Wendy, they CAN eat on their own at 4 weeks, but my litter was still nursing at least for 2/3 of their intake at that age. I am sure they would have trouble with kibble or unground bones, but they do eat. I didn't force weaning on my little guys and they continued to nurse, iirc, until at least 6-7 weeks.

to the OP,

i would think that you could potentially have a very diff personality in this pup due to the early removal and the exclusive contact w/humans, as compared to a pup that was taken frm mom at the normal age.
i have had a few orphan bottle-fed foals and i had to make a huge effort to establish boundaries and space-respect, that i wasnt "mommy" and that "manners" and rules were enforced the same as with any other foal. if i didnt, they would see humans more as equals or moms than as leaders and i have seen many get pushy and rude later in life.

establishing consistent boundaries of respect w/this pup as he gets older (Pack Structure dvd already mentioned will be invaluable) has laready been mentioned, but also encouraging some independence so he isn't inappropriately bonded/dependent w/a human and then is insecure w/o that constant interaction. in other words, pitbull or not, he could end up very clingy and dependent if you aren't careful. it will be quite a balancing act i suspect.

also, if not already mentioned, be aware that having been weaned so young, he is probably no longer covered by his mom's immunity (w/respect to viruses). do not take him anyplace where he could be exposed. do your homewk on vaccinating or not and when...

goodluck!

 Quote: cari hanson

.... I read pitbulls are actually very willing to please their owners, and that a harsh NO is all it takes for them to lisen. Was this misleading?

Yes, While bull breeds can be very eager please, this advice is way to general and incorrect.

 Quote: cari hanson

.... Not sure if this helps with knowing how to train a pitbull. I don't know anything about them. ...

Pit Bull is a general term used to describe no less thess then 17 breeds of dogs. There is an American Pit Bull Terrier, but a majority of dogs sold as Pit Bulls are a conglomeration of the bully breeds and mastiffs, often times debunking stereotypical American Pit Bull Terrier "personality type", not to mention poor breeding practices that go against the standard.

 Quote: connie sutherland

I would urge you to stop thinking in terms of breed with this baby puppy. Training, bonding, socializing a tiny puppy -- these are not breed-specific. And a harsh "no" doesn't even have to be on anyone's radar.

Connie's advice is great. This is a dog first and breed second, the basics need to be established before anything else.

 Quote: wendy lefebvre

 Quote: connie sutherland

I would even suggest that listening to people who are giving puppy-rearing advice that is breed-specific may not be in your best interest. That's JMO.

I hope my post didn't come off that way.

No! I wasn't referring to anyone on the thread. I meant this:

".... Not sure if this helps with knowing how to train a pitbull. I don't know anything about them. ..."

and

"I read pitbulls are actually very willing to please their owners, and that a harsh NO is all it takes for them to lisen. Was this misleading?"

I agree that a bully breed dog should not be differentiated based only upon breed type. However, not taking it into consideration what this breed is capable of would be irresponsible. If you don't do your job as a responsible owner the results can be bad. We don't need anymore bad press about neglected pitbulls. This is why most will say that a pitbull dog is not a good choice for beginners. I love pitbulls and it's good to see one who is obviously going to a good home.

As far as training, there really is little difference than with any other dog. The most common things that stand out as far as character goes are very high prey drive, lots and lots of energy, when excited their pain threshold goes up, they love being close to you and hate being on the outside and they are easy to train. But then again all dogs are different.

 Quote: David Snellbaker

I agree that a bully breed dog should not be differentiated based only upon breed type. However, not taking it into consideration what this breed is capable of would be irresponsible. If you don't do your job as a responsible owner the results can be bad. We don't need anymore bad press about neglected pitbulls. This is why most will say that a pitbull dog is not a good choice for beginners.

Excellent points!

I agree 100%. But as you say, training is training, and this is a done deal. I'm glad that help was sought right away.

Right now, the focus needs to be on caring for a tiny pup removed from his litter at 4 weeks.

Connie, I didn't mean any disrespect towards pitbulls when I stated what I've read about them. I think my son is off to a good start of what I've read and what he tells me. He said his puppy loves being held, and is happy when people are around. The chihuahua that they have is very friendly, and for the most part calm. I'm not sure how often they're around each other, but I'm assuming they're together some.
When feeding the pup, he's adding formula in with soft and hard food (mixed together). He decided to do this on his own. The person he bought the pup from told him he was totally weened and eating solid food. But, he chose to baby him since he is so young. He lives out of state, so I'm getting this information by phone.

I want to thank everyone for all the advice on this puppy. All the advice I can give him is greatly appreciated.

If I'm out of line here, someone please let me know.
Most of the posts seem to address the issues of nutrition; all fine and good as at 4 weeks that is a real concern. The rest seem to offer tips on training, all fine and good....when the dog becomes old enough to train.
It's been my understanding though that the period of 4 to 8 weeks are huge in a dogs developement. And it's stuff that we as humans can not really give them. No matter we understand dogs, we are not dogs, and if for no other reason, we can not be their litter mates for 24/7 for the next 3 to 4 weeks of the accelerated learning curve the pup is going to be going though.
I like one posters advice of working to find an accepting nursing dog and introducting the dog to that litter for keeping for the next 3 weeks or so.

Lots of time for training after.
Randy

Randy is correct. I wanted to add a note about the foster mother, she does not have to be the same breed. If you know of a Husky breeder, for example, that has puppies around the same age it would be just fine!

Again I don't know where your son is located but breeders generally start advertising puppies for sale (to get a list of potential buyers) when pups are around this age. Check local classifieds, Kijiji and other online places for breeder ads and see if any would be willing to foster the puppy for 4-5 weeks.

As a note, I would never, ever allow a four week old puppy of questionable background in with a litter of mine. It is a disease outbreak begging to happen.

I would rather have deal with one behaviorly deficent dog then risk an entire litter plus that puppy. It would be one thing if they were whelped at the same location, under known conditions, etc but no dog ever died as the results of being a singleton puppy.

I'm stepping out of this thread now. I've said my piece and am beginning to lose what is left of my temper on it. It was irresponsibility that led to this thing happening on all sides. If the puppy is messed up mentally it is the owners fault for buying the dog at 4 weeks old and the breeder for releasing it. It is the bed they've made for this dog to lie in.

Edited by Melissa Thom (11/26/2008 04:56 PM)
Edit reason: last paragraph added.