Raising a Puppy: Mia the Blue-Nose American Bully Pit—34 weeks old

A day in the life with Mia the American Bully (Bully Pit) puppy. 34 weeks old, 60 pounds, 18 1/2 inches from the ground to the highest point of the shoulders (the withers).

A blue nose American Bully Pit is sitting in sand and she is looking forward.

34 weeks old (8 months)

Knoebels Amusement Park

Mia visited Knoebels Amusement Park for the first time. She has been around a lot of people and various activity, but this is the first time she had seen moving rides with screaming people on them.

A blue nose Pit Bull Terrier, a blue nose American Bully Pit and a brown brindle Boxer are walking across a concrete surface next to a person who is walking with them.

She walked into the park without being phased by all of the activity until...

The back of a blue nose American Bully Pits head who is looking at a ferris wheel.

...she saw the Farris wheel! Oh my gosh, it was coming at her!

A blue nose American Bully Pit is sitting on a walkway and she is looking up.

She refused to walk past it while it was moving. It was unlike anything she had ever seen in her life. Her eye sight is not very good so one can only imagine what it looked like to her, with the wind it was creating while it whirled around with a humming sound.

A lady is kneeling in front of a blue nose American Bully Pit. There are a lot of people under a pavilion to the right of them.

I didn't want to just drag her past it and I didn't want to avoid it either. She was going to have to learn it was not going to hurt her. I knelt down and waited.

A blue nose American Bully Pit is standing next to a lady taking a knee. Behind them is a pavilion full of people.

Mia wanted to run and hide. She kept trying to bolt, but I silently held onto the leash. This was going to take time. You cannot rush a fearful dog. Removing her from the area without giving her time to understand it was not going to hurt her could create a bad fear issue. Avoiding it would be telling her that her fears were valid, lets get away from that scary thing as fast as we can. Giving her affection with either food or trying to sooth her with sweet talk could create the same fear issue as it would reward her current state of mind. It would be like saying good girl for feeling like this. Instead I wanted to communicate to her that there was nothing to be afraid of. It is OK, I'm not afraid and you should not be either. I did this silently without words. One does not need human words to communicate with a dog.

A blue nose American Bully Pit is sitting on a concrete surface and next to her is a brown brindle Boxer. In between them is a lay sitting down. In the background there are a lot of people under a pavilion.

I asked for Bruno to come over. As soon as Mia saw Bruno she calmed down and stopped trying to run away. Bruno was here and he was not running. He didn't even look afraid. "OK, maybe I can just sit here too."

A lady in a green shirt is leading a blue nose American Bully Pit and a brown brindle Boxer across the park. There is a lady in a blue shirt taking a picture of a person swinging on an amusement park ride.

Mia was calm so it was time to walk, but her idea of moving was to RUN and RUN fast.

A blue nose American Bully Pit and a brown brindle Boxer are being led across a park by a lady in a green shirt. A lady in a blue shirt is taking a picture of a child on a swing.

I had the leash wrapped across the back of my legs holding it with my other hand so she could not bolt in front dragging me. She had to walk, not run.

A blue nose American Bully Pit, a brown brindle Boxer and a blue nose Pit Bull Terrier are being walked in front of a ferris wheel.

We walked back and fourth a few times before walking off to other parts of the park. Notice Mia's tongue flick, which is a sign she is trying to calm herself down. Mia is a licker and if you walk close to her she will often lick you, but that type of lick is a friendly gesture and not the same as this one.

A blue nose American Bully Pit, a brown brindle Boxer and a blue nose Pit Bull Terrier are being led on a walk across a park.

Notice that Mia is no longer trying to run. She is already improving. That is the Farris wheel next to us.

A lady in a green shirt is leading A blue nose American Bully Pit, a brown brindle Boxer and a blue nose Pit Bull Terrier towards a ferris wheel.

After walking around the park for a bit we headed back to the Farris wheel. Oh Mia, you have the leashes all tangled up.

A blue nose American Bully Pit, a brown brindle Boxer and a blue nose Pit Bull Terrier are standing on a concrete surface. All of the dogs are panting.

After untangling the leashes we stood and socialized with kids who came over to see the dogs. Mia was no longer trying to avoid the huge strange object. She still didn't love the thing, but the fact that she was not freaking out was a huge improvement.

A blue nose American Bully Pit is looking to the left and behind her, a blue nose Pit Bull Terier and a brown brindle Boxer are looking over at a child eating a snack.

Mia was able to stand nicely even when the Farris wheel started up again.

A blue nose American Bully Pit is looking up and back at a Ferris Wheel behind them. A blue nose Pit Bull Terrier and a brown brindle Boxer are looking over at a kneeling child.

Big brother Bruno said hi to the little kid that came over to see him as Mia looked up at the strange thing that was humming in the distance.

A blue nose American Bully Pit, a blue nose Pit Bull Terrier and a brown brindle Boxer are standing on concrete and looking to the right. A lady in a green shirt is looking over at the ferris wheel.

Mia had gone from wide-eyed and bolting with her tail between her legs as if something was after her to standing calmly next to the thing she was afraid of. I can't say the issue is totally gone as fear issues take time, but the improvement in the short amount of time we did have was great. We will have to visit the park at least one more time before the season is over. Bruno and Spencer were not fazed by anything at the park, but they had both been there before. The first time Bruno had seen that same Farris wheel he was a bit freaked out, too. We had done the same thing, took the time to show him there was nothing to be afraid of and he had gotten over it.

A blue nose American Bully Pit is looking over at a blue nose Pit Bull Terrier. In between them is the backside of a brown brindle Boxer.

Besides the Farris wheel issue, Mia did very well at the park. She was not fazed by the people or by the other dogs.

Kozmo the Knoebels Mascot is kneeling in front of a blue nose American Bully Pit and a blue nose Pit Bull Terrier.

She was not even bothered by Kozmo the park mascot who came over to see the dogs. Mia thought Kozmo was OK, but Spencer her American Pit Bull brother thought Kozmo was GREAT! Oh My Gosh! He loved that thing. Whoever was inside that costume obviously loved dogs and Spencer knew it.

A blue nose American Bully Pit is being pet by a girl in pink pants. A blue nose Pit Bull Terrier is standing in front of Kozmo the Knoebels Mascot. Kozmo is petting the back of the Bully Pit.

While Spencer loved up the chipmunk, Mia preferred the little girl who came over to see her.

A blue nose American Bully Pit is standing on gravel and he is being pet by Kozmo the Knoebels Mascot.

"I love you, Kozmo!"

A blonde haired child is reaching out to pet the side of a blue nose American Bully Pit.

"I love you, little kid!" Mia was very gentle with the toddler.

A blue nose American Bully Pit is being surrounded by people petting her.

The dogs ate up the attention from all of the people who came to see them. Mia likes adults, but she seems to have a special liking to small children.

Top down view of Three dogs drinking water out of a stream. A brown brindle Boxer is laying in the water.

On our way out we headed to the stream to cool off. The dogs got a long drink and Bruno lay down in the water.

Trip to the Mountains

The pack goes on a trip to a cabin in the middle of the woods. They all love it up on the mountain. Mia wonders off into a bunch of blueberry bushes and scares out a baby rabbit. Does she even know it was there?? The rabbit runs out of the bushes and turns off to the right as Mia turns to the left.

A blue nose American Bully Pit is laying in grass and she is laying behind a blue nose Pit Bull Terrier. There mouths are open and tongues are out.

Mia and Spencer rest after going for a hike.

A brown brindle Boxer and a blue nose American Bully Pit are drinking water coming out of a water pump instead of waiting for it to fill up a water bowl.

Forget the bowl, Bruno and Mia lick the water coming from the water pump.

A blue nose American Bully Pit has a water bottle in her mouth and she is walking down a rocky path.

During one of our hikes Stephen gave Mia an empty water bottle. It was as if someone just handed her a million bucks! She carried it around for a long time until I traded it for a bone later that night.

This video shows Mia carrying around her water bottle. Notice the way she submissively carries her self. Her head is low, her ears are back and her tail is wagging. You can see the sweetness in her eyes. She would be happy to share her loot with anyone who wanted it. Well, she might make Spencer chase her for it, but she would gladly give it to any human without any resistance.

Mental Exercises

A blue nose Pit Bull Terrier, a blue nose American Bully Pit and a brown brindle Boxer are standing and sitting on a hardwood floor. THere are pieces of scramled egg on the floor in front of each dog.

Sara put some scrambled egg down in front of each dog and asked them to wait. Spencer and Mia look at Sara for the command to eat it, while Bruno poses for the camera.

A blue nose Pit Bull Terrier, a blue nose American Bully Pit and a brown brindle Boxer are standing on a hardwood floor and they are eating scrambled egg off of the floor.

"Get it!" Good puppies. This is a great mental exercise for the pack. They not only have to wait to eat it, but they must only eat the pile in front of them, something we are still working with Mia on. Once in a while she decides to try and not only eat her own, but hurry up and get some of her brothers. She's getting a lot better at respecting the other dog's space and food, but sometimes still needs a reminder.

Store Manners

A blue nose Pit Bull Terrier, a blue nose American Bully Pit and a brown brindle Boxer are walking behind a cart through a store.

Mia practices her store manners. It takes a lot of willpower for her to remember that she must follow and not trot off exploring on her own. No pulling on the leash you little squirt. She is getting better, but still needs practice. She has her big brothers on each side of her to help guide her.

On a Walk

The back of the head of a blue nose American Bully Pit is looking at a bird across a field. There is a red arrow pointing at the bird.

No-no Mimi, you cannot go see the bird. Keep on walking.

The Pack

A blue nose American Bully Pit is standing on a stone porch looks like he is smiling. He is looking over top the back of a blue nose American Bully Pit. The American Bully Pit is looking at a brown brindle Boxer.

Mia about to attempt a play session with Bruno while Spencer smiles in the background.

Raising a Puppy: A day in the life with Mia the Blue-Nose American Bully