September 2nd, 2010
Bringing home a new Pit Bull puppy is exciting. You purchase the little guy or gal, bring him or her home, and just feel so good about the situation.
Fast forward to a week later.
Puppies biting, pooping on the carpet, peeing on your shoes, tearing your house to shreds, biting you, mouthing you, growling at you, and you start to realize that this whole puppy thing might not be your cup of tea.
First, I feel your pain.
Second, the following tips will help you iron out Pit Bull puppyhood problems without driving yourself mad.
One of things I hear a lot from new Pit Bull owners is they comment on how this puppy is not like any other puppy they have raised before so they think the dog must be different.
Dogs are as different as people. New owners often purchase a puppy after the loss of a pet and constantly compare the new dog to the dog that has passed. Not only does this set you up for failure it makes raising your new puppy harder because you are expecting your new puppy to act like the other dog.
This is quite far from reality.
Dealing with your new puppy should be a fresh start for you. Avoid projecting the “our other dog” comments towards the puppy and start treating the puppy as an individual with their own personality.
You will find you will make greater strides if you do this.
Training should start immediately. There is not an age limit on when you can start working with a dog. 8 weeks old is generally when a new puppy is brought home so, 8 weeks old is when you should start training your new puppy, setting the rules, and teaching manners.
I have covered Pit Bull puppy training quite extensively here at the blog and other places so I won’t go into great detail here. If you would like specifics on house training, biting and mouthing, and teaching them manners you can visit http://www.pitbulllovers.com and http://www.pitbulltraininghandbook.com
Setting a Solid Foundation is Key
Typically people bring home their puppy and think it’s going to run like a well oiled machine. Realistically the machine is imperfect and the plan soon slips into recovery mode instead of prevention mode.
Solving behavior issues like chewing, biting, barking, and house soiling starts with a plan. Prevention is the name of the game. If a dog cannot get away with a behavior they will learn not to do it. Easily said, not so easy to do.
Develop a plan on how to redirect biting, how to help your puppies new teeth come in (chewing), how to teach them to “quiet” down, and set a schedule for potty training.
With this plan in mind get started. Be consistent, don’t rush the situation and try to avoid going into the situation as if this is another dog you have raised in the past.
If you stick to your plan and show the dog what is allowed and what is not allowed your Pit Bull puppy training experience will be a pleasant one. If you fail to plan it could be a frustrating road to recovery.
Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
The Most Complete Pit Bull Website Online
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
Tags: biting, bull, crate, house, mouthing, nipping, pit, puppies, soiling, training | No Comments
August 20th, 2010
The other night I sat through AP Investigates: Gang Dogs. Ugh, not an easy thing to do for me.
Dog fighting and gangs are not new. People seem shocked that murderers, rapist, or muggers, would turn to dog fighting. These people would kill you over nothing. What makes people think they would give a crap about a dog?
These shows are not intended to help Pit Bulls. They are intended to strike bias in the minds of the public. Every single show Animal Planet has about Pit Bulls is about dog fighting in some way or another. Not a single show on Animal Planet has ever shown the breed in regular homes, doing therapy, working as assistance dogs, or working as law enforcement officers.
Nope. A bunch of uneducated back street murdering thugs are profiled. I mean, only these type of people have these dogs. At least that is what they want the general public to see. So when they start pushing for a ban they don’t see the 50 year old working mother of two. They see, “Poobear” with his grill and his gang dog.
I hate shows like this. Not only do you have to sit there and watch the dogs tear each other apart but the information on the shows is often based on lies or myths or they are just plain wrong.
For example, during AP Investigates: Gang Dogs they show dogs running on treadmills and they cut to an HSUS guy and he says they train them to be killers using treadmills.
Really? So putting a dog on a treadmill makes them a killer. This was implied by the statements. Shortly before that statement the narrator stated they train them to be killers by exercising them. Cutting to a scene of one dog running a mill, another dog running a jenny (or cat) mill, and then another one was on a spring pile.
What does a show like this do to help American Pit Bull Terriers or Pit Bull type dogs? Nada. Zip. Nothing.
Am I saying that these shows shouldn’t be made? No. It’s a free country (well sorta) and they can do what they like. However, my beef, my gripe, my anger is caused when Animal Planet (Anti-Pit Bull) does not offer a show that demonstrates the reality or at least an unbiased show that counters all the graphic, bloody dog fighting messages they love to show people.
Are Pit Bulls owned by gang members? Of course. Pit Bulls are also owned by regular people. Like you. Like me. Where is that show?
Pit Boss? Step in the right direction.
Pit Bulls and Parolees? A step in the right direction.
But where is the one hour show about the American Pit Bull Terrier that does not include dog fighting, gangs, crime, fatal attacks on people, where is that show?
If you saw AP Investigates: Gang Dogs you know what I am talking about. I am a grown man and I was working hard not to lose it. It’s sad. It’s horrific. But it is not the whole story.
Animal Planet (Discovery) needs a wake up call. I do not watch Animal Planet because they support animal rights (which I oppose) and they support anti-Pit Bull organizations like the Humane Society of the United States.
I am not saying this show is lying about everything. They had one animal control officer who actually had great things to say about Pit Bulls. However, it is the “dark and dirty” type programming that bothers me. They do it because it gets people to watch and they can sell advertising, they do it to create an image of the Pit Bull owner in the general public’s mind.
But the end result is, some dog owner sitting there watching and they see “Pit Bull = Gangs = Dangerous = yes I support a ban.” What do you think the first image they think of when they see you walking down the street with your Pit Bull Terrier? Do you think it would be positive?
That is why I get angry. Shows like AP Investigates: Gang Dogs do one thing really well. Create bias and fear.
If you’re not angry something is wrong.
Until Next Time!
Jason Mann
The Most Completely Pit Bull Site Online
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
Tags: animal planet, ap investigates, dog fighting, gang dogs, pit bull terriers | No Comments
August 14th, 2010
I was reading comments on a news agencies website today about a kid being bitten by a loose Pit Bull.
As one would expect there were both sides making comments. Pit Bulls are Great! It’s all in how ya raise them! Then there were others that said the typical, “When will they outlaw these dogs!?” “Kill’em all!” “The only good Pit Bull is a dead Pit Bull!”
I started to wonder do the folks who want to outlaw them and/or kill them care about the families that have been devastated by bans?
Don’t get me wrong I feel for the kid, especially since this was the second time he had been bitten by a Pit Bull in his neighborhood but that doesn’t make me want to kill a breed of dog. If that was the case I would have wanted to kill all Dachshunds because I was bitten quite severely by one as a child.
Anyway, take Denver, CO for example. How many children do you think were not only devastated by the lose of their family pets but also learned that people are cruel.
How many families lost long time loyal companions? Hundreds (estimates are in the thousands).
How many families pulled up their roots and moved? Loads of them.
So those of who support banning a breed of dog or a type of dog feel it’s justified to ruin thousands of lives for a few incidents? And trust me here folks, these things do not happen as often as the media would like you to believe.
How many dog bites per year? How many dogs? Puny numbers. So puny that it really isn’t worth mentioning.
And really serious attacks, even fewer of those happen per year compared to the number of dogs in the United States.
Telling me, Jason your dogs are potentially vicious, you have to get rid of them or else would do nothing to deter me from owning the dogs. I would move and then I would strike back through legal channels and voting the idiots out who supported the law and getting rational minded folks in there, wait, is there such a thing as a rational politician? (kidding of course, well kind of.)
Politicians are shallow and feeble. Swaying with the tide of who votes for them. Hence, change the laws with your votes.
To all the Pit Bull owners out there fooling themselves, “They’d have to pry my dogs from my cold dead fingers!” or “Let’em come and try they’ll die!” Grow up. Instead of spouting off at the mouth like a hyped up teenager go and vote.
People suffer on a daily basis because of bans and restrictions. Their dogs suffer for no reason at all other than they happen to look like or be a certain breed of dog.
Punish the individual not the entire group.
Think of it like this, if I murdered someone should you be locked up too because you are bald like me? I mean, it’s a proven fact bald people are twice as likely to commit murder than a “normal” person with a beautiful full head of hair. So why aren’t we banning bald people?
That’s about as much sense as banning dogs of any breed makes. It’s ridiculous and frankly it’s lazy. Instead of actually working and enforcing the current laws or even strengthening those laws people feel it’s necessary to draft brand new laws that time and time again the world over are proven to be ineffective, costly, and well, pointless.
Until Next Time!
Jason Mann
The Most Complete Pit Bull Site Online
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
Tags: breed bans, breed specific legislation, bsl | 5 Comments
August 12th, 2010
I am asked how to fight BSL or Breed Specific Legislation on a daily basis. First, what is BSL? Breed specific legislation as I see it is any law that targets a specific breed of dog.
A few BSL ordinances:
1. Mandatory Spay and Neuter for Pit Bull Terriers.
2. Forced muzzling or restrictions on length of leash. (I.e… must be muzzled all the time outside and on a 2 foot leash)
3. Complete ban on Pit Bull Terriers. Obviously the most damaging ordinance around.
While some people are all for spay and neuter they raise all kinds of cain over muzzling and banning. In my view there is no difference between forcing me to spay or neuter my dog or giving my dog to the pound to be put to death because they are banned.
The same principles are at work. They are:
1. Government targeting Pit Bull owners.
2. Complete eradication of the breed in their town.
3. Demonize the breed and make their owners look like trash.
One thing that is not mentioned very often when BSL is brought up is in many cases it is not the dogs that are being targeted but instead, it is the owners that are the intended focus.
Here are a couple of quotes from a letter to the Louisville, Kentucky city council from the HSUS. The letter was written to the city council when they were considering a ban on Pit Bulls.
“There is no doubt that pit bulls are in bad shape in America right now. They are likely the most popular dog in the country, but unfortunately, they are also the dogs of choice for drug dealers, gang members, and anyone else who is looking for a dog to be a status symbol“
I put the part that really got my goat in bold. So they lump us law abiding citizens in there with gang bangers, drug dealers, and status symbol seeking morons.
“Legislation banning pit bulls or requiring strict regulation will not solve the problems created by dangerous dogs. However, because pit bulls currently flood animal shelters in Louisville and across the country, legislation requiring their mandatory sterilization could be a benefit to the breed and to all dogs in the community. Additionally, the mandatory sterilization of pit bulls would negatively impact those individuals who use pit bulls for fighting, guarding locations used for illegal activities, and the backyard breeders who so recklessly add to the dog overpopulation”
First bold: How would spaying/neutering only Pit Bulls help “all dogs in the community?”
Second bold: Read that twice. I mean really read it. So spay/neuter laws would stop drug dealers, dog fighters from having Pit Bulls. Are these people cracked? They are CRIMINALS. They are already breaking the law! Why would they care if they didn’t fix their dogs. Unreal.
“Requiring the sterilization of pit bulls does not have the same problems as traditional breed-specific legislation. This does not punish responsible pet owners, as truly responsible owners already have their animals sterilized.”
First Bold: The HSUS is basically saying, “You can enact BSL and no one will argue because they are not going to consider FORCED spay/neuter as BSL.”
Second Bold: So I show my dog in conformation. I am not responsible because I have not fixed my dog. I show my dog in obedience and compete in working dog sports, yet, I kept the dog intact, I am irresponsible. Sorry but I have intact dogs, they are well kept, and I do not breed them. I am a responsible dog owner and so are the umpteen million people that do the same thing.
You can read the entire letter from the HSUS to the Louisville city council here.
Now that we have a better idea about what BSL is …
How do you fight BSL?
Vote.
Seriously it is that easy. Vote against anyone, regardless of political affiliation, that is anti-dog and vote for pro-dog legislators. That is the only way we will ever stop BSL and save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Pit Bull Terriers.
Having a political stance and being powerful with your vote is one thing they cannot take from you. It is your right, it is your duty, and you should use it every chance you get.
Say it out loud, how can you stop BSL? Vote!
Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
The Most Complete Pit Bull Site Online
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
Tags: breed specific legislation, bsl, pit bull terriers, stop | No Comments
