhund and now is a clicker trainer, and has plenty of experience with the large working breeds.

I would also start from square one.  Use a clicker (www.clickerlessons.com), it's really useful with working dogs, especially large ones, since you do not have to get physical with the dog to train it.  Train one dog fully to obey basic cues, such as sit, down, wait/stay, leave it, and come.  Then train the other.  While you are training, don't allow much contact indoors - if you have to, build a pen outside and let them have fun out there (dogs gravitate to where they feel most rewarded, so eventually they may view *that* as the place to play, not inside your house.  As to babies on the way, you have chosen a large powerful breed, and you would have to take precautions against the child being knocked down even if you only had one dog who simply wags his body when he wags his tail:-)  So, the idea of a segregation room is not awful, except if you don't meet the dogs' needs for physical exercise, which you are doing already, and mental exercise.  Training is mental exercise.  So, is working for dinner.  So, get some heavy duty interactive toys and feed the dogs in separate rooms with doors closed, or in separate kennels (never allow a Pit even the remote opportunity to get guardy with another dog about food).  That way, they can work on their toys to get the kibbles out. 

I like this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013HH2NM  It's large and made of hard plastic, it acts like a weeble, so it pops up each time the dog bats it around, and the hole is small enough so that all the kibbles don't come out quickly.  Of course, any dog, but especially the ones with great bite strength, should be supervised closely while playing with toys of any kind, including these.

www.activedogtoys.com sells a bubble machine for dogs.  They get to snap chicken-flavored bubbles out of the air. 

Thanks guys!  I think you guys were onto something about the massage/calm down and things.  I went out and bought 4 more kongs.  So now we have a total of about a bazillion kongs.  I take the kongs out when they are rough housing and tell them to lay down, head down.  And then do shhhhhhhh.  And when their head is down, and they are nice and calm they get their kongs.  We've been doing this for a week now, and although it isn't perfect...it's definitely working.  I'm glad you guys were suggestive of the massage method...it seems to work quite well.  If for some reason i am out of kongs...I have them lay down, head down, shhhhhh....and then go over and rub their bellies and everything.  They just don't seem to understand the time out, or the outside play, or things like that....so hopefully this will be the winner!  I guess I was getting so frustrated with the whole rough housing, it was hard for me to calm down enough to massage them and HELP them calm down.  So this was a great suggestion!  Definitely kept me looking at myself as a behavior issue, and not the dogs.

So far so good....thanks for the suggestions...and I'll keep you updated!  We have until Sept 26th until the new baby arrives...plus or minus...and we're putting in a fenced area (about half acre) for the dogs so that when I have the baby if I can't be outside as much...they still can!  Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!

Claire