Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Jessica
It sounds like you have found a great dog. It is a mix of two very powerful breeds so working him and training is a huge key to controling him. My male pit Ace is from my local humane society. On the 31st of the this month I will have had him for a year. He is 2 now but when I adopted him we had to take our dogs we had already to the shelter to meet him there and see how it went. Everything went really well and he was quite calm until…..he came home lol. He was crazy…he ran and ran and jumped and we just laughed but wow he was completely different when we got him home. So be prepared for that when you bring him home and keep in mind he will be with you for up to 15years of age maybe less cause he is mixed with a x-large breed but it is a long commitment. Mastiffs are somewhat laid back but the pit is crazy so I’m sure he is a good mix to calm the pit side down lol. I don’t know where you live but if the shelter hasn’t mentioned anything to you about the law and owning a pit or pit mix then you might be ok. Where I live you have to have $100,000 in liability insurance on your home owners insurance if you own a pit and then they have to be mussled when walked in public and on steel chains when walked blah blah blah… So they get expensive to own in states and cities that require these dumb things. Also someone mentioned taking him to a dog park to exercise him. Before anyone jumps on here and lectures about dog parks and pits know it is your dog and your decision to do what you want. I take mine to the dog park so to each there own. My advice in going to the dog park is go first by yourself and see what the environment is like. If it’s really busy then watch the owners and their dogs. Watch the dogs and see the way they play and act with other dogs. Then if you think it looks ok try it out and try it first when it’s not busy so it isn’t to overwhelming for him.
I read you were going to put him through CGC 🙂 AWSOME!!! My Kira is CGC certified and an awsome dog. Not to brag on my own child but I get complements on her everywhere she goes lol.If you have any questions feel free to email me I would be glad to assit.
Amber
I have a female (almost 2yrs) and a male (2yrs). I’m curious as to what the smell smells like? Kira has never had a smell to her skin and bathes work great. Ace can get a bath and things he lays on smells like a dirty dog. Sometimes that just comes from them licking themselves too. However Kira is somewhat deformed in her rear area (sounds disturbing I know) but she can’t empty her anal glands very well on her own. If you have never smelled that then oh man it will knock you off your feet..lol. Example of it is the worst wrotten smelling fish you could smell. I would take her to the vet and the vet would empty them. I didn’t discover this until she was laying on my now ex husband and he was complaining of this horrible smell and I didn’t smell it but he got up and his shirt was a little wet and the couch. So I cleaned her up and ask the vet about it and that is what it was (anal glans emptying). Thank god it was on him lol. So that could be an issue too.
Well in my obedience class when Kira was a puppy there were dogs that pulled like crazy and they used them on them and suprisingly it worked after the dog got over the thing being wraped around its muzzle. I personally use a metal choke. I have trained mine with them and they work just fine. I don’t like prong collars the just seem to much. I think my mom’s pit would benefit from a prong though because her pain tolerance is extreme. You can’t tell others what to use though because everyone’s beliefs are different. In reference to the fixation problem you are having…I use a spray bottle and if they are outside the hose. I trained them that way with the spray bottle. I don’t even have to spray it anymore and it doesnt matter what bottle I grab. I was spraying Febreeze on my bed the other day and they came in the room and as soon as they seen it they took off down the hallway lol. They can be in the biggest trance and fixated on something but the minute I grab the spray bottle they snap out of it. I know that sounds completely crazy but if your dog is not a water dog then try it. It is positive reinforcement so you don’t have to smack on them. I only had to use the hose once when my neighbors crazy mixed little terrier was running my fence and attacking them…that drives them to the breaking point. The only way to snap them out is to grab them if I can catch them or grab the hose. I don’t even spray them I just spray it on the ground and bam they stop and look at me like whow mom sorry…lol.
I underdstand you not wanting to crate him while your at work but pits are notorious for being destructive so not using the training pads could be the least of your worries. I learned the hard way trying to leave my two pits loose while I was at work….hahaha did I get a suprise when I came home for lunch. They had shredded an $80 dog bed. I was so mad. They have toys everywhere and they tore that up because they were mad I left. But the day before I left them loose and they were fine never touched a thing…so now they are crated. My boyfriend is home now most of the day so they are loose but they got use to it before that and I would crate them at 8am, let them out for about 30mins at noon and the they were crated til 5pm when I got home. They would be a little wild but I let them out to run outside and played with them then sometimes we would go for a walk and they adapted just fine. As for the training pads….my experience with people I know doing that with their dogs turns out bad because they learn it’s ok to potty in the house even when they pads aren’t there anymore. I really don’t reccomend using them to anyone. General Rule of thumb is for every month old the puppy is how long it should be able to go without peeing.
Wow Stacey that is a sad situation I bet. I understand where you were coming from with you loving your pup but loving your kids more. That is awsome you stuck it out though and got a handle on the dog. I am not one to beat on my dogs either but sometimes its the only thing left. My moms pit is 10months old and no just doesn’t work with her. I actually have done the same with a rolled magazine and sometimes that doesn’t work so this is going to sound horrible but I kicked her and not like drop kicked her across the yard or anything just enough to get her attention. I haven’t had one problem with her since and she listens to everything I tell her. I felt absolutly horrible for doing it but seeing how it worked and I mean NOTHING else did it was little bit better. Most people in your situation would have gave up on the dog or even put it down.
Amber
Wow that is crazy. Both of my pits have skin allergies to various things. I see you listed the treatments but nothing about what they thought the cause was. First and foremost food!!! Food is almost 90% of the cause of skin problems. I would recommend a food trial before you spend the money. If you have already tested food I do some someone who rescued a pit and he is actually allergic to humans. Sounds crazy but is actually true. He is also allergice to about everything else you can imagine. They have to give him injections all the time for it just like a human with allergies. I don’t think they went to the $1000 extreme. Keep in mind just like us you can get a second opinon. Its your money so you have every right to do so.
Amber
Getting him fixed is not going to solve your behavior problems. I don’t know if you have ever owned pits before but from my experiences with them and my two they are extremely high energy dogs. They get crazy when they are not exercising enough. Mine have adjusted to their schedules now and are relaxing. My mom’s pit is 10months and she bounces off the walls if she’s not exercised. The barking and misbehaving is an attention getter. Like a screaming child. When you react to the screaming they pick up on that so they know if they scream then you will pay attention to them. So turn that to the dog and he is getting your attention every time even though it is to correct him it works. I seen someone mentioned bike runs but if he is not well trained with a leash that could be a bad idea. Also I have read somewhere I don’t remember where now but biking with them is not recommened for puppies they need to be almost a year old before you do that with them. It could cause long term damage. You want to exercise them to make them tired but you don’t want to push them to do something they are not physically ready for. He’s your dog so you can do what you want obviously but in my experience with all dogs its not always a good idea to over do it. Also try daycare. Sounds crazy maybe but he will be able to play with other dogs and I garuntee when you pick him up he will be beat.
I personally am not a big fan of tug of war with dogs of any breed. It is sometimes like a dominating game for them. Also for the simple fact that any dog wants to grab the toy where you are holding it. I allow my two pits to play tug together on a kong tug toy but only under supervision and if one gets an attitude (mainly Kira) then it gets taken away and the game is over. If she is biting you when your hand slips into her mouth that is something that needs to be stopped. If my hand gets in Ace or Kiras mouth they immediately stop and don’t bite down. I tought them that is not a toy and to stop. It works. To each their own though but I don’t thing their is a toy that is going to be a tug toy and protect your hand because they aren’t suppose to bite you. To make sure I’m clear I know your not saying she bites you hard.
Amber
When working with young puppies you have to be quick. They have short attenion spans. Waiting patiently will come with time. Yes he should sit long enough to get a treat but I was taught that you only treat them when first training. Once they got the command down then stop using treats and just praise. That might work better for you too. Also be very very firm in your voice when giving commands. NEVER keep repeating commands. If you say it once and they don’t do it start over. Don’t keep saying sit sit sit sit until they do. That is not the idea behind manners. They need to know what to do the first time. Pits are typically hyper, high energy, and stubborn thanks to the terrier in them. When Kira was in puppy kindergarden she was a star and did amazing. Then when we got to obedience and CGC she was going through her adolecents and thought she could decided when and what she wanted to do. It can be frustrating but when you start to get mad at them stop and take a deep breath then start over. Also make them tired before you train with them. Throw toys and stuff to let them burn off energy. Training a tired pit is much much easier. Good Luck
AmberFirst I am so so sorry that this happened to you. Where do you live? Each state is different as far as pits go. For example I live in Ohio an the actual state has a law on pits plus individual cities. Most people would say that you were crazy for spending that much money on a dog. I completely understand how you feel though they are like children to us pit lovers and we would do anything for them. I am not into law enforcement or government but I would say they are abusing you and from the sounds of it you are from the UK? Meaning that people in this country will walk all over outsiders because they think you are stupid and don’t know any better. So they can get by with making you do all those things. If you weren’t breaking any laws to begin with then hell yeah fight. It is your right as a US citizen to stand up to bullies in our crapy government. Gather your facts and your evidence from the neighbors to the person who was watching the dog. If the other dog was taken to the vet then maybe there is pictures to prove that dog was fine. If you have things like that to back you up there’s nothing they can say.
Amber
Melissa,
The fact that she is already 7months makes it more of a challenge. But getting up through the night to let her out is a HUGE no no when crate training them. I know it sucks and you don’t want a mess to clean up in the mornings but sometimes you just have too. It is suppose to be natural for them to not want to potty where they sleep. I don’t know her background so I will give you the advice I have learned from several puppies over the years.
1.)Don’t let them out in the middle of the night. She is at the age now where she should be able to hold it during the night.2.)Put a stuffed animal in her crate to mimic a sibiling.
3.)If she has a wire crate that is all open place a blanket or towel over it to help her feel sheltered.
4.)Put her in the same room with you. If she is in another area of the house and it’s new to her she may feel lonely at night and scared. If she can see you and smell you she will feel more at ease.
5.)Either take a towel(that you rub all over you to get your sent) or an old shirt of yours and place in her crate too.
I tend to think of them like a baby. When they cry and the minute you hold them or they are with you they calm down and are fine.
Try those things and see if that helps. Let me know.Amber
Thank you for the support. I feel horrible that I can’t walk my dogs regularly because they have to be all muzzled up and bull**** like that. I always say when people bring it up that would you want your mouth wrapped up so you can’t breath properly and walk around getting hot? Exactly so shut up! I watched the Dayton news the other night and thier was a man in government there that doesn’t beleive in BSL and blames the owners and they need to be more responsible not breed selecting.
I searched Archived Sports Illustrated on google and it gave me
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/. Thru other research I found it was in 1987 so I looked up 1987 issues and found it. You can’t miss it the cover is horrible. You can then read the artilces in that issue and I printed it. Its 6 pages printed. But I have to say after reading the article it is pretty good. It’s not what you expect after seeing the cover. There are a lot of quotes standing up for the breed and the history of the breed and saying its the owners.Not a problem. That is funny the pit put the min pin in his place cause my parents chihuahua puts all dogs in their place no matter their size lol. I make my two share my lap and time but they will push each other out of the way to be the closest to me lol. Kids will go as far as to bite Ace’s back leg to get his attention then when he turns around she slips in its so funny. I guess I’m pretty lucky with mine cause they will drink out the warlte bowl at the same time and even share food bowls. They know how to push each others buttons its so funny. So I would just stick to your firmness and always stay calm and relaxed when you are around them. I know with knowing the pit hype you want to keep your gaurd up but that can give you a nervous presence which you don’t want. I did that at first with Kids. I learned now that yes she’s powerful but I let my over reactive guard down and she does really well.
AmberI’m pretty sure my FB settings allow non friends to view my pics. I have a lot more on FB than here it’s just easier to upload pics espeaily mobile uploads. So search Amber Richardson or my email is [email protected]
