I'm new here though I have spent the last 2 weeks reading this forum, downloading ALL the Leerburg articles, I purchased the "8 weeks to 8 months" DVD and a few e-books and I've studied them all for a couple of weeks.

We rescued an 8 week old puppy from a shelter. They said he was a German Shepherd mix. I took him to the vet and they did the "swab" test and confirmed the "mix" is with pit bull.

Frankly, I'm terrified. All I read is that you should never breed German Shepherds with pit bulls and I see and read all the pit horror stories.

I'm not taking him back to the pound. We committed and he's ours. I have 2 kids, 8 and 10 and my wife is home with the puppy all day and I work reasonable hours.

Somebody please give us advice. Has anybody experienced a mix like this? Tips? Did we do the wrong thing? Am I doomed to 15 years of a dog challenging every command, every hand signal, every training session? Is he going to eat my neighbor''s children and/or pets and am I relegated to a ferocious animal?

Please tell me there is light at the end of the tunnel. We didn't know where to turn.

PS- He's adorable, smart, well-mannered (thus far) and I'm training the heck out of him. He's crate-trained, house-broken and can do basic commands...he's been with us 6 days. We love him but...

Help!

 Quote: Marc Lee

Frankly, I'm terrified. All I read is that you should never breed German Shepherds with pit bulls and I see and read all the pit horror stories.

Marc,

Relax. I am sure you will be fine....here are a few articles to start with, and since your wife is home most of the time, make sure she is on the same page as well.....

ARTICLES:
http://www.leerburg.com/pdf/Ed%20FrawleysPhilosophyonDogTraining.pdf
http://www.leerburg.com/puppygroundwork.htm
http://www.leerburg.com/dogcrate.htm


DVD's:
http://www.leerburg.com/120.htm
http://www.leerburg.com/308.htm
http://www.leerburg.com/302.htm

Just a few article to start with and if you can, the DVD's are awesome and are a lot of help. Great to reference as well if you get stuck.

I never heard of anyone terrified of an 8 week old puppie, lol. If you're that worried maybe it'd be best to bring the pup back while it's still little

 Quote: Marc Lee

PS- He's adorable, smart, well-mannered (thus far) and I'm training the heck out of him. He's crate-trained, house-broken and can do basic commands...he's been with us 6 days. We love him but...

Help!

Marc, you are in the right place! And it sounds like you are off to a good start. And don't forget to let him be a puppy!

Marc, you're not doomed. At this point (not knowing more about this puppy's origin than the "swab" test) your destiny is what you make it. You have a brand new and very impressionable little partner there just waiting to be shaped into a great adult. Just because he has 2 strong and driven breeds in his genetic makeup, he will not turn into a monster by himself. He may indeed be a CHALLENGING puppy/dog, but challenging does not equate dangerous, and IMO, it can be much more interesting and rewarding than a dog who never tests you. Consider it an education in a new foreign language!

The dubious "pit horror stories" you've heard have much more (if not all) to do with improper training, handling, socialization and care than anything else (do a search here on "pit bull conundrum" and read some of the discussion on why what you see in the news is rarely the whole truth...). Pit type dogs can be truly lovely companions, as long as you're willing to put in the time and effort to help them get there. NO, people should NOT be breeding pit types and shepherds, but they shouldn't be crossing Pomeranians and Pugs either... and there are many reasons why. The reality, as evidenced by booming shelter dog populations, is that people DO make these poor decisions. But that does not mean every poor mixed breed litter is a hopeless case - far from it! YOU have the power to raise a balanced pup, and the ball is now in your court.

*As a side note, your puppy will quickly be in the magical 13-16 week "socialization window", in which he will be at his MOST impressionable. It will be imperative that he receives lots of healthy and happy socialization during this period, which will set him up for a lifetime of confidence. Your new dvd will go into depth about that...

If you're already knee deep in Leerburg articles and dvds - you're on the right track!! And this forum will be an invaluable resource to you when you get stuck on something - so stick around and don't be shy! The links Carol posted are great - and the whole forum is really a gold mine, so be prepared to read, read, read... AND, as was mentioned, be sure your wife is on the same page in regards to training - a good and consistent foundation now will make things MUCH easier in the future.

AND, have FUN with your new pup!
~Natalya

Al,
I don't think Marc is terrified of the dog now, but what the dog may become.
Marc, while there are going to be some (oh, as an educated guess) trying times ahead don't get obsessive about them. Here and now is important. 8 or 9 weeks old is too young for any real training. Imprinting yes, but real training no. Allow him to be a pup, find himself, bond to the family, have some fun with him. Start resting up yourself for when he needs real exercise, start making plans for it, he will need plenty. Start studying the pack structure models, and thinking about what you want the dog to do for a job in the pack model. It won't be very long before either you decide that or he does, and I can guarrantee you won't like his ideas on pack models. for the mean time though just allow him to be a puppy, think of it as shaping for the time being as opposed to training. Plenty of time for training.
New puppys are so much fun, so much promise, everything is possible, the world is new, and I want it all attitude they have is just great............ Just love him for now.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

PS.
Read everything you can get you hands on

Hey Marc, welcome to the board. PLEASE don't let the pit bull bits of your dog freak you out (or the GSD part either, for that matter). Don't doom him to fail before he's even done with teething.

Just for the record, those swab tests (NONE of them) can test for every breed that's out there. So your dog may be part lab, part Goldie, part Pom...whatever. Just because the largest parts are GSD and Pit mean nothing more than you'll have to be a good pack leader. And you should be a good pack leader regardless of what genetics your dog has.

You're already further ahead of the game than 98% of my clients by coming here and doing research BEFORE problems start! You'll be fine! You love your pup, it sounds like the pup loves you and your family--these are all great signs. Let the pup be a pup--he will chew on you but it doesn't mean he'll turn into a killer! It just means he's a pup!

And as your pup ages, post here if you have any concerns or problems. The chances are very good that you'll have a nice dog that will be a great family pet. Pit bulls and Pit crosses are NOT the monsters the media would have you believe. You'll see!

Since you got him from a shelter, I'm assuming they neutered him?

Edited by Amber Morgan (12/10/2007 01:57 PM)
Edit reason: clarity

The adult that your puppy will become has everything to do with what you do, and are going to do to ensure he is a well rounded, socialized, trained and accepted member of society. The fact that he is a mix of two breeds with drive and strength does not change much other than exercise level and a bit of methodology. I'll take a well trained and socialized mutt of two "aggressive" breeds anyday over to multitudes of fear biting golden retrievers out there. Your pup, and in turn your dog lives in the moment, and all of his experiences in life will be controlled and orchestrated by YOU since he's a pup. You have the chance to make him into whatever you want. Enjoy it. Take him everywhere you can, and let him experience everything in a controlled positive way. Give him fair consistent leadership, and train him how to behave in order to get everything he wants. Do that, and he'll give you and your family everything regardless of what his pedigree reads. Remember, AT LEAST 95% of all "problems dogs" are really problem people who happen to own a dog.

 Quote: marc lee

I took him to the vet and they did the "swab" test and confirmed the "mix" is with pit bull.

Perhaps I should keep my damn mouth shut, but I won't. Can't.

Am I the only one who remembers the threads where people's GSDs were coming back from DNA swabs as Bernese Mountain Dogs???? These DNA tests are not all they're cracked up to be. Not only that, but while they can test to see if a SPECIFIC dog is in a dog's lineage, they are pretty useless about breeds in general.

Honestly if the words "Pit Bull" scare you that much, perhaps you SHOULD just get a different dog. If he grows up to look like one (whether he actually IS one or not) you will have to deal with people with fears much like your own, and let me tell you, as the current owner of 2, and the former foster of about a dozen, THAT is one tiring ordeal. Good thing I don't have a FOID card, b/c John Q is just plain exasperating when it comes to Pits.

I cannot imagine worrying about a puppy who is by all acconts thus far, sweet and well-mannered, simply because of some stupid, debatable test result.

Oh, Marc, welcome to the forum. Can you post a picture of Satan's little helper? Wanna see him. NOW.

How can a mixed breed dog have it's ancestors identified by a DNA swab? It makes sense that, if you have a sample from a particular animal, you could identify blood/saliva as being from that particular animal. But I always thought that canine dna/genes were canine dna/genes, not Maltese dna/genes or GSD dna/genes. I was thinking it's difficult for scientists to distinguish between wolf/coyote/dog DNA? Good grief, people can't even tell a pit bull from almost any other bully breed, how in the HECK does a vet get away with saying a DNA swab says your mixed breed dog is pit bull and gsd??? It could be collie and boxer or whatever. I think that swab sounds like nonsense. To me it does, anyway