Adopting a pitbull pup

“doesn't matter how many I have now. I never put a dog in a crate/cage before and won't start now.”

“Ewker is right, dogs need their space and don’t do well locked in a box for large periods of time. I have a friend that had thee dogs and they are locked in their crates for 8-9 hours each day when he and his wife are at work. He would swear it wasn’t inhumane and that they liked being in their kennel, but I totally disagreed with him.

That said, tara, you go right on crate training your dog. I have two dogs and many more before them. Done properly, crate training is a very humane and appropriate thing. With some breeds of dogs it’s totally necessary.

The kennels in my house are seldom closed. I use a bungee cord to hold to doors open. The dogs tend to walk in and out of their kennels during the day, often napping in them for long periods of time. When I bark “kennel” the dogs scoot for their boxes without a moments notice and sit to wait for me to close the door. I’ll toss in a few treats (kong toys stuffed with goodies) and they will eat for a while and then sleep. I’ll do this when we have guests with small kids or dinner parties or situations like that where I think it’s best to have the dogs out the equation. They are quiet and content, but always eager when I come to the door because they know it’s time to wrestle or play fetch.

So done properly the kennel is more of an “indoor doghouse” than a prison in my home. The dogs sleep in our bedroom at night and pretty much have run of the house the rest of the day. I also feed my dogs in their kennels which only strengthens the positive association and sense of ownership.

I don’t have to put my dogs in their kennels when I leave my home, but that’s not possible for many breeds of dogs. Also, many dogs don’t travel well in cars and they will ride better in their kennel. So getting them used to the experience and making it positive is key… so keep up the treats!

Also, crate training is the fastest way to successful housebreaking of a dog. Most dogs will NOT soil their crates and you can very quickly build a positive association with the kennel and the grass outside (the “bathroom”) in a very short period of time with good treats, lots of love, and attention.

The comment someone made about the crate being a “den” is right on. Done properly the kennel will become the dogs “room” in the house where it is totally at ease. It will know it has a safe place to retreat where it can rest unmolested from small kids and where it won’t get into trouble. I can and should be a very positive thing… done properly.

OK, so here is a freaky bit that a lot of dog people are going to bark at me for. I will often find my 6 year old locked in the kennel with my rottweiler. The two will sit in the rather cramped space for 10-20 minutes playing about and just chilling. I keep catching him and scold him (away from the dog) but he keeps doing it. I totally trust my rottie with my son as both are well trained, but it’s weird. I guess my point is that the key is enforcement of positive experiences and not negative ones.”

“I think "small space" training is essential for a new puppy. Whether it is a small room, or a crate, I think it's ok. I tried to crate Daffers when she was a pup, then graduated to having her just be in a small room with windows, to now, where she is free to be all over when I am not here. She has always slept in the bed with me because that is where I wanted her to sleep. To this day, she has never chewed anything she was not supposed to and in my opinion, is a well-behaved dog. I don't think that Tarabull and Scorchfire are crating their pups to "lock them up" all day. Infact, I know Tarabull's dogs are spoiled and get more attention than most. Her older dog is no longer crated but like she says, Sadie will go into her cage at times on her own for her own reasons. As for Scorchfire, her new pup came already crate trained. If that is something she feels she needs to continue, and the dog seems to feel comfortable with it, why change it? I know both women here treat their pets with utmost love and compassion.

Congrats Scorchy!”

“Just to clear this up...

The crate training, at least for me, is a temporary thing. My adult dog was crate trained for a year when she was young. After I knew she could be trusted at home, alone, I stopped putting her in there. And, the same will go for this puppy.

The puppy is in her crate when I can't be home. This is to help her get housebroken (as pitts mentioned, they don't like to soil their small space so this helps them exercise the appropriate muscles so they can "hold it") and to keep her from chewing things up (not just to save my stuff but for her safety; there's lots of things a puppy can hurt themselves on). At night, she sleeps in my bedroom w/ me. When I'm home during the day, she's NEVER crated.

I'm not sure how those ppl who don't crate train their little puppies ever get through a work day w/out their dog having accidents everywhere and chewing up things that aren't toys. And, I'm being serious... I'd really like to hear how Ewker and others were able to housebreak and de-chew their puppies w/out crate training (unless someone was always home?)...

(wolfeyes - did you get either of my last two emails???)
last edited: 9/25/05 2:39:37 PM”

“nope. the gentle leader goes around the muzzle of the dog.

this one loops through the dogs regular collar and around their front legs, then the leg loops clip to the regular lead. i found it in the pet section of walmart but i think i've seen something like it elsewhere also. walmart was around 10$. trix is a small shepherd and she fits in a medium. your beagle would prob be med too SC. scorch's 5 month old too. for now anyway.
i used to use the muzzle style halti and i have a gentle leader too - i've fostered lots of badly trained dogs and most were never very good on the lead so i have quite an assortment of things we tried but didn't like. btw: pinch collars are not as terrible as they look.
this one that i use now is much better. when i first tried it i thought the pup's underarms would be rubbed raw, but the system seems to stay loose until tugged on.

trix has no complaints, she hated that halti. now she walks like a normal dog instead of a fish caught on a line.”

“I love the gentle leader. My rottie sits at the door when it's time for a walk and pushes his snout up into the air and into the loop. He likes it as well! I can't stand choke collars and despise pinch collars and other (what I consider) torture devices. I have never used the Halti collar but the principal is the same.

Three notes on the Gentle Leader. First, fit is critical and if you have any questions ASK. It has to be the right size and it has to be adjusted properly (if the collar makes an "L" it's not installed properly, it needs to make a "V" on the dogs neck/snout... hard to visualize but if you get one it will be clear). Second, the Gentle Leader is not a choke collar and NEVER jerk it. There are good instructions with the collar that are easy to follow. Finally, you can buy it in the pet store and it will cost a LOT (but is worth it). Most dog training schools will sell it to students at easily 1/2 price... well, I should not say most. Mine did.
last edited: 9/25/05 2:48:26 PM”

“i have a funny crate story like pitts

when my three boys were toddlers, i found them all locked in the dogcrate while the poor pooch sat on the outside whining and crying. silly dog was never interested in that crate until someone else was having fun in there.
oh-and yep, my first thought was that all toddlers should be crated.
last edited: 9/25/05 2:54:18 PM”

“Do they make those things for small snouted dogs?”

“(burp)
last edited: 9/25/05 3:00:21 PM”

“Pardon the hotlink. Here is a pic of one on a Boston Terrier. It just takes a lot of care in fitting. They come in three or four sizes and a few different colors, but there aren't versions for different breeds.



They are GREAT for teaching a dog how to run with you. My rottie never pulls and tracks with me perfectly now, that is when he wants to go running. If you want to go running with your dog and don't want him to pull you or lag behind I totally recommend this head collar.”

“Sorry Helinka. Didn't mean to put words in your mouth. I'm not familiar w/ the collar you're talking about.

Wolfeyes - Yes, I bevieve they do. Go to Petsmart, or something similar, and have them fit it for you. Most of the ppl there are happy to open the pkg and make sure you get the right size.

I'm hoping I won't need any sort of training collar on my new puppy. So far, she's excellent at healing and sits automatically when I stop. And, she is excellent at recalls, too. She'll prolly end up much better on a leash than Sadie ever was!”

“Ok, got one, and off to try it now. It's on her now and when pulled to front, only goes to first start of nose skin. Read that on website. It's small. She is leaping all over to go. My dog pulls to no end on her leash until she is tired. This will tell me right away if there well be a difference in it. Be right back. Gonna go walk in the rain. WOOHOO!!”

“Hehe, good luck! It takes while. Some dogs really resist the thing and it takes some getting used to. Others take right to it. Be patient. Also, keep it on a shelf away from the dog. They have a tendancy to eat the things. Tasty for them, but expensive for you.

I am betting your dog will tug and flip like a fish caught on a line, but won't be able to pull. Like I said, be patient. It works well given a few runs. I think it's as close to a magic trick you can do with a dog.
last edited: 9/25/05 4:03:50 PM”

“helinka, I have 2 of the harnesses you mentioned. I liked but stopped using em when I realized that they were cutting into the dogs front armpits. That may have been a sizing issue.

We crate trained out pointer at night only. She was house broken at 4.5 months, though I did let her out every 2hours at night. The mutt didnt take to the crate at all, never would. he would bark for hours when in it, our neighbor actuallt told us about the racket while we were at work. We built a small area for the dogs, when they escaped they went nuts. I couldnt begin to list the whole pile they ate, the largest item was a 2 seat couch. Sass was furious.

I ronically I still strongly dislike crates. I think keeping an animal penned for 8-10 hours is cruel. They are social creatures with the need to be mobile. I would recommend a room like a laudry or bath area providing you make it dog safe.

Outside kennels are entirely different as they are generally far bigger than a 4x3 cage. As an aside I cant stand caged birds either. A beautiful creature being caged with often times clipped wings simply to satisfy an owners ego, sad in my opinion. plus bad for the species.”

“Well, Daffers took to it right away! Lucky me! No pulling at all and only tried to get it off twice before the walk. I even had her collar on her and half way into the walk, switched her from the leader to the collar, and immediately, she pulled. Put her back on the leader, and off we walked ever so nicely in the pouring rain. I LOVE IT!”

“My dog Pepper, when he was a puppy we used a harness on him, and also kept him in a kennel at times.

We went through two different sizes of harnesses, but as he grew, eventually they did start to chafe his armpits and we went to a conventional collar.

The kennel we used a lot at first, especially since we were moving about and the kennel was his familiar home no matter where we were. We've settled down now and don't need it for that. Also we kept him in it at night until he got well housebroken and could be trusted to stay in bed with us at night and to use his doggy door as needed. He hasn't set foot in his kennel in quite some time now.”

“I don't use the harness either unless we are somewhere where she will be on it for small amounts of time simply because of the armpit thing. I use her collar but now, really do like this leader. I will continue to use the leader.”

“I use a normal collar on D. He pulls a bit when we first go out, but he settles down quickly. When other people walk him they use a choke chain. He doesn't like it much, but basically he knows when he's got it on and doesn't pull at all. He'd obviously been trained with it before I adopted him. As it works and he's a slightly older doggie I don't see too much point in getting him used to new system. If I had a pup then I wouldn't start with a choke.”

“maybe my pooch is extra thin or something, the harness goes slack when she doesn't pull. in fact, she could probably step right out of it is she wanted.
the idea of the halti and the gentle leader is great but most of the dogs i've tried it on hated it. i have no patience to put up with the caught-fish antics, i guess.”

“put the choke around your arm and give it a tug. ouch
i'm surprised at dogs that still pull when on a choke. they can't be comfortable.
the out-of-control dog next door has graduated to a pinch collar and an electronic beep/shock collar for at home. poor pup.”

“I use chokers on my dogs. they dont seem to mind em much unless they are given a quick tug. I had problems with my harnesses after the dogs would run in em, that may have been the culprit. I own 2 haltis and dislike em very much, the dogs seem very stressed while using em (constantly trying to get out of em, the mutt can and does quickly). I like the chokers because if the dog isnt pulling they lay slack (if worn right, they must be looped properly) and are only tight when pulled. I love em for running since they dont obstruct the dogs breathing like the halti yet offer excellent control if a car cuts us off at an intersection (happens often) or a loose dog approaches (2 days ago ended with a 5 second scuffle).”

“IVantToSuckYourBlood: I am so glad the GL worked so well for you. That is a very typical experience. Like I said, it's almost like magic... or as close as you come to instant behavior change with a dog. I have used a lot of pet gadgets over the years and most are crap. The GL actually works...”

“We've been out twice so far, Pitts, and she actually has taken to it quite quickly. It was only 3.99 at my local pet store. It's not exactly like the one on the Website, but, hey it works. She is a small dog. And, yes, she can even play with her ball with it on. I never knew these things existed. I treat her like she is my kid and tend to forget she is a dog and needs doggie things.

Thanks for the info!”

“We now have 4 cute Chow puppies!!!...WoooHooo..”

“AW>......they are cute. Unfortunatly they are the dog most likly found in the pounds around here. I know, I saw it for myself...cage after cage of chows and chow mixes....they need a LOT of obedience training.”

“Lee's chow's took a likin' to me right away,( don't ya just love that saying!!!) and the female didn't even get upset when I looked at the dogs....I didn't touch them tho.....she is a very calm, loving dog.....”

“glad to hear that div :) I know its the upbringing a dog has that makes all the diffrence :) Lots of people around here are too poor to give thier dogs OB training and they become to much for them. They get these big aggressive breed dogs and end up abandoning them :(”

“...my daughter says it's all an "alpha dog" thing...LOL...”

“I will say that I believe the basics of obedience training are very simple. A $20 book and a little thinking (motivated by a desire to be successful) can go a long ways. A basic obedience course where your dog can learn to sit, stay, recall, heel, and walk without pulling is generally only a few sessions and involves a LOT more "homework" than classwork. Many people don't know how easy it all is or just don't care to even try.

A dog won't learn anything you are going to want to teach it overnight, at least not with a 100% confidince level that the behavior will be consistantly repeated. It takes time and LOTS of repetition with positive reinforcement to build good habits. Many just aren't willing to put the time in.

I'll also comment that many people are pretty ignorant when it comes to dogs. They overlay people behaviors onto dogs and they punish the dog for doing what it does best... being a dog. They think the dog is "broken" and dump it off on someone else.”

“To all the people on here who were so god damn rude to criticize me for liking something they don't, you can all go to hell.

LOL...

If you can't take criticism along with praise, DON'T POST IT ON THE INTERNET...

surprisingly enough, we do not all think alike...”

“gee twiggy you were very nice in your response..are you not feeling well ;)”

“I just took the pup to the vet...boy was that an adventure LOL! Anyone know how to train a dog so he doesnt want to kill every dog he sees?

I had to sit on him to get him to stop barking and growling!
last edited: 9/26/05 9:24:56 AM”

“LOL @ Ewker...”

“I just took the pup to the vet...boy was that an adventure LOL! Anyone know how to train a dog so he doesnt want to kill every dog he sees?

I had to sit on him to get him to stop barking and growling!
last edited: 9/26/05 9:24:56 AM”
Spirit Coyote
9:20:56 AM
9/26/05


Now here's a disaster waiting to happen.”

“SC: That takes a lot of time. I could talk for ages about this, but one way is to go to places where there are lots of dogs. Start out far away with the dogs in the distance. Just hang out and chill. The dog will be excited and bark/etc for a while but eventually will calm down as the other dogs ignore him. Then, after a few sessions, repeat this but move a little closer. Over time the dog will be calm all the time. I do this at Petco or the local dog park. Just one approach.
last edited: 9/26/05 10:45:51 AM”

“If you can't take criticism along with praise, DON'T POST IT ON THE INTERNET...

Well said. Beaker is just mad that the arguments against pitbulls are spot on. She won't accept the truth, so she lashes out in a juvenile rage. What a twit.”

“I don’t know. I think owning a pitt bull is a lot like carrying a gun in your pants with the safety off…you don’t think anything is wrong with it until it goes off and you've lost your balls!
last edited: 9/26/05 10:48:28 AM”

“Nigal, sadly it will probably be some innocent bystander's balls.”

“Scorchess DOES have a heart! :D”

“And she keeps it in a jar of formaldehyde on her desk.”

“Warning: Has happy ending

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/26/puppy.swallows.knife.ap/index.html”

“If you can't take criticism along with praise, DON'T POST IT ON THE INTERNET...

Well said. Beaker is just mad that the arguments against pitbulls are spot on. She won't accept the truth, so she lashes out in a juvenile rage. What a twit.”
Mutt
10:42:59 AM
9/26/05

yes and name calling is the adult thing to do!

scorch has every right to get mad.
she posted about something good she was doing and some people started in on her choice of breed.

get over it. the breed is here to stay. be thankful that there are people like her that are willing to teach these dogs not to kill!”

“mapes is my new hero :)


Hey I just found out, a water gun is a wonderful thing! The pup instantly knew what it was and I never even had to squirt him (he was jumping up on the stove while I was cooking) Now he knows "Out of the kitchen!" lol”

“SC: LOL. If you tried that trick with my dog Elvis he would instantly think it was play time. There is nothing that dog loves more than a hose or a squirt gun right in the face. He LIVES to play "attack the water stream". I can't let the kids do it because he gets so excited he forgets himself and will knock them over. I still catch them doing it on a regular basis despite the fact that it is "forbidden" (all the more reason to do it if I remember how I thought as a kid.)
last edited: 9/27/05 8:10:56 AM”

“It works when he is barking in the house too. Instant quiet. Of course this probebly means bath time will be a real pain! LMAO!”

“be thankful that there are people like her that are willing to teach these dogs not to kill!”
Morticia Morgue
7:06:01 AM
9/27/05

they don't have to be taught to attack and hurt someone. It is in their blood.”

“Scorch posted about doing something good? putting another pit bull out on the street is what you consider good? not everyone thinks that's good, duh...

where was the name calling? and swearing at people is of course, the more adult thing to do, LOL...

imo Scorch was looking for attention with this thread - knowing full well pit bulls are a controversial subject - if she didn't know that, she shouldn't have that breed.
suck it up.
:)”

“SC: Teaching a dog not to bark is one of the hardest things to do if you ask me. Your water gun is a good way to go and I know many do this. It’s using a negative, albeit a fairly fun and gentle one, to establish a behavior. The other way is a lot more difficult if you ask me, but also works.

You basically have to teach your dog how to bark in order to teach him not to bark...

Neat, huh? But it makes sense when you think about it. You are establishing one behavior in order to establish another. I had to wrap my brain around this before I understood it.

You teach the dog to "speak" or bark on command. With use of treats this is generally pretty easy to do. Once you have taught the "speak" command and the dog does it 100% on command without the treat (or close to 100%... it's hard for dogs to be perfect) then you teach him to "be quiet" by interrupting him as he is barking with the command and a treat. Basically you establish the behavior to bark with a command that you use to establish the behavior to be quiet.

I have a few friends that have used shock collars which I abhor. They do work, but they have a tendency to draw out other behaviors in the dog that are undesirable. I would take my dog to a professional trainer and spend a lot of money and only use the shock collar when THEY gave up before I would do this on my own.”

“If you can't take criticism along with praise, DON'T POST IT ON THE INTERNET...

Well said. Beaker is just mad that the arguments against pitbulls are spot on. She won't accept the truth, so she lashes out in a juvenile rage. What a twit.”
Mutt
10:42:59 AM
9/26/05


where was the name calling? and swearing at people is of course, the more adult thing to do, LOL...

imo Scorch was looking for attention with this thread - knowing full well pit bulls are a controversial subject - if she didn't know that, she shouldn't have that breed.
suck it up.
:)”
twigeater
8:17:02 AM
9/27/05

umm you need to take a breather. why is this bothering you so much?

so how many of you that say pitts are born to kill think this for the criminals of the world?


well you know what they says.

opinions are like a-holes.

everyone has one
(laugh damnit)”

“I think that's a terrible thing to say about pitts, and you should apologize to him!”