More knowledge needed.

by **henrypuah** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 6:45 am

Hi I'm Henry. I'm actually from Malaysia and I own a pitbull. I used a generalized name for my pitbull because I know that there are a few categories of pitbull and I might not be sure which one mine fits into yet. I'm 20 this year and my father bought a puppy pitbull few months back. He's about 6 months old now and we're taking care of him well. This is my first pet so I'm not really an experienced pet owner and am constantly browsing through websites getting more info on this breed.

My pitbull tends to be destructive either through a lack or exercise or other things, so we chained him up for about 10 hours usually the morning section so that he does not cause trouble. He does not make a big fuss about being chained up and seems to be lazing around happily till it's almost time for him to be set free. The area he's chained up has shelter and there's also fresh water provided. The only thing that I'm worried about is would chaining him up make him more aggressive or does it have any bad effects?

by **AllisonPibbleLvr** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 7:25 am

Well, if he's destructive because of lack of exercise, why ever would you think that chaining him up for 10 hours would help?

There has been some evidence that links chaining to an increased likelihood of having a bite incident but it is more complicated than just that.

Rather than chaining, why don't you try proper exercise and training and provide proper things for your dog to play with so that he's not destructive?

by **henrypuah** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 2:29 am

He tends to be destructive since he arrived at our home when he was around 2 months old. He is given toys to play with and stuff but he's not really interested in those toys after like a day or two. We have bought Kongs , a thick rope , some plastic done bones but after the initial enthusiasm he will not even bother looking at it.

We chained him up because the area he's in is needed for us to dry our clothes , there's no other place to dry the clothes or to let him wander. If we just leave him unchained when the clothes are being dried, he will just pull down every single piece.

I used to take him for jogs while I cycle during midnight but I heard that taking them at such a young age would affect their growth especially their bones and joints. My housing area do not have sufficient soft surfaces suitable for his young bones. Pet obedience or training classes are not really an option as there is very few such places in my country, even if there is, it will probably be quite costly.I have thought him some basic commands but the thing I cant stop him from doing is jumping up at me or strangers.

I know that chaining him wont help his destructive behavior, but do you think it's better to chain him up or build another small fence and put him in there because either way , I do not think the space he gets inside the small fence will be much more bigger than the area he's allowed to move while being chained up.

by **Leslie H** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:33 pm

Welcome. I hope we can help answer your questions. APBT's are very social dogs, who love to be with people. I'm sure you can find some activities here that will be fun and healthy for both of you.