Need Pit Bull advice!!!

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I've had all kinds of dogs in the past 40 some years including pits they along with several others have a bad reputation. The pits i had were from an abused owner they never hurt anyone but they just seemed untrustworthy they were sent to a breeder with lots of property and plenty of time on her hands,cocker spainel i had was ok untill 11 months then turned visious got rid of him to a breeder,had a chow great dog but over protective of my daughter attacked a family friend was put down.The other dogs turned out fine,my opinion sounds to me you have a house full already give up the pit to a rescue.Your child is more important plus your other pets are too.
 
I grew up with a pitbull, she was the sweetest dog around and very protective.
But the bottom line is this, if anything happens it is your fault not the dogs not your wife's, not the bad kid next door that like pulling tails, yours. You are the adult and you know the risks.

If you can live with this risk then so be it. But if something happens because of your decision to keep this dog then you should be locked up.

Sorry Just my opinion, nothing personal.
 
We have owned a female pit bull for 10 yrs..got her out of the animal shelter,,..she has never shown any aggresion toward our other dogs....she loves to play with the cats...

she has been sick of late....dont think she is going to be with us much longer....

Nice looking dogs. Is that a Rat behind her?
 
keep the pit in a pin when you bring the other animals near, but keep it the hell away from the rabbit. its like mice with cats. bad idea. As long as the kids dont hit the dog or the dog isnt to territorial then it should be fine.. You need to walk or pay attention to the dog 5 out of the 7 days of the week or it will get mean, do not watch it eat or it will get mean. Do not give it something and try to play and take it away, makes it territorial and mean.
 
It's not the dog's fault they are the poster mascots for meth labs and felony flats! There's good ones out there just waiting to be raised right.
 
This is Nikki JR's wife: (About 10-yrs in the vet industry/hospital manager/4-yrs in formal dog training)
Any time you introduce a new dog into your family, you need to be prepared for the stress that it will inflict on all parties. Do your research. Certain breeds require a lot more time and supervision to be successful with training. (Perfect example is our Australian Cattle Dog, Frank). The breed is known to be stubborn and nip. Very smart and amazing dogs, but I wouldn't own one if I had a baby. We spend hours a day with training and I still don't let the neighbor kids pet him. This is not like bringing home a Golden Retriever, which when you have children, is probably your best bet. Pit bulls have a natural instinct to be aggressive to other animals, (usually other dogs). Many people end up getting bit trying to break up a fight between their pets. Pitbulls can be docile and loving pets. I agree that Chow Chows and Chihuahuas are more likely to try and bite you, the only difference is their mouth doesn't look like a great white shark. Anytime your children are around such a powerful animal, both animals require thorough training. If an animal shows restraint and doesn't try to bear down and bite, it isn't considered an aggressive animal. Do not euthanize this dog just because you are afraid of it. If it hasn't tried to seriously bite a person, put an add on craigslist, find a no kill Pitbull rescue organization online, go to local vet hospitals and ask to post a sign. Your family should be your priority, but you should also take responsibility for this 1-yr old dog who has had a rough start and still deserves a chance.
 
keep the pit in a pin when you bring the other animals near, but keep it the hell away from the rabbit. its like mice with cats. bad idea. As long as the kids dont hit the dog or the dog isnt to territorial then it should be fine.. You need to walk or pay attention to the dog 5 out of the 7 days of the week or it will get mean, do not watch it eat or it will get mean. Do not give it something and try to play and take it away, makes it territorial and mean.

(Again- JR's wife, Nikki)
This advice is either poorly worded, or not accurate. Usually it is best to introduce dogs on neutral ground, (like a park). Do not let dogs meet on leash. Dogs on leash do not have the ability to create their desired comfortable distance and fell trapped. Pay attention to your dog's body language and stress signals and back off when they are nervous. It is best to exercise your dog for at least an hour before doing this to help calm her. It is actually important to practice taking things from your dog's mouth early on to prevent guarding. A good way to do this is holding a chew toy for your dog while they chew on it to show that they can share safely. I would not play tug of war with your dog. If your dog pull on the chew toy, hold on to it firmly and draw it closer while you look at the dog. When she releases praise her and give her the toy. Practice feeding your dogs meals from your hand daily to prevent food guarding, (a common way that kids get bit). Just read some books on training and don't take TV star Caesar's word for it, (or some poorly educated random dudes' advice).
 
so I own a Pitt Bull and a American bulldog figured i'd give ya my experience. Someone on here said "A responsible pit owner" and that hits the nail right on the head. You have to be aware of the dogs habits and watch and get used to the body language of the dog. You can make it work if you want to keep her around but just a couple tips and info.

First THE BAD: The major conflict you will have is the fact that you have so many other dogs. The bullies tend to challenge when young and test boundaries. If the older dog lets her be the alpha you wouldn't have much issue, but most likely this wont happen. And when she goes to challenge the elder alpha, and the alpha pushed back, she may not back down. It is their nature, to be dominate and rarely do they become submissive. Now its all dependent on the nature of the pitt, and how she responds to you and your commands. If she backs down to you when you discipline her its somewhat possible that you can keep things in check, if she is resilient to your discipline than there's your problem. The bullies are much better when its a 1-2 dog household with submissive counterparts. She may be a problem since you have 3 other dogs, especially since she is young and full of energy.

2nd, cats might be ok, but rabbit doesn't stand much of a chance. These dogs were originally intended to be hunters, mainly hogs, but instinctively she most likely go after that rabbit. If caught, fat happy pit, dead rabbit.

THE GOOD:
Your kids, the best thing about a bully breed is that with responsible upraising is that they are VERY VERY people and family orientated. If she is already taken to your younger daughters she will love them and be attached to them from here on out. As well as you and your wife being the complete alphas she will attach to all of the family quick and strong. Our pitt bull cuda is such a titty baby and wont stay in a room of my house without me or my girlfriend. she has to be by our side or on our laps 80% of the time.

Now an instinct on a pitt bull is something called "Prey Drive". This is a psychological response to certain signs of say wounded animals. Now its very far from common for most modern day pitt bulls to have a strong prey drive anymore but some dogs are more adapt to their hunting back ground. Basically this info is directed towards your baby and daughters. If they are crying (esp the baby) keep the dog away and busy elsewhere until you see how the pitty responds to this noise. If there is alot of curiosity from the dog when crying or loud high pitched screaming, watch the dog for any slight aggressive behavior, such as hair standing on end, and ears going back, if this occurs, just be safe and put the dog on a lead or just well away from the kiddos. Its most likely say 90% going to be fine, but until you know its not worth the risk.

As far as the dog dragging on the leash, she just needs training. And the training is simple but will test your nerves. You can either do this yourself or get a trainer to train the dog on how to walk on a leash. Basically all you need is a very strong 6 ft leash and very strong non plastic clasp collar. Get the dog outside and put the leash on. Keep the leash loose with about 3 ft to the dog and the other 3 ft coiled in big loops in your hand. Then start walking as soon as the dog gets 2-3 steps in front of you drop the extra 3 ft and immediately turn around and walk the opposite way. The dog will be Tugged pretty good, but it will not hurt the dog. Then when the dog turns around and gets in front of you again, change directions again. Continue this cycle until the dog starts walking with you looking at you to see what direction your going. The dog will think its a game and fun! Praise enthusiastically when the dog walks with you. Continue this training almost everyday for about 2 weeks, and it should break the dog from pulling. NOTE: you always want the leash to have slack, (unless correcting) if the dog pulls on a taught leash and gets away with it, its showing the dog positive reinforcement basically saying if the leash is tight, that means she can pull and its ok. Keep a good bit of slack on the leash floating about 4-5 inches from the ground.

So sorry about the lengthy post, but hope it helps some, feel free to ask me any questions. Pitts do have a bad rap, but majority of the time pitts are aggressive is because they have idiotic ill-responsible lazy owners. I wouldn't have any other breed than a Bully breed!
 

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Personally I think pit bulls and young children are a bad mix. JMO.
Please be carefull. I know alot has to do with how they are raised but they still have agression in thier bloodlines.
How is the chows demeanor?

I love your logic, Sarcasm. Every dog is what you make it as the owner, give love get ove in return. Pits are not naturally human aggressive dogs, they have been killed for years for being human aggressive. When Fighting was legal if a dog bit a judge or owner it was killed. I will 100% agree bloodline has a lot to do wit a dogs potential to be aggressive (if trained to be), but I have had Jeep dogs that were rescues and were angles.

Look at Temperment test of dogs the second best tempermented dog is the pit bull or propper name APBT. They have the second highest pass rating.

I am not say leave the family pit to watch your kid while you are out, but I dont think any breed of dog should be left unattended with young children because kids like to poke, pick, pull, bite, and just aggravate dogs. No matter what breed there is the chance tha dog will tell the kid to stop by scratching or biting.

Being breed specific is crazy! Its funny more kids drown in less than 5 gallons of water a year than at the hands pit bulls, but they are persecuted and treated as if they are horrible.

OWNERS MAKE THE DOG.... and unfortunately there are many owner of pit bulls that are horrible.
 
(Again- JR's wife, Nikki)
This advice is either poorly worded, or not accurate. Usually it is best to introduce dogs on neutral ground, (like a park). Do not let dogs meet on leash. Dogs on leash do not have the ability to create their desired comfortable distance and fell trapped. Pay attention to your dog's body language and stress signals and back off when they are nervous. It is best to exercise your dog for at least an hour before doing this to help calm her. It is actually important to practice taking things from your dog's mouth early on to prevent guarding. A good way to do this is holding a chew toy for your dog while they chew on it to show that they can share safely. I would not play tug of war with your dog. If your dog pull on the chew toy, hold on to it firmly and draw it closer while you look at the dog. When she releases praise her and give her the toy. Practice feeding your dogs meals from your hand daily to prevent food guarding, (a common way that kids get bit). Just read some books on training and don't take TV star Caesar's word for it, (or some poorly educated random dudes' advice).


Great advice. However, Tug o War will not teach your dog anything bad. the thing to remember is you have to have an out command. When you say "OUT" the dog lets go, if not correct the dog immediately. I play it everyday with all three of mine and it is great for both training and exerscise. Also you should be able to take your dogs food in the middle and them not care. I can walk up to any one of my dogs and take their food and the just look at me. not a peep. They dont care they would rather play with our family then eat, its more fun.
 
And the real answer is NEVER TRUST ANY DOGS AROUND YOUR CHILDREN!!!!! I have owned 8 pit bulls over the coarse of my life and they have all been great with the kids But you have to always know that any dog can maul They are animals and not humans as people treat them Pit bulls have gotten a bad rap from the media You always here PITBULL mauls kid and never any other dogs And they do have that devil inside them Once brought out They will never be the same and should be put down so they cant hurrt anyone else
 
I like the goat and sheep idea. That way they can serve as back up duty if the wife ain't in the mood.
 
Thanks again for all the great advice. I had a long talk with the wife about this this weekend and finally convinced her that she did not have the time or experience to train this dog to the level it would take to be safe around our kids and other pets. Putting her down would be an absolute last resort. I'm sorry if I sounded like I had gun in hand while typing those posts. I've had to do that several times with injured and very old pets and it is not something I take lightly. We have begun to make inquiries of friends and aquaintences about a home for this girl. I feel like I am screening for an adoption (I guess I am). I have nothing aganst the breed and she is a beauty, but she is too old and too big to fit in with our family.
My wife is responsable for allmost all the pets coming to our home. She has a huge heart, but doesn't always think things through. As far as the shhep and goats... I hope she doesn't read this because she has always wanted goats (she has no idea how hard paint and bodywork is) and would think a sheep is the cuddliest thing in the world (we'll keep it in the laundry room). Less than a week ago, I made her call another friend and cancel an order for an ostrich. No joke. A freaking ostrich. I explained to her how big they get, she had no idea.

Bottom line, This pit would be a great companion to someone, but not us. She is a little better off now than she was before my wife brought her home, but this will not be a permenant home for her. I will not let her go to anyone I even suspect of abuse, neglect or God forbid, Fighting her. Not my home, not my pets, not my kids. Sorry.
 
I love your logic, Sarcasm. Every dog is what you make it as the owner, give love get ove in return. Pits are not naturally human aggressive dogs, they have been killed for years for being human aggressive. When Fighting was legal if a dog bit a judge or owner it was killed. I will 100% agree bloodline has a lot to do wit a dogs potential to be aggressive (if trained to be), but I have had Jeep dogs that were rescues and were angles.

Look at Temperment test of dogs the second best tempermented dog is the pit bull or propper name APBT. They have the second highest pass rating.

I am not say leave the family pit to watch your kid while you are out, but I dont think any breed of dog should be left unattended with young children because kids like to poke, pick, pull, bite, and just aggravate dogs. No matter what breed there is the chance tha dog will tell the kid to stop by scratching or biting.

Being breed specific is crazy! Its funny more kids drown in less than 5 gallons of water a year than at the hands pit bulls, but they are persecuted and treated as if they are horrible.

OWNERS MAKE THE DOG.... and unfortunately there are many owner of pit bulls that are horrible.

Wasn't trying to be sarcastic. Sorry if it came off that way. I was just saying be carefull.
 
Thanks again for all the great advice. I had a long talk with the wife about this this weekend and finally convinced her that she did not have the time or experience to train this dog to the level it would take to be safe around our kids and other pets. Putting her down would be an absolute last resort. I'm sorry if I sounded like I had gun in hand while typing those posts. I've had to do that several times with injured and very old pets and it is not something I take lightly. We have begun to make inquiries of friends and aquaintences about a home for this girl. I feel like I am screening for an adoption (I guess I am). I have nothing aganst the breed and she is a beauty, but she is too old and too big to fit in with our family.
My wife is responsable for allmost all the pets coming to our home. She has a huge heart, but doesn't always think things through. As far as the shhep and goats... I hope she doesn't read this because she has always wanted goats (she has no idea how hard paint and bodywork is) and would think a sheep is the cuddliest thing in the world (we'll keep it in the laundry room). Less than a week ago, I made her call another friend and cancel an order for an ostrich. No joke. A freaking ostrich. I explained to her how big they get, she had no idea.

Bottom line, This pit would be a great companion to someone, but not us. She is a little better off now than she was before my wife brought her home, but this will not be a permenant home for her. I will not let her go to anyone I even suspect of abuse, neglect or God forbid, Fighting her. Not my home, not my pets, not my kids. Sorry.

Good call 4flats and best of luck with the rehome.
 
You made the right decision. It would be next to impossible without the right training to get the dog to behave around the kids or the other animals.As far as pitbulls go they are terrific dogs if they are raised right, I know because my brother has one and she is a big baby and all it took to train her was a spray bottle of water.
 
I to have had dogs all my life ( from German shepherds to Huskies ) ... BUT if you did not raise the dog from birth with the presence of your children ... i do not think it is a good idea ... Just a quick example ... my brother left his 1-2 year old daughter in a room with there 3-4 year old mutt ( just for a second ).... the baby starting to walk fell on the dog and the dog nipped at the babies face "FORTUNATELY" minor injury.... After that dog was gone!
I chimed in because i know how i felt when my brothers daughter ( my God child ) was bit ,,, all i wanted to do was *&^% that dog up... Thanks
 
Good on you 4Flats. The Missus and I were wondering what was going on.
Don't forget to check the rescue groups out there. Petfinder.com has a listing on them.
 
Thanks once again. I didn't know where to turn for information, and I wanted to make sure the dog got a fair shake. We are still interviewing prospective parents, and the previous owner said she would take her back because she misses the dog. I'm not real jazzed about that, because being on a chain most of every day is not a good life for a dog, but better than having to put her down, so I have a new "last resort". They are OK with us finding her a new home where she has more room to play and freedom. We are currently keeping her in a 12'x12' chain-link kennel. My wife gets in there with her at least 3 times a day for rubbing and scratching, I take her for a walk/run when I get home from work (While the other dogs are in the house). It is a lot of work keeping her seperate from the rest of the family, but she is a visitor, not a prisoner.
 
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