1st Time Pitbull Owner w/ questions

Please excuse me if this isn't the right place for posting this, I'm new.
My daughter came across a puppy that had to be rescued asap because the guy realized that w/his work schedule he just couldn't raise a puppy & also said he "had to" take him to the pound if he didn't find a home for the dog. We ended up getting him. I wanted him & wanted to save him but now that I really stop & think about it, I'm questioning just about EVERYTHING this guy said (I know, a bit late now!). No matter what, the dog is here to stay but I'm wondering how the things we were told (if true) might affect the dog, training the dog, etc.
Here's what I was told about the dog:
The mother was killed after being hit by a car when her pups were 2wks old
The guy "hand-reared" this pup from that time on
The pup is 8wks old. He's 16lbs if that helps w/guessing his age.
The pup is pure bred. I didn't think to ask "pure bred what?" because it didn't matter much to me but now I'm thinking it may matter for training & such. I am going to check w/him but who knows if he even knows!

So how are those things, given that they're true, going to affect the dog, his temperament, & so on. Do I need to approach training differently? I've had many many rotties over the years & have been very successful in training them. I know they are 2 totally different dogs, I'm just saying I do have experience w/so called "bully breeds".
Another question, since all the neighbors already know about the rotties & hate it, it was suggested that when asked I lie & say that our new pup is a mixed breed. Personally, I think that's wrong! I am NOT ashamed of my dog or what he is! If the neighbors have a problem w/it, that's their problem...right?! Any thoughts?
Any help, suggestions, ANYTHING, would be greatly appreciated!
-ceo1282

 

You are not lying if you say your new pup is a mixed breed. Unless you can obtain a pedigree from a reliable breeder, as far as anyone knows all he can be is a mixed breed.

I think a local trainer would help you out tremendously.

Good luck

 

8wks 16lbs eehhh gonna be a big IMO... Or maybe a bit older... Gotta pic.... Mother getting hit by car hand reared really means nada in the way the pup is gonna turn out when grown if it made it 8wks and is 16bs it's doing well...And yes without papers u never act no what it is exactly.... Prob make ur life a lot easier calling it something other then pitbull even with papers u neighbors may like ur dog thinkn he a mix but poison ur pitbull...I just called bulldogs...... But that's up to u.... Anyway.... U say u have trained rotties and were successful wih them..... IMO u gonna find a pit so much easier.... They are not as fragile mentally as a young rottie, they seem to retain things faster just have a more aim to please attitude ... Each dog is an individual but my apbts are in general just more high strung high enerGy dogs ... Good luck with the pup

 

Ty both, I really appreciate the help! I'll get his pic up as soon as I can. I'm having probs w/photobucket. He is very eager to please, the only part we're having trouble w/is trying to get him to stop biting but at this age it's not unusual for puppies to use their mouth for everything. Any suggestions on that part? We have a great trainer in our area who we've taken our dogs to in the past so we're def planning on going there again.

 

I to would appreciate any advice to stop the biting and mouthing.

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

The biting is kinda norm at that age and will prob get a bit worse then a bit better... U can try to redirect it but imo that dont teach the dog shit and he will eventually be back.... Remember There is a big difference between beating ur dog (abuse) and puttin them in there place. Discipline... At 8wks Is a bit young for corrections but if he starting and its a prob a biting pup just needs to know who is the boss... I just Grabbem by the back of the neck and Holdem down ...lettem fight scream throw there fit ... Yelling no no no a thousand times don't work and only get them more excited..... One correction firmly then if they don't stop down they go... One or 2 times they get it and remember if they start to get nippy again a quick no and they will stop... once u get this established a simple no will make them stop in there tracks in the house....

 

THIS IS JUST A DOG WHEN IT COMES TO TRAINING,YA WILL HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE AS ANY OTHER,ONLY IF IT IS A BULL BREED YA WILL NOTICE HOW QUICK THEY CATCH ON AND SEEM TO BE 2 STEP'S AHEAD THAN OTHER BREED'S WHEN IN A TRAINING COURSE..:wagtail:BEST OF LUCK WITH HIM...

 

YES!!!!
I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to hear you say that! I've heard a lot of people say that method is "mean & abusive". I know it's not but hearing another dog owner confirm it is great Besides, abusive, hahaha, not in this house! Discipline & love is the name of the game here
When I read your reply to my daughter she said she'd never thought about it but redirecting the dogs attention, whether it's to chewing on a bone or whatever, is like rewarding him. Smart kid! I never thought about it that way!
What you suggested is EXACTLY what I've done w/ALL my rotts & so I've been doing w/Carson as well...in case I never said it before, that's his name. Since he didn't have his mom to teach him some of those "HEY, knock it the hell off" things, to put him in his place/discipline him or litter mates to play & learn with, when I put him in his place like that he really, really, crazily, freaks out (screaming, kicking, wriggling around, etc). Should I just do it like I would if he'd had a mom or...?
I'm guessing since he doesn't just do the screaming when held down that "screaming" is a pit bull thing?! It's certainly unlike any sound I've heard from a dog!
W/Carson (that's his name) I found that "no" isn't as effective as a quick, sharp, " 'EY ", that's what gets his attention REAL QUICK! On top of that, when most people say "no" they also point/wag their finger, including myself :/ Well Carson sees that as a fun, play kinda thing which of course means more biting. Same goes for a "whap" to the end of his snout (no, nothing abusive)...he sees it as a game & he then wants to get it back. I'm trying to learn as quickly as I can what works & doesn't work w/this breed. Thank God I'm good w/dogs & for the most part, "reading" dogs.
Everyone on here has told me has told me how smart pits are & how quickly they p/u what they're being taught. Carson has certainly proved it all to be true except when it comes to the biting. My guess is it may take a bit longer to get him to stop it since this kind of discipline was completely foreign to him before he came here.

 

****PLEASE READ***I accidentally hit the post button & needed to edit but I couldn't edit my post from above, I took too long or something. So please read this post instead...

YES!!!!
I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to hear you say that! I've heard a lot of people say that method is "mean & abusive". I know it's not but hearing another dog owner confirm it is great Besides, abusive, hahaha, not in this house! Discipline & love is the name of the game here
When I read your reply to my daughter she said she'd never thought about it but redirecting the dogs attention, whether it's to chewing on a bone or whatever, is like rewarding him. Smart kid! I never thought about it that way!
What you suggested is EXACTLY what I've done w/ALL my rotts & so I've been doing w/Carson as well...in case I never said it before, that's his name. Since he didn't have his mom to teach him some of those "HEY, knock it the hell off" things, to put him in his place/discipline him or litter mates to play & learn with, when I put him in his place like that he really, really, crazily, freaks out (screaming, kicking, wriggling around, etc). Should I just do it like I would if he'd had a mom or...?
I'm guessing since he doesn't just do the screaming when held down that "screaming" is a pit bull thing?! It's certainly unlike any sound I've heard from a dog!
W/Carson I found that "no" isn't as effective as a quick, sharp, " 'EY ", that's what gets his attention REAL QUICK! On top of that, when most people say "no" they also point/wag their finger, including myself :/ Well Carson sees that as a fun, play kinda thing which of course means more biting. Same goes for a "whap" to the end of his snout (no, nothing abusive)...he sees it as a game & he then wants to get it back. I'm trying to learn as quickly as I can what works & doesn't work w/this breed. Thank God I'm good w/dogs & for the most part, "reading" dogs.
Everyone on here has told me has told me how smart pits are & how quickly they p/u what they're being taught. Carson has certainly proved it all to be true except when it comes to the biting. My guess is it may take a bit longer to get him to stop it since discipline was completely foreign to him before he came here. He does come, sit, shake, down & is rapidly improving on stay. Where the difference in intelligence shows itself the most to me so far is that he'll do it w/or w/o being bribed (using training treats). The other dogs took much longer to reach that point but were trained & listened so amazingly well
Now that I've almost written a novel, I gotta get to sleep. Thanks again to everyone & please let me know what you think about what I've said & the couple of questions I asked. took too long. So please read this instead...

 

I wanted to let you know I found out the answer to one of the questions that was buggin me...my boy is an APBT. I finally backtracked & got his papers. Not really a big deal since he's just a pet but it's still nice to know what I have!

 

when they young they tend to be teething and the teeth are growing which is quite painfull on their gums so you got to give them a chewy toy or a sinew bone or something that the pup is allowed to chew on when he needs to chew.

 

I've had a pet tell me to pop on the nose when biting...and I've read a loud ouch! Would do it...but hasn't worked very well..I'm gonna have to try way that was mentioned above...I just feel so bad when I discipline but I know its gotta be done cause I def want her to know I'm the boss... and yes they do pick veeery fast...mine is a mix I think..shit idk ..looks pit but ya never know...and we have had her like 2 weeks...age around 3 months maybe and she knows sit shake and lay...and n learned shake in one days time...they are super smart...post a pic when u can..I wanna see the baby