Raising a Puppy: Mia the Blue-Nose American Bully Pit—31 weeks old
A day in the life with Mia the American Bully (Bully Pit) puppy. 31 weeks old, 58 pounds, 18 1/2 inches from the ground to the highest point of the shoulders (the withers).
A day in the life with Mia the American Bully (Bully Pit) puppy. 31 weeks old, 58 pounds, 18 1/2 inches from the ground to the highest point of the shoulders (the withers).
31 weeks old (7 months)
After 19 messy days, Mia's heat cycle is finally over. No more hand washing bloody pants daily. Taking them on and off of her and worrying about whether or not the rest of the family remembered to put the pants on when they let her in or take them off when they let her out.
Mia still loves to chew on things. If she does not have a bone nearby she finds something else to chew on. This is what Sara sees as she reads a book on the hammock. Sara don't let Mia chew the tree. Mia, no tree chewing! "Leave it!"
Mia, what did I tell you about digging holes? Look at your nose. It's all dirty. You not only dig but you push your nose into the dirt sniffing things out.
Mia likes watermelon. Somehow she knows not to eat the rine.
Mia at 7-months-old with big brother Spencer the American Pit Bull Terrier at 4 years old
Mia is now a pro at the feeding routine. She knows where her bowl goes and that she is not to eat the other dog's food. The bowl in front of her is Bruno's, but she knows not to walk over and eat that one. She waits for me to set her own bowl down and then for the command to "get it".
Spencer waits by his food bowl for the "get it" command.
"Get it!" all the dogs walk over to their own dishes and begin to eat their dinner. On most days all of the dogs get the usual grain free kibble with a can of chicken dog food on top. Bruno and Spencer love it. Once a week or more they get a treat of left over grass fed beef or chicken mixed in with the kibble instead of the can. Sometimes I will mix some peanut butter in their food as Mia loves it.
At breakfast Mia had decided to only eat a little bit of her food even though I had put some peanut butter in it. She sat there waiting for something better such as steak, chicken or hamburger. The last few days she had been eating around the wet can chicken dog food and eating the kibble. I started to wonder if she just didn't like the can food. So I decided not to give her the can food and only gave her the kibble with some peanut butter on it. To my surprise she was not that interested. She ate a little, but walked away from it.
At dinner I gave her the usual dry kibble with can on top, like Bruno and Spencer eat. Since she had not eaten a lot of her breakfast she gobbled up the food. I had been trying to figure her out. If she really does not like a food I didn't want to continue feeding it daily. However, now I know she really does like the can food. She just waits around for something better. You little squirt. You really do eat just about anything, including watermelon! Therefore whatever is placed in your bowl is what is available and you will have to learn that waiting around for something else means waiting for the next mealtime. You are messing with your mamma knowing she has a soft spot for your adorable face and your wiggle butt.
Hey you two Pits, that's a tad bit too far. You are not allowed into this room.
"Hey, stop licking me."
"Alright, that's enough. Back, back..."
Bruno was chewing a bone behind my chair. I turned around to see Mia slowly start to steal it. I stood up and she backed off. She knew. That's right Mia, you can't have Bruno's bone. Dogs need discipline, but that does not mean one must be harsh. It simply means you have rules and you stick to them. When a dog understands the rules and respects the owner as a pack leader a simple look or a motion in the dog's direction is sometimes all it takes to stop an unwanted behavior. Mia simply backed off, laid back down and looked at me. She clearly was not afraid, nothing was harsh about it, yet it was discipline. I reminded her of the "no bone stealing" rule. I took the picture right after she laid back down capturing her actual reaction to my silent, body language correction. As soon as she backed off from the bone stealing mission I sat back down to let her know that was all I wanted.
Mia learns she is not allowed to jump out of the car at her free will even if she sees people jogging by and kids playing in the distance at a busy park. Bruno the Boxer and Spencer the Pit Bull do not even think about it as they know the rule is you must stay unless given a command otherwise. I do not use treats to make the dog stay in the van. I do not want to have to rely on having a treat bag attached to my hip so I can pop them food or a tool such as a clicker to keep the dogs safe while they are in training. If the signs says "keep off the grass" no one gives you a cookie for following the rule. Mother dogs do not give the pups a piece of meat for listening to her. It is just expected. I expect the dogs to not jump out because that is a rule put in place to keep them safe when we travel and are out and about. It does not matter what they see outside the car. They must stay. Telling them "no" is half the story, the other half is their reward, which is being able to travel. The dogs love the car. To successfully balance out a dog you need to not only communicate to the dog what is good, but communicate to them what behaviors are unwanted.
Mia brings a guest a gift. A nice green leaf, as she slowly turns in circles and "woooo wooos".
Mia continues to have a fascination with water. I turned the hose on and she had a blast. Maybe I should buy her a sprinkler.
Raising a Puppy: A day in the life with Mia the Blue-Nose American Bully