What quality do you look for in an APBT?

[TabDogs]

What is the first thing you look for in an APBT OR what traits are you breeding for in your breeding program? Just want everyones opionion and imput:D

[devinben3]

a dog that looks and has the pedigree as this one( it's not mine, he's owned by redrangerkennels) but its more than that...you have to look for personality/gameness/stamina/conformation/hisorty/health...you have to take everything into consideration and ask yourself a few questions like will these pups most likely turn out good? will they have good homes? will this breeding better the APBT breed standard? things of that sort. heres the dog and a quote i know..."what looks good to you, isn't good for you". even though this is one of my favorite rednose dogs ever!
http://members.tripod.com/~redrangerkennel/ranger.html

[dhcrew]

What is the first thing you look for in an APBT OR what traits are you breeding for in your breeding program? Just want everyones opionion and imput:D
i look for drive, determination, balance, movement, temperament, strength, not just physical, but also emotional, intelligence, the look in the eyes that says "if you ask it, it will be", and last, i also consider looks, because i happen to be particular to a certain look but the dog HAS to have all the other things first, and i also research the individual dogs in a dogs pedigree, for their traits and any health problems.

[GrChPitBitch]

I like a confirmationally sound dog, with a nice wedge head piece... strong topline, nice pedigree... and of course, game to the bone!! A willingness to work, and obey is a plus... i like a dog with a brain in its head...

[Whiskey Bay]

i look for drive, determination, balance, movement, temperament, strength, not just physical, but also emotional, intelligence, the look in the eyes that says "if you ask it, it will be", and last, i also consider looks, because i happen to be particular to a certain look but the dog HAS to have all the other things first, and i also research the individual dogs in a dogs pedigree, for their traits and any health problems.
I have to agree with this post on the most part(because it's what I go for and less typing Lol)but for my dogs they also have to have what I need to do the work I ask of them.It goes far beyond the drive and determination.They have to WANT to do it,LOVE to do it,and have the HEART to do it.One thing I saw no one mentioned but everyone should look for.Will this dog be stable around other people? Is he/she too aggressive? I like WORKING agrression,the dog has to be able to take a suspect down if commanded to or needed to.but can't have hostile aggression,where it just wants to bite you for the hell of it.

[rocksteady]

I think because most people dont like the idea of these dogs being trained in protection /guard work is why no one mentioned it. ..

[J Henry]

GAMENESS first and formost. From peoven stock then breed to get the rest but gameness must come first if we are to keep these dogs true to what they are all about.

[waters]

I Look For Out Going Personality,drive And The Will To Please The Owner.

[Whiskey Bay]

I think because most people dont like the idea of these dogs being trained in protection /guard work is why no one mentioned it. ..
I wasn't talking about the protection aspect.I was talking about human aggression Period.Why do we always gripe about bad owners who know their dogs are mean but let them run around,if we aren't going to try to make sure our dogs are even tempered?THAT was my point.

[rocksteady]

"the dog has to be able to take a suspect down if commanded to or needed to."


you mention working temperment and this in the same line..I'm just pointing it out that when most people think working they do not think of the dog being able to take down a person.. thats how you made it seem like you were directing it towards protection /aggression Sorry for the misunderstanding

[GrChPitBitch]

I wouldnt feed something that tried to bite me..... But I like to see some kind of protection instinct in them... Especially in the house....

[rocksteady]

I look for a dog that is attentive, honest, confident and willing to please with strong drive yet a laid back attitude. One that is friendly to all. Gameness (allthough in a pup you cant tell.. so a pup with the potential to be) from a breeder that sknows theri dogs inside and out and the lines backing them. Sound structure and health. Friendly to all. A good bulldog wil lbe protective when the need arises .. to me protectiveness is not an issue a or something I look for in an APBT.

[Crash97]

Gameness........

[miakoda]

i look for drive, determination, balance, movement, temperament, strength, not just physical, but also emotional, intelligence, the look in the eyes that says "if you ask it, it will be", and last, i also consider looks, because i happen to be particular to a certain look but the dog HAS to have all the other things first, and i also research the individual dogs in a dogs pedigree, for their traits and any health problems.
these people also know of my "dwarf" pit bull experiment.
just a quick question? how can you honestly say all this crap when you are trying to start your own line of "Dwarf apbts"? you gave us all a spill on your new "project" which is why bybs & people w/other "agendas" like you are ruining this breed. FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION!!!

[GrChPitBitch]

O yes, I remember her "experiment"... her red dog looks like a hound mix!!!!



just a quick question? how can you honestly say all this crap when you are trying to start your own line of "Dwarf apbts"? you gave us all a spill on your new "project" which is why bybs & people w/other "agendas" like you are ruining this breed. FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION!!!

[Rockstar]

I have an APBT who is trained in personal protection. I see nothing wrong with it, if trained properly. The first thing done before any such training begins is a temperament evaluation. No dog is suitable for this type of work if it doesn't have a sound temperament. You don't go training a dog to protect if it has an inclination to bite humans without justifiable cause. Some will say that there is no justifiable cause for a dog to bite a human, but I bet these same people would pull the trigger of a shotgun if they awoke in the night to some intruder standing over their bed with a knife. If somebody breaks into my house while I'm sleeping, I don't want them to even make it as far as my bedroom.
Now just because my dog is professionally trained and certified in protection work, it doesn't mean that he wants to attack everybody he sees. If anything, he's learned to even better distinguish between who is a potential threat, and who is not. Even if I were to command him to attack someone who was not a threat (which I would never ever consider), he wouldn't do it. He isn't a trained aggressor, but a defender. My father trained "attack" dogs for the military for several years. Many of the dogs sent to Vietnam during that conflict were trained by him. APBTs were never used in this type of training, due to their tendencies of non-aggression. He told me once that you could never use dogs of this breed to attack just anyone on command without screwing up their minds significantly. Dogs such as Dobermans, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Malinois are far better suited for attack work due to their inbred potential for human aggression.
Problems arise when foolish people take it upon themselves to try to turn the APBT into something it isn't. They intentionally make the dog mean or afraid, reversing the dog's natural non-aggressive tendencies toward people. The methods some of these morons use to achieve these results is pretty disturbing, to say the least. There is little I hate more than seeing some smug thug walking down the street with a huge snarling "pitbull" that wants to eat everybody in sight. It saddens me to think what the guy had to do to get his dog to behave that way.
The fact of it all is that a sound-minded APBT makes for an outstanding protection dog if expert training is involved, but they don't make for good aggressive attack dogs, no matter how you slice it. And to try to train one for protection without knowing precisely what you're doing is, imo, the equivalent of trying to build an A-bomb without instruction.

To answer the topic creator's original question: I breed for gameness first and foremost. This breed wouldn't be what it is without it.

[devinben3]

Hey now people, look at the history of the pitbull...how do you think this breed got here, did it just fall out of the sky? No...curious people mixed dogs to get this breed. now if history did it, then i don't agree with it, but other people can strive to get a dog that has a purpose. i'm not saying ruin the pitbull breed, but why not make a stronger strain of "dog"? breed is just a word. it doesn't mean that the dog had to come from the 1800s to be a "breed". things change, whether it's for the better of for the worse, i don't agree with doing things for the wrong reasons, but if you have proof and good reasons why you want to, then hey go for it. and what's up with these merele pitbulls? i thought there was no such thing? or they are not allowed in the standard, but i see many breeders with them...bad idea.

[DEACON ROM]

nice post rockstar!

as for looking for in a pup the back ground of course rom por for get titles i want to see producing records..

what quality look for young dog. i like to see young dog who acts true to his age. or better yet one who devlops early. good attitude, strong bones teeth and over alll structure at young age. i like a dog who feels comfortable in any envirnment with anyone always looking for a good time and some thing or some one to play with. i like a dog who will stand there and let you rub him. i like a dog who acts like if he was human hed stand up striaght look you in the eyes and give you a firm hand shake when he first greets you.

what in older dog, plain and simple i like a dog who will give his all for me no matter what hes doing. his desire to please me.

[rocksteady]

Hey now people, look at the history of the pitbull...how do you think this breed got here, did it just fall out of the sky? No...curious people mixed dogs to get this breed. now if history did it, then i don't agree with it, but other people can strive to get a dog that has a purpose. i'm not saying ruin the pitbull breed, but why not make a stronger strain of "dog"? breed is just a word. it doesn't mean that the dog had to come from the 1800s to be a "breed". things change, whether it's for the better of for the worse, i don't agree with doing things for the wrong reasons, but if you have proof and good reasons why you want to, then hey go for it. and what's up with these merele pitbulls? i thought there was no such thing? or they are not allowed in the standard, but i see many breeders with them...bad idea.

arent you contradicting yourself here?? "curious people mixed dogs" lol.. yet in the same paragraph you rag on merles? Well maybe its curious people trying something out

"curious" people didnt make this breed. It was professional dogmen who knew what they wanted and knew how to achieve it If it didnt work, they got rid of it, they didnt peddle their mistakes to "better the breed" hint hint

[SFK]

Focus, Mouth, Gameness, Disposition, Wind, Ability, & Ped. Not in order. But if they lack then they won't cut it.

[HCK]

Two words....Superiority and Gameness!!!!!!arent you contradicting yourself here?? "curious people mixed dogs" lol.. yet in the same paragraph you rag on merles? Well maybe its curious people trying something out

"curious" people didnt make this breed. It was professional dogmen who knew what they wanted and knew how to achieve it If it didnt work, they got rid of it, they didnt peddle their mistakes to "better the breed" hint hint

[dhcrew]

just a quick question? how can you honestly say all this crap when you are trying to start your own line of "Dwarf apbts"? you gave us all a spill on your new "project" which is why bybs & people w/other "agendas" like you are ruining this breed. FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION!!!

like i said before, she is 13 inches tall, and muscled in the chest and rear, her only purpose is weight pulling, as well as the short pups she throws, she has PROVEN to me that she is worthy to be bred and people are always impressed by her small size compared to her strength. so YES HER FORM FOLLOWS HER FUNCTION. she is also the best mother ever, and will actually adopt and NURSE another dams pups. she is inside and out everything i look for in the APBT i guess technically she is not a dwarf, but it is the easiest term to describe her when she is pulling and people ask.

[dhcrew]

arent you contradicting yourself here?? "curious people mixed dogs" lol.. yet in the same paragraph you rag on merles? Well maybe its curious people trying something out

"curious" people didnt make this breed. It was professional dogmen who knew what they wanted and knew how to achieve it If it didnt work, they got rid of it, they didnt peddle their mistakes to "better the breed" hint hint

oh yes, and "professional dogmen" just fell out of the sky right? come on, when they started devoloping this breed, they were "experimenting" too, otherwise we wouldnt have the apbt of today whether it be game bred or otherwise.