NEW PUPPY! and some questions...

[Rainstorm]

well someone we know in the next town over had someone dump 4 3-4 week old pups in her horse pasture. We ended up taking one because she already has 4-5 grown dogs, he is definetly a sweetie, we think hes gonna be a good protector and watchdog, he'll sit under my bed and bark and growl at anyone else who walks in the room. (but run and whimper if they continue to walk closer

)

but now his features are filling out a lil and everyone thinks hes a Pitbull. Anyone else think so? if so. Anyone ever had pits around chickens/ducks etc? does it work out well?

Also anyone got some names for him?

 

[redhen]

 

[tdgill]

he's adorable!!!! I think you'll do just fine....

 

[SunshineSteedFarm]

He is adorable!

He does look like he may have some in him

You may want to take a look at these cute videos of a pitbull named Sharky.

http://www.youtube.com/results?sear...bull+chicks&search_type=&aq=4&oq=Sharky+the+p
As you can see in the videos, he loves to cuddle with the baby chicks.It is very sweet.
I havent had any experience with pitbulls around my chickens, but maybe someone else will come along with more experience

Have a great day,
SSF

 

[farmerlor]

I'm thinking a pit/lab mix. Both prey driven dogs but both very, very smart so who knows what you can train him to do? He is just darling though. I'd name him Floyd after Floyd the Barber-he sort of has that hangdog look.

 

[Redyre Rotties]

He is adorable!

HOWEVER:

I would PREVENT him hiding and barking at people who walk into a room.

This is NOT guarding behavior, this is FEARFUL behavior. Block his access to under the bed, and if he is upset by someone coming into the room, they should sit and encourage the puppy to come up and interact with them. With puppies dumped and removed from their litter so early, you can have many issues, this is just one of them.

 

[lemurchaser]

The behaviors you are describing are not good. That sort of fearful behavior can lead to serious aggression issues. A good watch dog should be confident, not fearfully aggressive.

Get him out and socialize him. He needs to have tons of good experiences with all sorts of people, children, etc (not just the same people over and over again). He should meet the chickens on leash as he grows up, to get used to them. Being removed from his mom so young can cause a lot of social issues, so he needs to meet and interact with a lot of other dogs too. From 6-10 weeks old, pups learn social skills from mom, since he won't get this you are going to have to make a huge effort to teach him these things. You'll have to work on bite inhibition too (they need to learn not to bite down in play, or even in warning bites).

I have 2 pit bulls, they are great with the chickens. We had one death early on, but it was my fault for leaving the dogs and chickens unsupervised for a long period of time, when the dogs had only seen their first chicken 6 weeks earlier. Now there are no problems at all. The dogs completely ignore the chickens.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

I second Redrye's comments. That behavior, especially from such a young dog, is not and will never be a defensive (guarding) behavior. Shows the puppy is experiencing fear and is quite reactive. Do not, I repeat DO NOT allow it to continue. Your pup will be a project for you to grow into a stable adult dog.

Get into some Obedience classes as soon as he is old enough (usually after 16 weeks of age). Your pup will be missing some normal developmental stages usually experience with litter mates and mommy dog. The most important here is the natural bite inhibition they learn from siblings: bite me and it hurts and play is over!! That is how they learn to bite with inhibited force and the first step in teaching not to bite at all later when they are at a more mature age.

You will now take the place of Mom, siblings and life coach for this puppy. Training and socilaization is of number one concern here. As soon as you can he should be meeting several new people a day and having very very posiitve experiences with each person. For him to grow up stable and well adjusted (meaning not dog that will give you fearful and dangerous behavior later) you will have to do a lot of work to ensure this. Take him out. Allow people to pet him when he gets to know the routine. When he's older and you can use food rewards ask people to feed him a small chunk of cheese so he looks forward to meeting new people. Take a training class, make sure you're really bonded and he trusts you.

Congrats on the puppy. Good luck with training

 

[CedarRidgeChicks]

I have Pits and AmBdgs..I agree with all the above..socialize, socialize and socialize some more.

(has he been vet checked yet? at 3-4 weeks and I think it may be slightly older..you need to watch for Parvo,distemper etc.)

 

[teach1rusl]

He is a cutie pie!!!

I agree w/the last few comment suggestions. Definitely socialize him w/everyone!!! I think it's sad that at that young age he hides and growls. Was he half wild when you guys took him in (I know he was just a few weeks old)??? Work on those trust issues w/people and other animals!!! Puppies who feel secure and confident would not exhibit those behaviors...work on giving him those characteristics. And thanks for taking the little guy in

He now has a chance at a happy life.