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I’m in Canton which is roughly an hour northwest of you. I’ve got 2 bullies, Raleigh who turns 2 next week and Atticus who’s 5 months. Maybe we can get them together.
I had my first encounter with ignorant people today. I got home and found a note from my neighbor discussing my “overly agressive” dogs. Let me explain the situation….
My dog is known for going a little crazy when she’s outside and she hears other dogs. Because of her tendency to jump on fences with all her weight, we installed an invisible fence that runs in front of the real fence. It protects the fence and forces my bully to stay a foot away from it. She still runs like a mad woman when the neighbors’ dogs are outside and even barks like a fool. You all know how a bully barks… it can sound fierce even when it’s not meant that way.
Well, a couple weeks ago Raleigh’s battery in her fence collar died. We didn’t realize it at the time. We hadn’t had any issues with the fence up until this point. Next thing I know, I see her pushing her head through the fence… the boards had been broken. From my view I could see the neighbor’s Boxer standing right on the other side. Not thinking anything of it, I hauled Raleigh back inside and then checked her collar. BINGO! Her collar was dead… changed the battery, problem fixed.
Now, the neighbor is complaining that it was my dog that broke the fence and is concerned with the “overly aggressive behavior” that my dog exhibits. I am sure that Raleigh aided in breaking the fence but I also know that she wouldn’t have charged the fence unless she sensed that another dog was right on the other side… which he was! Feeling guilty, I have offered to pay for a portion of the fence.
Additionally, the neighbor is upset that my pit puppy is sticking his nose through the bottom of the fence where there is a gap between the fence and the ground. NOT MY PROBLEM! I didn’t install the fence. She claims that she’s had to push my dog’s face back into my yard etc… and that concerns her because of her dogs.Why is it that people automatically target pit bulls as “overly agressive” and dangerous? I know they get a bad rep because of what they hear on tv and in the newspapers, but this lady hasn’t even met my dogs. Yes, my older one is loud and does seem a little wild but it’s more enthusiasm and energy than her being mean. I know that and I think she would too if she took the time to get to know them. Instead, she wants to automatically blame my dogs for everything when I’ve seen her dogs up against the fence in a supposed “restricted” area.
I despise ignorant people. I wish they would get the facts before making comments and judging others!
I am going through the same situation as you! I adopted a new puppy about a month ago and just returned to work (I’m a teacher too) on Thursday. Before I started back to work, I started separating both of my pits, who happen to be about the same age as yours, and leaving the house for several hours. For the puppy, I put him in his crate and left the TV or radio on as well as a light and the fan. I made sure to give him a few toys to play with as well as some food and treats in his crate. He cried the first couple times I left him but after a couple days, he became used to it. I started out only leaving him for a couple hours and gradually increased the amount of time that he’s in the crate. He now stays in his crate roughly 8-9 hours and has done fine.
I would suggest getting up a little earlier with the dogs and getting them outside to play. I’ve given myself an additional hour in the morning to allow the pups to run around outside a bit. It lets them release some energy, go to the bathroom, and just be with each other. It seems to make the 8-9 hours of being crated easier for them.
It will take some getting used to but eventually both dogs will get in a routine. They’ll definitely want to run around and play once you get home, so make sure you dedicate time to play with them.I’ve got a 6 or 7 foot wooden fence with a gate w/lock on it. In addition, I have an invisble fence that runs the perimeter of my property. I’m not worried about them getting out because if they do, they’ll probably end up in another yard since all the yards around me share part of my fence in someway.
I’m mostly concerned about the two of them togehter. They do play a little rough but not in a vicious way. They don’t have territorial issues or anything like that as long as there are plenty of toys for both of them, multiple food/water bowls for them, etc…Do I take a chance on them? I just feel guilty for leaving either one of them crated for long periods. I can’t come home for lunch and I work 30+ minutes from home. I don’t want to burden my neighbors either by asking them to rotate them in and out of the yard.
Having one pit with severe anxiety, I know how bad the destruction can get. My oldest pit chewed the vinyl off the house, destroyed 3 wire crates, and would pee/poop every time we left her. It got to a point where we were considering getting rid of her but because I was so attached, I decided to seek professional advice from my veterinarian. When I know that I’m going to be gone for long periods of time, I give her an herbal supplement to help calm her fears. And if it’s going to storm or be a period of time that’s longer than 6 hours, I give her a prescription sedative. I hate doing it but it knocks her down enough to where she doesn’t feel it necessary to destroy the house. The pills aren’t addictive so it isn’t as if she has to have the every day or every time we go out. In fact, she’s gotten a lot better since we started giving her the freedom to roam through the downstairs of the house while we’re gone. We were patient with her and she earned our trust. I always leave the TV or radio on so that she has noise and I leave without acknowledging her.
Just be patient! Every dog adjusts to a new setting in their own way. I hope the snugglepuppy helps! It wa a lifesaver for me when my oldest was a puppy because I wasn’t getting any sleep.
I’ve been through this twice. First, put the crate in the room with you so that your puppy knows that y’all are nearby. I would also invest in something like a ticking clock or something that can emulate the sound of her mother’s heart beat. I got that piece of advice from someone who bred and trained dogs for years. I did that with my first pit and it really helped. I had to use zip ties to suspend it from the side of the crate to prevent her from eating it but it did the trick.
Second, you might want to look into a SnugglePuppy (Amazon.com) . It’s a stuffed puppy designed for dogs and puppies.It has a special sack on the inside where you can put a heating pad (like one of those instant warmers) and a little heart-beat ticker. The puppy can lay with it and it can remind the puppy of being with his/her mom and siblings. I bought one of those with the first puppy and she loved it. She laid with it every night and never seemed to want to tear it up…. until about a year later when she didn’t need it anymore.Be patient! It takes time to get adjusted but I promise it will work. I have 2 pits (one adult and a puppy) and both have experienced what your puppy is going through. My puppy splits time between the bed and the crate and he no longer whines or barks because he knows that I’m nearby and that he isn’t being punished.
Good luck!
Thanks for the suggestions! They definitely won’t be left unattended anytime soon. Lucky for me, I don’t go back to work until August 16th so I have almost 4 weeks to be with them and work on behavior and training. Once I go back to work, the puppy will either be crated or outside while Raleigh is inside.
I don’t know if this means anything but yesterday I dropped Atticus off at the vet to have his cut looked at. He stayed over night because I am going out of town and already had plans to board him and Raleigh. When I returned home and let Raleigh back in the house, she seemed lost. She ran into the laundry room to see if Atticus was eating. Then when we went upstairs, she immediately went to his crate and sniffed around. When she got on the bed, she ended up laying down on the bed in the spot where Atticus tends to sleep when he lays with me. She never lays on that spot. She typically lays at the foot of the bed on my feet but last night, she curled up at the top of the bed and laid beside me.
Could it be that she possibly senses that Atticus is not around and misses him?
Going through the same thing now! I just adopted a 12 week old pit puppy and have been slowly introducing him to my 1.5 year old female pit. The first couple of days were rough but they’re adjusting. Since both weren’t used to being around other dogs, each was pushing each other’s buttons. The puppy quickly learned where his boundaries were and after 1 incident with biting, they’ve been much more at ease with each other. In fact, yesterday the puppy was following the older one around the around and trying to steal her ball (which he learned very quickly he can’t do… now he just gives it back).
Don’t leave them unsupervised. If you notice your older pit getting too close or getting a look of agression in his eyes, tell him to back off. With just saying “No.. back away” my older pit knows to avoid the puppy and vice versa. Find a place where they both have plenty of room to themselves whether it’s a room or the yard. Spend equal time with each animal that space and make sure you praise them when you see god behavior!
Just be patient! Don’t stress if they get into a few tussels at first. Remember, they are both having to adjust!!!
Sounds like this is a common problem! Raleigh has terrible gas… it’s room clearing. I wish it was the “silent but deadly type” but it isn’t.
I tried “Doggie Gas-X” but found no results.
My vet recommended plain yogurt. We’ve tried that and it seems to work. It doesn’t eliminate it fully but it gives her and us some relief. I always make a little bowl of it for her at night. I’ve also tried the flavors and it works the same. She loves it! She thinks it’s a treat and laps it up in a few seconds.
You sound just like me! My pit has destroyed 2 wire crates and a plastic crate. She doesn’t mind going in it at night but if you leave her in it during the day or when we go out, she freaks out. I ended up talking to my vet and she now takes a sedative before we leave her for more than a few hours. It works wonders. It calms her down enough to where she will stay in the crate and be comfortable. I hate having to do it but I couldn’t afford to continue to buy crates and she hasn’t shown us that she can be trusted alone in the house.
As for the toys, I haven’t found anything that Raleigh can’t destroy. She has managed to destroy the black Kongs to the point where I can’t even put treats in them. She loves the red Kong ball and that seems to be the only thing that hasn’t been destroyed. You might try plastic bottles… like liter bottles. Raleigh loves those and they’re a cheap toy. I take off the label and top and let her go at it. Those seem to last the longest.
