Hi! First pitbull mix here...

[fawncoat]

Hello! I'm glad to have found this forum. I've never owned a pit bull or mix of any kind before and am still a little shaky with it. I have a 10wk old little girl pup named B. She's a sweetie! That doesn't mean that I don't still have some of the fears of the rumors I've heard about them in the back of my mind.

I also have a German Shepherd/Terrier mix (8 mos) and a Chihuahua (18mos), and a six-year-old daughter. So far the dogs get along great, a few little arguments here and there, but nothing serious by far. My daughter loves the Chi and B, but not the GS/mix.

I'm giving the Chi to my father in Dec. He lives alone in a remote town in Ga so there's limited social interaction, and the Chi would love to be a single dog. I think they have a lot to offer each other.

So, soon it will be just the GS/mix and B, the Pit/mix. She is supposedly mixed with yellow lab but looks more like a ridgeback. The mother is full Pit Bull. She's a sweet dog and I love her! She's goofy, whiney, playful, aloof, not skiddish but not overly confident. I sought out a good forum like this one to help guide me in raising her properly and keeping her out of trouble.

With a multi-dog household, it is hard to have one on one time and really see what she likes to do, or play the most. The others are always in the way. Well, that's true for all of them! I'm doing what I think I'm supposed to do with them, but lately it's like a madhouse and no one really listens like they once did.

I'll be looking around the boards for tips but if anyone has any for a newbie (and a newbie multi-dog household), I'd appreciate that too!

Thanks!

[michele5611]

Welcome aboard! Congrats on your new pit mix. Be sure to post a pic when you get the chance.

Here is an article you might find helpful-

www.realpitbull.com/harmony.html

[fawncoat]

Thanks! I will as soon as I figure out how to post pics Thanks for the article. Any personal tips to offer?

[fawncoat]

[fawncoat]

[fureverywhere]

Oooooh I love the pictures!...I'm kissing the computer screen:) What big feeties heeheehee best of luck to you. It does sound like you have a lot on your plate there. If you can manage it maybe try to schedule even a half hour or an hour walk for each dog separately every day. My dogs are too strong to walk together so I give them each an hour a day. I take my girl to the fenced tennis courts and wear her out playing fetch. The boy doesn't play games, he just likes to chug around sniffing every molecule.

[suziriot]

What a cutie!!!

[fawncoat]

Sept 14, 2014 19:26:22 GMT -5 fureverywhere said:

Oooooh I love the pictures!...I'm kissing the computer screen:) What big feeties heeheehee best of luck to you. It does sound like you have a lot on your plate there. If you can manage it maybe try to schedule even a half hour or an hour walk for each dog separately every day. My dogs are too strong to walk together so I give them each an hour a day. I take my girl to the fenced tennis courts and wear her out playing fetch. The boy doesn't play games, he just likes to chug around sniffing every molecule.

Thank you! She is a wonderful girl. And big! The vet mistook her for a Dane mix, then said she looks like a Rhodesian mix. I agree with the Rhodesian mix. She said she doesn't really see any pit in her. Hmm, I met the dam and saw plenty of pit in her! Although she could be a catahoula/cur bulldog that was passed off as a pit. Who cares, I love her!

Thanks for the tip about taking them separately. B doesn't like to leave the yard by herself, not even to ride in the car. She whines, drools, and clings to my lap the whole time.
Her one on one time is spent cuddling. That's her fav. The Chi likes fetch and tug and doing tricks, the terrier/GS likes training and cuddling.

I'm over my fears about owning a pit bull. I finally decided to force myself to remove the 'pit' factor from my mind about her. I respect her boundaries, she doesn't like to be hugged/squeezed, or picked up with outstretched arms by strangers. I don't force her and let the other family members know not to do those things and now she's even less nervous about that stuff.
It seems that it's taken a while to build trust in us/me, but now that she has the trust she does have, she's that much more loving and affectionate with us. It's kinda cool to see that unfold in her. She's going to be a great dog.

[fawncoat]

Oh, and to add (a little brag) she IS beautiful!

Oops, forgot something else- she's goin through a skinny phase. Ribs and hips protruding. She's being dewormed, and vet said her being a bit thin is due to the worms and a skeletal growth spurt and she'll catch up.

I have her on a raw diet and both my other dogs stayed very thin on it through their first few months/year but are healthy. Anyone else feeding raw and having trouble with weight gain?