I got a 3-4 month old pit bull just last thursday. I bought from a friend of a friend who said they fed it twice a day and pretty much an outside dog. I carried the dog to my car since i figured the dog might run away if i tried to put down. It seems like she has a fear of getting picked up since i sort of struggled picking her up.When I took it home it didn't walk around at all. I figured it just needed time to adjust.

I carried her to the garage since that's where I set up her food and she ate like she hadn't eaten all day. Afterwards I tried to show her how to get inside the house but she just sat there looking at me. Figuring that she would at least follow the way i showed her, I just started watching tv for about 5 minutes. Then I heard whining so I picked her up and brought her inside.

The only time she would actually walk is if she's gonna go potty. She just goes back to where she were before sitting and stays there. Whenever she wants to eat, she would whine and whine when here food is barely 10 feet away. Had no choice but to carry her there. She also never had a name, they just called her puppy. But I decided to name her Peanut. Now she oesnt respond to me at all. She is almost 2 ft long and weighs roughly around 30 pounds. It takes a toll on me having to carry her all the time and honestly it's getting tiring....FAST.

I want to give this dog a fighting chance since this is my very first pup. Any advice would definitely suffice and greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

labman

That $400 sounds high starting with a 3-4 months old that won't need all the shots a younger dog would. A combo now, rabies before long, and maybe another combo later the first year. Does it include heart worm and flea remedies, spaying? I don't keep track of it, but I may spend that much starting with a shot at 8 weeks plus the flea and heartworm remedies.

Many feeding problems stem from over feeding. Evaluate her as in LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog If she is OK, you can continue leaving the food out. That partly depends on your schedule. One important reason to stick to a regular feeding time is that along with a regular exercise schedule, it allows you to plan when the dog need its bowel movement.

If you do need to get her on a regular schedule, follow this:

Put down the dish with what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have. Many dogs are quite good at holding out for tastier chow. Like kids, sometimes it calls for tough love.

RubyPitbull

This is the first time I have heard of a "puppy package". ??? Boy, I knew the vets were realizing pets were big business and I have noticed an increase in costs over the past 10 years, but that seems ridiculous. You do need to shop around Da Bess.

Regarding the walking on a leash, if your pup was tied up outside all day, this is all new to her and she will be resistent. DO NOT allow her to lead you. You need to lead her. I know I need to prepare a write up on what I do that I can copy and paste here, but I haven't found the time. Maybe labman has one. ???? In the meantime, this link is as good a one that I can find that is close to what I do. Teach your dog to heel in one day

One of the basic training issues is to get your dog to "heel." When you choose a vet this week, find a good trainer through your vets' recommendation and enroll her in dog training classes. At her age and weight, she is too big for puppy training classes. You will find that most of the people there have very small dogs and she may be too rough with them when they allow play time at the end of class.

In the meantime, take a look at labman's link posted above. He has a wonderful list of recommended reading. Go to your local library or Barnes & Noble/Bordersbooks, and see what you can find from that list. Sit down and go through the books prior to checking out. Pick out one or two that you feel are helpful.

Pitmation

DaBess-

I wish I could help you. Has your situation gotten any better? I rescued a Pit/Dalmation mix on November 19 and I can't get him to walk anywhere I want him to go. He will run around in my backyard and play for hours, but as soon as I put a collar and leash on him he freezes up. He's 6 months old and already 50 lbs. I had to carry this dog into the vet office - it was rather embarrassing. Do you have any suggestions? All I can figure is in his former life he was changed or tied and wants no part of it now.

labman

Pitmation, if you go back to my first post to this thread, I give a simple technique that should get any puppy moving.

RubyPitbull

Yes, pitmation, follow labman's first post (& his link) on this thread and my post #12. Sounds like your dog may not have ever been trained to wear a collar and walk on a leash. It takes dogs time to adjust to being restricted if they have been allowed to roam free. Just be persistent, gentle, and patient. Do this exercise for 5 minutes two or three times a day. Then after a few days, extend the time to 10 minutes, a few days after that, 15 minutes twice a day. See how it goes and post back if you are continuing to have problems.

labman

The one other thing is the drag line, just a short leash with no handle. You can buy them, but any cheap leash with the handle cut off will do. You just put it on the dog and let it get used to running around the house with it on. Keep a close eye on it. You don't want to find the dog hanging from what it jumped over.

I tend to forget the drag line because I never used one. I start my puppies on the leash the day I pick them up at 7 weeks. They walk on leash from the kennel lobby to the car.

DaBess

Thanks for all the replies guys. I got the problem under control now. Now my main problem is making her walk next to me. She walks in a zig zag ahead of me. I'm trying to get her enrolled in an obidience class but they're so dang expensive. Even with the price, there's still a waiting period of about three weeks.

labman

Got any kids? With somebody the right age in the family, 4-H dog training is a great idea. In my area, clubs form soon after the first of the year. Even many urban areas have 4-H. For info look in your phone book under government listings for extension or cooperative extension offices. Ask specifically about a dog or canine club.

If your dog is at least 4 - 5 months old, start with a good 6' leather
leash and a sturdy slip collar, the metal chain ones with the rings on each
end. You want the shortest one that will go on and off easily. If you walk
with the dog on the left, pull the chain through one loop forming a "P".
Facing it, slip it over its head. The free end should come over the neck to the leash, and the other end should drop slack when there is no pull on the leash. Before 4 months use a conventional flat collar to protect the tender young neck.


Easier dogs will give up their pulling with a few good snaps of the leash
combined with a stern "Bad dog!". One gentle technique I
like is to just stop when he pulls. He wants to go. If you move forward when
the leash is slack, and stop when he pulls, he should quickly figure out the
only way to get to go, is not to pull. This is about teaching him not to
pull, not getting somewhere. The man that taught it to me said "If in a half
hour you haven't made it out to the front walk, fine, you have taught him a
lesson. Pulling the dog backwards is a good technique too,10 feet the first time or two.

Still, you may want to switch to a head collar. The leading brands are Promise, Haltie, and Gentle Leader. They have a strap going around the dogs nose looking something like a muzzle. They work by pulling the dogs head around. No other way gives you such great control with so little force. The prong collar is now a
dangerous relic of value only for its macho looks. Do not consider using one
without hands on instruction from somebody with plenty of experience with them.


All but the most recalcitrant young puppies can be controlled before they are 4 months old with the flat collar and patience. If you must have something more with a younger puppy, use a fabric restricted slip collar. These are sort of a cross between the conventional flat collar and the slip collar. Some of them are adjustable, Good for a growing puppy. They have a fabric loop at one end with a metal ring holding the other end in the loop, allowing it to slid back a forth. find one, or adjust one to where it will go on over the puppies head, but will not tighten up past a snug fit around the neck. Put it on the same way as the metal slip collar. The service dog school my Pepper belongs to uses them on all their dogs, puppies and working dogs, except where they must use a head collar.

jessica x

Hi.
I agree with everyone. Peanut needs to see a vet. That's number one. This will rule out that something physical is not wrong.
I'm not sure where are living, but depending on your city and location, the Humane Society might be a good option. Our town's Humane Society is a multi-million dollar facility (all private donations), and they have reasonable vet fees and very reasonable training and pet therapy seminars. The pit bull is one breed they strongly support. I volunteer there myself).

However, your city's Humane Society may not offer such services...beyond shelter and adoption. Still, I think it's worth a call to see what they offer. You could also ask them if they recommend a local vet....because if they do not have one on-site, they have to use someone.

Other than physical issues, there is clearly emotional and social issues here. My assessment, as a dog-lover and someone who works with dogs often, is much the same as everyone elses.
Peanut is in shock. She was not treated well during her early months, so she's confused.
The GOOD news is, she is still very young and you sound like a wonderful person. You can work with her.

Some things you can do:
1. Keep the tone of your voice very positive, high in pitch, and uplifted when you speak to her. Praise her ALOT. If you have to carry her in the house, speak to her as you do. For example, "Here you go, Peanut. Good girl! Look at you." Put her down and then walk away as your patting the back of your leg saying "come on, peanut. good girl, good girl". Then just walk in the room you want to be in and sit on the floor.
2. Look at her but don't stare at her. (Very important). Staring at a dog is a sign of aggression. An aggressive dog will attack and a timid one will retreat.
3. Be light on discipline right now. She NEEDS to learn she can TRUST you. That you love her. Of course, if she's biting, that's a NO. But if she starts to get into something, don't punish. For example, if she final starts to get courage to chew something in your house, even if it's your shoe, make sure that punishment is not the first thing you do. Replace the shoe with a toy she can chew on and play with her.
4. Get her to play. This will still be an instinct in her. She's too young to have lost it yet.
5. TREATS. TREATS. TREATS. Use them.

Lastly, go light on the leash walking. It's definitely an advanced skill for dog. You may just have to get a very long leash and just sit outside with her. Let her run around....BUT SIT OUTSIDE WITH HER. You need to stay with her....everywhere. She has been left alone all the time,...so she thinks she should be alone. YOU will have to put yourself with her in every situation. Soon enough, she'll learn she's supposed to be with you. When that happens, you won't even need to worry about her walking on a leash.

Good luck.

labman

Some things are so obvious, they get left out. In my post #18 on walking a dog, I didn't mention removing the training collar after the walk. None of the training collars should left on the dog when not on leash. I take mine off leaving it with the leash at the end of the walk.

Thanks to danidac7 for letting me know about my omission.