Unexpected Love for a Ferocious Pit Bull

Soule Coaching: Accept Fear. What you want is on the other side of it.

Cody, a formerly ferocious pit bull, has a quiet moment with Winston, one of my Scottish Highland calves. Cody is now gentle around my calves but still wears a muzzle in case he gets loose and falls back into learned behavior and chases one. Even Flora, the dog Cody attacked, has forgiven him.

Cody, a 9-year-old pit bull rescued from the streets of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, would viciously attack anything that moved—except humans. Encountering calves, car tires, horses, goats, and other dogs, Cody would lunge, bark, and attack. It's how he survived in his younger years.

A rescue agency placed him with me for retraining. As I'd done with other dogs, I taught him to accept me as his pack leader by always walking ahead and ensuring he knew I was providing his food.

To control Cody's lunging, I'd distract him with the scent of food. He didn't get the food; he just got to smell it to divert his attention from the moving car, tractor, or calf. When he wanted to chase a running calf, I'd lift him by his leash to shift his focus, and no matter what he did, I tried hard to be calm and assertive. For added insurance, he wore a muzzle, which gave me confidence that he wouldn't kill a farm animal if he did get loose.

Training was going well until after I removed his muzzle. Cody got into it with my dog Flora. She started it, but Cody escalated it to a battle to the death. Husband Bruce and I separated them, but that attack made me realize that Cody was a killer. That night, I decided, with the approval of his St. Croix sponsor, it was time to put him down.

Then I met Lisa, who purchased a calf from me. Her husband, Marlon, owns Dark Dynasty K-9 and trains protection dogs. (He also owns Hulk, a 175-pound pit bull that is the world's largest!) He agreed to help me retrain Cody.

Marlon explained that not all dogs like each other. Your dog has dog besties and dogs he hates. The best way to control your dog when he wants to lunge at another dog is by showing leadership, which starts with leash training.

Leash training does NOT mean pulling on the leash and physically restraining your dog. It means using the leash to remind the dog you're in control. To do this, stand in front of your dog and project calmness. If your dog ignores you, gentle tugs on the leash remind him you're in charge. If you try to use the leash to hold your dog back, he’ll always respond by pulling to get to the dog he hates. Pulling is not productive and creates excitement, not calmness and trust.

While on a leash, Cody now looks to me for direction instead of at the dog or calf he wants to attack. Eventually, I'll be able to create the same aura of trust without a leash. So far, so good.

Cody gets calmer daily. And while we still have a long way to go before I can trust him around my calves without a muzzle, I see that the calmer I am, the better he behaves. Cody may have learned dangerous behavior, but when I look into his eyes, I see a willingness to learn, and for that, I love him.

I'm eager to pass along my new know-how to other owners of problem dogs. Do you dread taking your dog out in public where he's liable to attack other dogs? You're not alone. Contact me to schedule a consultation to see if I can help you and your dog. We CAN teach an old dog new tricks, and there is hope for every dog and every dog owner.

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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, where she raises and sells beef, pork, eggs, and other local products. She can be reached at carole@soulecoaching.com. Carole is also now a certified Life Coach who helps humans and K-9s achieve the impossible a little at a time.