LouieGray
Posted : 1/3/2016 9:37:33 PM
I have multiple concerns. My son and I are the proud owners of a beautiful Pitbull now 7 months old. He has some habits that we are not accustomed to when compared to previous pets we owned. Louie is super strong and doesn't realize his strength. He wants to be in charge and doesn't like to be told no. He will growl and nip.... to get his way which generally ends up in us rough housing. All of which I understand is bad for a breed like him. Very hard not to. We desire to be good and responsible pet owners and have decided that Louie needs a muzzle as most people would not understand his playfulness especially when he is coming at you full charge. In my opinion he is not a mena aggressive dog, but he is overly aggressive in a playful way that can easily be misunderstood.
So in order here are my issues:
1) Potty training is taking so long he is getting better but when I am not home and on top of it, its not gonna happen with my son. He is more the passive owner (although he is the one that brought the puppy home). Sometime he goes pee every other hour and other times he holds it fo 4-5 hours. We never know what we'll get. He does have accidents in the laundry room where he holds up until one of us get home to let him out but very few when compared to in the house. That is too many. Its in the house that is the issue. He won't go outside to go pee unless we are standing outside with him...in the cold...not so great! How long does it take to get a pup like him trained?
If we take him outside and try to sneak the house until he takes care of his business then he paws the door. Unfortunately, that leaves the door looking rather shoddy from all the scratch marks.
2) If you don't give Louie your attention he will nip at you ...like a hard pinch to get your attention. Can this be stopped?
3) We want to muzzle him until this behavior calms down. Will it calm down?How do we deal with correcting this problem.
4) He is a jumper, he likes to jump on you to welcome you when you come home. Brace yourself when you walk thru the door.
Louie LOVES TO CHEW! We've tried the sprays - they don't work. We've lost lots of shoes, clothing in the process. He is part beaver and has chewed the door frame and doors. BIG problem.
5) He does get anxious... when he is crated, so we leave his crate open with his bedding inside and close him up in the laundry room where he has more room to move about the cabin. His food and water are kept nearby too. That seems to work much better than a closed door crate. He freaks otherwise - especially when he knows there is someone in the house and he is locked up.
Maybe these are all normal behavior for pitbull pups, I don't rightly know. BUT I do know if it is, I need help correcting the problems. He is full of a lot more energy than my son anticipated. Most days I can keep up but I tell you he is exhausting. On the upside I consider his care my work out. Rosalinda