10 Month Old Pit Bull Puppy Doesn't Sniff Other Dogs to Greet

We are interested in adopting a 10 month old blue female pit. She has been raised in a shelter/kennel so far and doesn't have any "manners". She needs to be trained. We've been told that she gets along with other dogs but doesn't sniff when she greets them. She just wants to jump on them and play right away.

Just wondering if anyone has ever heard of this and if training will help her learn how to greet another dog. Or is this part of potentially a bigger issue?

Gale's Reply:

I'm wondering if this puppy was taken away from her mom and litter mates too soon. That's where puppies begin to learn doggie etiquette and it sounds like she "wasn't in class that day". Or she may be one of those rare, totally trusting souls who doesn't need to gather a lot of information before deciding if another dog is safe.

Either way, it sounds like the biggest concern will be how other dogs react to her. If she hasn't already, she will eventually encounter a dog that doesn't appreciate her exuberance and will feel the need to put her in her place.

Since you know she needs training and are planning on working with her if you do adopt her, I think that teaching her to "wait" and not rush upon another dog would be doable. She may or may not get the hang of doggie greeting rituals. In the meantime, I think teaching her some manners would go a long way in managing her lack of poise around other dogs.

For more information on obedience training, visit our Pit Bull Training page.

For help with behavioral problems, check out our Dog Behavior Training page.