Anxitity with new dog

KarenS144 wrote:
Wow... a lot could go wrong here.

Have they had large dogs before?

How old is the pitty? Have they had him scanned for a chip? Any vet should be able to do that.

Is there an animal shelter in the area to notify that they've found this dog in case the owner is looking for him?

While they may want to keep him, is it best for the dog if they do? With both working and being gone all day, it will not be easy to train him properly. If he can't be kept safe, protect the house and the other pets till he is, it might be best to take him to a shelter or find a rescue for him.

If they're going to try to keep him, he should be neutered ASAP. Crate training him is very important as well and may not be easy to do. Tying him would be the absolute last resort. Purchasing a an outdoor kennel to keep him in, is slightly better.

Bully breeds can be wonderful dogs but are not for everyone. They are very strong dogs and need a lot of attention & exercise. Some have high prey drives which make them not good with smaller dogs & cats. Do not trust this dog with the resident pets just yet.

Have them check to see if their insurance company has a banned breed list. Pits have a bad reputation as you probably know and are not favorites of insurance companies.

I agree.

Separation anxiety is something that generally takes a long time to fix. IME and IMO it's a condition that definitely calls for some pharmaceutical assistance. An appropriate medication will help the dog relax enough to be receptive to training. A stressed dog cannot learn. Even with medication, lots of patience and dedication to the task, it will be difficult to help a dog with SA when both of his humans work full time.

I wouldn't tie out any dog. IMO it's cruel and asking for all sorts of trouble. Not least of which is that (if I am remembering correctly) statistics indicate that overwhelmingly the most likely dog to bite someone is a male dog who is chained. I would think long and hard--and double check my homeowners insurance policy--before I'd go that route.

I wouldn't leave the dog loose and unsupervised around the other pets until they had lived together in peace for many months. I think the problem with that is obvious.

Which leaves either crating or leaving the dog in a room of his own (with windows securely closed and latched). If I wanted to keep the dog I'd work on a crash course in crate training this weekend and then give it a try. They'll need a sturdy crate. Unfortunately, many dogs with SA are also crate aversive. So while I don't mean to be a downer, I wouldn't put a whole lot of hope into him taking to it well.