Ask Me Help Desk - Pit bull pup training

Mowerman, if you knew anything about dogs, that picture is not of a dog becoming aggressive. That is part of play behavior. Monessa, please ignore these negative postings from others. If you want to keep the pup, we will help guide you and answer any questions you may have. If you see something out of the norm with your pup, definitely post and let us know.

One thing I wanted to mention is, although she is small and cute now, you need to correct her immediately if she is jumping on anyone. She will grow very quickly over the next 6 months. Pits are very strong and like other large breed dogs, they can knock someone over very easily. So, if you get a handle on it now, it avoids bigger problems later. When she jumps on your legs, don't touch her but instruct her to sit. When she sits, pet her and say "Good girl, Happy". Give her the attention when she follows your instructions. Do not give her any attention when she is doing something negative. You can also turn away from her when she jumps and say "Off". If you turn you back on her and refuse to give her attention, ignoring her, saying the trigger word, she will quickly learn that jumping up will not get her what she wants. Once she stops jumping, say the good girl words and give her attention. If she suddenly jumps up again while you are doing this, and she will until she learns what you want, turn your back to her and say, "off." It will take a number of repetitions but she will get it.

P.S. I posted this prior to seeing your new post. I am glad Skebo appears to be on the road to recovery.

Quote:

Originally Posted by monessa

We found a pit bull female pup (might be a mix) and I have a couple of questions regarding their training...She's about 2 months old...

1. How do you keep her from snapping shut when you give her a treat- truly hurts if you get a finger caught in there...

2. Is potty training more difficult for this breed? Right now, she'll ocassionally use the wee wee pad but rarely...

3. She was one of two female pups left on the side of the road, do people usually dump the females on this breed? I'm glad we found her, but I think it's a bit odd that there were two females dumped...Just curious, I guess...

4. I also have an older, geriatric min pin...He gets aggrivated by her hyperness-any thoughts there?

5. Am I right in assuming I have no worries with my 9 year old son because I got her young enough...

You will be fine as long as you read up on this breed and make sure she KNOWS that she is NOT the dominant one in the family. Make sure everyone in the house gives her commands and she listens to them. Also make sure you take her to stores like PetSmart or Petco so she is used to strangers and other dogs. They have it in their blood to dislike other dogs, so do e careful and never take her to a park no matter how well she does. If she comes across a dog she doesn't like, these dogs are powerful and can kill other dogs. Watch the dog whisperer on discovery channel. He's a genius and works with all dogs. He owns like twelve pitbulls. They are wonderful dogs and you will be fine.. . I know quite a bit about this breed. Also house training is different for every breed. It doesn't matter what the breed is. My pitbull was potty trained at 10 weeks. So it just depends on the personality. You wrote this a while ago, so hopefully she is better now. But if not, make sure you let her out every hours and are giving her treats and praising her when she goes outside. Also if there are spots in the house that she has already gone, you have to clean it with something specifically for urine stains. If the dog smells it, their blatter lets loose without any control. So that could be the problem as well. Write me if you need anything.

Bridget

Email deleted by Labman. It is a violation of site rules to ask and answer questions by email or PM.

I have Resolve, it says it neutralizes odors, will that work? Is there something else?

Taking a 2 month old to a place where there are unknown dogs, such as a Petco or Petsmart, is a terrible idea. A that age they may still be vulnerable to parvo and other diseases. Continue to listen to RubyPitbull, and ignore the other advice you are getting. Your only protection from bad advice here is what others say.

Many better dog trainers don't like the Dog Whisperer's harsh methods. The current trend is towards more positive methods.

If you check my sticky, on housebreaking, I suggest leaving a residual smell so you know to take the puppy out when it returns to the old spot.

Monessa, you need something that is specifically for dog urine. I don't think resolve will do it. Go to a petstore and pick up either simple solution or Natures Miracle. And as for what Labman stated, if your puppy is 8 weeks old, you should have had at least his first shots and after his second you are able to start puppy classes... So it will be fine to take him into the store AS LONG as he's had his shots. It is true that they can catch viruses. But that is what the shots are for. And as for the dog whisperer, watch it yourself and ignore what other people say. He does not use any harsh methodsin any way. So I have no idea what Labman is talkingabout. He has obviously never seen the show. He is
Known as the best and has even been on Oprah. I FIRMLY believe in positive reinforcement, especially for this bred. PLease just make sure you are doing research before just listening to what people say on this site. Rubypitbull seems to know what he is talking about. But always make sure you you get more than one persons advice!

Thank you guys for the help... I'm slowly working on the pottying and chewing... I might take her out later in the year... I'm here in Arizona and right now, if the little pups try to walk on the concrete (as in a parking lot) it'll burn their little feet... She's getting bigger every day...

I uploaded a pic of Happy, let me know whatcha think!!

Monessa urine gone works good for pee accidents, Follow label and it will remove all odor about, 10 dollars a bottle at walgreens and most other big box stores.

Thank you... I'd already gotten OdoBan Pet Stain Remover and OdoBan Bitter Barrier (for the chewing)... I hope it works... If not, I'll get that... She's doing better with the pee, but still working on the poo... The Bitter Barrier isn't working so well, though... I'm not sure, but she either likes it or it doesn't bother her because she isn't stopping... 3 ethernet cords, a phone charger cord, and 5 shoes later, we're still working on it! LOL... :

Yeah, it seems a bit crazy, but sometimes dogs do like the taste of the bitter sprays. Remember though that 6 to 12 weeks are puppies prime times for training... so it may take some time for you but it is never impossible to train a dog. Make sure you are praising and giving her treats EVERY time she goes potty outside. Take her out every hour if you have to, and always keep an eye on her so you can catch her in the act of going potty in the house. If you see her, make a loud noise and distract her somehow. Some people try rattleing things. Tell her no, and take her outside. When she then goes potty outside, give her treat, tell her good girl, and make a huge deal about it. Good luch and she is beautiful!

Thank you... I love our puppy... I'm taking her out all the time and we have very little wee wee's... It's a work in progress... She's part of the family!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfinstad

Yeah, it seems a bit crazy, but sometimes dogs do like the taste of the bitter sprays. Remember though that 6 to 12 weeks are puppies prime times for training... so it may take some time for you but it is never impossible to train a dog. Make sure you are praising and giving her treats EVERY time she goes potty outside. Take her out every hour if you have to, and always keep an eye on her so you can catch her in the act of going potty in the house. If you see her, make a loud noise and distract her somehow. Some people try rattleing things. Tell her no, and take her outside. When she then goes potty outside, give her treat, tell her good girl, and make a huge deal about it. Good luch and she is beautiful!!

The above may woprk, but not near as well as what you find at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251809

Praise is important in housebreaking a puppy, but it really isn't necessary to use treats.

Housebreaking is about the dog learning to let you know when it is ready to relieve itself. Taking it out because of what the clock says interferes with that. The sticky tells how to read the dog.

You don't need a loud or harsh sound to distract a dog you catch eliminating in the house. Just give it a sharp ''Ah, ah, ah!'' and gently pick it up and carry it out to its spot.