strictly pet pitbull ? need advice

Hello everyone, I have been reading this site for a long time and just regestered to post last month. Most everyone that I hear from their stories that post here work their dogs for show, competiton or have a yard for breeding. I personally have my boy for just a pet. I knew nothing of the breed when I got my dog, I really didnt even know if I wanted a "pit bull". I "rescued" my dog at 5 weeks old from living outside in the cold and having flees and god knows what his life would have become. Christmas was his year birthday and I was wondering if as my dog machures will dog agression be more evident? I lived in a home for three months with a great dane and my dog felt the need to chew the legs of the great dane as if they were chicken wings. Other then the constant need to chew on this dog everything was fine. They swaped bones and played both rough and easy. I have been gone from that home now for about two months and my son is left alone for the first time on a consistant bases. ( I got Buster 8 months after my dad died and was able to quite my job to be at home with him.It was very healing.) So now me and my husband are thinking about getting another dog to keep my son company but are not sure in regard to dog agression if this is even the right thought. I spoil my son to death and treat him like a human boy in most aspects. He is very jelious of any my roomates and cryes if I leave with one of them. I just want him to be happy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and applied accordingly.

 

These dogs are to be HUMAN companions, they do not need other dogs for "company". Nobody can tell you if your dog will be aggresive or not, but since we are talking "pitbulls" it is more than likely that your dog will have a certain level of aggression towards animals and/or dogs. "Never trust a pit bull not to fight". In other words, it is NEVER a good idea to leave two dogs together unsupervised, or else you might come home to some seriously injured dogs. Dogs often have "arguements", and these arguements can lead to a war! Trust me, you don't want to deal with that, especially knowing that you could've avoided it.

 

could not have put it better myself
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yeah and you can make your dog tooo dependant on you. dont let him act jealous of other people it can lead to being agressive instead of just silly jealous. having your dog fixed may reduce some of your problems but just like they said above dont trustem not to fight. they are dogs its what they do especially two of the same sex.

 

Make sure to treat him like a dog, too.

 

I agree with the above- Two dogs May be fine together but they may not be. You would need to keep an eye on them if you got another dog to keep around it. But like above they really don't need "company"- most dogs just want love and attention from their "parents"-

 

Welcome to the site Its obvious that you have been reading the info here and taking it in. That is probably why you asked this question. Alot of people think if there "pitbulls" are raised in a loving, babied home that they will not fight when older. This goes back to the notion that people beat and "train" these dogs to fight. The truth is...these dogs have been bred selectively for hundreds upon hundreds of years to do battle with dogs, bears, lions, hogs, etc. etc. To expect to train that out of them is the equivelent of taking the worlds best frisbee catcher and taking him to work with you at your frisbee factory and expecting him to not want to grab any.

With that being said, there are SOME dogs in this breed (although the vast majority of the newer ones are clearly mutts) that will stand to be around another dog. This is called "cold". "Cold" dogs happened back in the gamedog days also, the diffrence is they knew it was the far exception and breeding that dog would still probably proudce dogs that were dog-aggressive. What has happened today is people dont understand or study the history of the breed. They dont understand the concept of these dogs and assume they are just like another breed, which they are not. Now people get a cold dog and breed it and place all the pups in "petbull" homes with multiple dogs, well one day that dog is going to mature and take out Fido the poodle. Its not the dogs fault for allowing this to happen, he was doing what his breeding has told him to do for countless generations.

Because they were fighting dogs and were handled by various people and not always the owner, they were bathed by strangers before a fight, etc etc, they are extremely human-orientated. They do not prefer a dog companion. The best companion for a pitbull is a loving owner WHO UNDERSTANDS THE BREED, THE HISTORY, AND HOW TO CARE FOR THEM PROPERLY.

To your original statement to why we dont just have "petbulls" and dont advocate people doing such is because the vast majority of "petbull" owners fall victim to the same ignorance in my above examples. Petbull owners tend to not understand what they have on their hands (since they have never worked the dog consistently to see it). True fanciers, the non-petbull owners generally understand they need to work their dogs every day, understand how to contain them properly, etc etc. Its not that we have a problem with "petbull" dogs but the dogs still are pitbulls, still are a working breed, and still need to be treated as such. If they sleep in the house at night and get babied, thats fine as long as they are contained properly when gone and they get worked the same as an outdoor working dog would. Most people do have a housedog that is an APBT-I do. But he gets worked the same as the other dogs and is contained the same way when I'm gone.

I'll get off my soap box now but I hope you better understand the reasoning of why we think the way we do and why most "petbull" owners get told they have no business owning the breed, etc etc. Have a good day.

 

I really do appreciate all your advice thank you everyone. I am aware not to get another male if I get another dog at all. I did have buster fixed as soon as my vet would (6 months). I do walk him everymorning for at least 30 min. most days for an hour walk. would that be an approprite amount of time for a 1 year old pup? Containment is not an issue, the home is locked and he is inside. Fence is up and we leave the side door open all evening giving him "doggy door" style access with ourselves the ability to watch him at all times. So if I understand this right, he could have no problems ever then one day have a dog argument that went wrong? From what i have read about the breed it seems right, i guess that as the "petbull" owner that I am I sometimes need that extra input to confirm my thoughts. And just to give everyone a little piece of mind, I am responsible for everything that my dog does and I am fully aware that if my dog brings harm or threat to anyone that it is ultimetly my negligence as a parent that i did not do enough to protect my dog from becoming a statistic of his breed. I strive for my son to be an ambassator of the breed in his own little puppy loving house dog way. And also never get off that soapbox i appreciate it a owe most i know about htis breed to you all here thanks again.

 

Yep, you sound pretty responsible. At least you took the time to ask! Some people would go ahead with their decision and once the deed is done, end up throwing a dog out for something that, like you said, was THEIR negligence. As for the walking, it all depends on how YOU want your dog. You can decide on how much to work him depending on results or lack thereof. Remember, a fit dog makes for a happy dog!

 

30 mins-1 hour sounds about right for a puppy. Its hard to go by time because in 30 mins some excersises can have the dog dead tired and he will sleep the rest of the day. And say a light 30 minute walk is just a warm-up for other more strenuous activities. You do seem like a very responsible person and I respect very much you asking questions and trying to learn from educated folks. You understood correct that he may be fine with other dogs and then up and decide to fight. Some dogs are o'k with other dogs on a neutral basis for a very short limited ammount of time supervised, and some arent. The general thing to know is "Never trust a pitbull not to fight". If you do decide to get another dog be fully aware that chances are you are going to have to separate them in the house even when your home. A pitbull cannot be trusted with any dog period unsupervised, and doing so is a fight and most likely one if not two deaths. The only problem I have with you keeping your dog contained is the "doggy door access". Unless you are out there with him its unsafe to let him be outside, even though there is a fence. Your breed of dog is very determined and if a stray walks by the fence while your inside, he could hop that fence and be gone before you know it. Pitbulls have been known to be escape artists, fences are no obstacle to them when some ambassadors of the breed climb trees. Other than that it seems you are doing very well, and its a refreshment to see a new member who is willing to learn for the breeds sake. Thank you.

 

Some dogs will tolerate other dogs (ex- Jimmy Boots would play w/other dogs). BUT it is something that i will never risk, like prev. stated, you can NEVER trust a bulldog not to fight. Even the most rank cur or most loving petbull when put in certain situations can surprise you. When i first got into the dogs, i had a few petbulls a few years back that i took to the dog park (HUGE no no), dogs would growl and snap at my dogs all the time, and they would back down. One day, they were playing with a friends dog (whom they had played w/many times before) and my female just went after his male like it was going outta style. NEVER did i think she would do that, but she did.

I no longer have any of those dogs. Since getting into the bulldogs, i have learned alot. I do socialize my pups w/selective other dogs. A few of my bulldogs still like my parents 15 yr old border collie (he is very quiet, and very submissive) that they remember from pups. Though these are very supervised visits, the border collie is more of a turd on the lawn with eyes than anything lol. If you do decide to get another dog, make sure that you dont leave them alone together, coming home to messes is the WORST possible, i unfort have had to come home to a nasty one. Let them have seperate crates by each other, but dont leave them alone together. I would also feed them sep. as food aggression can spark "arguements".

 

Now that is a good post, you dont mind if a quote it and save it do you? For future use?

 

I dont mind. Go for it if you want.

 

STORY TIME!!!! Two females from the same litter, grew up together in my house...side by side...best friends. Both seemed to be "dominant" and wrestled all the time (inside dogs). They were inseperable, and teamed up on any other dog that came around, bullying him/her around and having fun. Fast forward to 1.5 years old. Me and my buddy (a stranger to the dogs) were in the back yard with the girls...they were playing tug-o-war on a rope..as they had done at leat 3 times a day, every day, for their entire lives. The bigger female has always showed off in front of company, and this was no exception. With our backs turned, the bigger one got serious, threw down the rope, and dove in for the bite. She was and always has been a leg-biter...she grabbed my other female by her armpit and started her own game of tug-o-war. The smaller (later to be proven gamer) female came over her head and grabbed her by the face and wasn't lettin' go. Since then...the two cannot SEE eachother without trying their hardest to get over there and kill eachother. PERIOD, DOT. Two girls, grew up best friends, and now will have to be separated for the rest of their lives.....cuz no way in hell will my wife let me get rid of one of her "babies." These are still, BOTH inside dogs. The difference with us, is that we know how to handle this breed, and have ALOT of dogs...experience plays a huge role on your personaly ability to handle and prevent situations. Unfortunately, the day they turned on...it was against eachother.....happily ever after

 

Good questions, and great answers. Nice post!

and, btw "welcome"!!!
the only concern I had while reading this, as was mentioned, was the doggie door. Pitbulls are a VERY detrimined breed. A fence is no obstacle to them. PLEASE, please supervise your dog while it is outside, with out a chain. My dog can scale a 6' picket fence, like is was only 6"=NO problem.
Other than that, you seem insightful, and eager to learn. Bravo! Enjoy your baby. They CAN be a handful=yes, NEVER, EVER trust them NOT to fight, but truly, I doubt any breed will bring you greater joy!

 

Welcome!

Great posts here, good advice.

I just want to add one thing. Make sure your dog can not open the fence gate!

From personal experience, our Petey can open three different kinds of latches, and I have no earthly idea how he learned how to do it. Make sure you have secure gate latches.

We have a caribiner clip or U shaped hitch pin in the hole on the latches intended for a lock.

 

...your dog is a canine and in no way or fashion your "son"! If you truly want the best for your dog-treat him like a dog, not a human!

 

Welcome to the forum, Bustersmom.
I have a pit bulldog named Buster (lol)
I agree with everyone's advice - pit bulldogs make good HUMAN companions, and that is what my dog is, a human companion. They can be housedogs/companions but as everyone has said, it is very important to make sure that they are propertly contained, as well as responsibly-owned. I felt a little strange when I first joined the forum b/c I don't do weight pull, etc, but no matter..there is a lot of EXCELLENT information and experience here. Do what I did, read through everything and you'll learn a lot pretty quickly.