Newbie - My baby - Snickers

[lovemydog2006]

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u222/lovemydog2006/snickers001.jpg

I resued Snickers from a shelter. We got him when he was 8 weeks old. He is now 23 weeks. I absolutely love this pup. He is doing very well with commands as long as we are in the house. BUT....when we go walking, which is a training in process...he gets very stubborn and will not listen to my basic commands such as sit/stay. Not sure what else to try. Any advice would be appreciated.

Please, in your honest opinion, does he look full pit to you? The shelter said he was but I had one vet that said they did not see any pit in him...!?!?!

[14rock]

Hello, welcome to the site :) !

Just to let you know, the section you posted this in "Newbies FAQ" is not post-able by anyone but a small group of members, and the thread originator (you). What this means in short, is you aren't going to get many replies in this section ;) If you would like me to move it to a section where all members may give their input, let it be known, and I, or another staff member will be glad to move it for you.

It's still a young dog, and his focus is going to be short. Continue the OB at home, and if your persistent, you will be able to transfer it over with no problems in a short while. For the time being, is it a "leash" only problem, or happens only when walking? What I mean in short is, in your yard, on leash will he obey? If he is good in the house, the next step is in the yard, which may take a few weeks for him to realize "leash/walking time" is not strictly play time, and he must listen at all times. Do not excite the dog when your going for a walk, do not act overanxious to please him, it is more detremential then you know. Simply grab the leash, walk in the yard, and practice. If he isn't getting it, walk him inside, and try again in 30 minutes. Do not take him for a walk anyways, he is getting his "reward" even if he is not following basic commands, and you do not want that.

At that young age, it's hard to tell. It's hard to tell in pups, from pictures, and its plain hard to tell period! These dogs were not historically bred for looks, but performance. This has created a breed of dogs, that isn't as uniform physically as other breeds may be, and your used to-making distinguishing them fairly difficult even to serious fanciers. My honest opinion, is it looks like there very well may be something else in there. He is a big boy, with an extremely bushy tail and long hair for an APBT. There have been a handful of good, true APBT's who had long hair, and it's always hard to distinguish. If I had to guess, I would say there is a bit of Labrador or some sort of Sheppard mixed in "Snickers". Since you got him from the shelter, I'm sure your intentions are purely pet/companion, and not breeding. In that case, a good dog, is a good dog! Treat him as a bulldog (slang by many of us for "pitbull" or APBT in general), and you will not be disappointed. What this means, in it's simplest form, is understand Dog-aggression is a common trait in this breed, and may present itself at maturity. It is not a difficult trait to live with, once it is understood and worked around. If you have a one dog home, you should have no problems provided the dog is secured at all times (not running the streets, or left to roam in a 4' privacy fenced backyard, etc). Also understand, dog-aggression in this breed, is not like dog-aggression you will see in many other breeds of dog. They do not fight out of fear, or instability, they have been bred for this purpose for hundreds of years, and it is enjoyable to them. They have been canine warriors, bred to catch livestock, and participate in the pit, and be rock-solid around humans. It is sometimes hard to grasp for newbies that their dog will be so adamently dog-aggressive, and such a ham with humans, but this is something you will understand and notice in the coming months.

For the time being, go over any bit of reading material you can find. I can recommend a few good basic APBT books, and this is a great site for your information as well. Hope to see you posting in the open forum, or at least browsing in the near future, enjoy your stay :)

[miakoda]

Good post, rock.

And from my experience of dealing with known Labrador Retreiver/'Pit Bull' crosses, he looks identical.

[lovemydog2006]

Thank you for your reply. You know, I read that only a few can post here but simply forgot when asking the question. You can move it if you wish.


As for Snickers...From going to the vet yesterday, he is 5 months old, 31 lbs., 19 inches from the withers down, and healthy. YEA!! As for whether or not he is pure....don't know, doesn't really matter. Mainly want to know what personalities I am dealing with.

He is a very loving pup. Just has some very stubborn tendencies. He mostly doesn't listen when he is outside/distracted...especially when walking. Sometimes in the house if he gets distacted by one of the kids then I have a rough time as well but not generally. My main problem inside is getting the kids and husband to reinforce what I have already in place with him. I want them to be able to tell him to sit/stay/down and he do it for them the same as for me. I know this will take time and am not unrealistic about the challenge but I am stubborn myself and am very determined to do it....lol.

I don't ever raise a hand or yell at him. Mostly walk off and ignore if he does not do as I ask. Sometimes I will put him where I want him to be and repeat the command to him. Such as....

I tell him to get on his bed and he is distracted by the kids or whatever...he will follow them or what ever he is distracted by. So, I will go get him and place him on his bed and tell him lay down. He does well for a while but his attention span is SHORT.....lol.

I did however win the battle of the wills on a food issue which I must say was my fault to begin with. He has only been on dry food since we brought him home, maybe sometimes mixed with very little canned food. I made the mistake of letting him have a bite of my food at the kitchen table and then he decided he was not going to eat his own food. I decided he was and would only set out his food for him to eat...no scraps, no treats...and finally within a couple of days...he got hungry enough to eat his own food again with no problems. I learned a good lesson myself!!