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General questions by a first time Pit Bull owner

2K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  ames 
#1 ·
Hey everyone :)
I own a 4 and a half month old female red nose (I know red nose doesn't actually mean anything other than colour) before her I had a male Labrador who I had since I was 3 but sadly he passed away not long ago. I weighed her today and she weighs 31 lbs, I read on other forums that if you multiply the 4 month old weight by 2 you get the adult weight (or near enough) well that's around 60lbs! That seems awfully large for a female?
I feed her on Orijen Large puppy food right now and she gets walked around 2 - 3 miles a day off leash, then at the end of the walk we stop in a field and play fetch for a while. I'm being very careful not to over do it, but I am curious as to whether I could go on longer walks with her? She handles it extremely well and doesn't seem to be affected by the distance, if she showed signs of slowing down then I'd make the walks shorter but she seems like she could go for a longer time.
I also give her Bully Max NOT FOR MUSCLE BUILDING but for the vitamins and minerals, I did extensive research whether it was okay for puppies and as far as I'm aware it's perfectly healthy for all age dogs, please correct me if I'm wrong.
I got her when she was 3 months old and she learns almost instantly, for example she learned how to spin left and right with different commands in a total amount of about 2 or 3 hours training (spread out of course) however she is just not understanding house training! Saying that she has only had one accident today.

So here are my questions;
1) Is 60lbs for a female unusual? I heard 35-50 is the standard for a full grown adult female. I know there's no way of knowing what weight she will be when she's older but from what I remember her mother seemed to look around 60ish lbs.
2) Is 2 - 3 miles too easy, too much hard work, could she go for longer? As far as I think she could go longer and would be happy doing so but I don't want to over do it, hence asking for your opinions. The rule most people go by is 5 minutes of walking per month of life, so according to that she should only get 20 minutes of walking a day, yet if she had 20 minutes of walking a day I'd be ripping my hair out from the stress of a hyperactive puppy
3) Opinions on Bully Max? Again, not using for muscle development, the pills won't help with that much anyway since she's not working hard
4) Any tips of house training?

Many thanks :roll:
 
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#2 ·
1) Well it depends on if she's an APBT, an AmStaff, a Staffy, an AmBully or a mix of any of those. Do you know what breed she is?
2) It depends on the dog, the weather, etc. I would just walk her until she looks a bit tired and then maybe invest in a flirt pole. I wouldn't worry to much about the distance you're walking, as long as it's not hot out, you aren't running the whole time and she gets plenty of water.
3) Not a supplement I would use, I prefer more basic things like oils (coconut and fish) or maybe RF-1 once the dog is over five months of age.
4) My dog stays outside so I don't really have any tips about that, sorry. I'm sure the other members probably have better advice. :)
 
#4 ·
1) She's an American Pit Bull Terrier
2) She's very athletic and comes from very athletic parents, more jumping and running potential than weight pulling etc. Right now where I am it's pretty chilly so I've just ordered her a coat and where we walk there's natural flowing rivers for her to drink from if she feels the need so I think what I'll do is start mapping my routes and adding half a mile at a time until I find where she starts getting tired then I'll play it by ear
3) She'll be 5 months in a couple of weeks so I'll look into RF-1 :)
4) No worries thanks for the rest of the answers!
 
#3 · (Edited)
Welcome!

Yes, 60lbs is a little large for an APBT. Is she purebred (papered)? Remember those guides are simply guides, not an exact science. The best indicator of adult weight is through the parents' adult weights.

Even puppies vary on how much exercise they need, but I definitely wouldn't up it at that age. That's more than I would do with such a young pup as it is.

Bully Max, in my opinion, is an absolute scam. It is NOT necessary and especially so for a growing puppy. I would cut that out ASAP.

Also, these are not large dogs, and do not need Large breed food. It can actually harm them as the nutritional balance is created for Large/Giant breeds, so I'd definitively switch to a normal puppy or adult formula, whichever you prefer. :)

For house training, just remember to be consistent and take her out before and after everything (eating, sleeping, etc.) and about every hour or so in between.
 
#5 ·
Yes she's a pure bred APBT

Ahhh see one person told me I can up it if I'm careful and pay close attention and now you say not to up it, I'm so conflicted :confused:

I only have a couple more pills of Bully Max left so I'll use them up and then look at different supplements, any opinions on some good ones for puppies? Or does she not need the extra vitamins etc

Oh okay, I was under the assumption that 60lbs would classify as a large breed dog, my bad! I'll switch her onto the usual puppy after this bag is gone, unfortunately I buy it 13kg at a time :(

Thanks for your help!
 
#7 ·
Exercise levels will always be a matter of opinion so be prepared to hear a bunch of different answers. Like I said, I personally would not be increasing exercise in a pup that young. At that age, I was focusing more on obedience & mental stimulation with my pups, with 30-40 minute walks per day. Remember that mental stimulation is just as draining and important as physical exercise is. It's totally up to you, and as long as your dog isn't telling you it's too much, then I'm sure you can keep doing what you're doing and increase how you see fit.

As for supplements, I really don't find them to be necessary at all. For puppies I wouldn't even be considering anything. The only little "boost", I guess you could call it, that I use, is a raw egg with shell once a week for both of my dogs. I've found this to make their coats extra shiny and healthy.

Your puppy has a LOT of growing to do and won't fully mature until 2-3 years old. I wouldn't be doing anything other than feeding her a high quality food until then. Pit Bulls are natural athletes, they will develop on their own with proper exercise, any supplements are just extra. Again, you'll probably get a lot of opinions. My dogs are pets, although I like to keep them more fit than many, I still see no need for anything extra.
 
#8 ·
You don't have to up it, I would focus on building drive (which is why I mentioned the flirt pole). But I don't think it'd be harmful as long as the dog doesn't look too exhausted. Just keep an eye on her, APBTs do sometimes push themselves to their limits; which can be good and bad.
 
#9 ·
Wait at four months your dog is 60lbs? You usually double the weight at 4 months to find their adult weight and 120lbs is NOT a pit bull. With that being said unless you know her specific bloodlines there is going to be no way to tell what breed she is or isn't. If you know the bloodlines you can know what breed she is or isn't.

As far as bully max it's crap from what I have read and people have used. Some like it but I prefer less chemicals and organic supplements. My boy gets local honey and bee pollen because he has environmental allergies and glucosamine pills. You can add fish oil or coconut oil depends on why you are supplementing.
 
#10 ·
Wait at four months your dog is 60lbs? You usually double the weight at 4 months to find their adult weight and 120lbs is NOT a pit bull. With that being said unless you know her specific bloodlines there is going to be no way to tell what breed she is or isn't. If you know the bloodlines you can know what breed she is or isn't.

As far as bully max it's crap from what I have read and people have used. Some like it but I prefer less chemicals and organic supplements. My boy gets local honey and bee pollen because he has environmental allergies and glucosamine pills. You can add fish oil or coconut oil depends on why you are supplementing.
No, I said at 4 months she's 31 lbs and double that she'll be around 60lbs
 
#12 · (Edited)
I am so sorry my phone is not loading all the threads. Or I just woke up and skipped your first post. Don't mind me. I must have read another post and thought i was at the top. Sorry man I see she is 31lbs lol. My bad.

I have a mutt he is 58 I was told by the person who gave him to me that his breeder told him he is AST but never got the papers. So he is just my amazing mutt :) It would be nice to know what breed he is but if I really cared I would have got a different dog since there is no way I will ever know. It's cool I love my mutt.

I let my boy dictate his walks. The only thing to be mindful of is how far away you are when you dog has had enough. As pups it happens pretty quick they don't slow down its on and off lol. Being a long walk away could be harder in you carrying 30lbs home if it's too long.

How often are you taking the pup outside? When awake I would take my boy out every time he moved pretty much. If he was playing with a toy and stopped, outside. Laying at my feet and sits up, go outside. Sitting on he floor and goes to sniff a ball, going outside. Basically anytime he moved or every half hour when he was awake and not in his crate.
 
#13 ·
I am so sorry my phone is not loading all the threads. Or I just work up and skipped yor first post. Don't mind me. I must have read another post and thought j was at the top. Sorry man I see she is 31lbs lol. My bad.

I have a mutt he is 58 I was told by the person who gave him to me that his breeder told him he is AST but never got the papers. So he is just my amazing mutt :) It would be nice to know what breed he is but if I really cared I would have got a different dog since there is no way I will ever know. It's cool I love my mutt.

I let my boy dictate his walks. The only thing to be mindful of is how far away you are when you dog has had enough. As pups it happens pretty quick they don't slow down its on and off lol. Being a long walk away could be harder in you carrying 30lbs home if it's too long.

How often are you taking the pup outside? When awake I would take my boy out every time he moved pretty much. If he was playing with a toy and stopped, outside. Laying at my feet and sits up, go outside. Sitting on he floor and goes to sniff a ball, going outside. Basically anytime he moved or every half hour when he was awake and not in his crate.
She goes outside when she wakes up, and I know when she's awake because she comes and jumps on me to tell me to get up. Then she gets fed, she takes about 10 or 15 minutes to finish, she gets put out again. Then i'll do whatever I need to do upstairs as I work from home and she's happy just following me, when she leaves the room that usually means she needs the toilet so I make her follow me downstairs, show her to the garden and give her the command to go to the toilet, which she does. Then we go for a walk around 12pm or 1pm. Continue with the every hour/2 hours going outside once we get back. Around 5 or 6pm we go for a walk, she gets fed, taken outside and told to go to the toilet. Then we go back upstairs. She falls asleep (for good) at around 10 or 11pm. and that's our daily routine really. Plus playing and obedience training inbetween everything. But sometimes when I'm looking at my computer screen she realises she needs the toilet, sneaks away without me noticing, tries to go downstairs and makes a mess. I know she's at least trying!
 
#16 ·
Well that's good at least you know it's owner failure lol if you can't watch her 100% maybe put her in her crate. Like if you have a call or know you need to concentrate for a bit. Or you can get like pen and put the pup on the pen so she can't walk away. Another great idea for you would be to bell train her. That way you don't have to pay as much full attention and just listen for her to ring the bell :)
 
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