Tons of Questions

First I want to thank everyone for being so helpful...(I posted earlier on having a chihuahua in the same house) Ya'll are great! (yes, it's a southern thing)

Here are my questions/concerns:

1) My puppy pit (Tank) is soooo "clingy". Not just to me, but everyone else in the house. (hubby, 12 year old and 15 year old) He constantly has to be right next to someone or at the least in the same room. He absolutely hates to be alone. Is this normal?

2) We've had Tank for almost 2 weeks now and still going thru "potty training". Here's what I am doing (please let me know if I'm right or wrong and if there is an easier way) I always take him out about an hour after he eats and I always pull his water up at night. (water is left down durring the day) If I happen to catch him in the act, I take him to it, use my stern "mommy" voice and tell him "NO, OUTSIDE"...and take him out. Sometimes I'll grab the "paper" and hit it on my hand to startle him, yell, "NO" and take him out.

3) The first few days we had him, Tank terrorized the house. Chewed on everything from the table legs to plants. I can pretty much raise my voice now and he'll stop on his own. Are there any deterents I can use to stop the chewing or is this something they grow out of? Can you recommend some good chew toys?

4) My husband is totally brain washed about pitbulls and fell for all the horror stories. He's almost afraid to discipline Tank for fear of "pissing him off" ... AND he's afraid to let my daughter (who's 12) get in his face for "kisses" thinking he's gonna bite her nose off. His main concern though is the way she "plays" with him. She (and Tank) love to tug-o-war. Tank gets excited and growls while he's playing. Someone told us that this was a sign of agreesion and tug0o-war should never be played with him....is that correct? Is that kind of "play" okay?

5) How often do we need to feed him? (he's about 3 months old) He'd eat all day if we let him. Once a day? Twice a day? Leave the food down all day? I have no clue. And how about water. Should that be left down all day? Even while trying to "potty train"?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Sincerely,
Tracy

 

1) My puppy was clingy when we first got him but he's getting better with it. I think it's because it is a new place that he isn't use to yet. He still likes to be close but he likes to play by himself sometimes too.

2) I am crate training my puppy. Picking up his water at night is a good idea. The crate training method is one of the easiest for puppies. Make sure that your puppy is in the crate when you leave home or can't be with him. Puppies need constant supervision.

3) Kong toys are some of the best chew toys.

4) I'm not quite sure on that answer. We don't normally play rough with our puppy.

5) I feed my puppy twice a day and keep him on a schedule. It helps with potty training.

Hope that some of this helped. Others may have different opinions as to advice to help you. I just hope that you find the answers that you are looking for

 

1) He's a puppy. Just wants some lovin'. Though dogs that do this at older ages can tend to have separation anxiety.

2) Never take your shoes off when potty training. Take him out about every 30 minutes or so. Little boys tend to take more than one try in getting it all out so make sure he goes #1 a few times before letting him back in. Praise him as he goes "Good boy that's a good potty!!"

3) Kongs are good. Mine still like squeaker toys, though they get torn to pieces pretty quick (though I think that's why they like them lol). You just have to watch their toys and make sure nothing is able to be swallowed. Bored puppies chew.

4) Get your husband some good reading material. And your puppy is most likely enjoying so much playing with your daughter. Though tug-o-war isn't really recommended until the pup learns the "release" or "drop it" command, and you should wait until the puppy teeth are gone and the adult teeth set in.

5) Depends on what you're feeding. The back of the bag should say. Higher grade kibble requires less feeding. I feed mine about 1 cup, twice a day.

Good luck with the puppy!!

 

My Dog Leo Still Loves To Be Around Someone All The Time- But Im A Stay At Home Mom So Thats Okay. Plus He Is An Indoor Dog & I Tend To Spoil Him. I Like Him Being That Way, But Thats Just Me. I Agree With Scrappy On The Crate Thing- Dogs Dont Like To Do Their Business Where They Sleep! Kong Toys Rock! Dont Buy Cheap Easy-to-tear-up Toys, Because They Will Be Gone In A Matter Of Minutes! I Know From Personal Experience. You Have To Discipline Your Dog If He Needs Correcting, But You Dont Have To Beat Him! And You Should Establish Dominance- Leo Thought He Was The Boss Until We Started Crate-training Him. You Should Keep Him On A Feeding Schedule - Usually Morning And Night. That Also Makes It Easier To Potty-train Him. Good Luck & Have Fun! The Puppy Years Are A Blast. =)

 

My pup loves squeaky toys too but we don't let him play with them unsupervised. He likes to rip them apart but he takes his time ripping them. If there is anything else that we can help you with just let us know.

 

I've always heard not to play tug of war or anything of that nature untill he's completely trained. Crate training is highly effective. Chopper is crate trained, a good thing to remember with crate training is always leave it open for him to access and you will find he'll go in on his own when he needs a little down time. As for tearing things up, Chopper is almost 2 and he'll still tears things up when he gets bored or if he has'nt had enough exersise. Chopper follows us around even more now that he's older I think he should've been named SHADOW!!!! But it's very normal with these dogs they require ALOT of attention. Good luck with the training, and as frustrating as it may be stick with it!

 

#4 Tug of war is perfectly fine for your pup. Use it as a reward and play time activity. The kids around here play tug with my pups and have a real good time, When that pup gets older it will be a good workout for you and him lol. Good luck.

 

Welcome to the board! My replies are in blue above. Feel free to PM if you have any other questions. You came to a great place to learn about this breed. You should make your husband logon and read posts for 15 minutes every day. It might open his eyes a bit and show him the media is a wicked tool against a misunderstood breed.

Best Regards,

B

 

1.) I think this is normal, especially for a young pup. Mine was the same way; she is now almost a year and has pretty much gotten accustomed to being alone through out the day. However, she still prefers to have company and will follow us from room to room. She is such a people person. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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2.) Potty training our pup was pretty easy. Just make sure you take em out on regular bases, maybe every hour, until they get a little bigger where they can wait longer. He'll get used to the idea, and when he has to go, will sit by the door and let you know. I always ask my dog first and make her give me a reply before I take her out. Also, another important tip is your feeding schedule. Try not to feed him too late in the evening, and try to keep it the same day after day.<o:p></o:p>

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3.) Young pitbull pups love to chew on anything, ours chewed on the coffee table legs, shoes if they got left out, our phone book, basically anything she could get her mouth on. They will eventually begin to grow out of this as they mature. Just ensure you give him plenty of toys, Kongs, hard rubber toys and tug ropes are the best, play balls that have a larger diameter are also good. Our pup has destroyed numerous tennis balls and squeaky toys, sometimes within hours. Make sure you pick everything up you don’t want him to chew on, also ensure there is nothing harmful where your puppy can get into it. <o:p></o:p>

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4.) Playing tug of war with your pup is okay, work with him on the drop or let go command, and just never tug hard or jerk anything out of their mouth while they are still young and have puppy teeth. He will get excited while playing and growl, howl, maybe bark. This is normal, not a sign of aggression, just a sign they are having fun. Getting in their face for kisses is not going to hurt anything. They love kids and love to give kisses. When raised right, pitbulls are the most loving, even tempered dog you can have. They are by no means people aggressive. Just a little hyper! Your husband should not feel threatened in anyway by you pitbull, the media and some lousy ass dog owners have made the whole breed look bad. However this is not the case at all, if he does a little research you will see a long history of this animal being mans best friend. You pup also needs to know who him masters are. <o:p></o:p>

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5.) Its probably best to feed your pup twice a day. The amount will depend upon the size of your dog, his appetite, activity level and even thy type of food you are feeding. Try to feed a good quality of food, look at what they recommend on the bag and adjust accordingly for your situation. Some pups will eat more, some less. He still growing, so let him eat till he’s full. I'd keep the water down all day, even when potty training. Just get him used to the routine. <o:p></o:p>


hope this helps and congrats on your new pup.

 

like everyone else said. i would recommend letting your daughter get in his face and man handle him now while he is young and that way as he gets older it doesnt bother him. My friend Has a big ole pitty/am staff/ and while he was little we ruffed him up good pulled his ears played with his lips grabbed the tail nocked him over etc etc. nothing to make him cry. that way when they are older its all just in a days work to have somone touching every where or grabbing tails and ears and they dont respond with a nip. At three months mine want to be around all the time think about it like a 2 year old they dont like being put down. the tug o war thing is great but you have to teach them to stop when you say that will come in handy later i promise. growling is just something they do they are dogs its like running and screaming for kids. our big dog sounds like hes gonna kill something when hes playing and it is kinda un nerving if you dont know hes playing. its when they are quiet you have to worry. good luck and have your husband look into pits they are by far one of the best family dogs around if you got your dog from a good line and not some schmoe. P.S. our big dog 85#s can be walked down the street by my 5 year old neice by the ear lol its a sight to see. we send her to get him sometimes and she walks him back holding one of his ears like a school teacher lol telling him "they said come on" hes usually licking face and enjoying the attention from the kiddies.

 

Yeah everybody pretty much already answered you. Just take there advice and everything will work out.

 

exactly what i was thinking..........

 

Thank you everyone! I sincerely appreciate the great advice! We're loving our new family member!

 

I can add this. When having your dog drop or out the toy freeze up and lock your arms or become stiff, this stops the animation and stops the natural prey drive that you use to play with your dog. Also give it a command. It does not need to be yelled or even sternly said just coonsistant and you will see that your pup wil stop and just let it go. From time to time do this and then let them have it again right of way so that they don't think of it as always the end of game but just something mom told them to do and then they will get it back if they do it. I would also add in the "done" command when you are acually going to put it away. When you are playing don't hde the toy it buids mistrust but leave the toy right in front of them but jsut in firm but not angry voice say no if they try to bite it without your permission. Hope this helps.Not the law JM2cents. Keep learning, Keep Bulldoggin, keep training. Hankdad/Shane