Is this type of aggression something I can fix?

I have a 2 year old pitbull and my mom just moved out to the rural country with her her a week ago. She got loose and attacked our neighbor's sheep (she had never seen sheep before and she didn't kill it but apparently ripped it's ears off). The dog has no aggression towards people but has aggression towards other animals and female dogs. I used to have her in the suburbs where she had killed a rabbit and a possum. I am just wondering if this type of aggression is something I need to be seriously worried about or if this is somewhat normal? And what I can do about it? I would hate to have to put her down!I would also like to hear what you guys think the proper punishment for this should be?

Yes you have to take it serious. First thing is not to let your dog roam. That means confine her so she cannot get lose. Contact a trainer who deals with animal behavior.

I'm sorry I was going to answer your question but I saw Ruby's answer and got angry. Pitbulls are not nasty. They are only violent if you don't train them right. How ignorant can you be? There is nothing wrong with pitbulls. My brothers girlfriend has the nicest dog ever to exist and shes a pit. My brother was talking us to the factory of terror and we had to go pick up his girlfriend and she wasn't home yet so we went in. The dog had never seen me or my sister before and she didn't even bark. She sat on our laps and licked our faces. That is not a nasty dog. You are so ignorant.Now to answer your question. Yes you can fix that aggression. You may want to invest in some doggie training classes if you aren't sure you can handle it. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just don't let her get out far enough to hurt the sheep.

Prey drive is totally normal for most dogs. It is something that even a professional trainer may not be able to handle. Your only recourse is to build a kennel a nice big escape proof kennel and make sure she never gets loose. Some of your neighbors will not put up with this and they have guns and the next time she gets out may be the last.

You can not stop the aggression but you absolutely must keep her confined where she can not get out. First a sheep, other small animals and what is next? What if a small child ran from your dog??Keep your dog confined at all times as I do not thing you can change that habit.

Hi Mary, Get a hold of a dog trainer..She can be worked with to control her aggression against animals..If you don't keep her where she cannot get out,she is going to kill some animal or even a small child..Call that dog trainer now..Your Friend,Sandy

Be very concerned as an owner of livestock or other dogs could sue leading your dog to be labeled as high risk/previous issue. You need to get a better way to contain her-be it a more secure fence or adding a saftey area to an exsisting fence(a little area you step into that is fenced to have a saftey passage if she gets out of the fenced yard). I had a dog/people aggressive dog and by keeping him under control at all times had NO issues with him biting anyone. He was ALWAYS leashed as I do not have a fenced yard.

Your dog could be shot if found amongst sheep. You are lucky (or the dog is).It`s normal for a dog to chase and try and kill prey and its one reason why dogs should be trained to leave livestock alone,when they are just puppies.Its going to be a really difficult task now to stop your dog going after sheep. Prevention is going to be the best road to go down by making sure your dog does not get loose to do this again.In red zone cases I would use an electric collar to stop this habit but consult someone who has experience in using one for this problem before trying it yourself. It`s no good punishing your dog AFTER the event. It need to be chastised when its actually committing the crime or just before when its thinking about it, so that it connects the punishment to the unwanted deed.

Why would you be surprised when the dog has already shown prey drive (killed a rabbit and possum) and its dog aggressive. I have a GSD that will kill livestock or hurt it if allowed. She will kill wildlife as well and that hasnt changed in several years. I leash her. ALWAYS - and ESPECIALLY when I am in an area where they roam. Predatory aggression cannot be trained out - or outgrown - it can only be controlled by the owner with vigilance and training - and constant negative reinforcement (ie the dog is on lead and corrected any time an animal is near if the dog shows aggression) If I was the farmer - I would shoot the dog on sight the next time it came within any distance.Get a basket muzzle for that dog - and USE IT. And forget punishment after the fact, as has already been stated it is not effective and will only increase the distrust the dog has in the owner.Dogs must be punished the SPLIT SECOND that it happens. And with a PB - I don't expect it will matter - the dog will continue to build prey drive and next time, kill that sheep. It will get worse if you don't get professional training help to manage it.