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My dog attacks small dogs. How do I stop this aggressive behavior?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 4 months old | 55 lbs

I have a year and a half old Pitbull mix named Zeus, I recently had to move in with my dad and he himself has 3 dogs, combined with my 3. I have an English Springer Spaniel (5 years old) and they recently had a litter of puppies in March and i kept on (Apollo) .He has a Mix, One of the puppies, and my sister has a small mix. My dog tried to kill the small mix. He doesnt have a problem with anyone else. It's been going on for months and he broke my hand trying to break it up.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Strydom, DVM

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 16th, 2019

Neutering him would be recommended however, at his age, it may or may not help. I suggest you work with a professional, in-home dog trainer. You need to find a way to actually correct the underlying reason for him trying to attack the smaller dog.

You can also put a basket muzzle on him so that if he attacks the smaller dog he can't hurt him. This is not fixing the problem but you could use it as an adjunct to prevent injury.

( https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/dog-muzzles-about-when-why-and-how-to-use-one/ )

If you can't keep them separated then you may have to re-home him.
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