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Post by hagentrixie on Feb 7, 2008 9:48:15 GMT -5
Trixie will not stay in our backyard. She has dug under neath the electric fence and out the other side of our privacy fence. She is only out during the day when I am at work which is the way its always been, and when I get home I let her and Hagen (our male pit) in. Hagen never leaves the yard just shows me where she dug out (we call him our tattel tail). They sleep inside and we never had a problem with her messing in the house untill Monday. Trixie use to come wake me up if she needed out but now its like she won't wake me up out of spite. Since last Friday I have had her chained so she can't get out, but she is on her 2nd chain since she broke the last one. I hate chaining a dog but I don't know what to do. Should I look into a harness for her? Wondering if she's just acting out? Trying to get away from the puppy? Mad at me? WHY? Any suggestions would be great!
A little history:
Trixie is 1 yr old. I got her when she was 4 months old and she fit right into our family of 3 (me, my husband, and 2 yr old male pit). We never had a big problem little things here and there that after time I was able to correct. She went into heat before I could get her fixed wound up pregnant. We just have one puppy left and thats when she started leaving the yard. In fact the only time she has spent the night outside was while she had the puppies and she wouldn't leave them for anything. She was a great mother.
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Post by RealPitBull on Feb 7, 2008 16:24:16 GMT -5
I'm a little unclear what the exact situation is with this dog, but here are some general points I need to drive home:
1) Don't project human emotions onto dogs. Dogs aren't spiteful, they don't get "mad" and they don't "act out" they way humans do. Let all those preconceived notions go. Dogs do what works, period. They look for reinforcement - so if the dog is performing a behavior, she's getting something out of it, some positive consequence, otherwise the behavior would not be performed.
2) It's extremely unsafe to allow Pit Bulls (or any dog really) to be outside all day long wihtout supervision. If Trixie is escaping, I cannot stress enough how important it is that you immediately find a way to house her that would make it impossible for her to escape. You don't want you dog ending up a headline!
3) Any time there is a sudden change in behavior, it is important that you take your dog for a veterinary exam. There could be an underlying health issue that is driving certain behaviors, for instance house soiling. This also might be a good time to spay Trixie.
I'll wait to hear from you before dealving into specifics.
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Post by hagentrixie on Feb 8, 2008 7:51:26 GMT -5
I am in the process of getting a grant to get her fixed. So hopefully next week she will be seeing the vet. What other information would you need?
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Post by RealPitBull on Feb 8, 2008 8:44:34 GMT -5
Well let's start with the yard issues, since to me that is the most pressing. What are you options for housing her, besides the yard? Is there a room inside your home she can stay? How many hours is she home alone each day? Is she crate trained? Have you considered a nice kennel (with a concrete floor)?
What state are you located? There are many low-cost spay/neuter options. Maybe I can help you find something =)
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Post by hagentrixie on Feb 8, 2008 14:08:24 GMT -5
I am in Georgia. She is out side about 9 hrs, she is let into the house as soon as I get home and doesn't get put back outside until the next morning right before I go to work. She has run of the backyard about .5 acre, and she is not alone, our male Hagen is there with her. I have tried keeping her in the house, she does good on day one but every day after that she tears something else up other than her toys. I was able to teach her that the basket behind my chair had her toys in it and she could do whatever she wanted with them. She is not crate trained. The neighbor hood I live in will not allow me to but a concrete slap down for a kennel.
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Post by RealPitBull on Feb 12, 2008 14:32:01 GMT -5
9 hours alone every day is too long, especially when the dog is in a yard. She's not getting enough physical or mental stimulation.
I also STRONGLY urge you to NOT leave two dogs alone unsupervised for that extended period of time - very dangerous.
Can you section off a room indoors, and dog-proof it for her?
What you are describing are all behaviors typical of an under stimulated, under supervised dog. I'm sorry to say it, as I don't want you to think I'm attacking you or being too hard, but these dogs require a lot of time and effort. They aren't a breed that can just be tossed out in a yard for 9 hours a day and expect them to be model dog citizens. You will need to devote some time to exercise and training every day.
Please please please, figure something out that would keep your dog from getting loose and roaming the neighborhood. Also, seperate your dogs asap, don't leave them alone together anymore.
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I look forward to learning much here