[Stachy]

Good day,

My name is shay I live in Barbados and I have a 9 week old red nose pitbull puppy, this is my first pitbull and im trying to learn as I go but it seems he is the one training me. I got him unexpectedly so I was not prepared: no crate, treats or food. So I improvised I let him sleep in my room with me and my husband in a newspaper corner and regular bowls from the kitchen. I feed him rice and chicken as this was what the previous owner told me they were feeding him already (I got him when he was 7 weeks old), they also were feeding him raw egg over the food and raw meet(including the bones) here and there. He has some aggression issues which im trying to work on but I see little to no progress, when we leave home I put him in his own room with food water and some toys to keep his company. As soon as I close the door he starts whining, crying and banging on the door, he does this all night if I try to get him to sleep in their.

This morning he did something that had me very concerned, I woke up to him by my head eating these little brown kibble sized things and I knew I put his food up for the night. When I checked he ate his own poop and this has me so disturbed because I feed him a sizable meal last night and he ate a good set of it. It is not as if we woke up late because it was 6am.

In terms of food im trying to get him off of human food and to start I gave him some Purina puppy chow with some Purina Alpo in a can over it and he barely touches it, I know it will take time. My major concern is that when I do feed him and rice and the alpo he eats all of it but then is still trying to eat our food, I figured I needed to up his portion and I did but he is still doing the same thing. I am thinking of a eating schedule but I am hearing different from other people, I know they mean well but I rather learn from someone who has experience with the breed.

He only has one shot so far his next one is this Saturday 24th sep, so he is confined to the house I bought him some toys and I try to play with him to burn his energy but he grabs the toys and runs and hides them lol. He is a puppy so I know he will be biting and im trying to teach him not to. But its hard he is so stubborn, I was at work and he started biting on my husbands work shoes and when I got home he allowed me to know he gave him lashes and put him in his room. From what I know you dnt hit dogs and I have tried my hardest not to I would put him on time out in his room when hes done wrong. The thing is he knows when hes doing wrong and waits until we are not looking to do it again, the time out is not working, I would raise my voice and he would sit their and stare at me then continue to do what hes doing.

I need help badly, I don’t want him growing up and possibly going out and biting someone. I promised to take care of him and I want to raise him right, can you help me ?

 

[jttar]

Welcome to the forum Stachy.
There is a lot to cover in your post so I will start and hopefully others here will chime in also. Let's start with the food issue. It sounds to me like this pup, which was taken away from it's mother too soon, needs to be put on a regular diet of the same food and same amounts every day. Purina dog chow is mostly filler and not a healthy meal. I have no ide what brands of dog meal are available in the Trinidad/Barbados area but check out THIS link for some of the higher rated dog foods. I feed mine Diamond Lamb and rice. When you pick a healthy dry meal for the dog that is all it needs. Feed it two cups a day to start. Put the food down and if they don't eat it after 15 minutes or so pick it back up. After a few hours, try it again. If the dog is healthy ( I'm assuming it was checked out by a vet and de-wormed) it will not starve itself. When the dog realizes that this is what it has to eat--- it will eat.

As far as him eating his poop, it is most often caused when the dog eats a high protein food that doesn't break down during digestion and still is appealing to the pup after it's eliminated. Raw meat and the chicken could be the culprit. Get him eating just the dry meal on a regular basis and I wouldn't be surprised if he quits recycling him food.

They are a stubborn, bull headed breed and as an owner you have to be more stubborn and bull headed. He is going to be bite aggressive because he was removed from his mother way to early. The mother teaches them and he was not given the chance to learn. You will have to be extra diligent about teaching him not to bite. When he does bite give him a LOUD firm NO!! and substitute a play to or chew bone for what ever it is he was chewing on. What you say is up to you but say it loud and serious enough to startle him.

Also, you need to get him a crate if you're going to leave him alone. Do some reading here on crate training and how beneficial it is not just for you and your belongings but how when properly trained the dog will seek out it's crate as a safe haven and a place of comfort.

Lastly, wear him out with mental and physical exercise. Walk him, play fetch, hide and seek with a treat as much as you have time for and then some more. A tired dog trains much easier and will spend less time destroying things. Best of luck and I wish you many happy years together.

Joe

 

[EckoMac]

I'm going to disagree with Joe on the poop eating. I believe in this instance it's due to poor nutrition. If he's only eating chicken and rice and occasional raw meat and bones then it is not a balanced diet. You need to either research prey model raw and do it right, or find a good quality kibble and transition him to that.
Definitely get him on a food schedule, this will help you set a potty schedule for him.

 

[3fetchers]

I agree with Joe. Nutritional wise Purina/Iams/ Eukanuba/ Beneful etc brands are low quality and the pup will have little to no interest in it after being fed raw and real chicken. Stool eating could be both high protein not fully digested or lack of full nutritional needs. Go to www.dogfoodadvisor.com and focus on 4 or 5 star brands of food for a well balanced diet.
I feed mine Orijen and Acana on a rotation of all the different proteins sources. It gives them variety and also helps to reduce the risk of developing allergies to proteins.
You need to focus on training, training, and more training.
When a puppy is separated from its mother before 8 weeks old they loose out on proper socialization skills. Even though he is not fully vaccinated you can still train him to walk on a leash at home and working on commands is great for mental stimulation.
But also keep in mind all puppies will chew to their hearts content. So make sure if it is chewing something its not supposed to, give a firm NO command, then trade it for something it is allowed to chew on, like a bone of some kind.
-Christine

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