11 week old pit bull puppy

Thursday my pit bull puppy turned 11 weeks old.  She is getting so big.  Yesterday, we took her on her first outing to my husband’s grandparents house.  Dasia was really good.  She had no accidents, was well-behaved, enjoyed the car ride and loved all of the extra attention meeting new people has to offer.  Pop-pop was so tickled by her that he would have kept her if I had let him.  I love that he wasn’t/isn’t intimidated by her breed.  In fact, he had nothing but great things to say about pit bulls and AmStaffs.

At 11 weeks old, Dasia is in full puppy mood.  She has chewed on chair legs & couch legs but I caught her before she did any real damage.  She has knocked over the trash can and scratches at the kitchen cabinet when she wants something to eat (even if she had just eaten 5 minutes prior).  She is into everything and not just her toys.  She now tries to get our remotes, phones, laptops, dvd’s, phone chargers and the kids toys just to name a few items.  Two weeks ago we weren’t experiencing this issue but I guess it had to happen sometime.

Recently I’ve started asking Dasia to sit before receiving her food and it isn’t going too good.  She loves to eat!  When it’s time for her to eat she gets super excited and doesn’t want to do what I’m asking, which is understandable.  Even so, I will wait her out by baring her from the kitchen or standing between her and the food bowl until she sits calmly.  I suspect she will eventually get the hint when she realizes I’m not going to give in to her cuteness.  She is also challenging the kids which is something I absolutely will not tolerate.  When she tries to challenge the girls we correct the behavior by having the kid she is challenging tell Dasia “NO” and place in her in the crate for a time out.  I will keep you informed on how we are progressing with it.

Dasia is learning to fetch the frisbee and squeaky toys.  Running, jumping or rolling around on the floor with her toys, she is agile and pretty strong.  She is a lot of work but also a lot of fun.  I enjoy my puppy to the fullest.  Outside is no longer an intimidating place unless it is cold or raining. When she runs it is so cute, almost looks like she’s part rabbit.  She has started pulling on the leash when we are outside and I’m not about to go through that again.  Her dad is a leash puller and me being 5’3 it can be a chore and a half.  One of my new goals is stop the leash pulling before she gets too big.  So far me stopping and refusing to move until she returns to my side seems to be working, yay!

The older she gets the more I love her!  To be only 11 weeks old Dasia is a great puppy!

Since I won’t be posting again until next year…  Happy New Years!!!  Hope 2012 brings inspiration, joy, harmony and love to all!!

10 week old pit bull puppy

Hello WordPress community, hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  My baby is now a 10 week old pit bull puppy and she is absolutely rotten!  Dasia received her 2nd set of vaccinations on Friday, and I’m happy to report she is doing well.  She weighs 15 pounds, is in great health, well-behaved for a 10 week old puppy… and her temperament towards people and other animals so far is great!  Everyone that meets Dasia adores her, and it tickles me.

10 week old playing with her raccoon

Christmas Eve – 10 Weeks old

Christmas Day – 10 weeks old

Training/Feeding:
Training is training, never-ending.  Every day is different.  Somedays she listens really good while others she is determined to do the opposite unless you have a treat in hand.  Dasia knows “sit” and “down”, though sometimes she chooses not to listen.  She is learning the stay “command” and is doing pretty good with it.  Housebreaking her hasn’t been too difficult.  It’s only a problem when I’m not paying attention or it’s raining outside.  When she’s old enough I’m going to enroll us in an agility training course. Until then she will be enrolled in a puppy education class. Spending the money to enroll her in a puppy education class will be beneficial to her and I both.  It will give her a chance to socialize with other puppies and people.  As for feeding…  Blue Buffalo and Merrick are still too rich for her young digestive system so I’ve switched her to one of the Purina puppy foods.  Don’t worry I checked the ingredients before placing it in the cart.  She gets almost 3/4 of a cup of dry puppy food 3 times a day at 8am, 1pm and 7pm.  If I take her outside around 11pm she tends not to have an accident in her crate.  I also remove her water after 11pm.

Exercise/Playtime:
Exercise still comes in the form of play time or when its time to potty.  Tug-o-war, trying to ger her critters, playdates, chasing the ball, getting the frisbee (though she hasn’t learned to let me have it), she loves to do it all!  Dasia likes to jump and already at 10 weeks she is pretty agile.  She is really active, loves attention and is never unsupervised when out of the crate, which is most of the time. I read somewhere that her breed loves to be a part of the family so she is very much a part of the family. The crate is only used when I can’t supervise her or she needs to take a time out to calm down.

Having a puppy/dog is a big responsibility but it is also a blast.  Puppies get big quick.  Today Dasia jumped up on the couch for the first time.  Obviously I have some big decisions to make and fast.  I was one of those people who was against pets on the furniture or in the bed.  Now that I have a puppy of my own I have been guilty of letting her sit on the couch with me and she naps in the bed when she wakes up at 6:30 in the morning.  This is cute now but I can’t say that I will be fond of it when she’s a year old and 55-60 pounds.

Based on Dasia and her sister Roxy I’ve noticed the differences in their behavior based on training methods and alloted family time.  Roxy is very nippy still, is always in a constant stage of excitement and has a habit of lunging for faces.  Even the vet mentioned something about Roxy being so nippy.  Anyways, Roxy’s owner has her in the crate more than not and doesn’t get much family (pack) time.  Also Roxy’s owner first attempt to stop the nipping by tapping her on her nose or the side of her mouth and/or hold Roxy’s mouth closed.  Needless to say it was getting under my skin and I wouldn’t stop commenting about it.  I’d even go as far to say during playdates “I better not catch anyone correcting Dasia by hitting her or holding her mouth closed or I will do the same to the one that abuses my puppy”.   Happy to say Roxy’s owner no longer does those things because it’s not right, she got embarrassed and I was having better results without being physical.  Roxy is doing better.  I can pet her now without getting bit but only after I’ve calmed her down.  Roxy’s owner is realizing that out of crate time makes a better adjusted puppy and overall a well-adjusted dog!  It is as much of a learning experience for Roxy’s owner as it is for me.  I think the biggest difference is I take advantage of the internet.

If anyone has a tip or advise my ears are always ready to listen!

9 week old pit bull puppy

Thursday my pit bull puppy (Amstaff puppy) turned 9 weeks old.  She’s grown so much in the six weeks that I’ve had her.  It’s amazing.  I’m guessing she’s between 13 to 15 pounds now.  She eats almost 2 cups of puppy food divided between three meals a day.   Because Dasia is getting bigger, doing her “business” by the patio is no longer working.  She wants to walk, sniff, and try to eat everything before doing her “business”.  she still has accidents but that is still to be expected.  The steam cleaner is my new best friend.

Yesterday we encountered 2 big dogs, they barked and Dasia tried to dart back in the house.  My first reaction was to pick her up but then I remembered something I read online, and let Dasia work it out on her own.  Her mommy and daddy aside (neither are barkers), she hasn’t really been around older dogs so they intimidate her when they bark.  People are a different story.  Dasia is an attention junky.  If she spots a person her tail gets to wagging a mile a minute.  She is all about meeting new people.

Dasia loves to play with her toys and she doesn’t mind sharing them with Roxy, her sister.  After about an hour of playing with her sister she’s ready to take a nap.  If the playdate runs late she gets an attitude.  The other day Dasia did something totally unexpected.  Someone knocked on the door and Dasia jumped off the couch ran to the corner of the love-seat, stopped and barked once at the door.  Thank goodness my couch doesn’t sit that high off the floor and I had two couch pillows laying where she jumped.

Training is going well.  Dasia loves car rides and napping in my bed or my grandmother’s bed.  One of the things that tickle me the most about Dasia is her love for my grandmother.  Every morning after breakfast she rushes off to nanny’s room with her tail wagging.  My baby is a tad high maintenance, especially where the crate is concerned.  She doesn’t mind sleeping in it but she prefers to sleep outside the crate on a blanket or her little bed.  She will protest napping in her crate during the day.  All and all there’s not a great deal to share this week.

Happy Holidays!

My 8 week old pit bull puppy

Yesterday my pit bull puppy (American Staffordshire terrier) turned 8 weeks old!  She is getting so big, gained 3.7 pounds in ten days.  On Friday (last week) I took Dasia to get her first vaccinations.  The vet techs recognized her immediately, commenting on how big she’s gotten over the last week and a half.  I was impressed.  They showered her with attention and Dasia ate it up!  It was a great visit.  She was such a good girl that I had to buy her a couple new toys since they were on sale.  Dasia pranced around confident at my side, drawing the attention of other shoppers in petsmart.  I must have been stopped a dozen times by pet lovers asking to pet her and commenting about her green eyes, soft coat and friendly nature!  I am such a proud momma!

Dasia 8 weeks old

Dasia 8 weeks old

I know I touched on this once or twice already but it really gets under my skin when I read a post from someone asking for advise and 98% of the responses are so negative.  For anyone who may have adopted a puppy before 6-8 weeks for whatever reason, don’t listen to those who say your pup will have behavioral problems, health problems or will die.  Take the proper precautions against parvo and other potentially fatal diseases/viruses, keep in contact with a trusted vet, be attentive, set boundaries, socialize puppy with people and other animals, read up on the breed and dog care in general and shower it with lots of love!  The vet (Dr. Clark) said my Dasia is healthy, has a good temperament and her behavior in general is normal and I’ve had her since she was 3 weeks old.  Below are things I’ve learned from experience, the vet or other pet owners that are working for me and Dasia.

Training:
At 8 weeks old Dasia is learning  the “down”, “sit” and “no” commands and is doing great!  I’m super proud of her.  I thought training a puppy would be difficult but so far it isn’t.  Training Dasia is pretty easy.  I reward desired behavior (going in her crate to lay down or playing with her toys instead of chewing my furniture)with a treat or “good girl” because it seems to encourage the positive behavior.  Another thing is I keep training short, 30 seconds here and there throughout the day, everyday.  Personally I think it keeps her from getting bored with it.  Funny thing is Dasia automatically sits when she knows she going to get a treat, I don’t even have to ask!  My friend, Roxy’s owner, is so impressed that she has started doing the same things and we’ve noticed a difference.  You couldn’t touch Roxy without her nipping before my friend started rewarding “good behavior”.  If there are children in the home teach them how to train the puppy as well.  It helps the puppy learn to trust the kids.  Dasia listens to my 11 year old like she does me, and my 5 year old is learning.

Exercise:
8 weeks old is a little young for exercise and long walks.  Adequate playtime should be enough.  Dasia plays with her toys, has playdates with another puppy, we play with her with her toys, and I sometimes make her search out her treats to stimulate her mind.  These are intelligent, active dogs and should be treated as so.  Don’t try to “beef up” your puppy, no long walks, NO WEIGHTS, just good fun puppy play.

Discipline:
NEVER get physical or aggressive with your puppy when you discipline.  Fear is not respect!  I do not tap my puppy’s nose, her mouth or her back-end.  I always tell Dasia no, try to redirect her attention, turn away from her, or put her in a time out in her crate for a few minutes to calm down, and guess what, it works.  By not being physical or aggressive she trusts me, respects that I’m the boss and it settles the unwanted behavior.  Also always supervise your puppy!

Overall Care:
Bath your puppy when needed.  I typically bath Dasia once a week if she is starting to smell, otherwise I bath her every 2 weeks.  She eats 3 times a day at 7am, 1pm and 7pm.  Making her last feeding so early reduces my waking up in the morning with a not-so-nice surprise waiting in her crate and her freaking out about it.  Water is available unless she is in the crate (which is only while we sleep).  During the day Dasia is allowed out of the crate and has several beds to sleep in (her favorite is my grandmother’s bed snuggled up to nanny with her teething bone).  My 71 year old grandmother is disabled so it’s pretty cool.  My grandmother is soo tickled by Dasia, she’s been good for her!  Socialization is a must.  I allow her to say hi to just about everyone she meets.  Crate aggression is real.  Don’t keep the puppy crated all day and all night.  They need more than potty breaks.  They need playtime and most of all lots and lots of family time!  Regular visits to a vet for vaccinations is a must.

So far raising a puppy has been an awesome experience and I’m sure it will continue to be so!  Any tips you’d like to share I’d love to hear them!

7 Week Old Pit Bull Puppy

Playtime with Emma (white pup) & Roxy (dark chocolate & black pup)

Today is Dec. 1, 2011 and Dasia is now a 7 week old pit bull puppy.  Did you know that there is something like 47 different breeds that people refer to as “pit bulls”?  Thought it was interesting.  My cousin keeps telling me that I need to stop reading but that is impossible.  Researching on the internet has given me a lot of great information and advise on raising my puppy.  Dasia is 7 weeks old and basically potty trained already.  She has started learning doggie manners though it is a slow process.  As for getting sleep, it’s getting better.   Dasia pretty much sleeps through the night, from about 12am to 7am.  She is also starting to tear up the potty mat and attempts to tear up her bed when she doesn’t want to be in the crate.

This past week I picked up 3 of Dasia’s sisters because my cousin was freaking out, threatening to take them to the pound.  My heart dropped to my feet and I was in the car the next morning on my way to get them.  Happy to say those adorable balls of energy have been placed in good homes, and will be able to have play-dates with Dasia.  Having spent time with 5 of Dasia’s siblings over the past 4 weeks has told me a lot about her personality and that of her siblings.  Athena is submissive, Bruiser is nothing but energy, Romo is a lover and a bully, Roxy is laid back, Emma is loveable and dominate.

Now about Dasia…  Aside from her being a lap dog (mommy’s lap dog), she is as loveable and dominate as her big sister Emma, though not as big.  Dasia is definitely the runt of the litter and at times I swear she suffers from the “little dog” syndrome.  Actually it started when Emma came to stay.  She was quick to let Emma know it was her house, her toys and her laps, and yes it was cute but I wasn’t happy about it.  When either tried to dominate the other I’d correct the behavior by removing toys, laps, attention and even crate them until they settled down.  I’m happy to report Dasia learned to share.  Also her attempts to nibble on us is decreasing.  It mainly happens when she gets over excited or if she’s playing with other puppies.

Our pit bull puppy (who I learned is an American staffordshire terrier) loves to play with the kids.  Sometimes she attempts to dominate my youngest but I am teaching my youngest how to correct Dasia when she does it (usually it’s because the puppy is overwhelmed by my youngest).  Soon I will have the kids feed her on the weekends so she learns they control the food as well as I.  As soon as it’s safe for Dasia I will start taking her to the bus stop to socialize with more people.  Honestly when it comes to people she is somewhat of an attention junkie.

Monday my puppy will get her first vaccinations, I’m so excited.  The only downside to taking Dasia for vaccinations is I don’t like needles and I don’t like to watch shots be given.  I tense up.  I remember when I took my grandparents dog for shots 11 years ago, I teared up, tensed up and apologized to Missy over and over until we got home… granted I was preggers and emotionally challenged.

So what I have learned about my pit bull puppy over the last week:

1) Consistency is key when correcting a puppy     2) She can eat dry food (not moistened)     3) Teaching children how to properly play, correct and train a puppy is a giant positive     4) Some of what I thought to be agressive play isn’t (this made me feel kind of silly but better safe than sorry down the road)     5) Routine is a must     6) Puppies are intelligent     7) DON’T be afraid to tell guests NO (i don’t like rough play with the puppy and I enforce it no matter who it is)     8.) Socialization with other dogs at an early age is VERY important     9) Don’t allow puppy to greet company at the door, create area for guests to greet puppy (ie: living room)     10) 7 weeks is not to early to teach your puppy the “down” command (in fact I find it is necessary at this stage)

6 Week Old Pit Bull Puppy

It’s Thanksgiving and my pit bull puppy is 6 weeks old.  Saturday I took her to the Vet to get checked because icky potty had me worried.  At first I thought maybe it was an ill reaction to the wormer I gave her Friday.  When the vet said blood in the stool could be a sign of Parvo I felt like crying.  I have devoted myself to caring for Dasia making sure she is healthy, clean and loved.  20 minutes and a couple tests later revealed NO parvo and No worms!  The meds they gave her have stopped the icky potty and I’m guessing the Blue Buffalo was too rich for her new digestive system.  As for the rest of her exam, I am proud to report she is in excellent condition and at the ideal weight for her age, size and breed, Yay!  Everyone fell in love with her, the color of her coat, her blue eyes, her sighs, and loveable go-with-the-flow attitude during the exam.

6 weeks - Chewing on her monkey

Also I didn’t take her to Rocky Gorge as I had wanted to, I took her to Banfield (petsmart).  The entire experience was cool and I learned they offer a puppy wellness program.  For $31 a month for a year will cover all needed vaccinations and exams a new puppy will need.  Personally, I feel it is awesome!  I’d rather pay $31 a month than $150-$200 every 2 -3 weeks for the next couple months.  I’ve done the homework, checked with several vets including the SPCA, it’s totally worth it.

The loss of sleep is a little hard to cope with but it’s getting better since I’ve moved her crate into my room, and her 2 brothers have went to their permanent family!  Dasia adjusted quick.  I think she enjoys being the only one as they always seemed to get on her nerves.  At six weeks old Dasia is only in her crate at night.  During the day she runs around the living room or follows me and the girls everywhere.  Once everyone is awake she makes her rounds, says hi to Nanny and then to the girls.  She loves to play with her toys and getting her to chew on them instead of us has been relatively easy.  However, it’s still a work in progress, she’s only 6 weeks.  Collar and leash have been successful.  She’s starting to get the hint leash means she gets to go in the grass off the patio.  Potty training is going well!  She mainly potty’s outside and sometimes she does her business in the potty area of her crate if I don’t hear her in the middle of the night.

The funny, cute thing she’s doing this week is trying to run and jump on the couch.  Even so, we tell her no and redirect her attention.  Next week we are going to start teaching doggie manners and after christmas we will start obedience training.  I figured it will be a great way to keep her socialized, help her be well-adjusted when she’s older, and I’m new at this so some guidance is probably a great thing!

5 Week Old Pit Bull puppy

Dasia 5 weeks old

It’s November 17th and my pit bull puppy is already 5 weeks old!  I love my puppy!  She and her siblings are growing so fast, I can barely keep up.  It seems like they are reaching new milestones daily.  Dasia, Romo and Bruiser (looks like he has a black eye) prefer to eat puppy food; however, I give them formula between feedings.  Because of their daddy they prefer to eat in the kitchen.  On Sunday they began drinking plain water, yay!  The first couple of times I introduced it I had to mix a little juice from the moist puppy food.  They have even graduated to having a bowl of water inside the crate.

At 5 weeks old 3 puppies are a lot to handle at times.  It seems like I’m constantly cleaning up “waste”, and the other day was the worst of it.  Dasia had “waste” all over her (her brother’s were clean), the bedding and the potty pad.  I had to run Cyrus (the pup’s father back home) and left a can of the hartz puppy formula for my daughter to feed the pups since the pet store wasn’t open yet.  I’m sure the Hartz formula is what gave them loose stools.  Needless to say I rushed to petco when it opened and picked up Esbilac for weaning.  When I talked to the vet they said it was normal because of the change in diet, and suggested not feeding the pups for at least 12 hours to give their digestive tracks a rest.  It worked, their “waste” is back to normal.  WORD OF ADVICE:  DON’T USE HARTZ PUPPY FORMULA!

Playtime with the puppies is as much about work as it is about the puppies playing.  They like to gnaw and it doesn’t feel good.  We tell them NO and then attempt to redirect their attention.  It is a work in progress.  They are learning.  For the most part they play good with each other, share toys, wrestle but there are times when wrestling gets a little to serious and I have to redirect their attention.  Dasia is pretty laid back until one of her brothers (typically bruiser because he’s got so much playful energy) refuses to leave her alone.  The thing about playtime that wears me out is they are always trying to escape (especially bruiser) and the number of accidents.  To limit where they have accidents so it is easier to clean up, I have restricted their play area to the kitchen.

I introduced the puppies to being outside.  Because they haven’t gotten their shots yet they are only allowed on the patio.  They sniff around, whine a little and run back to me because it is new…  new sounds, new smells, new things to see and explore.  I would be over thinking it but the puppies seem to prefer to do their business outside on the patio.  I really wasn’t expecting that one.  Oh my, the cutest thing they are doing this week is running, lol.  I’ll open the crate door, walk to the kitchen, call each of them by name and they come running.  It tickles my hearty and makes me laugh every time.

A note to anyone who finds themselves in a situation where you adopt a puppy too early or have to foster pups…  Don’t be discouraged by everything you read online!  Most of what you read will be opinion based.  I do believe puppies should remain with their mother, however, circumstances don’t always permit it.  People are constantly saying things such as: a puppy WILL die if taken from the mother too soon, that the puppy will grow up to have behavioral problems, they won’t be healthy and the list goes on.  Well along with researching on the internet I’ve been in contact with 2 different vets and both have said the same thing.  Puppies taken from the mother early can and do survive more often than not, and that behavioral problems is a result of a lack of training and boundaries.  I believe the vets.  Plus I had forgotten that my grandparents had to bottle feed Missy (poodle/Dodson mix) when she was about 2 weeks old because the pups were basically killing the mother.  Needless to say, Missy was well-behaved, loved people and got along with other animals.  In my experience so far, the pups I’m fostering are doing great!!!  They have boundaries, rules, get fed and loved.

4 Week Old Pit bull Puppy

Dasia is officially 4 weeks old today and I’m exhausted.  Granted the puppies are so cute it definitely makes up for the lack of sleep.  The puppies are wild, they follow me all over the living room and dining room.  I have to laugh.  Today Romo and Bruiser’s permanent family will be coming over to meet them.  It kind of breaks my heart to know that they will eventually leave.  They are sooo loveable.

Dasia and Bruiser

At 4 weeks old Dasia and her brothers are extremely active!  They love to play, explore, imitate their daddy, eat and cuddle.  When one tries to be dominant, dad quickly puts them in their place by nudging them onto their side with his nose.  At first it freaked me out, but then I realized it’s no different from a parent putting a toddler in a time out.  We’ve also had to start telling the puppies NO.  They are teething and like to bite our toes (cute now but won’t be cute later), so we tell them NO and give them a toy to chew.

Feeding the puppies is a challenge all of its own!  They LOVE to eat and know it’s coming before I’m able to put it down.  As soon as I open the crate door they leap out, sniffing around in a frenzy and when they find it, it’s a mess!  I have started feeding them mushy puppy food (separate dishes because Dasia gets greedy), and then follow it up with a bowl of puppy formula which they share.  Once they are done eating they eat the mess they made and even clean it off each other.

Dasia and her 2 brothers are catching on to the concept of potty training.  It’s only been 5 days and they’ve basically stopped wetting their bed.  During play time I place a potty pad outside of the crate and I have to say I’m pretty impressed!  Yes, they have accidents on the carpet (usually near the potty pad) but 90% of the time they go on the potty pad.  Even so, things can get real messy when they go “No. 2”, so I’m thinking about getting a litter box and putting some wood chips in it.

All and all this is an awesome experience.