New Owner of 7 week old puppy: Feeling lost!!

melbelle1989

Hey everyone! This year my fiancee and I decided to make an addition to our family with a 6 1/2 week old bull terrier. She is going on 7 weeks now, so we've had her for 5 days. I know this is not a long time at all but this is our very first puppy and I am not sure what to expect especially with this breed. I have always wanted a bully for years and watched countless youtube videos and read all kinds of discussions on different forums but actually having one, is a completely different world! We were fortunate that her breeders were very good about using the crate, it came very natural to her to jump right in and call it home, she's cried maybe twice when having to be in it with the door closed. I was hoping for advice or pointers on raising a bully from such a small age. Like when can I start taking her for walks? Or when should I start training her on tricks? Right now our biggest issue, is her biting and potty training. I took a week and a half off from work to get her comfortable in the home and work on her potty training. She knows what "inside" is and seems to know that right when she wakes up, she's going "outside" but of course still has accidents. I am using puppy pads because after this Thursday I'll be returning to work and she'll be home alone for a little bit so I'd rather she uses those instead of going on the tile. If you guys have any advice on raising a puppy, I would so greatly appreciate it!! I am a lost new mother haha and feel like I am literally just winging it

Nala

Hi I'm sure you'll find all the answers on this forum. I would suggest carrying your puppy around for walks instead of walking her while she is unvaccinated to get her used to socialising and the outside world. Just my 2pence. Also are you planning on leaving her home alone without a crate? Puppies can be very destructive when left alone so being crated is advised. You say you don't know what to expect with this breed - expect the unexpected! I'd say start training from as early as possible and consistency is key! There are others here more qualified than I am to help you. Good luck on your journey - you need it!!!!

Djammy

Welcome @melbelle1989
Just out of curiosity: How come that you got a puppy at the age of under 6 weeks? That seems awfully young to me considering that the earliest age for puppies to leave the litter and their canine mom should be 8 weeks.

Puts unnecessary extra responsibility on your shoulders. I hope the pup is current on the typical vaccinations because if not walking it could be very health threatening. Where did you buy the puppy?

Other than asking nosy questions I can only encourage you to basically read this entire forum and tackle particular problems step by step by discussing them here.
Your introduction sounds like you are neither very familiar with dogs, nor Bull Terriers in particular. They are a very special breed that needs lots of attention and firm guidance.

There is another discussion going on right next door:
http://www.bulliesofnc.com/BTforum/discussion/3100/any-advice-for-3-month-old-puppy#latest

Maybe you will already find some tips there.

Laura

My bull terrier is my first dog as well, he’s 5 now. You will get through it, bullies are not recommended for first time dog owners but I did it and you can too. Your dog should be crated when you are not home, it is good she is used to it. You can put a puppy pad in the crate if it is large enough just in case she has to go, they don’t usually go where they eat or sleep. I would enroll her in a training class by 14 weeks, the classes only start ever so often so start researching that soon. Biting and potty training are big issues at this age. We got our dog at 9 weeks old but he had been separated from his mom and litter mates for a little while before we got him because the other puppies were not so nice to him. You got this!! Your life will never be the same now that you’re a bull terrier Mom!

melbelle1989

Thank you all for your responses! I do appreciate it so much as I am still learning. An update: she just turned 8 weeks today and the potty training is going well. She still has accidents but a few days ago she ran to the back door or "outside" and whined to let me know she had to go! A proud EBT mommy moment for sure! However, the biting, oh the biting....is out of this world! She very seldom gets destructive, like tearing her puppy pad, but the biting of our hands and feet is insane and very painful! I have tried everything to get her to stop. Distracting with toys, pinning her on her back (which just makes her more mad), holding her muzzle (also makes her angry and crazier), flicking or giving treats when she stops. My patience is wearing very thin because my sitter (mom) isn't willing to watch her anymore because of the biting. I love my puppy so much, but her biting is driving me crazy!


@nala: We aren't taking her for walks outside yet because she hasn't had all of her shots. We do put the leash on her around the house so she can get used to it when the time does come for walks but so far she hates the leash. She sometimes will not move or goes crazy, it's really a toss up! We are definitely using the crate, we've used it since the day she came home. She also has her playpen attached to it so that when she is done playing alone, she can go right into her crate, which she does and is very good at. I am literally taking it day by day and hoping for the best!


@djammy: We got our EBT at 6 1/2 weeks and the reason we got her so small is because that's when her breeder was sending them home. The day we got her, she got her first set of shots and since then we have scheduled all of her shots so she has the next set coming on the 26th. We haven't taken her for walks outside of the house and the only outside she has is in the backyard to do her business and small amounts of exploring of course supervised. We have had dogs in the past but they were already older, not in the puppy phase so that is what I mean when I say she is our first puppy. We surpassed the teething/potty training phase and I guess were pretty lucky that we had good dogs. Thanks for your input and the reference to the other post. I actually read that one before posting mine. I'll continue to do my research and do the best I can.

@laura: Thank you for encouraging words! So many people have told me i'm crazy to have an EBT or that they are impossible dogs. I refuse to give up on her, so as hard as it is I will continue trying different methods. My biggest problem is that I get frustrated but have to continuously remind myself that she is only 8 weeks old. If her nipping/biting wasn't so bad, it would be perfect but for now I guess my hands will have to suffer lol until I can teach her that biting hands/feet is bad. She is very stubborn though and just doesn't seem to get it through her little head that biting hard is bad

MANO808

Yeah I got my American bully, he is not a EBT. But my AB I got him at 4wks old. It was a accidental breed and could not hold the pups. So I took him in. On thing I learned when taking in pups that young they don’t know their biting power. I think they call it bite inhibition. When the are pups they play bite and the siblings would Yelp. My little boy was really feisty. We would let him know by like a scream to let them know it hurts. At times I would have to flip him on his back and let him know who is boss. Now he knows and he is the biggest baby ever. It will take time. But know we are just fighting with his skin allergy now. But yeah just be consistent in training him on his biting you’ll eventually get through it.

Gtlz

I have a 9 week old male and am having the biting hands and feet. Every time he does it I lock him in his crate for 5 minutes. It's gradually working. Just bear with it.