Any Pitbull owners here?
 

My wife and I considering "adopting" a pitbull. She had one all her life and it now stays with her parents. Its the greatest dog. We currently have a german shepard. I know this bread is very misunderstood, so I would like to hear from some current owners with some advice on picking out the perfect one for my family. Thanks

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I have a rottweiler/pit bull mix. He is eleven now and has never been a problem. He may be the sweetest dog on the planet. He lives with my mom now due to a year when I had an apartment I couldn't have dogs and once I bought my house she wouldn't let me have him back because he was too sweet and how do you say no to your mom.

Its pretty easy to pick. And this can really go with any dog. Pick the one that is friendly and loving when you walk in. If they are scared and timid or aggressive then that may not be the right temperament. However almost any trait can be trained into/ out of a dog but why start at a disadvantage.

Training and socializing the dog is the most important part. Dogs do not learn on their own, but if you already have a Shepard you know this.

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/g...4/d905fe2e.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/g...4/2e0d7f29.jpg

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

http://thinknice.com/wp-content/uplo...f-Of-Bread.jpg


;s

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

As far as picking one out..depends on the age group. I will never get one younger than 7 months old. AWSMITH ^ made a good point about their attitudes. Be mindful if they are head shy. If you get a blue pit, pay VERY close attention to it's skin. Watch out for bumps. That can become a very costly issue. (PM me if that ever occurs). Oh, and be mindful about putting two male dogs together. I did, thank God it worked out.

I have an approx. 10 month old (blue) Staffordshire, and a 2 year old (Blue) Cane Corso.
My ex girlfriend had a pitbull that we got at 6 weeks old. That was a nightmare.

Best thing I can say, always have something for him to chew on. Don't give him to many rawhides, because it "can" make them have serious gas and throw up. Exercise is KEY. A tired dog is a good dog in my opinion.

As far as the pitbull breed, I will never own anything other than. Very protective dogs,and just great dogs all around, at least mine are.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I have a Pit-Mix that I rescued and I would do it again!!!! I absolutely love the breed, they are incredible dogs and I would recomend adopting one. I know plenty of owners that have several and never had any problems :tu. Let's be honest, they get bad reps cause @ssholes use them for bad things and it down right pisses me off!! I LOVE my Pit and would totally recomend it! Oh and when I rescued, I already had a 5 yr old black lab and both dogs get along great!

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Another rescued Pit mix here...mine is with Boston terrier so he's a bit smaller than usual.

Great dog...obedient & very friendly

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I had a full Boston Terrier once...that's a very sore subject. I must have gotten the a**hole out of the bunch.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Good advice.

If buying from a breeder, buy from one who raises family pets, not fighting dogs. Definetely don't want a dog who's head shy or nervous. If adpoting, spend some time with the dog, introduce your dog to them and see how they get along before committing. Have the dogs meet outside first before bringing the new dog inside.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I guess the pit side in mine calmed him down

;)

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Mine wouldn't listen at all. I spent months, MONTHS! Trying to get her housebroken. I gave her away for free.










With a smile on my face. :D

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

That's a shame.


That situation sounds just like every boat owner I've ever known

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I have two American Staffordshire Terriers, the showdog version of a pitbull. The sweetest most people friendly dogs I have ever been around. They love affection, show it to everyone, lick the crap out of you, bounce all around and follow me anytime I move around the house. They definitely aim to please their owners and kids :tu

They are high energy, need room to move, think they can chase down any moving small animals. Rabbits, squirrels and raccoons drive them insane, and they have been known to follow the deer in the backyard if I don't see them before I let them out. Sometimes I think they even chase ghosts.

Keep in mind, the pitbull breeds were bred originally for taking down large game and can be animal aggressive by nature. Mine get along great with each other, and most other dogs, but it depends on their original meeting with other dogs. When introducing them to other animals you need to be sure to keep a close eye on them and they shouldn't show any signs of aggression. :2

Here is a couple pictures of Maui (8 year old blue brindle female) and Macho (4 year old black and white male). They are actually aunt and nephew, Macho is Maui's sister's puppy.
They come from Shonuff Am Staffs, they are show dog breeders. Maui is retired and Mach never showed because of allergies.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...i/DSCN0345.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...i/DSCN1288.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...i/DSCN0828.jpg

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Beautiful pups ya got there Larry

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

There's a bunch of them through out my the family. One will be decent the next will try to eat people, other dogs, cars,cats,trees Etc...I don't personally get the whole owning a liability thing. Friends of mine have had a few too, They seem to think its funny that people are terrified of there dogs and they "have only bitten a few people".
I simply had to quit going around some of there homes when my boys became threatened.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Here is a Pic of our Harley Dogg. One point I would recommend, dont buy from a guy on the corner. There are issues with crossbreeding. If you go through a rescue have the dog checked out by a vet. Other then that, they are awesome dogs.

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...9/Ash/Ash3.jpg

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

My gf has a pit mix she rescued and it gets along great with my american bulldog male and my american bulldog x bullmastiff female. Its obvious he knows his place in the pecking order. They are great dogs and I have a lot of friends who have them as well! No complaints from me!!!

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Thank you.

Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who misuse and mistreat their dogs and the breed gets a bad rap. There are many dogs out there that can be called a 'pit bull', my two are just one breed. :bh

These two have never done anything agressive towards any human being, they have to be provoked to even wrestle and a swift tap on the nose turns them into a little puppy if they get a little too rough playing. And if my son is anywhere near them they are overly cautious, but they make sure his face is nice and clean. :D

They will give some nice barks and growling at someone who rings the doorbell or walks past the backyard, but as soon as you enter the house the closest aggressive move they make is trying to get you to come down and pet them so they can lick your face. :tu

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I'm not anti-pit by any means, but the pit-boxer mix we rescued a few years ago led to nothing but trouble and heartbreak for us.

We got him at not more than about six weeks old and he'd been separated from his mother for a while at that point. As a puppy he was extremely rambunctious and playful, but loving toward my wife, me, and our other dog.

As he grew in size and strength, though, there was no containing him. He could easily leap our 6-foot fence and would regularly do so to go forage around the neighborhood for cats. Once he leaped it and went after a mailman, with my wife and I running behind. The mailman sprayed him with the pepper spray or whatever it was he was carrying and the dog just licked his lips like it was a tasty snack. He was impervious to pain and had the the highest prey drive I've ever seen in a dog.

We spent a couple grand building new fencing and another three grand on a dog trainer over a period of at least a year. Finally, the trainer said that he believed the dog was bread to fight and that, due to its prey drive, it was only a matter of time before it killed our other dog or a child--the dog showed such aggression toward every dog at the trainer's facility that he had to be separated from the rest and the trainer wouldn't let his family close to it. He actually went so far as to refuse to give the dog back to my wife and found a a couple just outside of town with a few acres and no other animals or small children who would take him.

He really was a very sweet dog to my family and my wife cried for weeks after we agreed to give him up, but I have no doubt it was the right decision. I literally did everything I could think of to avoid that result, both in terms of time and money spent, but the payoff never changed: we were basically held hostage in our house by a dog that might snap at any time and go after anyone or anything.

That being said, nothing about the experience would cause me to write off pit bulls as a breed--like humans, sometimes dogs just aren't right in the head--but before I'd have another in my home, I'd want to know more about the dog and its origins.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

This.



Unfortunately the above case has become all too common, and more well known about the breed, because of the punks who breed these dogs to be aggressive for sport. It is their nature to be animal aggressive because of their original purpose, the problem is when people breed/train them for such a purpose. People aggression is entirely another issue that is often stemmed from dislike of all people because of the isolated and beaten life they live being bred for fighting. :bh

In general they make lousy guard dogs because they are not people agressive by nature. They underlying reason for their aggressiveness is usually their stubborn nature and want to please their owner because they know the consequences of not performing their duties of fighting. :td

Its really a shame that there are dogs out there being bred for that reason, because the properly bred and trained dogs are as sweet as any retriever or bulldog. :2

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Too true

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I had one but I Divorced her 5 yrs later :)

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

MMMmmmm, Bestiality. :noon








Jk. I was wondering when someone was going to say something along those lines haha.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Croantan Pepper spray only works on cops & dogs other then pitbulls, trust i know...:su

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Considering the potential liability and all that; why are you stuck on a pit bull? Yes, they are beautiful dogs and good for home security… So are Doberman’s or German Sheppard’s. I don’t think it’s worth the gamble on a pit bull, especially in urban areas.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I have a rescue pit mix and she is a sweetheart to my wife and I and our other dog. She was great with the kids over christmas and is generally very mild mannered. She did, however, attack mkarnold1's dog and just about took him out if not for a well placed foot. Not sure why but sometimes dogs that are bread for violence have trouble not being violent.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Yep. There great until there not.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

It was completely random, he took care of her for a week last year and they were fine then all of a sudden she just went nuts on him the last time I visited.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

It sounds like these folks are irresponsible owners that even if they had a Golden Retriever it would end up as a dangerous dog. Its not the breed its the handler. If a dog ever bites anyone without legitimate reason it should be put down. If the owner lets it happen more than once they should be locked up.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Actually, they are terrible for home security unless trained to be people aggressive, which is difficult to do by nature. Pit bulls certainly can look and sound intimidating to humans, but they aim to please. They love people, and while they will likely give warning barks and growls at people outside the home, as soon as you offer them a peaceful greeting or a treat they turn into sissies. :2

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

the breed is not for everyone. Truer APBT are people friendly but highly animal aggressive. You get an APBT from a breeder that knows what head doing.

The American Bully is what you mainly see today. Its a mix of APBT and pretty much any combination of dig. These were bred(if done correctly ) to be people friendly and not be animal aggressive. Now a days everyone is a "breeder" which makes a ton of easy money. With these guys you get dogs who sometimes are not mentally stable.

Ill add to this later.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Some are, Some are far from it. But the breed remains the common denominator. The more responsible owners just make better excuses for the dogs behavior.
I think it's kind of a reckless statement to assume that everybody someone knows (in which you know none of the parties) is irresponsible.

You may like them...great, Might even be the pitbull whisperer cool. I'm only adding content from the 25 years I have had exposure to pit's and other aggressive breeds.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

There are no bad dogs or bad breeds of dogs. There are bad owners and bad breeders.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Maybe it is me, but every time I go to someones house with a pit, or I talk to someone who has a pit, the conversation goes something like this:

She/He is a great dog, so sweet, BUT:

wants to eat people with hats on,
hates it when you turn your back on her,
don't look at the kids wrong or he'll eat you,
if he doesn't know you he'll eat you,
doesn't like the color red,
doesn't like black people,
doesn't like white people,
etc. etc. etc.

Their owners love them, I've never seen one without some little quirk or thing you have to be careful of though. Doesn't seem worth it.

:2

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Adopting one? Not too sure, lots of liability as you don't know how it was treated, maybe a puppy. I have shot way to many of the SOB's so I am not a good gauge, I hate the fookers.....sorry.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

:lr

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Certainly, some breeds are prone to physical ailments like hip dysplasia. It's safe to assume that breeds have tendencies in the temperament, too, like aggressiveness. We never hear about a yellow lab that attacked and mauled a family.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

You never hear about the people who end up getting stitches from getting bit by chihuahuas or yorkies either, but I know people who have gotten stitches from both. Society doesn't care when cutsie dogs bite people and cause open wounds.

Is it because they don't inflict the same damage? Because they are family dogs? Because they are cute? :hm

There are hundreds of dogs that bite people every day, people get treated for dog bites every day, but only bully dogs and pit bulls make the news. :sh

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Either all your friends who own pit bulls are morons, or you are imbelishing to try and prove a point. I am not sure that I know 3 different people who could describe their dogs using one of those examples, let alone all of them. :confused:

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I hate to add to the bad rap but after seeing what a pit bull did to my daughter's kindergarten classmate, I'll never own one, advocate ownership nor ever allow my daughter to be anywhere near one. The kid had his face ripped off and even after all the reconstructive surgeries, he'll be scarred physically and mentally for life. From the time this boy was a baby until 5 years old, the dog never showed any signs of aggression toward him, says the parents.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

So, you're denying that some breeds are more prone to aggressiveness and violence? Sadly, in the NY metro area, there are far too many stories of pit bulls mauling and killing infants.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Didn't you hear? It's always the owners fault.:rolleyes:

I have tried to have a rational conversations with my in-laws after there (apparently mistreated,abused and untrained) POS killed my 8YO boys kitten.(the same dog don't kill there cats). It is a waste of time with argument I promise. Ignorance always wins to intelligence in this case. I just get tired of talking to a "wall".:bh

And yes I'm sure the kitten's death was my fault as I likely didn't have it trained correctly to handle such a wonderful visiting animal.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Of course I was embellishing to prove a point... The fact remains that every time I see or hear about a Pit bull I get some weird warning to go along with it. It's like there aren't any that are just "normal". And I only have one friend that owns a pit. I used to deliver uniforms with my Dad and pits were fairly common for people to have in their homes and businesses back then. I think it was a machismo thing.

Oh and not like Chihuahuas are any better as far as being a crazy unpredictable bitey breed. But a chihuahua can't crush your skull with it's jaws!

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Any dog can snap. The likelyhood of a chihuahua mauling a mailman is a lot less likely than a German Sheppard, but I'll bet my lunch money more people get bit by a dog that weighs less than 15 pounds than bully dogs all day. Pit bulls and bully breeds are infinitely more powerful than ankle biters, but so are akitas, retrievers and irish wolfhounds. The same reason if I get in a fight with someone, I would probably inflict more damage than my son.

I am by no means defending morons who raise dogs for amusement or incorrect reasons, but a pure bred bully breed, bred in a loving home and with proper training is no more dangerous than a yorkie or bichon frize. They are definitely capable of much more damage, but are not more likely to attack humans than any other breed. :2

Talking someone who has never owned or known a properly trained bully breed dog is like talking to a brick wall. They have their perception of the risks and dangers of said breed based on the bad story they read in the paper or saw on the news. Which seems to be the only breed that makes the news for dog attacks anymore. Even if the dog is an unkown breed, the media will report it as a pit bull despite the fact it may be a lab mixed with a bulldog. :bh

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Very true.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I did delivery for UPS for a year and was bit twice. One was a chihuahua that I dragged the entire way from the package car to the house and back. The other was a Giant Schnauzer...that guy was mean. Pit Bulls never gave me any issues but let me tell ya, the size of the dog in the fight DOES matter. I wanted no part of that Schnauzer.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

"My kids are around pit bulls every day. In the '70s they blamed Dobermans, in the '80s they blamed German shepherds, in the '90s they blamed the Rottweiler. Now they blame the pit bull."

-Cesar Millan

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

Didn't you hear?
The owner said the dog never showed any signs of aggression toward their child from a baby to five years old. There is no telling what made that dog snap. I just hope it's not ever your children that end up in the news one day.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

You must have missed the sarcasm. It is just like every other pit thread. Same BS different forum.

And it very well could be one of my kids someday as I mentioned there's all too many pits in my family so its a matter of when not if.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

I'll stick with my, its the owner not the dog see below:


Are these the same folks that are not irresponsible per your post above?

I believe the kitten's death would be the responsibility of the owner of the attacking dog...yes the owner. Imagine someone actually having to take responsibility for the actions of something they control and own. If a dog wandered onto my property and even so much as growled at my kids it would be dead. Dogs must be controlled at all times, if they get out and cause harm the owner should be fined or go to jail...I stick by my original post.

Re: Any Pitbull owners here?
 

This was my oldest son's Pit Bull when she was a pup:

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/8533/0818080022.jpg

And here she is recently:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...8_407302_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net..._7129758_n.jpg

She is the sweetest dog, more loving and needy than my 2 Jack Russells. We dog-sit her often and she loves coming to our house and our dogs love it when she is here. If we were to ever get a large dog, it would be a Pit.