scared pit

Question
I have two pit bulls. One, Buster, is the father of the other. He is 3 years old and weighs 65 lbs. How do I get him to stop pulling on the leash? He only does it when he gets distracted. I was also wondering if teaching him to pull a cart would be possible. The other dog, Boo, is Buster's son and is 2 years old and weighs 45 lbs. He is smaller than Buster but he is still underweight. I can't get him to gain any weight because he is so active. What can I do? Buster and Boo lived with one lady up until a year ago and then they where separated and gave to two young morons. Buster was treated pretty good so he isn't scared, but Boo was abused all the time. I know this because the moron was my cousin. He won't really let me bath him because the guy would just throw him in the shower and beat him until he stayed still. If I pick up a newspaper or make a sudden move he pees on himself. Is there anyway to help him? Any help you could give me would be great.

Answer
Usually, when one of my dogs starts pulling, I stop walking. I stop walking and make them sit until they are paying attention to me and not what is going on around them. Once they are behaving correctly, we start walking again.

You need to make sure that Buster is paying attention to you and what you are telling him to do. That is sometimes difficult- especially when you encounter other animals or people on your walks- but it can be done. Correct him when he starts pulling and reward him once he is doing what he is supposed to do.

Sometimes it is a knee-jerk reaction of people to want to pull on the leash more when their dog starts to pull. Pulling on his leash will only make him want to pull more, so you should really avoid doing that.

When you say "is teaching him to pull a cart possible?", what exactly do you mean? What kind of cart and for what purpose?

Boo may not necessarily be under weight. Even at two years old, there may be absolutely nothing wrong with him weighing that little. Breed standard (UKC) for American Pit Bull Terriers typically ranges from 35-60 pounds, and whether or not your dog is really underweight depends on how tall/short your dog is. The whole body structure of the dog is considered and not just weight alone.

If he is very active, it is going to be hard to make him gain weight. But, if he is healthy the way he is, there really is no need to put any weight on him. Dogs generally don't handle carrying around extra weight as well as people do...trying to make him gain weight when he doesn't need to could be asking for more health issues later on down the road. Just make sure that you are feeding him a well-balanced dog food that meets his nutritional needs (a high-protein, low-fat, low-filler food). If his weight becomes an issue that truly concerns you, you can always contact your veterinarian for guidance.

Unfortunately, I do not know what to tell you to do with Boo when it comes to him being frightened. I really think that is a case in which you should contact a behaviorist for assistance. I only say this because all dogs are different and react to stressors in different ways. Some dogs become aggressive when they are scared, while others run away and try to hide. I would feel awful if I told you to try this method or that method and it only made the situation worse. You should contact a behaviorist that can visit with Boo and see in person how he reacts. They would be able to make an educated evaluation of his behavior and offer you a plan on how to help him.

I hope this has helped you.

Amy