New Owner

I just brought home an 8 week red-nosed pit bull.... I've wanted a dog for a while, and I wasn't too keen on pits (for their reputation & size).... Long story short, my roommate had to dog sit his friend's 18 month old pit for 3 months, and I fell in love.

This is my first dog. Period. I'm looking for any tips out there to help me move along.

My roommate is pretty good with pits especially, but I don't want to rely on him for taking care of my responsibility.

What are the right foods to feed her?

When can I start training her?

How to train her?

Do I need to have things precisely planned out?

How do I know what she needs?

Is the whining from time-to-time, normal?

Any other general info you'd like to throw in there would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

Why are you asking these questions after you got the dog? i just don't get that... :mad:

 

Congrats on geting your pup as for food go to dogfoodanalysis.com and do some reserch on this site alot of good info on here

 

You shoulda asked and had answers for all your questions prior before getting the pup.. ( shakes head) do a search for all those questions on here...Good luck

 

Wow, and the saga continues.

 

Never had a dog and goes and gets a Pit-Bull even though he wasnt sure.

Best of luck with that. There are some trying times ahead.

Any bets on the dog being re-homed in the next year folks?

 

You're not going to take my money that easy KBK. I work too hard for it. Sad, sad, situation.... No dog leaves my yard, (unless I KNOW they are going to somebody who already has em.)

 

wu tang!

 

1. I got the pup because the litter was born into a bad home. aka. FREE.
2. I literally heard about the opportunity to take her 48hrs before I got her home.

If you guys weren't going to be encouraging, you shouldn't have responded.

I didn't ask what you felt about me having her. Nor do I care.

Now that I have her, the only thing I can do is give her a warm and loving environment.

I came to you guys for HELP because I WANT to learn the right thing, but instead you judge??

And I thought us techie forum geeks were unnecessarily rude.... :confused:

 

Thanks! Much appreciated

 

Why is it your concern??

Isn't it important that I'm finding the information out, anyway?

If you were so concerned with the pups' life, then you would/should have no problem sharing them.

 

the reason people are so defensive about people just jumping in and grabbing a puppy before any research is it almost always ends in tragedy. the dog bites something, someone, the dog isnt trained, the people think the dog gets too big, or too hyper, or too dog aggressive, then the dogs are rehomed over and over and over, and its just disgusting. this breed isnt for everyone, and should research before just "saving all the animals in the world" so dont take it offensively, people are just sick of seeing the same thing over and over and over.

 

If you want warm and fuzzy try www.pitbullforum.com

I have only been on here a little while myself, you will find out these guys hate dumb questions, lazyness, lack of common sense and wasting other peoples time.

Most if not all of the answers to your questions lie at your finger tips with that search button at the top of the site. This site has a wealth of info on APBTs if that is what you indeed have, if you know what I mean.

 

When you come onto a public forum for advice, please be willing to take all responses, even ones that are not pretty. Although the members may be being harsh, they are absolutely CORRECT. Since you are new to this breed you may be unaware of the facts. There is a HUGE pit bull overpopulation problem. Pit bulls also face Breed Specific Legislation every single day, AKA every day laws are put in place to BAN us from owning pit bulls. And do you know what the SINGLE driving force is? Irresponsible ownership.

The first step in becoming an irresponsible owner is to obtain a dog before you are ready for one. Most dogs who are just randomly obtained end up in shelters, rehomed, euthanized, or treated poorly. None of these are outcomes that we as APBT owners like to see.

However, you have already obtained the dog. Although you intentions are good in looking for advice, it is a little late. I am sure you have a happy puppy running around, but that cute puppy is going to grow up to be a high energy dog with the capabilities of injuring other peoples animals and even people if in the hands of someone who does not know what they are doing. Honestly, your best bet is to do a LOT of reading of articles on this and other forums. No one can tell you all of the information on raising a puppy on one post.

And do you know what the saddest thing is? If you do not raise this puppy in a responsible way, YOU don't suffer. The dog suffers and other APBT owners do.

I wish you the best of luck. I would establish a relationship with a vet ASAP. I would then get in touch with a trainer who is pit bull savvy with a proven record.

 

Ahh, I see...


My roommate is very adept at training dogs. Pits are his favorite. The pit that we watched (18 months) wasn't even trained to do anything..not even basic commands like sit, lie down, go, etc. or when/where to use the bathroom. Within two month's time, she was listening to and obeying commands (although not perfect), and she waited for one of us to get home before she used the bathroom. She was a hyper and nervous dog, who needed a lot of attention. But she got it.

Size isn't an issue, as long as I don't wake up to a dog as tall as me.

At 8 weeks old, she hasn't (yet) shown any aggression....

I'm in the perfect place to raise her, being that my roommate grew up around pits and can train them. I just don't want to depend on him for everything, because it's my responsibility.... Which was why I came to this site to begin with...

 

I never said the nature of their "arguments" were incorrect or inconceivable. It was just uncalled for. Period.

Hell, I'M AFRAID..... Not about the generalizations of pit bulls, but for the same facts you pointed out. I don't want her to ever bite something or someone with the intentions of seriously hurting it.

I'm aware that on an internet forum, I'm not going to get in-depth understanding in raising a pit... I just wanted a general start. A book perhaps, a site that's well-known...

I've already looked into and spoke to some vets around my neighborhood. I don't know where I would even begin to look for a professional trainer (I heard a lot of bashing about petsmart training).

That was the reason for coming on this site. To get a finger (or 2) in the right direction, so I can be on my way to being a responsible pet owner.

 

I sent you a PM. also, this breed isnt known to be human aggressive, but the fact that you may very well have a very poorly bred byb dog may make that change.

 

I'm sorry, but owning a dog is a big responsibility, especially your FIRST dog. You should have waited to get a dog until you've researched into owning and caring for the animal, and then into the breed. I know you've heard it over and over on this thread, but this breed is NOT for everyone, especially not a first time dog owner! But, assuming your dog isn't from lines with high drive, it might be a smidge easier to handle.

I recommend going to your local library or bookstore and getting any books on caring for dogs that you can. Look for local dog trainers, and explain to them your situation; make sure they're willing to help with an APBT, and KNOW about the breed. But please, in the future, don't get another dog until you're ready. =/

 

Good luck with your pup. The food thing is easy. The site that was recomended is very good. There are a ton of great foods out there for the pup.

As far as training, if he is going to be a house dog, house breaking and basic commands should always be taught. He/she should know certain things way before 18 months as in your other example.

As far as the whimpering, try leaving the radio on or one of those Big Ben Alarm clocks.

 

well the best books for you to get is the yellow pages.because you will be needing a attorney as well as a bondsmen. culling that dog & the rest of the litter would be the best thing for everyone. & never again reference it as a "pitbull" again because that's half the problem. if you liked "pitbulls" so much why didn't you get educated a long time ago? folks like you are most of the reason there is BSL & the witch hunt goes on. the reason i say "like you" is because you following the same protocol as every other joe shmo that makes the 6 pm news. harsh words you will get from 99% of the folks readying this post. because what your doing is all the way wrong. you like dogs so much go visit some shows get involved in a APBT club & learn from dogmen/women.