Pitbull Terrier Questions

Hi all. I am currently researching pitbulls, to see if they are the right kind of breed for us. My fiance is totally in love with the breed, and has had pitbulls before. He has neve rowned one long term though, he has either had to give them away or had them stolen form him. For the almost ten years we have been together he has wanted to get another one. My mom did not like big dogs, so we had to wait. Now it is just us in our house. Well, us and our small dog baby, our two cats, seven geckos, and bearded dragon. What I would like is someone who owns a pitbull terrier to give me their overall opinion on the following things.

1) Do your pits get along with your other dogs if you have any? I know about the fact that at least half will probably be animal aggressive, and I am ready to take on the responibility of making sure my dog is safe around other dogs.


2) How many of you have a fenced in yard, and how many use a kennel? My dog will be kept in doors when we are not here, in an appropriatly sized crate. Or in our spare room with the door closed and with anything dangerous to him removed.

3) Do any of you muzzle your dog when out around other dogs? I am confused about this, whether I should or not. None of the websites I have viewed has given this as an option. I plan to enroll our dog in obediance classes when still a puppy, but I would think this a good option to prevent fights. Am I wrong?

Well, all of these things are what the websites I have seen recommend, and to be truthful has me kind of doubting whether or not a pitbull terrier is the best breed for us right now. I would like to get some advise from people who actually own one, so please post if you can help. Thanks.

i personally do not own one but there are some things you should look into before you get one. check your homeowners insurance to see if they have a dangerous or vicious dog clause on it. some insurances will either increase your rates or drop you because of the breed of dog you own. check your local ordinaces on breeds. see if there are regulations on what are considered "dangerous" breeds. get a pit from a good breeder, check out the parents. i strongly recommend against getting one from a shelter because there is too much uncertainty on temperment there. get a puppy so you can socialize the dickens out of it. this is a breed that must have an owner that will not let it become the dominant head of the household. get the kids involved in training. be prepared for alot of bias when you get it. i love the breed but have chosen not to own it because of all the problems that come with it. no one will rent to a person that owns a pit here. even my lab mix that looks like he may be part pit gets questions when people see him, and he is an incredible dog. good luck on finding the right pit for you. they are really great dogs.

I want to make sure you're talking about a pure bred American Pit Bull Terrier, such as the dogs that are registered. Check out http://www.americanpitbullterrier.org/

Since APBTs are not recognized by the AKC, there is a wide variation in what is considered a "pit bull" both legally and within the dog breeding world. Keep in mind that most local ordinances will qualify any dog that is part bulldog (of various breeds) or Staffordshire (either English or American) as a "pit bull". I would be extremely leary of any breeders of "pit bulls" that are not registered with the APBT societies.

As with any dog, if it is obtained as a puppy from a reputable breeder, is the product of parents with good demeanor and structure, and is handled correctly, it will be a good dog. The breed is not nearly as important as its heritage and upbringing when it comes to temperament. Each breed has different traits, yes, but any well bred and well raised dog can be socialized appropriately to live within a family.

I'm curious as to what attributes the breed possesses that your fiance is so smitten with? It may be that other less complicated breeds may have some of the same traits that he appreciates so much.

I can only say I love pits bulls, well I love all dogs but Im more of a short coated large dog person. Rotties, Pits, Greater Swiss Mountain etc.

I have had a few pit bulls as rescues over the years and they can be and I mean CAN be wonderful animals.

As Terese said, its the upbringing and the dog being socialized that matters so so much.

We have a fenced yard and when we kept several dogs of our own and resuces and IU worked they all had 10X10 kennels in the fence for day time and a crate for training and other reasons.

I would look very careful at the breeder because any dog can become agressive Id want to make sure you are no buying from a fighting like of pits to sar wih. Some breeders differen breeds for agression alone adn those people do not need to be supported by your hard earned money.

I have never muzzled a dog I have had, but my father has a Pit Bull St Bernard Mix that has to be muzzled o go into the vet, so the vet now sees her in my dad's truck to give her shots unless she jsut has to be taken in for some other reason. She just does not like to go into strange buildings but she was never properly socialized. She will also not go potty if the ground is wet so all dogs have their little things.

I honestly belive in my heart that there are no bad dogs but bad breeders and owners can ruin any animal!

You are doing a great ting looking into the breed and doing research before you buy and I give you HUGE kudos for that! You are starting at the right setp and Im sure you will find a great dog that you will love!

I'm a little late.......

.....just found out that we got a DOG FORUM (HOORAY!!) as we just returned from vacation....

I have owned APBT in the past, we don't have one anymore because of the prejudice against them. We re-homed ours for the safety of the dogs.....small-town Iowa is not very kind to them, and people tend to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to "causes" like these....

1) Do your pits get along with your other dogs if you have any? I know about the fact that at least half will probably be animal aggressive, and I am ready to take on the responibility of making sure my dog is safe around other dogs.

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Absolutely. They were raised well-socialized and trained, and they got along very well with the other dogs in my home, and when we went to obedience classes and such. I would advise caution if you have other dogs that visit your home, however...as with many of the more "protective" breeds, they sometimes will see the outside dog as an "invader".

2) How many of you have a fenced in yard, and how many use a kennel? My dog will be kept in doors when we are not here, in an appropriatly sized crate. Or in our spare room with the door closed and with anything dangerous to him removed.

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I didn't have a fenced in yard, but kept a large chain-link run outside for them to exercise in. I am also a firm believer in crate training ANY dog, both for the safety of my furniture and carpets, and for their own safety.

3) Do any of you muzzle your dog when out around other dogs? I am confused about this, whether I should or not. None of the websites I have viewed has given this as an option. I plan to enroll our dog in obediance classes when still a puppy, but I would think this a good option to prevent fights. Am I wrong?

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My dogs never wore a muzzle. EVER. Again, training is the key from a young age, and socialization. Puppy classes are a wonderful way to start, and keep it up as they get older.

Well, all of these things are what the websites I have seen recommend, and to be truthful has me kind of doubting whether or not a pitbull terrier is the best breed for us right now.

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What exactly is giving you doubts? The dog itself, or the reaction of people around you?

I agree with what was said here before, you do need to be VERY careful who you purchase one from, as there has been an explosion in the number of "backyard breeders" producing puppies that are unsound physically and/or temperament-wise. It is these dogs that are growing up to cause problems to be brought upon the whole breed......that, and the idiots who buy them just because they want to look "cool", and have no idea what they are doing with ANY animal.

Also as was previously stated, be sure to check out local laws about "breed bans" (I believe we are up to 3 states now that have repealed all breed-ban laws, calling them unconstitutional, YEAH!) but there are still a lot of them out there.....as well as homeowners insurances that have so-called "vicious" dog clauses.

IMHO, APBT are wonderful, intelligent, loving pets. It's the neighbors you have to watch out for.

I have gotten the usual, why do you want one of those? I know very well how most uneducated people react to pits, how they react to any big dog breed that has ever attacked a person. Most often forget it is not the breed, it is the individual dog. Even then, it is usually people who cause the problem. My concerns are about the gameness of the pit breed. I have a small dog and two cats and I am afraid of having a breed that has dominance issues. My dog baby is about ten pounds, but she acts like she is 200 around other animals. I am concerned that it would only cause problems. I do not to end up getting a dog knowing full well that there is a chance of a problem, and then the poor dog ending back up in a rescue or somewhere else. I've discussed it with my fiance and we have decided to look into Boxers for now. I would like to get a pit in the future, but right now a boxer seems the better option. Thanks for the reply.

I personally think that is a good decision. My apbt is good with other animals but you would be taking a risk. With a puppy there is a good chance it could become animal aggressive sometimes not until 18 months. It is commitment, and yes it is hard sometimes to go places with your dog even when he is wonderful, and get mean looks, stares, and comments.
I will say I Will likely own another though, he has been the best.

i'm glad you are comfortable in your decision to get a boxer. it's a shame when the decision to get a dog is due to laws and bias because a few idiotic people let a dog get out of hand when training could have helped in most situations. boxers are great dogs but unfortunately we nicknamed them tumor factories at my job because of the propensity for cancer. you will always find something with any breed. i love their disposition. good luck finding your dog.