Raising a Canine Teenager

***Disclaimer: Anyone with any fucked up media-induced backward ass stigma against pit bulls can check out right now. This post is about pit bulls, the people that love them, the people that know them, and written by a proponent for all bully breeds.***

With an almost 5 year old daughter I thought I was in the clear for a few more years before I had to deal with the craziness of having a teenager in the house. The Universe snickered at me when I went surfing the internet and saw a picture of the most handsome boy I've ever seen. It was love at first sight, I can't lie. His name is Bruno. He wasn't even up for adoption but I HAD to have him. We looked around at various rescue sites in numerous states and were even introduced to other dogs, but it didn't matter. The position was already taken in my heart. I was patient and love prevailed! Bruno's previous owner decided he couldn't care for him and opted to give him up.

Bruno is an 18 month old blue-nose pit bull. He is a full-on teenager dog and he is a handful! Aside from being a bull-headed teenager (har har, puns), Bruno didn't exactly have the upbringing ideal for a pit bull. The guy that owned him had him chained up to a tire in the backyard for most of his short life. Bruno arrived to his foster parents' house not even knowing his basic commands. (His foster parents are amazing people and former clients of mine. Like them on Facebook and watch their mange rescue puppy Peanut grow!)  There are many things that Bruno has never encountered or experienced. He looks like an adult but he still sees the world like it's brand new. He'd never walked up a flight of stairs before and our older dog Morgan had to show him the ropes. He'd never been swimming or even played in a pool. He still has so much to see and learn.

Bruno is almost completely unsocialized. He will get along with dogs his size, but is food aggressive. Any animal smaller than him (including bugs, birds and the stuffed variety) send him into predator-mode. I'm thinking this is a result of him being a backyard dog during a critical time in his development stage. He probably got ahold of a squirrel or cat and now thinks that is the most fun he'll ever have in his life. It's going to be a long, hard road trying to break him of this but I can't really blame him either. Bruno was practically feral up until a few months ago. But he is not a lost cause. He is very  intelligent, eager to please, affectionate, submissive, goofy and will do every trick he knows for a piece of ice.

And let's just get this out of the way: No, he is not aggressive because he is a pit bull. He was made this way, not bred this way. Stereotyping any particular breed of dog is just as moronic as stereotyping a particular race of people. Not all white people are serial killers, not all black people are gangbangers, not all Muslims are terrorists and not all Jewish people are accountants. Yes, there will always be some that perpetuate the stereotype but those are usually a very small percentage. Yes, there will always be reports of a pit bull biting someone. But guess what? Dogs bite. There isn't a single breed of dog with a perfect record. Sorry!

When we got him, Bruno would only sit on command about half the time. (Whenever he felt it convenient, really. He's a brat.) Now, Bruno is consistent with Sit, Down, Shake, Rollover, Come (when in the fenced backyard off-leash. There's no stopping him if he gets out into the front yard. Way too much trouble and cool stuff out there for him to listen to anyone), Kennel, Drop It, Stay, Wait, and Out! (we set up boundaries in the house. He is not allowed in the kitchen unless passing through to the backyard and he is not allowed upstairs. We didn't bother with baby gates.) Accidents in the house have been almost non-existent in the past few weeks. Pulling on the leash is still an issue, but either he's not pulling as hard or my traps have just gotten used to the exercise. My arms and back were sore those first few weeks with him! I've found that he makes an excellent jogging partner, however. If I pick up the pace, he'll trot right beside me without pulling. I just have to get my ass in shape to keep up with him! He is also very responsive to my 'no' noise. Ahhhht! I figured it was pointless to tell a dog "No" all the time when his name is Bru-no. He will immediately stop what he was doing anytime he hears the sound. The munchkin can imitate the noise perfectly. It's adorable to watch her discipline him and give him commands. She's quite the little Dog Whisperer. 

Raising a teenaged pitty has definitely proved challenging. There have been a few days that he has tested me past my limits and would be kenneled for the remainder of the night. We'd reached our training limits for the day and needed a break before starting over fresh the next morning. His time outs have gotten less frequent now that he's settling in and learning the ropes. He still gets grounded for his run away attempts. But we've gotten better at avoiding them!

I'll try to update regularly with Bruno's progress, pictures, and adventures. He really is a big goof and he keeps us laughing as often as he drives us crazy!