Pitbull pooping problem

nlazzaro · Aug 10, 2005, 04:28 PM

I have had my puppy for about 4months, when we got him he was 4 months. Every since we got him we have been trying to train him and it has been nothing but a problem. When we think he's got it we will come up and find poop in his cage. Is it to late to try and train him or is there something we can do. Everytime when he does mess in his cage, we taken his out side and tell him it is supposed to go out side. Not this is getting a little old to us so we are now making him stay out side (for a while) when he messes in the house. Recently we have come across another problem. We put him in the cage at night (since he is still not trained) and he torn a whole in the carpet. and then 2 days later continued to rip the whole bigger. What is his puppys problem and what can we do to fix it.

labman · Aug 21, 2005, 04:41 PM

Can I have some details on just how I let a dog chew rawhide and make sure it doesn't tear off a piece and try to swallow it, without watching it very carefully? By the way, the larger the dog, the more likely it is that it will be able to pull off pieces of any chew. Many of the reports I have read of of dogs dying from rawhide were ones that were given rawhide for years. It is like letting a dog run loose. Many get away with it for a long time, but some die every year.

I am here to help others. One of the way I do that is to warn them of dangers to their dogs. If that upsets you, well the safety of other peoples' dogs is more important to me.

LoveMyBooBooGirl · Aug 21, 2005, 10:28 PM

my world is just not that small that you could upset me. i am am a well established breeder and recue/foster home, amoung other things. i come here at night to see where i can help out the avg. pet owner. obviously i am not making myself clear, i am not asking for your opinion, nor do i want it. i am answering questions just like everyone else, get over yourself. this is a waste of my valuable time.

labman · Aug 22, 2005, 07:23 AM

No you are not making your self clear. You suggest giving dogs rawhide chew toys. After I objected, you added that you need to take precautions, but failed to detail them. You also failed to mention other problems including harboring salmonella and foreign made chews containing lye, arsenic, formaldehyde, and who knows what else. I can only conclude you are poorly informed or irresponsible. Either way, I love dogs too much to let your posts go unchallenged. I don't like reading post of people that lost, or nearly lost dogs due to rawhide and other consumable chews.

BoxerFella · Aug 25, 2005, 01:16 PM

Labman, you're being silly. I take my dogs to play in the ocean. They love chasing the surf, and biting at the waves, and digging in the sand. Now, I certainly would not just leave them out there; I know they would stay close to my house, but its dangerous for dogs to be playing in the surf without supervision (just like it is for children). So is it illogical to allow dogs to play somewhere that could kill them?

I understand your point; some dogs will try to swallow chunks of rawhide that are too large, and will choke. HOWEVER, many dogs will just knaw and knaw at it, and will only swallow tiny bits of rawhide, if any (my dogs like to just chew it and spit it out). So the moral of the story; watch your dog if you will let it chew on rawhide. If you can't supervise your dog, don't let it chew on rawhide, or go to the beach, or play in lakes, or really do much of anything.

Labman, I'm sure you're going to have a pithy, snide remark. Save it, because I'm not planning on reading anything more on this issue. Shame on you for your demeanor and attitude.

labman · Aug 25, 2005, 03:11 PM

Once again, rawhide kills, and I am not apologizing to those that push risky actions. A dog chews rawhide for years with no problem, and one day rips off a little too big of a piece and chokes or has an obstructed intestine. To those that don't like me saying so, tough. If you don't like the message, kill the messenger.

becky92029 · Sep 29, 2005, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wishbone

I speak from "experience" please do not give a dog rawhide. I had to rush one of my dogs to the emergency clinic because a piece broke off and got caught. She could not breath. It took me 20 minutes to drive there cause my vet was closed. She almost died.

How frightening!! I stopped giving my dogs pigs ears, feet and all rawhide products after going in to my favorite pet supply store 15 years ago. They were nowhere to be found and after asking was told they are too dangerous and that she had removed it all from her shelves and bins. I'm quite surprised to see Petco still sells these. My dogs and puppies only get Kongs with peanut butter or liver flavored filling. Doggie biscuits I trust are alright, but rarely use as I'm afraid they will lose their appetites for mealtimes. Oh, the only other thing I give them are the sqeaky toys; but, only when I'm standing right there because they can tear them apart and swallow the squeakers inside. They chew on and make love to their Kongs forever!

becky92029 · Sep 29, 2005, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by labman

Rawhide kills. It is too easy for a dog to rip a piece off, swallow it, and then it swells either choking the dog or blocking its intestinal tract. Please do not give any dog rawhide ever. I base my advice not on the experience that any one person can have in a lifetime, but on the advice from a large dog guide school that supervised the care of thousands of dogs over their lifetime. They have long forbid all rawhide, and now ban ropes. If you love your dog, stick to sturdy stuff including Nylabones and Kongs.

The chewing can be solved by keeping the dog in the crate when you can't watch it. Accidents and damaged possessions are the fault of whoever was watching the puppy at the time. When you are watching it, immediately correct it as soon as it goes for anything except its own toys. In a quiet, but firm voice ''Bad dog, its name drop!''. Gently remove what ever and replace it with one of his toys, or if older, hold eye contact until the puppy drops it. Eye contact is very important in maintaining your position as top dog.
Having a good pack structure reduces such problems. The dogs see all the
people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in
the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members
outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by
reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class
or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with
a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/.

If it is having soft stools, restrict its diet to the same dry dog food and little else. Sudden changes of diet cause intestional upsets. If it continues to have loose stools, have the vet check it. No amount of training will fix a physical problem.

It sounds to me like the pooping in the crate is a form of protest if they are well formed stools likely he could have held. It is a very effective form of protest. Fortunately, it is summer time and you can haul the crate outside and hose it out. To otherwise reduce the mess, remove any bedding you have been using. A wire rack in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of
accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but a piece of closely
spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. The rack is more effective with urine, but stools will also push down through before making too much of a mess of the dog. When he sees that the pooping isn't working, he will decide to keep the crate clean.

Labman, do you know why I can't give you Kudos for this post? It says something to the effect that I have to spread my comments around to others... I only remember saying something nice once or twice about you and lots to others. Know anything about this? Where's my right to free speech?!

labman · Sep 29, 2005, 07:49 AM

Thank you for your support. I haven't worked much with the rating system here. It doesn't seem to be the obtrusive, bad joke the original AskMe had. Certainly the rating system there and some other sites provide absolutely no guidance to the quality of the answers. Often the trolls end up with better ratings because of their seemingly unlimited time to play their games. I really feel sorry for those with so little life that they must cheat to inflate their rating and diminish others.

If I don't like somebody's post, I say so and explain why. I am quite willing to stand or fall based on the content of my posts.

The rating game is alive and well here in the computer sections. Somebody there may be better able to answer your question. I feel the squabbling that goes on there is counter productive.

It is the only section I look at that has that nonsense. Speedball1 does a great job in plumbing, CroCivic in automotive, tkrussel in electrical, etc. and nobody plays any silly games. I ignore much of the more subjective areas here.