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raisins momParticipant
At four months old he probably doesn’t have the patience/attention span to be doing alot of training all at once. Take him out for short less then 5 minute walks mutiiple times a day.Keep treats on your side to keep him focused to you and your side. My dog is a year and a half and when we do trick training I never go past 5 -10 mins at a time without breaks. Dogs are just like humans and will get frustrated, bored and distracted at training. My german shepherd would pull on the leash and run into me until he was atleast 6 or 8 months. I use to complain about walking him because it was more fun then work. Patience ins the key. Good Luck
raisins momParticipantAt four months old he probably doesn’t have the patience/attention span to be doing alot of training all at once. Take him out for short less then 5 minute walks mutiiple times a day.Keep treats on your side to keep him focused to you and your side. My dog is a year and a half and when we do trick training I never go past 5 -10 mins at a time without breaks. Dogs are just like humans and will get frustrated, bored and distracted at training. My german shepherd would pull on the leash and run into me until he was atleast 6 or 8 months. I use to complain about walking him because it was more fun then work. Patience ins the key. Good Luck
raisins momParticipantOur German Shepherd is the same way. We figured out through food choices that he allergic to many of the foods that have fillers. We had to put him on Taste of the Wild which has helped. Along food allergies he has seasonal allergies too. This week it was a yeast infections so the vet said to use the ear antibiotics in the jowl area of his mouth and ears. The vet thinks our dog when scratching his mouth then ear is transferring the yeast into the ear causing the infection. sounds weird I know . We also give him Benadryl too. Just some options to discuss w/ your vet.
raisins momParticipantOur German Shepherd is the same way. We figured out through food choices that he allergic to many of the foods that have fillers. We had to put him on Taste of the Wild which has helped. Along food allergies he has seasonal allergies too. This week it was a yeast infections so the vet said to use the ear antibiotics in the jowl area of his mouth and ears. The vet thinks our dog when scratching his mouth then ear is transferring the yeast into the ear causing the infection. sounds weird I know . We also give him Benadryl too. Just some options to discuss w/ your vet.
April 20, 2011 at 7:59 pm in reply to: Gentle leaders,prong collars,harnesses what do you use? #17090raisins momParticipantI use a nylon flat collar and sometimes a Sensible harness that hooks in the front. A thought to try but unknown how well it will work is peanut butter on a wood spoon or spatula. Put it in front of yer dogs nose and try to walk forward with your dog licking the peanut butter. I only suggest the spatula so you wont hurt your back leaning over so much. As they grow you can just hold a treat in your hand. I use alot of treats when I walk Raisin. I try to do all our training also when he is hungry so he pays even more attention to me because he wants that food. Good luck to you and your pups!
raisins momParticipantI have an intact male German Shepherd who will be 2 next month and Raisin who is approx 14 months and is neutered. They both seem to get along well although at times Jerry (GSD) can be ball aggressive. Jerry will growl if Raisin gets near his ball while playing fetch so we just don’t throw the ball when the two are together. My suggestion if you think your two dogs are starting to play a lil rough is to seperate them, let them calm down then allow them to play again. I do that often with our two boys just to remind them to “take it down a notch”.
Like Herman’s owner we too are working through some fear issues with Raisin. He doesn’t like men and when greeting new dogs he tends to overwhelm them.
We crate them when we are not home to prevent any scuffles. Also we have a “pecking order” for lack of better word in our home. Anytime we are doing something with the dogs such as feeding them the GSD is served first. But both dogs have been taught food manners. Neither gets their food until we set it down and say ok and at anytime we can take the food away without fear of being bitten.
I am far from a dog expert. My dogs past and present have probably taught me more then I could teach them. What I have learned is when your dog has boundaries and manners your home will be more harmonious.
raisins momParticipantIf he is eating to fast you could buy him one of those rolling balls that the food falls out as he pushes it around. I have also seen at Petsmart bowls designed to slows your dog down when they eat to fast. Here is just an example of one, not neccesairly the one sold at Petsmart.
http://www.strictlypetsupplies.com/_022517737019-Dogit-Go-Slow-Anti-gulping-Bowl-Pink-X-small
raisins momParticipantI am still a little shocked though the employee’s in the office allowed another client to talk to you like that. I am glad my vet also owns two pitbulls. I’d get a new vet too. Some people just have no tact.
raisins momParticipantThat is the best reply I have ever heard. I love it! Great response.
raisins momParticipantI think everyone that has replied to your post has been polite and answered your questions in reasonable manner; and yet you still come onto a pro-responsible pitbull ownership site and take jabs at us. I am going to reiterate I am a 911 Operator so I make stressfull decisions everyday. Did I also mention my boyfriend is a law enforcement officer? So maybe our IQ’s are not high enough to put us through medical school, but everyday we deal with people of every economic level and shocker for you some of the richest people are the worst to their families and pets. Vice a versa some of the poorest will give their last cent to help another. IQ and wealth will not make you a good person nor determine if you make good decisions. It is unknown to me why you insist on this idea. Was it not Mark Madoff’s son who hung himself in his apt while his child was there? His father was wealthy, made poor decisions and wound up in prison. Apparently their high IQ’s that lead them to wealth did not help them in the area’s of good decision making.
I am begining to think you came on here just to incite us into fighting with you in hopes of saying that pitbull owners are as unstable as their dogs. I would say we proved you wrong.
You want to debate the the severity of a dog bite? Let’s see a larger dog will have a larger bite that just seems like common sense to me. In Omaha NE animal control just released a report showing labs have the highest bite record. You may wonder why? The answer is because they are popular in that area and that leads to higher chance of unsocialiezed dogs that bite. As for your comment regarding the bite, shake and hold I ask are you familiar with terrier breeds? Jack Russell terrier’s do the same things as a pitbull terrier does. They too have prey drives and were raised and breed to flush out rats, gophers and other small animals from their dens. Funny noone seems to notice when they chase cats or show signs of dog aggression. I forgot its cute when lil dogs have no manners and jump or bark at people. Those lil teeth can’t break skin ( yes that is ooozing in sarcasm).
What one needs to focus on is why at that moment the dog bite occured. Are you expecting a dog to reason like a human does? Cause you expect them to understand they did something wrong ? I am not one of those people who says my dog will never bite because I know he is fully capable of biting and doing damage. My response is I do the best I can to prevent my dog from being in a situation where he would feel he had to bite whether out of fear or for his protection.
raisins momParticipantAww the puppy stage. Isn’t it fun? = ) I adopted Raisin when he was 7 or 8 months so he was past the initial puppy stage altho he still chews. We purchased our shepherd around 9 weeks and he was a biter as a pup (esp when teething). So we would buy carrots and throw them in the freezer. He loved them. He will be two in May and still loves frozen carrots. Ad for when he would chew on me I would say “No” or make an “eek” noise so he would release and then give him something else to chew on. It helped some.
Raisin tho when he was chewing somethng he use to not like to give it up so we taught him the ” out”. Basicaly I would give him something and then say out and take it away. I then waited a few seconds to a minute then would give it back to him. The “out” command has been a lifesaver. As far as if puppy latches a dress or clothing its pretty normal, kids running past, the excitement. Puppy just wants to join in the fun. That is when I would try the “out” and offer your puppy a different toy to chew on or exchange the unwanted article for a doggy treat.
Another great thing to start working on with your pup is preventing any type of food aggression. My last dog I found was food aggressive so that was my number one rule these dogs could not be. I had to feed him locked in a crate so that there was noway he could turn on someone that was near his food bowl. We trained both dogs we have now they must wait and make eye contact w/ us before we feed them. Then while they ate we practiced putting our hands in the bowl and moving their food around. Taking the bowl away then giving it back to them. I can not tell you how many 911 calls I have taken for dogs who’s owners did not teach them this.
Enjoy the puppy stage. I don’t miss it but it was a fun experience to go through with our shepherd. Shaping your pup into a great dog will be more rewarding then I can express on this page.
March 15, 2011 at 2:13 am in reply to: Pushing threw to get out the front door and jumping over fence #16883raisins momParticipantHow much excercise is your dog getting eachday? The best advice I can give you is a tired dog is a happy dog.
It sounds like the wait command would be a good one to teach your dog. Our dogs have learned they have to sit at the door and wait to be asked in or let out. It was alot of work but has helped us in establishing boundaries. I spend alot of time doing obdience with my dog. A good place to start is your local SPCA and see if they offer any obedience classes or training advice.
When your dog jumps the fence does he have things to do back there? Maybe giving him a large bone to chew on would occcupy some of his time? My pitbull is a digger unfortunately so even with a playmate he still tries to escape. I have taken up walking him alot as well as purchaseing an attachment for my bike so he can run next to me. It seems the more I get him out and excercise him the less time he spends trying to escape.
Good luck to you.
raisins momParticipantI think if you look around at the pictures of peoples dogs on this site, read their bio’s, as well the question and answer forums you will see the majority of the people on here are like me. The majority of us preach and push the idea of being a responsible owner who socialize their dogs, know the history of the breed, and understand what we need to do so our dogs are not seen as vicious monsters.
You discuss people who choose pitbulls must have low IQ’s because if they weighed out the risks they would not own a pitbull. I will tell you why I choose Raisin. My beloved dog and best friend could not get up and greet me as he had for the past 10 years. Long story short, he cancer and I had to make the decision to let him go. A month to the date of his passing I went to the shelter. No matter how much one trys to dress up the shelter it is still a sad place. The majority of the dogs in there were pitbulls, rottweilers and german shepherds that week. How sad it was to look at them knowing the majority were not going to leave this place alive. That is when my boyfriend who was not a fan of pitbulls pointed out Raisin to me. He was small and wrinkly and hiding in a blanket and wouldn’t come near the glass window. When I finally got near him he curled up into me and looked at me like “please dont’ leave me here”. I will have Raisin a year in May. He had pneumonia when I adopted him. He was under weight and small in his size which possible was from being locked in a crate. The shelter work paperwork said he was abandon on the street. A human lacking compassion just dumped a him on the street and walked away. His “issues” were brought on by someone that all of us on this site fight to not be associated with as a “typical pitbull owner”. ( BTW my boyfriend who did not want me to bring home a pitbull loves Raisin. As for his IQ he is one of the most methodical and intelligent people I know.)
You brought up the media. Oh I can go on about the media for days. I love to read the stories. You ask why? Because they are so emotional. They put pictures in of vicious dogs or the horrific picture of a dog bite injury. Now ask me what they fail to put in their articles? The factual information that you came on this site skeptical we as pitbull owners would provide to you. They do not print if the dog is a house dog or just a yard ornament. They do not put if the dog is neutered. They do not put if there are a male and female together and the possibly it was breeding season. So many facts are left out and the voids are filled with heart string tugging material.
You ask why I have a dog that may require a tool known as a break stick. I have it for those people who are not as responsible as I. So that if I am ever in a postion where I have to break up a fight I have the neccessary tools do to it and safely. I also carry my cellular phone and pepper spray at night when I walk for my personal safety. I have nevere been robbed or assualted but but I still carry tools to protect myself and call for help.
Lastly you asked if I take my dog to the dog park and my answer is no. I am not a fan of the dog parks ( a response many people on here will disagree with) . Some of the parks do not seperate large dogs and small dogs and I feel this is a safety issue. Sometimes big dogs play to rough which can lead to smaller dogs getting injured. There is also the idea of prey drive which can lead to devestating results. Additionaly people bring toys to the park which can cause toy aggression which can lead to dog fights. I also don’t like the idea of throwing tons of dogs into one enclosed area that do not know eachother. If humans can have squabbles and fights, how can we expect dogs not too?
I think I answered all your questions. Dont think I am not answering or avoiding you should I not reply quickly to any response but I have already put in 10 hours at work today, did grocerey shopping, fee my dogs. I still need to fix my lunch for my work day tomarrow and most importantly play fetch with my shepherd and practicing teaching Raisin how to play Paddy Cake.
Feel free to ask me any question or concerns that you have regarding pitbulls. Oneday I hope you have the chance to meet a well behaved pitbull and see how they wiggle their hind enda, what we refer to as the pibble wiggle. Or you get the joy of seeing one smile at you. The best part is when people yell at my dog to get off their street he still smiles back at them. Im glad he doesn’t know how many people fear or hate him because I would never want that unconditional love he gives to kill his spirit.
raisins momParticipantI echo i luv my pitbull’s sympathy for the loss of your cat. It is always devestating to lose a pet and under those circumstances I can see how one would feel such a mix of emotions. And yes if my cat was killed by a dog anger would be one of those emotions. I own a cat as well as my pitubll and my german shepherd. Last year I had a friend who could not seem to contain her german shepherd and lab. They escaped out of her yard multiple times and in the end killed 2 of their neighbors cats. I know she was devestated for her neighbors. In the end animal control deemed her dogs and vicious and they had to be euthanized. Unfortunately her not containing her dogs in their yard lead to the loss of her neighbors beloved cats and her two dogs. A preventable tragedy all around.
My dog’s vet own’s two pitbulls. As far as do I kow any other other professionals such as lawyers, doctors,etc that own pitbulls the answer is no I do not. But I also do not have any friends in those professions. But I have meet many responsible pitbull owners at charity events and one of them could of been in those professions. I just never thought to ask people what they do for a living. I do not care what someone does to earn a living. My only hope is that they are positively contributing to their community. A janitor, a pilot, a teacher, a waitress all have vital roles in our communities. Do not judge one based on what tax bracket they fall in.
As for how to break up a dog fight that includes a pitbull who will not release, I would result to my break stick. It is a tool placed in a pitbulls mouth behind the molars that you twist so they loosen their grip and let go. I may also add that I carry one and have never had to use it. In CA we have strict leash laws and I am one who believes in them. I also believe in spaying/ neutering pets which can help to reduce aggression. Often times the media will publish many articles regarding pitbull attacks but leave out the important information such as was the dog spayed/ neutered and was this dog a pet or left in the yard chaned up.
You said the majority of people on here will have emotional and not factual responses. That gave me a wonderful chuckle. My boyfriend loves to tell me how I base all my decisions on emotions from voting to what I want to eat that day. I am an emotional person. I have to be. Each day I sit down at my desk and the first thing out of my mouth is “911 what is your emergency?’. My job requiers me to show compassion to the victim who has just been shot as well professionalism to the person who admits to stabbing their significant other. In 10 years at my job I have heard so many tragic moments of peoples lives. There are times when I have to turn off how I feel and just do my job, but I still try to keep compassion in my heart for those during their time of need. I live my life by the belief that I need to be compassionate to all those around me, human or animal.
I only hope when you come on this page you are willing enought to agree to disagree. I get yelled at by people to get my pitbull off their street in the AM on our walks. My response is to smile and say enjoy your day ( and no I do not avoid their street on my next walk). Maybe just maybe they will see my well behaved dog and I enjoying life and take away a little part of that joy into their lives. Life is full of lessons all around us and owning my pitbull has taught me to be less judgemental against those who judge me.
Again, I am truly sorry for the loss of your cat.
raisins momParticipantI have a German Shepherd and my pitbull. My German Shepherd is not neutered and my pitbull is. They love to wrestle and growl at eachother. My pit seems to like to grab the shepherds legs and hold on. Luckily for me it seems to be all in fun. But we do interrupt them when they play. When they become intense or really at the peak we call them apart, have them sit, relax until maybe their breathing has slowed then allow them go back and play. We also supervise all their play time.
My suggestion to anyone w/ a multi dog home is not to leave them alone esp if they have had fights. Your best bet is to crate them both or atleast one of them while not at home. Or invest in seperate dog runs if that is an option. Anything can cause a fight and if noone is there to stop it the results could be devestating for your dogs and you.
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