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So, did you purchase some meat? If so, how are they liking it??
I usually just leave the meat plain. Every one in awhile, I will sprinkle some garlic powder (NOT garlic salt) to the cooked meat, just for some kick. Plus, garlic (in small quantities) is good for dogs.
I have also boiled meat, chicken especially, in broth rather than water to puck up different flavors. Bullion cubes of different flavors will work in boiling water too. Just be creative! Your dogs will thank you for it no matter what you do. 🙂
That is ok! From what you say, it sounds like you have a good set up. 🙂 Once you get settled, things will work themselves out and you will figure out what it best for you and the dogs. As long as the dogs are moitored outside so as they do not get into anything harmful, you should be ok. There isn’t anything wrong with them being indoors as well, as long as they have things to do and not destroy your home! 🙂
I felt that there were no questions to ask, as your post seemed pretty cut and dry with what you were saying. It just didn’t seem right, hence my reply. Sorry.
All is good, so no worries. 🙂
So sorry for misinterpreting what you said. Good grief.
This is what I say on your post that concerened me (and I cut and pasted DIRECTLY from your initial post):
“We also have an other puppy in the property, so they are running free, eveywhere for the whole, and I only keep my dog indoor at night.”
To me, that says that they are running free everywhere during the day and you only keep your dog indoors at night. Correct me if I am misinterpreting what you actually typed in your initial post. Your post wasn’t too clear. Apparently Tildasdaddy felt the same way. I just want into more detail on why it wasn’t a good idea and that it did seem like you were being irresponsible. Re-read your initial post and see why I thought that.
Even if you have a “closed” property (I am assuming it is a fence and not a 20 foot concrete wall), dogs can still get over, as can other animals or people. If there is someone watching them during the day to make sure they are ok, then it probably isn’t a big deal.
You are right that I am not with my dog 24 hours a day. But, she has free roam of my house INSIDE or goes to doggie daycare 2-3 days during the week.
I apologize if I offended you, but you were not very clear in your post with the area that I pointed out. I am all about the welfare of the animals, and it sounded like you were leaving your dogs outside all day and only bringing them in at night. If that isn’t really the case, then I apologize.
I hope that you are joking about that, as cussing at someone about your dog will just instill the idea that pit buill owners are all evil, mean, and tough. That isn’t the image good pit bull owners want to portray! We need to help clean up the image of the dog and the owner; not make it worse.
Yes, dogs should NEVER be left to roam free unattended! I am sorry to say, but that is irresponsible. Why have dogs if they are left outside to roam the property? What is the point? I am not trying to be mean, but just inquiring.
Pit bulls are not meant to be outdoor dogs. They don’t have the fur nor the skin to be left outside in different climates, as there is in Canada. Do you not worry about your dog getting into something somewhere where no one can see? Pit bulls, and all dogs for that matter, want to be with their people and not left up to their own devices to do nothing but roam. These dogs tend to become feral and unsocialized and can harm and kill other animals and possibly harm people. Free-roam dogs are what tend to make up media reports of dog bites. Sure, you may have a large property, but if you are not there to watch them 24 hours of the day, you don’t know where they may wander off to. You may end up with a dead dog from someone shooting it, hit by a car, dying from a disease, or who knows what else.
Having a dog means spending quality time with it, training the dog, mentally enriching his life, and so much more. It doesn’t mean just letting him outside to roam. That doesn’t help the dog at all. That just sets him up for injuries, diseases, and possibly death. If that dog does something to another animal or human, that is just another black mark against the pit bull breed and its cousins…something we DON’T need.
Please be a responsible pit bill owner.
Thank you for wanting to adopt a pittie, rather than buy from a backyard breeder!
First things first…DO YOUR RESEARCH! I cannot stress that enough! Pits are no different than any other dog out there, but because of the awful prejudice against them and their owners, being a pit owner means that you have to be the best of the best in how you raise your dog. Your dog has to be as socialized as you can get him. You need to take him to as many classes as you can. You will need to do small training sessions each and every day of his life. Take him as many places as you can go so he can experience what the world has to offer. There is so much that you will be responsible for to make sure that your pit is a canine good citizen.
You also need to be prepared for the looks, the stares, the comments, the fear, people pulling their children away from you and your dog, and so much more. Owning a pit bull takes a strong heart and calm temperament with what ignorant individuals will say and do. That was the hardest thing for me to adjust to. But, as long as YOU are educated, can talk calmly about the breed, guide people to the CORRECT vision of the breed, don’t make a spectacle when people shy away from you, and can speak the facts about the breed, you will be a successful owner. Getting acquainted with the breed before adopting is a smart thing to do. Be armed with as much knowledge as you can, as that will get you far. Hook up with others in meetup groups or pit bull groups locally to learn and help socialize the dog.
There is a lot to owning any breed of dog. It isn’t an animal that you can just feed and ignore. Dogs require rules, training, limitations, patience, love, and so much more. Loving a dog isn’t enough. They need us to guide them to make the right decisions. They need us. Period. But having a pit bull means so much more. It means that we have to make our dog the breed ambassador!
Here are some very helpful websites that will educate you in pit bulls, BSL, and the many other things that come with being owned by a pittie:
http://www.dontbullymybreed.org
This is just a start, but these are some of the BEST pit bull websites out there. You can learn SO much from them. Start there, and then go adopt that wonderful little guy if you think you are ready!
Good luck! 🙂
First of all, pits are not guard dogs. They are too attached to humans to really “guard” you. The only things you have going for a guard dog in a pit is the fact that many people are afraid of them and will leave you alone because of the way your dog looks. Rotts are considered a much better guard dog all around, but you really need to know what it is that you are wanting and what you will be getting into. Many dogs will defend you if they sense danger or feel that you are threatened, but pit bulls are NOT standard guard dogs. People attempt to make them guard dogs, and that is when trouble happens with aggressiveness and biting, but that can occur with ANY dog when treated in such a manner.
As for getting along with a smaller dog, each and every dog is an individual. You cannot just say, “Oh well, pits get along with all small dogs.” Nope. That isn’t the case. Just like many small dogs do not get along with larger dogs. To many large dogs, smaller dogs are prey. Dogs are “hunters” by nature, and small animals are considered prey. Pit bulls are terriers (if you have a purebred pit, which most are not), and terriers were bred to flush out, hunt, and kill game. To a terrier, smaller animals are prey and will be treated like prey. I am not saying that all terriers behave this way, but it is a typical nature of the terrier breed, and that applies to even small terriers (Cairin, Norwich, etc.). That may work with the geese chasing that you are talking about, but keep in mind that either dog that you get may kill the geese. Is that what you want?
The best thing that you can do is take the toy poodle to meet large dogs and see how he reacts. You have to keep in mind that the poodle may be frightened of larger dogs, and by bringing home a large dog into his territory, that could cause all kinds of trouble. You cannot just expect all dogs to get along. Pit bulls can be dog aggressive, and many times will not show it until it is older, as many other dogs can be dog aggressive/dog reactive too.
You need to do A LOT of research prior to bringing a larger dog in to the home of a small dog. Yes, it can and does work for many people, but a lot of those dogs grew up together, took them to training together, use the Nothing in Life is Free program, and can monitor them all the time. It isn’t that simple to go and get a large dog and bring it home and assume that it and the small dog will hit it off right away. It takes A LOT more than just that.
Best of luck!
Many dogs can take the cold without any problems, and then there are some who are very sensitive to the cold and wet mixture. That sounds like where your pup falls. His feet are senstitive, and that is normal. My dog could stand in the snow and ice for hours on end and take the cold and pain, where as our neighbor’s dog barely sets foot in the snow and begins crying and lifting his feet one by one off the ground as he walks. Some days are worse than others.
It sounds like you are doing the right things. Make sure all the salt is off his paws and out from between his digits to avoid chemical burns. Even the “pet safe” salts still have dangerous chemicals in them, but just not as bad as regular de-icing salt.
You are on the right track with wiping his paws with a warm rag afterwards. Don’t make it too warm, as that could cause more pain with the warming up from being so cold. Licking his paws afterwards is normal. He is trying to remove the pain and warm them up. My dog does it too. It is nothing to worry about. I understand what you mean by it breaking your heart. It is hard to see, but many of us are battling it. I have 7-8 inches of snow on top of about 3-4 inches of ice in my yard, so playing outside isn’t an option with the ice, but boy does my girl try!
When I take my girl out for a walk, I put boots on her. I have the MuttLuks ($45-$65), but there are other all-weather boots out there on the market for less. I also put toddler socks on her feet with the boots on for extra warmth. When she goes out to potty, I don’t put them on, but you could do that. There are slip-on boots at PetsMart that are much easier to put on and take off for quick bouts outside that may work for you. It takes some dogs a while to get used to anything on their feet, and will high-step throughout the house. Just make it a positive experience by feeding treats while you put them on and while he is getting used to them. I can now just ask Kayla if she wants to go outside, and she runs to her room, sits down near the closet where I have her boots, and starts lifting her paws for me to put her boots on.
I also put on socks when we come back in from outside, and that might be an idea to try too. I bought cheap baby and toddler socks at the dollar store and leave a few near the door so I can slip them on after I have wiped her feet. They don’t stay on real well, but I think it helps. There are actually dog socks out on the market that fit better.
Rest assured that you are doing everything right and that you aren’t the only one with a dog who has foot troubles this time of year!
I don’t think that Alice is going to get ruined by Smokey…but dogs do pick up what other dogs do. I would keep working every day, several times a day, in short bursts with Alice’s training. Keep doing it and it will continue to reinforce what Alice has learned. Try to get Smokey involved with the training too. If you are lucky, Smokey will see what happens when Alice does good, and will start offering up tricks and whatnot to get treats too.
Make sure that you spend time with Alice ONLY and without Smokey so that “jealousy” doesn’t result and Alice resent Smokey for being there. That could spell trouble in the future.
Make sure that you keep Smokey indoors or behind a fence if outside to keep Smokey from wandering off. You don’t want something happening to Smokey. Non-leash dogs can be taught to be leash dogs. It takes a lot of work and training, but it can be done. This is where a slip-lead would come in handy, just to get Smokey used to something around her neck. If she wears a collar, attach a leash to it, and let her drag it for a bit, then remove it. Treat her constantly to let her know that it is ok and it is a positive thing. After some time of this, pick up the leash, hold it, treat Smokey and then let her go. Gradually, you should be able to get her moving with the leash on. Again, it will take time and patience, but it is really important that Smokey be trained.
It has nothing to do with being the boss of your dog. I am going to sound like Cesar Milan, but your dog needs rules, boundaries, and limitations, ESPECIALLY around children! Children do things around and to dogs that irritates a dog, hence the nipping and biting that can and will occur. You need to be 150%+ diligent around the dog and children. Your dog is still a pup and needs to be taught bite inhibition and so many things at this age! Have your taken him through any puppy classes? You need to make sure that the kids aren’t bothering the dog, taking his food and toys (could cause major resource guarding in the future), etc. Also, to keep your dog from taking their food, you need to make sure that the dog is in a sit-stay or down-stay (this is where classes come in) when everyone is eating, and to make sure that the kids keep their food out of the dog’s way. Have the children eat food (snacks included) in ONE location, up and away from the dog, like at the table. Puppies see kids as large play toys, and if you do not reign it in and get it under control now, you could have trouble on your hands in the future.
Here is some bitting/nipping info from a thread that I posted to awhile ago. It may not be geared to the age of your puppy, but if you haven’t taken the dog to classes or taught him bite inhibition yet, this may help. You need to make sure ALL MEMBERS of your family do the same things, or it will just confuse the dog and frustrate the dog.
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I have never had a puppy (not a big fan of that stage in a dog’s life), but I research dog behavior in all stages.
Puppies chew and nip everything, as it is how they learn about their world. It is completely normal. But it is important to direct the puppy to chewing appropriate items, and that doesn’t include any human body parts! At 15 weeks old, she should have already learned some bite inhibition from her siblings and mother, unless she was pulled away from them too soon. That is a chronic issue with many dogs these days.
You need to teach the puppy appropriate play behavior. It sounds like you are on the right track with what you are doing. To teach the puppy appropriate play behavior, hard biting should elicit a painful shriek or a loud noise from the human, like a rapt “eh eh”. Just like it does with the pup’s siblings or mom, this sends the message to the pup that this behavior is unacceptable. Stop interacting with the puppy. Get up, cross your arms, and walk away, ignoring the puppy for a few. Puppies and older dogs hate to be ignored. Sometimes the worse thing that you can do to a dog (in his mind) is to ignore him when he is just trying to get your attention or play. By walking away or even just crossing your arms and turning your back to him, you have removed the “rewards” (you and the playing), and you are teaching bite inhibition. Gradually decrease the pressure of the bite you permit and add a cue before yelping to teach a signal to the dog. Ignoring the dog is kind of like a time out for humans.
Another way is once there is biting, keep your hands very quiet and still and then redirect the puppy to other appropriate objects. Sometimes shrieking, then ignoring, and then handing the dog something appropriate to chew on is the way to go. Always have something available to transfer to her mouth. It may seem like you are rewarding, but if you do it correctly and with good timing, you are not rewarding.
Other biting, such as on pants leg or a shoelace, can be handled by distractions such as throwing a toy or a simple clap. Remember to NOT engage the dog verbally. Just talking to the dog by saying “no” reinforces the negative behavior. You just paid attention to the dog by opening your mouth to yell at it, so you are reinforcing the behavior. Reinforce only the positive behavior.
I know, it all seems to complicated, but it will work. I have seen it happen and I have trained it. Just take your time and be patient. Dogs are experts at reading our emotions and body language. Reinforcing unwanted behaviors is one of many mistakes we as humans make when raising dogs.
Yes, please keep us posted! I really hope that you find a group that can provide guidence and things get better! 🙂
Cooked meat couldn’t hurt. Many owners that feed their dogs raw food generally do not have allergy issues! But, there is SO much that goes into feeding a raw diet, that it isn’t something I would reccomend unless you are prepared to research until your eyes falls out, get all the proper vitamins, and the list goes on and on with the things that you need to do.
Adding cooked meats can only help the diet of your dog, unless they are allergic to that meat! Ha ha! It seems to have helped my dog. Since you feed a fish diet, try to mix in canned sardines (in water and not oil) and canned salmon from time to time. They are packed with omegas that will help skin and coat as well. Eggs are a good source of biological protein for dogs that isn’t always obtained through kiln-fired kibble. It won’t hurt to try. Just do small amounts starting off, and gradually add more. Make sure that you reduce the amount of kibble you are giving in relation to the amount of meat or other item that you are giving. You don’t want to cause your dog to become obese!
Again, I would still contact the vet and see what they think about Benadryl. It is an inexpensive way to help combat the allergy symptoms. Many vets recommend it if the allergies are not severe, and many vets don’t approve of it. All you have to do is ask!
spcvanessen is right…pit bulls are misunderstood! People go by what they read and hear from the media and run with it.
In my opinion, I wouldn’t consider getting a puppy when you have a 8 month old in the house. You mention that he is mobile, likes to pull things, and hit things. By saying that, right there that throws up a red flag on getting any dog, or even a cat. Getting hit, ears being pulled on, tailed being tugged on, drooled on, etc. is not a good recipe for a dog, cat, and child. It is due to things like this and the rambunctiousness of children on why many dogs bite and attack children. The parents do not understand or misread the warning signs that the dog is giving (whale eyes, paw placement, lip twitches, ear placement, etc.) and then the child gets bit. It doesn’t matter what breed of dog it is; the hyperactivity of a puppy/young dog and a young child isn’t the best combination. Yes, people do it, but it isn’t the best idea for all involved.
If you do decide to get a dog, make sure that you watch every move that the dog and the child makes AT ALL TIMES. Even turning your back for a second can lead to disaster. Kids will take advantage of when you are not looking and do something to the dog. WHAM! The dog bites, the dog is the one who gets in trouble, and the dog is euthanized. That isn’t the life for a dog. Kids take a dog’s toys, the dog wants it back, and accidentally bites the child. Again, the dog will be blammed, when it could have been easily prevented by keeping dog toys out of the reach of children. So many things can happen and as a parent, it is your duty to make sure your child is safe at all times. You have to be extra dilligent in everything that you do when you have a young child and a dog in the house.
You notice that I continue to say “dog” and not pit bull. All of this applies to EVERY DOG BREED! No breed is exempt from biting a child when the dog has had enough. BREED DOESN’T MATTER!
You may want to consider waiting until your child is a bit older and is fully mobile and can learn and understand what NOT to do around a dog or to a dog. Children can be “brutal” to dogs, and even in the face of such treatment, the most well-bred, most obedient, and responsibly owned dog will bite or “attack” the child in defense of what the child is doing to the dog.
Please consider what you are wanting to do and keep the mental health of the dog and safety of the child at hand. That is what is important. You don’t want to set the dog up for failure, or your child up for injury. Again, it doesn’t matter what breed of dog. Dogs and really young children aren’t the best idea. Look at some dog rescue and shelter websites. Many of them have stipulations on the age of children in the home that they will adopt a dog out to. There is a reason for that. It is safety of both the dog and the child.
Due to media bias and frenzy, the public has been misguided into thinking that pit bull attacks are a raging epidemic and dog attacks only occur from pit bulls. Not the case. Here are some statistics from the “Don’t Bully My Breed” website that you should give to your mom:
*About 40 people (children) every year die by drowning in 5-gallon water pails. A person, during their lifetime, is 16 times more likely to drown in a 5-gallon water pail than to be killed by a pit bull.
*Approximately 50 children in the US are killed every year by their CRIBS-25 times the number of children and adults killed by pit bulls.
*Each year, 350 people drown in their bathtubs. You are 151 times more likely to be killed by your bathtub than you are by a pit bull.
*Every year, more than 2,000 children in the US are killed by their parents or guardians either through abuse or negelct. A child is more than 800 times more likely to be killed by their caretaker than by a pit bull.
*It can be estiamted that for every pit bull who kills, there are 10.5 million that DON’T.
If he has been doing it for this many years, what may have started as an allergy related issue, may have turned into a behaviorial issue. Kind of like us chewing our nails and cuticles. It just becomes a habit and we don’t always realize that we are doing it.
I understand about the testing. It is pricey to determine what the dogs are allergic too, but that is the only way to come to a real conclusion and to find a solution. But, you may want to try eliminating the chicken treats from the diets. Common meats such as chicken, beef, and lamb are major sources for allergies. I think that the duck might be ok, but try to venture into the exotic meats, if you want to feed meat based treats. Stick with the fish and grain-free diet for a few months and see how that works. There are fish treats out on the market! You won’t get immediate results, hence why to keep them on a strict diet for a few months. A lot of it is trial and error. But, you do have to give each food time to “work” and allow the body to rid itself of the previous food allergens.
Yes, dogs with allergies is tough! My dog is an allergy girl. She gets Benadryl during the warmer months, and is fed an exotic meat and grain-free diet, along with canned salmon, sardines, cooked egg, and some cooked meats off an on. Sometimes real meat is better than processed meat used in kibble, due to the processing and chemicals used. Try cooking of some ground turkey, beef liver, tripe, or organ meat (will have to get at a local meat market/butcher). Sometimes that helps too.
