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I’ve never had a problem with the peanut butter getting anywhere. I just put less than a tablespossn in at a time and make sure it’s sort of spread around the inside so it doesn’t fall out as he’s rolling around with it. He usually has it all licked up long before it gets on the floor. You can also use a combination of peanut butter and a couple pieces of dog food or treats. Just dip the food in enough peanut butter to get it to stay inside the kong ball, but not enough to be messy. Just make sure you label the jar of peanut butter to avoid confusion. Also, I have used plastic cups before, I don’t let Kaos keep a hold of them, but that way one end is closed and the treats don’t just fall out the other side. It’s a cheap alternative, you just have to make sure to pick up the cup before they start chewing it. I actually don’t use the kong ball all that often, just if we weren’t able to get out one day. Kaos likes stuffed animals and chew ropes etc. I have fun hooking them in his collar so he jumps around and tries to get ahold of them. I sit on the couch and enjoy the show. It’s really all about being creative and finding ways to keep her busy with the least amount of effort from you!
Lol. I would make it as positive as I could!! LOTS of praise and treats. Give them time to explore and gain confidence. You can work on focus excercises to get them to focus on you rather than their surroundings. Also, finding a place for them to play and be rambunctious puppy explorers is great! It’s all about building confidence and getting them out there and exposing them to as many different positive situations as possible. If they have confidence in themselves and in you they will be happy, outgoing dogs. Just remember to give them their time becuase, just like with kids, the world outside the front yard is scary, and make all reinforcement positive to help them enjoy the outings. As far as collars and leads go, it’s whatever your dogs work best with as long as they aren’t pullers. The choke collar isn’t my favorite. But, if they are comfortable with the choke and work well with it, there is no reason to add more unfamilliar things to a new situation.
You are right that the head collar is similar to a horse halter, the difference is the mentality and facial structure of the animal. Horses are flee animals and by nature give into pressure. Plus, the way a horses head is designed, the halters work with sensetive pressure points to lend control. A dog has the same pressure points, but becuase the angle you are pulling at is different, the pressure is different. Dogs are fight animals by nature (I’m not talking about dog fighting, I’m talking about genetic self-defense mechanisms. Horses are herd animals and programmed to run from predators. Dogs are pack animals and are programmed to protect themselves.) The basic principal is the same and the head collars can certainly be helpful in making training easier on your hands, but they don’t address the fixation problem. Only proper training will create a confident, relaxed dog.
I have used pronged and choke collars and easy leads. What I have found is that, with pits, because they are higher energy and have a high pain threshold, if they are intent on something, they will just lean into whatever it is, no matter what. I have come to realize that there is no substitute for proper training. I used the turn-the-other-way method. Kaos is very strong and sometimes gets excited to play with other dogs as well. We have worked hard on obedience with him he will sit while another dog passes, but he will still get so excited that, even though he is sitting, hes whining and shaking. I finally started taking him to the soccer fields. There are closed off tennis courts close by and I’ll let him run off some energy first so he’s not so fresh. Then we’ll walk close enough to the soccer fields to catch his interest, but not so close that we don’t have room to work. I don’t wait for Kaos to start pulling. I want him to stay beside me on a loose lead. If he gets too far infront of me I use the “come” comand and short tugs until he turns and follows me (which places him behind me.) The thing is, you have to wait till the dog is actually following you before you reward him becuase, at first, Kaos just sort of turned sideways and continued to try and pull in the same general direction. I would keep tugging and changing my direction until he truly turned and gave his attention to me. I would then walk a few steps with him in the correct position, stop and have him sit, then reward him. Sometimes I would end up doing a full 360 degree circle or more before he would truly break his fixation. It seems to be working very well though and is much better at encouraging him to actually give me his attention, rather than just not pull on the leash. Now I don’t use any type of aid, I just put in the extra time to teach him properly. I’ve also found that teaching tricks can help becuase it gives your dog something to focus on other than what is going on around him.
Lol. That’s so funny! Kaos does the EXACT same thing. He doesn’t even bark, its this obnoxious high pitched whining meowling thing. We finally took to sticking toys in his collar and he jumps around like a dork and throws himself on the floor rolling all over the place trying to get to it. We’ve also used kongball type toys with peanut butter. They work great becuase it’s mentally stimulating and there is the peanut butter incentive. We have also started a new tactic. We have had Kaos kennel trained since he was a puppy. When he starts barking we give him the “kennel up” command and he will sulk to his kennel till he is told to come back out. My theory is that, in the wild, when pack or herd animals are in trouble, the leader will send them away from the group as a punishment. It took a little while for Kaos to understand that he was being sent away for the barking, but it has worked pretty well. If you don’t have a kennel you could train him to go to a certain spot on command, kind of like time out with kids. We use this same command if he doesn’t mind his manners around company. I have seen dog training shows where the owner will have the dog on a leash and take them out of the room if they jump up on the guest, but I like this method because it does not require me to leave the room with the dog, he is just sent to time out until he can behave. The best way to do it is to train the dog in the command using treats and lots of praise so that they are very solid in their reaction to the command BEFORE you try to apply it with a playful or excited dog!
You’re very welcome! I love Pits and Border Collies. I’ve had 2 BC’s, named Trace and Sky. They were FANTASTIC dogs. I’ve also had a lab and a golden retriever. I do have to say that I am partial to the pits, but a good dog is a good dog (just be careful, because once you’ve had a pit, you’ll be hooked for life!) I wish you luck for many happy years with your new family member.
I absolutely agree! I look forward to the day when people see us and our dogs for who we really are. I can’t wait for the day when the name doesn’t matter anymore because we no longer have to worry about proving anything!
Lol. That’s funny. My pit runs from small dogs too. If they act friendly he plasters his face on the ground to try and play on their level. We don’t let Kaos run loose any more, not because we worry about him being agressive, but just becuase he is not neutered and I don’t want to risk unwanted puppies. I’m trying to find more people here in my hometown with pits becuase what I have found works best for off-leash galavants is to take the dogs to an enclosed, vacant place like a tennis court. We have a couple with actual gates, not rotating doors (Kaos figured out how to work them.) I like to take dogs I know are friendly and close them in and let them go wild. They run and run and run and we don’t have to worry about unfreindly dogs or people and for dogs without great recall skills, it’s much safer. Of course, when somebody comes to play tennis we give them the courts, but it’s an excelent way to let the dogs burn some energy in a more controlled environment.
I agree with “i love my pitbull.” My dog is a bad daddy’s boy, till daddy gets upset or he gets his feelings hurt, then it’s my turn to hold him on my lap and wipe his tears! 🙂 However, Brinks adjusting to life with only one love is much better than the alternative! It helps that you are the primary caregiver so that his routine will be disrupted as little as possible. I would just say keep him entertained and busy so he doesn’t get bored and lonely and chew your furniture. He’ll adjust, but be ready for a needy puppy! Pits have LOTS of love and if they don’t have multiple people to share it with, hope you have a big bed, becuase you’ll get ALL the love and he’ll want to cuddle (and steel your pillow!) My dog has a full time mommy and daddy and two kids to play with and he’s still clingy.
I am by no means an expert and I’m absolutely interested to see what other people say. However, I would say that neutering can help with male agression. Unfortunatelly, I don’t think it’s as simple as all that. The first worry about bringing a dog into a home with another dog is how they get along in general. It sounds as if your dogs are okay, even if one is a little more rambunctious than the other. Secondly, when dogs, or any animal, for that matter, is brought into the “fold” a pecking order will be established. If you are a firm “pack leader” and neither of your dogs are trying to become alpha male, then the chances for agression is decreased farther. I would advise caution though, becuase, as the previous owner of border collies, I know there is quite a size difference in the two breeds and your pit could injure you BC without intending to, just by playing too rough. Besides, an argument over a favorite toy, or the best spot to sleep, could happen at any time (just like with siblings.) If I were the owner of two dogs I would take the precaution of keeping them apart when you are not home. This isn’t a pitbull specific precaution, just responsible dog ownership. As far as your wifes beliefes, she is right, but it’s not just about loving them, you have to socialize both dogs well and help them build a healthy, brother-like relationship with each other and a child-parent relationship with you (you being the parent.) Again, this isn’t a pit thing, it’s a dog thing. My advice would just be to think logically about the situation and to keep a close eye on the dogs.
Thanks! 🙂 That’s the same reason I joined this site. As much as I like showing people how great the breed is, it’s nice to be able to talk about my dog without having to first convince people he’s not going to start frothing at the mouth and eating babies for lunch!
Lol. If we named our dogs all Buttercup, Daisy and Duke, we would probably be criticized for misleading the general public!!! 😛 At any rate, I’m glad to see that there are people out there who are looking out for the best interest of the breed, even if we don’t all see eye to eye on method. Personally, I don’t care how it’s done, as long as our dogs have their people who will stand up for them! I’d like to make a toast, to all the “Buttercups,” and all the “Killers,” we are all comrades in arms and when it comes right down to it, we will fight to the death, for our much loved, 4 legged family members. Lol. Kaos just stole my husbands slipper off his foot and run across the room, just to set it down and drool on it!
People already assume that the reason for owning a pit is a negative one. People who judge a dog by the name or the breed are simply ignorant and need to be educated. The only ones that irritate me are those who cling to and protect their ignorance by refusing to open their eyes to the truth. Those people are why I am a registered voter, they are why I go to the polls to stand up for what I believe in. My grandfather named his toy poodle “Tank” because he thought it was funny to name a little dog such a big, tough name. I don’t think I have ever met a nastier, more viscious dog in my life (God rest her soul.) But nobody thought twice about the name becuase it was a poodle. I understand completely the argument you make, however, I refused to give into the people who told us that bringing a pitbull into a home with two kids was dangerous and I refuse to name my dog something “safe” just becuase it may portray a negative image. Not to say that I have no feelings of responsibility towards the breed. I do. I love pits and we are actively trying to combat the media hype. Kaos is a fantastic ambasador for the breed and I LOVE LOVE LOVE taking him out around town. We inspired my sister to adopt a pit puppy, named Athena. My grandma used to close her eyes and pray when she came over and Kaos would lick her. The last time she was over for dinner, she used him as a foot rest and spoiled him rotten with table scraps (which he is absolutely NOT allowed to have!) At any rate, it is what it is, I’m not trying to step on any toes, but I have loved the name since it popped into my head and I love telling people that we named our dog Kaos.
No offense taken. He is named Kaos becuase he joined a newly formed family with two kids and a chaotic, busy lifestyle. He fits his name as he is rambunctious and very active. I didn’t think Buddy or Mac would fit his personality and I wanted something that jived better with me and my family. Not chaos in a bad way, just a family (and dog) with lots of love and lots going on. Plus, it’s a family trait for all names to start with “K.” Kendsey, Kaitlin, Krista, Keaton, Kayden, Khloee, Kaos and my horses name was Kenya. Kaos fit us, the dog and the name. It’s not ment to inspire fear or dislike for the breed and we are active in our home town to dispel the myths. When people meet Kaos and get to know him they realize the name is ironic and fitting at the same time. When we were first discussing names for him we considered the fact that it’s probably not the tamest or most bland of names and would probably be met with criticism. However, people will criticize and pass judgement, no matter what we do, so I decided to go ahead and name him true to his character and with the creativity that me and my family live by. People walking down the street expect a vicious dog long before we are close enough to tell them what his name is and after meeting him they laugh when they do find out.
