6 month old puppy (Pit Bull, Am Staff)

Hi WordPress!  Sorry it’s been while, things have been busy.  I can’t believe Dasia is a 6 month old puppy; a half a year old.  She has come a long way from the 3.5 week old puppy weighing 3-4 pounds I picked up in November 2011.  She is now 45 pounds, but still rotten.  The older she gets the more she tests her boundaries–  New ages, new stages, is what I keep telling myself.  Six months into raising my beautiful American Staffordshire Terrier and things are going reasonably well.  Have there been obstacles, yes.  Have I wanted to pull my hair out, yes.  Are they worth it, YES!

Cyrus & Dasia

Roxy and Dasia

Dasia ~ 6 months old

I’d like to share a positive little story…   I had to visit my leasing office today and they’ve seen my babies many, many times.  The one leasing agent always asks how they’re doing and all of that great stuff.  Well today I gathered the courage to ask if there was an Am Staff breed restriction in my community and here is what I was told:  “There is a breed restriction.  We know you have the dogs; however your dogs are always leashed, walking beside you, under control, friendly with neighbors and staff, and they are beautiful.  I wish I knew you were looking for homes for puppies four months ago, I would have loved to have one.”  Responsible ownership can and do make all the difference.  I am out to change opinions one person at a time.

Now on to the other stuff I want to ramble about…

Spay:
On March 30, 2012 I dropped Dasia off at the vet at 7 a.m. to have the spay procedure done.  She was excited to be at the vet’s office until Juliet (a vet tech) attempted to take her in the back without me.  My baby wasn’t going for it, so they let me walk her to the back.  I got rather nervous, and stayed anxiety ridden all day long.  When I picked her up that evening, she was in great spirits, excited and as hyper as any other day.  Keeping her calm, stopping her from jumping, playing, running, was a chore and a half.  Short of keeping her on a leash attached to my hip, I had refused to leave her unsupervised in any room.  It was the only way to ensure she wouldn’t rip her stitches (which makes me squeamish).  For anyone wondering what the surgery scar looks like for the first month…  The skin looks like it is rolled and is puffy.

She was allowed to eat up to half of her dinner and then the following day it was back to her regular feeding schedule.  She had no trouble going potty and I suspect the anti-inflamitory medication helped.  Three days after having the spay surgery she started eating the E-collar; and learned how to pop it off by day 5.  Although Dr. Clark and her caring assistants insisted on Dasia wearing the E-collar for 2 weeks, I took it off after a week and did not put it back on her.  The scar (ewe, skeeves me out) looks pretty good, and the doctor said she has healed nicely.  Because of the imposed limitations, Dasia was a little obnoxious and drove me insane!  She has so much energy and wasn’t allowed to do much.

Training:
Training continues as usual.  We continue to work on all of the commands my American Staffordshire Terriers know.  Cyrus, my 3 year old Am Staff, has improved greatly when walking on the leash.  He doesn’t pull to often and his getting better at ignoring other pets.  Dasia, my puppy, has resorted to pulling, and has even made herself gag a couple of times.  Sometimes walking her is impossible, especially when she refuses to walk because she is more interested in eating sticks, leaves, bushes, grass, trash, whatever she encounters.  It is annoying but we are working on it.  “Sit”, “Stay”, “Easy” and “Leave it” seem to be the most important commands they could have learned.  They work in almost every situation.  Almost forgot one, “Don’t be a bad boy/girl”…  as soon as I say it they typically chill out.  I’m assuming it’s the word “Bad” that gets them.  Silly doggies!  At the dog park I’ve been controlling Cyrus’s nasty bark and sometimes aggressive behavior by leashing him and making him sit by me until he is calm.  I will even go as far to walk him around until he chills out.  It is working!!  When my beautiful Am Staffs won’t listen, respond or continues with an undesired behavior (like chewing on shoes), I increase training, focus on the behavior, take them for longer walks to expell energy and always try to remain calm (they respond the best to calm not upset and excited) when correcting them.  Granted every situation is different as is the personality of every dog.

Feeding:
At six months old, Dasia is eating twice a day.  The portions vary based on weight and age of dog, and the brand of food.  Suggested portions are listed on every bag of dog/puppy food.

Exercise, playtime and socialization:
Exercise comes in the form of nice walks, distance depends on Dasia.  I love taking them to the dog park at least a few times a week to run around off of the leash.  The dog park can also be a good place to socialize.  I have found that most of the pets at the park are well supervised and have been socialized.  It can be a great experience.  I love it and so do my dogs!

Well I think that is all for now, enjoy the rest of your week!