Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[Imzadi83]

Hi, I own two dogs. They are brother and sister. The brother has a bit of a nervous habit and (very rarely but still) chews
up things like paper, plastic, etc. We usually aren't gone that long from home, and as of right now my mom stays home
because of recent surgery, but I suspect after getting so used to us being home he might have his habit worsened,
anything I might be able to do to help stop his habit from happening every so often?

The first step is management. He can't chew what he can't access, so you and your family need to be diligent about not leaving things out you don't want him to chew on. Another way is to use a crate, baby gate, or closed door to confine him in a dog proof room when you can't supervise him.

Luzien is right about the exercise, a tired dog is a good dog. And remember you have to exercise his mind as well as his body. Feeding him his meals only in puzzle toys or doling it out during training is an easy method to get a little more mental and physical exercise into his day.

If you're concerned his chewing is due to isolation distress go back and do alone training with him.

Here are some videos that may be helpful...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGxhcb-itO4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwZI1isnvPQ

Also I would not recommend leaving the dog alone with a rawhide chew. They are not digestible and can cause blockages. Use digestible chews like bullysticks, pig ears, antlers, raw meaty bones, etc (check out http://www.bestbullysticks.com to see what's out there), or tough toys that the dog can't/wont chew through. Of course there's always a choking hazard when leaving your dog with anything so you have to make at judgment call on what your dog can handle and what is best for your particular dog. At the very least give him new chews a few times when you're in the house so you can check in to see how he handles them.

@LizzyTheWolf - I'm so sorry for you. I hate people who let there dogs off leash someplace they're not allowed. It's unfair and dangerous. I'm glad the guy got in trouble and feel sorry for his dog who was put into danger because of it's irresponsible owner. I'm glad you called the cops on him, these people need to learn to obey the laws.

[Marley.&.Me]

Do you guys remember how they started that “Rescue Dog to Super Dog” show on Animal Planet?

I’ve been trying to find out why I don’t see it on TV anymore.

Was it cancelled to anyone’s knowledge? I can’t find any articles on it unless I’m overlooking.

[rottenyeen]

Do you guys remember how they started that “Rescue Dog to Super Dog” show on Animal Planet?

I’ve been trying to find out why I don’t see it on TV anymore.

Was it cancelled to anyone’s knowledge? I can’t find any articles on it unless I’m overlooking.

Hm. I don’t personally watch it anymore but I think there were a few new episodes in early December? I’m pretty sure they were new on the channel Animal Planet. I don’t know if that channel still has the show airing new episodes, because I threw out my tv (long story)

[Marley.&.Me]

Do you guys remember how they started that “Rescue Dog to Super Dog” show on Animal Planet?

I’ve been trying to find out why I don’t see it on TV anymore.

Was it cancelled to anyone’s knowledge? I can’t find any articles on it unless I’m overlooking.

Hm. I don’t personally watch it anymore but I think there were a few new episodes in early December? I’m pretty sure they were new on the channel Animal Planet. I don’t know if that channel still has the show airing new episodes, because I threw out my tv (long story)

We have it On Demand for free but I never see it on the actual Animal Planet station anymore.

Even then there’s only 4 episodes that are On Demand. And I’ve just been curious because I thought that show was pretty cool!

[eff]

Do you guys remember how they started that “Rescue Dog to Super Dog” show on Animal Planet?

I’ve been trying to find out why I don’t see it on TV anymore.

Was it cancelled to anyone’s knowledge? I can’t find any articles on it unless I’m overlooking.

Hm. I don’t personally watch it anymore but I think there were a few new episodes in early December? I’m pretty sure they were new on the channel Animal Planet. I don’t know if that channel still has the show airing new episodes, because I threw out my tv (long story)

We have it On Demand for free but I never see it on the actual Animal Planet station anymore.

Even then there’s only 4 episodes that are On Demand. And I’ve just been curious because I thought that show was pretty cool!

Television shows temporarily change, remove or renew contracts with certain shows. Many a time you may not find a TV show on demand in certain companies (e.g sky, VM, BT) because of the contract.

It can take months for a new contract and if the show wants a lot of money for the show they might just remove it from the network.

[taurus ;]

That’s a complete lie lol. I definitely won’t say I’m a nice person, but for example Spade’s breeder. Nicest man you will ever meet and will give the shirt off his back for you. But are all his dogs dog aggressive? Yes. Did he make them that way? No way. It’s called genetics.

That dog you show also isn’t a pitbull, it’s a bully breed mix and I bet the other ‘pitbulls’ you speak of are too. And NO dog breed is a nanny dog(and especially not bully breed mixes), this saying gives off the idea that the dog doesn’t need to be trained and is ‘just good’, that’s bad. ANY dog will bite when their limit is pushed and crossed.

[rottenyeen]

That’s a complete lie lol. I definitely won’t say I’m a nice person, but for example Spade’s breeder. Nicest man you will ever meet and will give the shirt off his back for you. But are all his dogs dog aggressive? Yes. Did he make them that way? No way. It’s called genetics.

That dog you show also isn’t a pitbull, it’s a bully breed mix and I bet the other ‘pitbulls’ you speak of are too. And NO dog breed is a nanny dog(and especially not bully breed mixes), this saying gives off the idea that the dog doesn’t need to be trained and is ‘just good’, that’s bad. ANY dog will bite when their limit is pushed and crossed.

Agreed. Don’t get me wrong, I love pitties! But Pit bulls do have a higher risk for attacks, as many people bred (and some still breed, sadly) for aggression to anything in their path. Not all pit bulls are dangerous, but not all are the sweethearts that some say they are. I don’t own a pitbull but I have owned mixes and have been close friends with pure pittie dogs. Kayne (the dog) was definitely very nice, but protective and even though I love him, he was a bit threatening at times due to their bad reputation, and more scary looking build (muscly, fast, loud deep barks, etc.)

Pitbull personalities are created from genetics and also, just that dog. One puppy from a litter could be the sweetest you’ve ever met, but even if the parents/grand are total angels that you’d trust with anything, a puppy can and probably will be aggressive. Most pit bulls are bred/have bloodlines for strength and jaw force, due to their past fighting job. It’s sad how they were once a wonderful farming dog, but then a few bad people got them into fighting and ruined their reputation.
Here is a paragraph I found from the web, which I think mostly sums up the breed.


“American Pit Bull Terriers, also known as American Pit Bulls, are a pure breed of dog (one of the earliest registered) which has been used for many different uses over the years. They were originally bred to work closely with humans to control large animals, such as bulls, and to hunt bears, boar, and other animals. Later, they were used as farm dogs in the early West days in America, and unfortunately also for dog fighting. They have always been tempramentally sound, and very people friendly. As they became more popular in the 1990's, a sudden increase in poorly bred specimens and ill-equipped owners caused the breed to develop a bad name.. and they are still stuck with a bad rap today. Most members of the breed are excellent citizens, and loving family members.. but in today's society, it takes only a few bad apples to taint the whole barrel. Media frenzy has caused many supposed "pit bull" attacks to be mis-named, where in fact it was a completely different breed of dog responsible.”

[Cardinal]

American Pit Bull Terriers were developed for dog on dog combat. They were never farm dogs, lol. The UKC was developed for the sole purpose of studbooking APBT and no dog could be added to the studbook until they'd won 3 fights. Later the ukc openned to other breeds and glossed over breed history to move away from dog fighting once it became frowned upon, and honestly if you look at pedigrees most of the apbt lines are staffordshire terrier influenced. The American Dog Breeders Assocaition has the more true to type apbt and a better documented history.

[Imzadi83]

That’s a complete lie lol. I definitely won’t say I’m a nice person, but for example Spade’s breeder. Nicest man you will ever meet and will give the shirt off his back for you. But are all his dogs dog aggressive? Yes. Did he make them that way? No way. It’s called genetics.

That dog you show also isn’t a pitbull, it’s a bully breed mix and I bet the other ‘pitbulls’ you speak of are too. And NO dog breed is a nanny dog(and especially not bully breed mixes), this saying gives off the idea that the dog doesn’t need to be trained and is ‘just good’, that’s bad. ANY dog will bite when their limit is pushed and crossed.

Agreed. Don’t get me wrong, I love pitties! But Pit bulls do have a higher risk for attacks, as many people bred (and some still breed, sadly) for aggression to anything in their path. Not all pit bulls are dangerous, but not all are the sweethearts that some say they are. I don’t own a pitbull but I have owned mixes and have been close friends with pure pittie dogs. Kayne (the dog) was definitely very nice, but protective and even though I love him, he was a bit threatening at times due to their bad reputation, and more scary looking build (muscly, fast, loud deep barks, etc.)

Pitbull personalities are created from genetics and also, just that dog. One puppy from a litter could be the sweetest you’ve ever met, but even if the parents/grand are total angels that you’d trust with anything, a puppy can and probably will be aggressive. Most pit bulls are bred/have bloodlines for strength and jaw force, due to their past fighting job. It’s sad how they were once a wonderful farming dog, but then a few bad people got them into fighting and ruined their reputation.
Here is a paragraph I found from the web, which I think mostly sums up the breed.


“American Pit Bull Terriers, also known as American Pit Bulls, are a pure breed of dog (one of the earliest registered) which has been used for many different uses over the years. They were originally bred to work closely with humans to control large animals, such as bulls, and to hunt bears, boar, and other animals. Later, they were used as farm dogs in the early West days in America, and unfortunately also for dog fighting. They have always been tempramentally sound, and very people friendly. As they became more popular in the 1990's, a sudden increase in poorly bred specimens and ill-equipped owners caused the breed to develop a bad name.. and they are still stuck with a bad rap today. Most members of the breed are excellent citizens, and loving family members.. but in today's society, it takes only a few bad apples to taint the whole barrel. Media frenzy has caused many supposed "pit bull" attacks to be mis-named, where in fact it was a completely different breed of dog responsible.”

There is no proof that Pitbulls have a higher risk of attack the other breeds/types of dogs. There are no accurate statistics on dog bites because it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. Pitbulls, as you stated are usually mixed breeds but can refer to more then one pure breed as well. You take all those, lump them together, compare them to individual breeds and of course it is going to look like they attack more. That doesn't mean it's true. Also you have to take population into account. History has shown that what dog breed is considered "dangerous" has changed based on popularity of said breeds. Also if the dog is not pure bred and especially if it is not caught authorities and media are relying on visual identification of what breed(s) that dog might be, which is notoriously inaccurate, even when done by experts.

Studies have shown that behavior of the dog, victim, and owners are better indicators of risks of attack then a dog's breed. The media focuses on attacks by Pitbull dogs and minimizes the coverage they give to attacks by other breeds and types. There have also been many occasions where the media has said it was a Pitbull but it turns out the dog was not.

Claming Pitbulls attack more then other breeds is not only false, it's dangerous. It assumes that you are safer interacting with another breed of dog which is not true. Any dog can bite. Most all breeds have killed a person (although you're at a much greater risk of dying at the hands of your neighbor then your neighbor's dog statistically speaking). The best way to prevent dog attacks is through education about dogs, well crafted non breed specific dangerous dog laws, and enforcement of said laws.

[rottenyeen]

Yes, that’s what I was trying to say. (Reply to above) Not that they have a higher amount of attacks from just being a pittie, I forgot to add that most are mixes, but “Pitbull attack” sounds scarier than “Dog attack” due to their reputation.

The only time a dog would attack unprovoked would be if it had a psychological issue,
but that can be any breed.