I had completely forgotten all about dealing with canine naughtiness, mischief and overwhelming exuberance.
That is until I ended up with a 9 month old American Pit Bull Terrier who’d gotten stuck at the vet’s when her people couldn’t pay her bill for parvo treatment.
My two other dogs were grown, and frankly, neither one of them had ever been terribly puppyish, even when they were puppies, and most of their predecessors had come to me from the pound as grown dogs, with the exception of O’Riley, the three month old blind Australian Shepherd pup, and even then, he’d been an exceptionally easy puppy; his only real symptom of puppyhood being his habit of grabbing onto pants legs and playing tug.
But no, I had to bring home a Terrier. Which meant I had to start remembering how to deal with a Terrier puppy.
I’ll admit to taking full advantage of the two already-there dogs’ love of peace and order while it lasted — before the Terrier corrupted both of them completely and got them hooked on bed wrestling and other uninhibited pastimes. It was appalling to see how quickly my polite, manners obsessed male German Shepherd mix embraced his inner hellion and became adept at waiting until the little Terrier seemed to wind down before instigating another round of zooming around the house and wrestling noisily, much to the irritation of the female Fila, who prefers either games of stalking (her favorite, which no one likes to play with her, is “AHA! I’ve Got You Now, where she lays in wait and then bursts out on her victim who has been warily making their way through the game zone under growing apprehension) or wrestling on a big. soft bed.
One of the first principles I had to re-learn was that a tired puppy (or dog who thinks he’s a puppy again) is a good puppy. The more you wear them out playing the less trouble they’re likely to get into on their own when you’ve got to be doing something other than watching their every move. The best way to teach your puppy not to misbehave is to not let it get bored enough to find bad — or dangerous things to do when your back is turned — or even when you’re looking straight at him.
But it doesn’t matter how tired you keep that pup, sooner or later he’s going to get into something, whether it’s your favorite pair of shoes in your closet or finding a way to get to that chicken you left thawing in the kitchen sink.
For most puppies, when you catch them in the act, a good, stern “No!” will get the idea across, especially if you reinforce it by having them perform one of their “good” ehaviors and rewarding that. Remember, you’ll probably have to repeat the process more than once.
Diversion. There are so many ways to use that tactic. Use it to reclaim your bra, or whatever other unfortunate treasure your puppy’s found to drag through the house in front of the mother-in-law. Pick up the toy you want the little beast (Puppy, not the mother-in-law) to play with and divert his attention to it so he’ll drop the bra and make the trade. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to take it without getting him focused on something more appropriate or you run the risk of him discovering how much fun a lace bungee pull toy can be.
Diversion can work to make the barking stop, call a halt to annoying the cat before the cat imposes the law of the jungle on the offending pup, and pretty much any behavior that’s a miss. If you start using it when your dog is still a puppy it should remain a useful tool throughout your life together. My terrier is a little over two years old now and there is one particular application that we’ll probably use her entire life, and I say “we” because she’s learned to apply it to herself.
I learned about this one from a friend and her Dalmatian mix with a terrier-like propensity for overwhelming, loud enthusiasm over nearly anything. His owner found that diverting his attention to one of his toys would allow the dog to calm himself down.
My terrier’s favorite toys are old athletic socks with a knot in them, for tugging, so I began doing the same with her, starting by saying “find your sock” as I found hers and offered it to her. It stopped whatever misbehavior was happening and allowed her to calm down. Pretty soon she began sending her self to find her sock without me having to say a word.
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About Author
Collin is a trainer and pet enthusiast. He has spent much of his time working with pets and their families in a variety of fields, but now focuses his time on sharing his expertise with others. His goal is to make the relationship bond stronger and living easier on a daily basis. There are numerous ways of achieving this goal and Collin hopes to find the perfect method through sharing his knowledge. Visit Collins website for deals on orthopedic dog beds and dog tracking collar.
can’t believe it’s drawn out of nothing, could be a photography!
*sub*
All APBT's are born with floppy ears. The ones with pointed ears have had surgery "cropping" to make them look that way for aesthetic purposes.
Pit bulls were originally created in the 1800's in England. The original dogs were a mix of bulldogs and terriers. However, when I say bulldog, I'm not talking about "English bulldogs." The bulldogs in England back then were much bigger than today and they're faces weren't as smooshed. Those English bulldogs looked a lot like today's American bulldogs. They also resemble a breed called an Olde English Bulldogge.
Great talent Der Mann.
Incredible! He looks so life like. Just amazing…and what a beautiful subject
Excellent work. Pleasure to watch. Perfect music
))
You’re really good man. You’ve got excellent talent.
both dogs are very good companion dogs. How well they get along depends on you and how they are introduced and treated while together.
In Ontario, pit bulls are banned under existing legislation (October 2005). There are tougher restrictions on breeding, tougher rules for current owners of pit bulls and other restrictions. This legislation will also affect other "dangerous" breeds.
Since the legislation, I haven't heard of charges being brought against owners – the legislation might lack "teeth"! But another thing that is important to remember is that there needs to be enforcement officers to lay charges, etc…
One thing I don't understand from your question is the word "scoucers". What is that?
If you are talking about the American Staffordshire Terrier and the American Pit Bull Terrier you areally wont be able to tell the differance.
there are 3 different breeds.
the APBT or American Pit Bull Terrier
AST or American Staffordshire Terrier and the
SBT or Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
now the APBT and AST Are pretty much the same breed but reg with different registries.
The AST did come from the APBT when AKC decided to register the APBT they changed the name.
now the SBT is a smaller dog but has the same body type as the APBT and the AST for the most part. The SBT should never have its ears cropped like most of the AST and APBT do.
The APBT and AST are both USA breeds but
the SBT is a breed from the UK. it is not as popular in the USA as the APBT or the AST.
Here is a little history on the APBT and AST .
the APBT was the only breed to make up the Am Staffs.
when the AKC decided to start the Am Staff breed they used only UKC registered APBT. they did change the name to get away from the fighting history of the breed though.
in 1898 the UKC was formed for the purpose of registering the APBT as a pure breed. this was the 1st breed the UKC did recognize but later they did become a multi breed registry and the 2nd largest and 2nd oldest registry in the USA.
then in 1936 the AKC did also register the APBT but did change the name to Staffordshire Terrier. then later in 1972 changed the name again to American Staffordshire Terrier so they would not get confused with their English cousins the Staffordshire Bull Terrier
from the AKC site
"These dogs began to find their way into America as early as 1870, where they became known as Pit Dog, Pit Bull Terrier, later American Bull Terrier, and still later as Yankee Terrier.
In 1936, they were accepted for registration in the AKC Stud Book as Staffordshire Terriers. The name of the breed was revised effective January 1, 1972 to American Staffordshire Terrier"
as the AKC doesn't recognize the APBT as a pure bred dog they really give little to no mention of them in the history of the breed and no mention of the UKC either.
hope this helps a little bit…
Edit to add:
althought the Am Staff and the American Pit Bull Terrier where the same breed in the beginning they are both been bred very differently. orig the Am Staff was bred primarily for show and the APBT was for fighting they have become very different.
The UKC does allow the Am Staffs to be registered as APBT so some people are crossing the 2 lines in UKC. I know of many people that call them Pitter Staffs ( an unofficial name)
The AKC will not allow the APBT to be registered with their registries at this time though.
Also People have been breeding the APBT and AST lower and thicker to make the low rider type of dogs. Many people believe others breeds may have been added tot he APBT or AST to make this new breed of dog.
They have also started their own registry and they are being called American Bullies.
here are some registry links for you
AKC AST
http://www.akc.org/index.cfm
UKC APBT
http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/WebPa…
ABKC American Bully
http://www.abkcdogs.org/
AKC SBT
http://www.akc.org/breeds/staffordshire_bull_terrier/index.cfm
UKC SBT
http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/e63329fac2fcceaa8525735c0061eb4d/b6077e9cd67178798525741600537076?OpenDocument
Nice work, you did pretty good.
Any dog will guard but if you are going to use your dog as JUST a guard dog the possibility is he will turn aggressive in all situations.
If he is going to be a pet and you want to know if he would guard you then i would say that most dogs will protect their family if they have to.
whoa!!it looks like a PICTURE!
ur an amazing painter!:D
http://www.netpets.com/dogs/healthspa/case4dock.html
It is common for a lot of BYB's or others to dock, but that being said in both the American Staffordshire Terrier and the APBT breed standards, it states tail is not to be docked.
Brilliant Willy, Just Brilliant =D
no breed of dog,large or small should be allowed in public off lead.
i don't blame you for being afraid for your 3yr.old.
a staffie is a powerful dog and the injuries they inflict are horrific when they attack.
now,that being said,i have 2 staffies.there is no better breed around a child than a staffie if the dog has been properly socialized. none any worse if they have not.
mine have been.if you ever consider getting a staffie or even a mix you should get it when it is very young and be sure it is spayed/neutered.
a pack leader needs to be established right off to give the pup some sense of security because just like a child,they crave limits and boundaries.this lets them know where they stand within the family.
a "spoiled" child is not really a happy child and neither is a "spoiled" dog.if you really want to learn more about the breed you can go on line and type in American Stafforshire Terrier and it will take you to a number of sites .
also a good site for all breeds is http:/www.nextdaypets.comdirectory/breeds
please don't condemnn the breed condem irresponsible owners.
FYI,staffies used to be called "nanny dogs" because they are so good with children.
if you can stand one more piece of advice.cesar milan has some excellent books on dog psychology.if you get the chance pick one up.it will help you in future with any breed you chose to get.
long answer i know,i hope it helps you .