Pitbull Terrier

Question

Pitbull"s Mama In Need   QUESTION: Hi I have a pitbull terrier puppy male. that I rescued from a Shelter in Blackwood,NJ about three weeks ago and he was found in a park with burns on his back like someone used him for an ashtray. I'm thinking that he was the runt and was born in an abandoned house. This puppy "Ice" is Always hungry, he swallows his food and he shakes uncontrollable when it's time to eat????? He's eaten the wood on my porch and rose brushes and petals anything that he can get in his mouth he eats???? He's about 3months old the shelter doesn't know how old he is. I have a 3yrs.old westie that I've had since he was 10 weeks old from a breeder and trained myself and Ice steals his food so I lock the baby gate going to the kitchen all day long. I'm looking for some help because it's sad seeing this puppy go through this everyday. He's not neutered yet and that's coming next month but this behavior is crazy, I don't want to give him away but I'm not knowing how too handle this behavior. Can ANYBODY HELP ME PLEASE????? I'm Waiting for any Help that you give and will put your suggestions to work. PLEASE ANYBODY:)I Love Both My Dog's but one needs Mine's and Your Help! Thanx Theresa Terry

ANSWER: Theresa -

Ice looks to be in the midst of a real growth spurt, plus he may not have been fed properly before. The point I'm trying to make is that he may have developed some anxiety about food (which is what the shivering/shaking is).  I know one of my dogs teeth chatter together when I am measuring out each meal.  She sounds like she's freezing, but it's just her getting excited.

The first thing I would recommend is feeding him 2-3 times a day. Several smaller meals a day will help keep his tummy from getting so empty that he gets frantic about eating. If he is a food gulper, you may also want to put some large rocks in his dish. That will slow him down enough so that his tummy can deal with his food better.

The chewing and eating of other things is pretty normal for a pup that age. I would recommend combining the use of a Kong with crating him when you're not home.  Pick a big kong, stuff it full of leftover pasta or something like that, plug the end with peanut butter and freeze it overnight.  Freezing makes it last longer once you give it to Ice.  This will help keep his mind and mouth busy for a while.

You will also want to make very sure he has been properly wormed. Pups that age and with that kind of history very very often have worms.... and that can make him even more hungry.

I don't mean to sound like I would be expecting trouble, but I feel strongly that until you've had this dog at least 6 months, he should be separate from the westie when no one is home. It's just way to easy for a growing rambunctious puppy to hurt a smaller dog by accident.  Once Ice is a little older, his brains will start to kick in and he will have learned how to not be rough.

If this pup has not been living with people who treat him well, it's no wonder that he has a number of bad habits and strange behaviors.  I would strongly recommend crate training him, and getting him into an obedience class as soon as possible.  This does not mean I think he;s a bad dog or you're going to have trouble, but because it can avoid problems and can help your new kid how to act in public.

Please let me know how you make out !

-Beth

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Full Pit or Half Pit n   QUESTION: Hi Beth,
Thanks So Much for getting back to me sooo fast! I tried the stone in the bowl and HE'S CHEWING his FOOD :)))))))))) Beth, I have another question 4 u: Ice has gained alot of weight but I'm looking at this puppy and he looks like a pit in the face but the rest of him looks like a greyhound?? What do you think??? My sister adopted a pitbull terrier and he turned out 2 b half pit and half dalmation. Tell me what you think about Ice?

Answer
Theresa -

It's always so hard to tell from photos, and especially at Ice's stage of growth.

The face sure looks like a pit to me. While they call them terriers, they are really considered to be one of the "bully" breeds, so I am not that familiar with them... My experience is with cairn terriers and jack russell. Not to mention that I had a housemate who had a pit-basset hound... Just picture a black dog, dinner plate sized head, all the super macho muscles... but all on 5 inch legs...

-Beth