need help puttin alpha pup in his place

[hapixbuni]

i made the mistake of bringing home a 6 week old puppy. i wanted to leave him longer b/c i knew 6 weeks was too young, but appearently all the other buyers didnt b/c they had already picked up all his littermates leaving him alone. the mom had already been sent back to her owner (the gfs family raised the pups) so i took him home as well. i didnt know it was going to have such an impact on his temperment though. when he 1st came in he was a calm lil pup that followed me around. within days he started acting bossy. im pretty sure i ended up pickin the alpha of the litter. i love my romeo to death but i need help puttin him in his place of our "pack". he is a terrible biter! doesnt respond to distraction, physical, verbal, or any other form of dicipline. and he refuses to even try and get along with my docile maltese, which i found strange since he had gotten along with about 5 different dogs where he was being raised. but then again my Sammy has absolutely no alpha in him so i dont think he knows how to put the pup in his place. sammy tries to play but all romeo wants to do is attack and bite him puttin sammy at risk once romeo gets bigger (should be around 60 lbs full grown). Romeo will be 8 weeks on the 13th and will be attending obedience school a week after that. dont get me wrong though, romeo is an awesome puppy and i know its my fault for taking him so young. but when hes not biting he is a big cuddler and everyone in my house loves him. i just want him to be a happy dog, so any suggestions would be welcomed. thank you.

[Patch O' Pits]

This should help you
http://www.discussdogs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=759

I'm guessing this is your first APBT puppy. Well. This breed in general likes to play and needs a lot of exercise as well as training to make sure you have a good pet. They are wonderful and intelligent dogs who can also be strong willed and stubborn.

You said nothing has worked for you, but what exactly have you tried so far. This way we just don't repeat things to try that already have failed... have you tried keeping a lead on him, using treats , distracting with toys? Do you monitor him while he plays with the other dog and correct him remove him from th situation if he is being too rough?

puppies at this age are like babies. They have to be taught everything and will pretty much run your house if you don't get on the training. I think it is great that you will be doing classes, just make sure the trainer is experienced with bully breeds

[hapixbuni]

with the biting-
iv tried saying NO and stopping all play for awhile, he usually just goes and chews on a toy til i come back then does it again. iv tried slight physical dicipline by tapping or holding his muzzle while saying no. or making chewing on my hand unpleasant and pushing it far in his mouth. both of which makes him even more mad and bite harder, sumtimes with a bark or growl included. iv tried switchin my hand for a toy, which works for a little but and then he comes back. he also has a thing for shoes and will literally bite and hold on to your shoe/sock/foot/ankle wihle your trying to walk away. at those time i try picking him up sitting him away from my foot and saying no, but again it only makes him more mad and he charges up again once we try walking away (or even if were still standing there).

as for the dog aggression-
i havnt tried keeping the leash on him while they play, i dont know why i didnt think of that. i do moniter them the entire time they play and intervine once i see him being too rough or if i see him in the process of stalkin behind my other dog. hes not very food motivated at all so treats and food dont usually get me far. how far should i let him go in playing with my other dog and when should i cut it off? how should i go about correcting him and praising? should i try letting him romp with a dog i know that knows how to be more dominant with younger dogs? my sammy growls at him when he continouosly bites at his neck but he never rolls the puppy or puts him in a submisive position, he merly tries to walk away. most the time he doesnt even acknowledge the pup is there, or tries to at least.

[catcher T]

u do realize that APBT's are naturally dog agressive right? second of all this is an 8 wk old puppy,,course they nip,,its puppy nipping,,it gets corrected over time,,training is good for all breeds.

[Sibe]

You said, "...romeo is an awesome puppy and i know its my fault for taking him so young. but when hes not biting he is a big cuddler and everyone in my house loves him. i just want him to be a happy dog."

I am not sure why taking a dog at 6 mos would cause him to be "alpha". But I think it is true what another poster said about them not being unlike babies. They need to be feeling secure and that needs are going to be taken care of. Limits are something puppies need set. I think that I would be separating dogs if it looks like someone is getting too beat up. My puppies play hard sometimes, but they are evenly matched since they are same age, same breed. Still, I may stop the rough play esp in the house when it is seemingly too much. Like kids!

We don't let the puppies bite us. They will try to engage you in the rough stuff and I don't think it is wise to go there as it will be a difficult task to stop later on when they are larger and stronger! I don't know what others think about this but a tap on the behind with a rolled up paper which kind of breaks the bad behavior momentum seems to work pretty good.

[seraphicia]

You said, "...romeo is an awesome puppy and i know its my fault for taking him so young. but when hes not biting he is a big cuddler and everyone in my house loves him. i just want him to be a happy dog."


I am not sure why taking a dog at 6 mos would cause him to be "alpha"...

The pup is 6 WEEKS old, not months, and separating early from momma means less good behavior learned and more work needed.



I don't know what others think about this but a tap on the behind with a rolled up paper which kind of breaks the bad behavior momentum seems to work pretty good. I think NOT! I would NOT do this, especially with a six to eight week old pup.

What others have suggested are good ideas, and just because the pup is displaying these behaviors and is a pit doesn't mean he's dog aggressive, nor are all pits dog aggressive because it's their "nature". It's all about training and consistency to make a well mannered dog, including an apbt. Training classes are a must, good idea to start early, although make sure it's a good trainer who doesn't use harsh methods, especially on a puppy that small. If you're consistent in emphasizing that you're the leader, the pup has to earn his place, then you should be off to a great start.

[Stark]

hapixbuni,
It is very possible to remove a pup from the litter at 6 weeks of age provided it has supervised time with older pups or adults a couple of times per day. The bond between the handler and the pup can be made stronger by doing this, this is sometimes practiced by working dog trainers. The most important thing for you to remember especially if you own a male is this "Pitbulls were bred to be fought, therefore they were bred to be dog aggressive". Having owned and shown several I was always on guard while at the show. While all may not be aggressive that is the exception and not the rule.
Your puppy is entirely to young to be thinking about being "Alpha", don't allow yourself to get caught up in this mindset. While it is necessary to set boundries you are not always and probably never will be challenged for the position as "top dog". The alpha dog movement is one of many that has been brought about by the purely positive/clicker methods causing widespread confussion to new owner/trainers.
I use the old tried and true method of scruffing a pup when it continues to bite or chew on things. I grab it by the scruff of the neck shake and give it a strong but calm no. I then release the pup and give it a toy and praise.


Good Luck

[Sibe]

"The pup is 6 WEEKS old, not months, and separating early from momma means less good behavior learned and more work needed.":eek:

Whoops, guess I was reading this wrong. Pardon me. :o

That is true that the lessons learned by the mother are certainly going to be missed at that age. Like children pups have developmental stages that they go through. Perhaps a book would help to understand more about those young ages, and stages that you need to work with.

[madblogger]

Check out a post I put on my blog about training an aggressive dog it may help. http://dog-training-and-care-tips.blogspot.com/2006/06/training-agressive-dog.html There is also a couple links at the end of that post to other websites that may interest you.





Dog Training Tips (http://dog-training-and-care-tips.blogspot.com)

[GSP4619]

I agree with Sibe. The pup missed all the interaction with his siblings and also his mother to teach him some manners.