Question HEY MELISSA! I SEE YOU'RE GREAT WITH ADVICE AND YOU'RE STRAIGHT TO THE POINT, SO...
I GOT A NEWBORN APBT ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO OUTSIDE OF PETSMART AND THE GUY LIED TO ME AND SAID HE WAS 8WEEKS... ME, NOT KNOWING ANY BETTER, BELIEVED HIM BUT WHEN I ASKED A VET AND OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE RAISED PITS, SAID HE LOOKED CLOSE TO 3 WEEKS... SO I'M ASSUMING HE'S ABOUT 6 WEEKS NOW... I'VE BEEN FEEDING HIM GOAT'S MILK FROM A SMALL NEWBORN PUPPY BOTTLE AND MUSHED-UP, DRY, ORGANIC PUPPY FOOD MIXED WITH WATER AND SOMETIMES THE GOAT'S MILK... I WANT THE BEST FOR HIM, HOWEVER,...
1) I REALLY DON'T KNOW IF HE'S STILL TOO YOUNG AND IF IT'S DEFINITELY OUT OF THE QUESTION TO TRAIN HIM NOT TO GO ALL OVER MY APT, BUT IN THE LITTER OF NEWSPAPERS... I HAVE SCOLDED HIM WHEN I FIRST GOT HIM BUT AFTER READING UP ON EVERTHING, REALIZED I WAS FOOLISH AND I SHOULD JUST PICK HIM UP WHEN HE'S FINISHED AND PLACE HIM WHERE I WANT HIM TO GO... IT HAS DONE NOTHING... HE HAS GONE ON THE NEWSPAPERS A FEW TIMES BUT THAT'S IT...
2) I'VE READ THIS IN THE OTHER QUESTIONS BUT DIDN'T FULLY GET THE POTENTIAL ANSWER SPECIFICALLY REGARDING MY DOG... SINCE HE'S ABOUT 6 WKS NOW, I WOULD GUESS HIM CONSTANTLY GOING FOR MY HANDS AND TRYING TO NIP AT MY FACE IS NORMAL... HOWEVER, IF I TELL HIM "NO" FOR TRYING TO PLAY ROUGH, OR TAKING HIM OUT OF HIS CRATE TO CLEAN UP HIS MESS, HE REALLY SNAPS AT ME AND STARTS TO GROWL SO BAD, IT SCARES ME... HE DOES IT TO MY BOYFRIEND AND MY FATHER TOO SO I KNOW IT'S NOT JUST A "FEMALE THING". ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF HIS AGE, I'M WORRIED THAT HIM ALREADY SHOWING HIS TEETH TO ME AND GOING CRAZY IS SHOWING HIS PERSONALITY WHEN HE'S AN ADULT... AND AT LEAST I CAN CALM HIM NOW BUT PUTTING HIM ON HIS SIDE AND SAYING "SHHHH" IN A FIRM TONE BUT I'M AFRAID WHEN HE GETS OLDER AND DOES THAT, HE CAN SERIOUSLY ATTACK ME... I HAVE ONLY HIT HIM HARD ONCE ON HIS BUTT FOR DOING THAT TO ME AND I JUST TRY TO CALM HIM NOW CUZ I DON'T WANT HIM TO BE AGGRESSIVE AT ALL BUT I STILL WANT HIM TO KNOW THAT IM THE "LEADER" AND WANT HIM TO SUBMIT TO ME... WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN??? PLEASEEEEEEEEEE HELPPP... I WOULD SO GREATLY APPRECIATE IT...
OTHER THAN THAT, HE SLEEPS WITH ME AND MY BOYFRIEND, HE COULD BE SUCH A SWEETHEART, HE LOVES PEOPLE BECAUSE I HAD HIM AROUND EVERYONE I KNOW SINCE I GOT HIM AND OTHER DOGS AS WELL... IT'S JUST THE TRAINING, I DON'T KNOW HOW OLD HE SHOULD BE AND IF IT'S IMPOSSIBLE AT THIS AGE AND IF IT'S NORMAL THAT HE GOES INTO ATTACK MODE WHEN HE'S PLAYING... IS IT BECAUSE HE'S AWAY FROM HIS MOM AND SHE COULDN'T TEACH HIM NOT TO PLAY ROUGH? I READ THAT SOMEWHERE...
AnswerYou're right about alot of his behavior stemming from being away from his mom and littermates to early. In the dog world the other pups and mom will let him know when he is playing to rough.
When he nips/bites you squeal loudly and give him something he is allowed to chew. The second time he does it squal loudly and stop playing with him.
Now about potty training. It is still quite early. If you catch him in the act pick him up and take him outside. If its after the fact, just clean it up. Don't rub his nose in it or anything like that. It doesn't work.
I tried to keep it nice and siple for ya...any more questions feel free to ask.
