[doylerules]

admins please move if i put this in the wrong area!


ok i picked up a 8 week old pup that we named Tyke last week......i have him booked to get his shots next week, but i have a few burning questions.

i will start with the breed.....i call him a mutt but i do know his mix

father is a Akita/Lab
mother is a rotty/pit

not sure if anyone has seen this mix before but... i am wondering if anyone would have an educated guess as to how big he is most likely going to be?

i have researched all the dogs in question and figure somewheres in the 85-100 pound range not sure if i am way off or not.

So far Tyke seems to be really smart. He is getting used to the idea that he has to sit on his pillow when others are eating and he has to sit then laydown to get his food dish put down..so he has already learned to sit, law down without treat and almost has the roll over thing down pat(still needs the treat to get him to do it) He "goes" outside for the most part aside from a few accidents(i know that he doesn't have complete control of his bladder yet).

How do i get his to let me know that he has to go outside? I am having a really hard time getting him used to a leash, i had him wear it around the house for 2 days slowly holding it while playing and when outside but as soon as he realizes that i am holding the leash he sits down and refuses to move! I know that pups mouth everything but i want to break him of the habit as when he is a little bigger i would hate for him to do that to someone else and they take it as agression! i have been trying the replace with a toy thing but it doesn't seem to make a difference with him he will go right back for your hand or even worse your face!


any advice would be great !

 

[Marsh Muppet]

father is a Akita/Lab
mother is a rotty/pit

not sure if anyone has seen this mix before but... i am wondering if anyone would have an educated guess as to how big he is most likely going to be?

A fair guess (IMO) would be in the 50-70 lb. range, but your guess may turn out to be correct. Even if he's on the smaller side, you will still be quite impressed with his strength.

Discouraging nipping, mouthing, and chewing can be a long process. It requires patience and consistency. You didn't mention a crate; get one if you don't already have one. Get the most indestructible dog toys you can find.

He's really cute. Send him to me if he gives you any trouble.

 

[doylerules]

yeah i do have a crate, but i am only using it at night right now since i am home all day and can keep a very close eye on him.

to add to my earlier post, when i am trying to leash train him , i have tried the quick jerk thing, but it doesn't work, this dog seems to feel no pain, he feel down the stairs the other day and didn't wimper instead he turned around and bite the bottom step!

and what are good toys for him right now ? i got him a rope bone, and a kong and this little thing that you heat up in the microwave for when he goes to bed. not sure what else to get him though .....

one more thing, i should have added this in the first part, what and how often to feed ?
right now i am feeding him no name puppy food because that is what they were feeding him where i picked him up....i would like to slowly get him on something a little better as i assume that the no name stuff isn't that good for him. and i read the back of the bag and i split that into 3 times a day..... i read a lot of different things so i really don't know if this is right or not.
thanks in advance!!!

 

[briteday]

Just think BIG and you'll be fine!

Some dogs let you know when they have to go out, and some never will their entire lives. At this point I would just have a schedule for eating and eliminating...right now about every 1-2 hours for going outside. And keeping the dog on a 3 times per day feeding schedule will help make elimination more predictable. Keep him on the same food as he was on before you got him...for at least a few weeks until he has a chance to settle in. And your vet will be keeping a growth chart on him so just ask the vet if he's the right weight, that will give you an indication of how much to feed. You could even ask the vet to show you how to feel the ribs and hip bones to tell about the dog's weight and muscle condition.

I also like crate training so you might want to give that a try. Just be sure to buy a crate large enough for your dog full grown. You can block off the unused part as he grows with a barrier panel or some plastic storage boxes, if he's not too much of a chewer.

wearing a leash...just put it on in the house for brief periods of time and let him walk around with it. Don't pick up the leash, just let him drag it around for a bit at this point.

Give the pup a chance to settle in for a few weeks before having too many expectations. And in the meanwhile keep him away from places that other unknown dogs go and might eliminate. Your little guy doesn't have much of an immune system until about 3-4 months, so keep him protected.

 

[Marsh Muppet]

i have tried the quick jerk thing, but it doesn't work, this dog seems to feel no pain, he feel down the stairs the other day and didn't wimper instead he turned around and bite the bottom step!

All the breeds he comes out of tend to be physically very tough. Very young pups shouldn't be jerked because they can be injured. With a pup like you are describing, you stand a chance causing injury before you change his behavior with correction. And you have to teach him what you want him to do before you can correct him, anyway.

You have a lot of questions so you should scour previous posts and the stickies at the top of the page. You need to learn a lot.

The main things you have to worry about are feeding (at least 3X per day with the best food), pooping (way more times per day that you think are enough), and socializing (after he's had all his shots). Rotties, Pits, and Akitas all require special attention to socialization with people and other dogs.

Don't get too worked up about a puppy gnawing on your hands. That's what they do. Take this time to enjoy watching him learn about the world, and try to make every experience a good one for him. If you bond with him and develop his trust, everything else can be worked out.

PS: and expect he will require a significant amount of exercise to avoid becoming destructive out of boredom.