Should a Pitbull puppy fear his owner? Should he be yelping out as if his owner is seriously hurting him? Should he be shaking in his owners presents and hold his head low?
If the puppy only acts this way around his owner - the owner probably abused him.
If he acts this way around his owner AND others (especially the same gender); he may have been abused by the owner or someone else of the same gender.
If he reacts this way toward everyone, he may have been abused by humans or even other animals. An acquaintance of mine noticed his Great Dane puppy started acting fearful of him and his family and was litteraly jumping at shadows. He watched closely for a couple of days and found out that some hunting dogs in the neighborhood had been bullying the puppy. I took the puppy off his hands and he gradually lost his fear when he realized he wasn't going to be hurt unexpectedly for no reason; but, it did take a couple of months for him to trust us and even longer to trust other humans and other animals.
I agree with Bob, this dog was definitely abused but Pittys are the sweetest dogs when raised to be that way. Pay extra attention to her, praise her, and give her treats. She can come around with some love and work.
Is this your own puppy or do you see this happening with a neighbor's dog? If this is someone else's dog and they are the original owners, I agree with Bob that this pup is being abused and urge you to call the authorities. Your animal shelter or police can help, and you can remain anonymous.
This dog has been abused. Extra care and attention will be needed to bring him back. We have adopted many dogs and have seen this in 1 or 2. He will come around if loved hard, but may become a 1 person dog if you aren't careful. Pitbulls are not really bad agressive dogs, the owners create this trait. The sweetest dog I have ever owned was a Pit, I just put her down last year at 17 years old and still really miss her.
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