Question for pitbull owners

[bettagurl]

Wow, this comment really blew me away. How much actual research went behind this answer? Pit bulls were NOT, I repeat NOT bred for fighting. If you would read up a little they were bred to protect their owners from being overtaken by, wait for it.............

BULLS, as in MALE COWS. Hence the bull in their name. The reason they were bred with jaws that lock is so that if their owner was working with bulls or cows, and say one of the bulls decided to harass the human, the dog could latch onto the bull and lock his jaws so that the human could get to safety while the bull was distracted by the dog.

That is the reason why they are fearless in situations where any other animal would run for safety. Because they are WORKING dogs and are there to PROTECT their owners from harm that may be caused by a 2000+ pound animal.

Please......lets all do a little research before we pass out our opinions as fact.

They cannot lock their jaws, that myth has been busted since it began... They are just bred to hold onto the bull until the owner was safe, and the dog was mauled.
But yes, they were not used in dogfighting until bull baiting was illegal. They were also used as ratters in shows where they'd put a load of rats into a pit and let to dog go.




Now, about the situation at hand, your pup sounds like he's being overwhelmed, and is testing new people and dogs.
I would highly suggest taking him to a good obedience class, and make sure it is one that uses positive reinforcement. This breed does not do well with the "I'm the boss, do what I say or I'll collar-hang you" tough guy thing a lot of trainers seem to do to this breed.
A good thing to do when meeting strangers is to have him sit and stay while they approach, if he growls ONCE, immediately go the other way, once he's calm, repeat, if he finally allows someone to get close enough to touch him, have them drop a small piece of chicken, ALL dogs love chicken. He will begin to see that aggression is not accepted, and strangers mean a tasty treat.
It may be good to set this up with a friend or family member, or it would likely not work, since I doubt a real stranger would put up with all of this.
Do this with as many different people as you can.

Dog aggression... In this breed, it can be hard to break them of. Some of them simply do not like dogs, especially small ones, as terriers have a high prey-drive.
This can be managed, but I don't know if you can have him being dog-friendly unless you get him in a class. I've managed my adult pitties problems using the same technique as with people, have an owner with a very controlled and non-responsive (meaning if your pup is grumbling and fussing he won't lunge and act nasty back) dog do pretty much the same as with the person training. He acts up at all, and he is taken away.

These are two very, very important things. There will always be a time when you are approached by a strange unleashed dog on your walks, and it could be the death to either dog if yours is out of control.
But thankfully, you are trying to nip this in the bud, and it sounds manageable.
Pups this age will strut their stuff. They really aren't as big as they think.

Check out www.seefido.com and on there, NILIF (nothing in life is free).

 

[Madcrawdad]

Im not going to get angry and rant about this. I will simply state some facts.



Wow, this comment really blew me away. How much actual research went behind this answer? Pit bulls were NOT, I repeat NOT bred for fighting. If you would read up a little they were bred to protect their owners from being overtaken by, wait for it.............

BULLS, as in MALE COWS. Hence the bull in their name. The reason they were bred with jaws that lock is so that if their owner was working with bulls or cows, and say one of the bulls decided to harass the human, the dog could latch onto the bull and lock his jaws so that the human could get to safety while the bull was distracted by the dog.

That is the reason why they are fearless in situations where any other animal would run for safety. Because they are WORKING dogs and are there to PROTECT their owners from harm that may be caused by a 2000+ pound animal.

Please......lets all do a little research before we pass out our opinions as fact.

They cannot lock their jaws, that myth has been busted since it began... They are just bred to hold onto the bull until the owner was safe, and the dog was mauled.
But yes, they were not used in dogfighting until bull baiting was illegal. They were also used as ratters in shows where they'd put a load of rats into a pit and let to dog go.

Bull-baiting was a blood-sport, and wasn't about dogs protecting anyone...which is why it became illegal. Usually a bull was rendered somewhat incapacitated either with ropes, or put into a pit, and the dogs were set loose upon it. If it were about dogs simply protecting farmers from cows, why would it have been outlawed?

 

[bettagurl]

Bull-baiting was a blood-sport, and wasn't about dogs protecting anyone...which is why it became illegal. Usually a bull was rendered somewhat incapacitated either with ropes, or put into a pit, and the dogs were set loose upon it. If it were about dogs simply protecting farmers from cows, why would it have been outlawed?

They WERE used to protect farmers, and catch loose cattle by grabbing their snouts.
That's not bullbaiting. Bullbaiting, I know, was a bloodsport.
They were separate things completely.

 

[Madcrawdad]

I could see how they would have been helpful on the farm. Thing is, from my admittedly limited reading, it appears that pit bulls were bred for blood-sport, particularly bull-baiting, hence the name pit bull.

Not saying that automatically makes pit bulls bad guys, just that we shouldn't whiz past that part of their history, and make it sound like they were bred to be farmer's little helper.

So as not to derail the thread, I'll be quiet now.

 

[bettagurl]

I could see how they would have been helpful on the farm. Thing is, from my admittedly limited reading, it appears that pit bulls were bred for blood-sport, particularly bull-baiting, hence the name pit bull.

Not saying that automatically makes pit bulls bad guys, just that we shouldn't whiz past that part of their history, and make it sound like they were bred to be farmer's little helper.

So as not to derail the thread, I'll be quiet now.

No problem. They were bred to be tough dogs with a high tolerance for pain. I think I read they were bred for the now extinct red or brown and white terrier, and the bulldog. They were originally called bull-and-terriers.
Most dog breed sounds nasty if you look up exactly what they were bred for... I mean, who wants to see a pack of small terriers mauling a fox or coyote to death? Our cutsie basset hounds were bred for just that as well. And the adorable doxies are fierce hunters who will go after a badger in his den and drag him out.



OP, if you have any questions, I do suggest posting on www.seefido.com
There are dog trainers as well as bully owners there who can certainly help, I've learned a few things there myself.
A member called Meezermom has I believe 8 GSD all under her control, she should certainly be able to help. And she has a friendly view on the APBT.

 

[Reefscape]

Okies....lets keep this to the thread ops post, thanks, and not about bulls / blood sports and such.....

Thanks

 

[bettagurl]

Okies....lets keep this to the thread ops post, thanks, and not about bulls / blood sports and such.....

Thanks

Yes Mr. Window Imp

 

[dixienut]

oops,..

 

[Mr. U]

BRK,

Is your pup fixed? if not, you need to get it done as soon as possible. That's one way to deal the "aggressiveness". The second is to work with your pup constantly (exercise, obedience training, discipline, setting boundaries, proper socialization with other dogs in the pup's early years, etc...)...i.e, a tired dog is a good dog

I would suggest to you to do research for more detailed information, maybe from a "dog" forum. I have a pit, and I had to do the research on the history of the breed because of the breed-specific bans popping up all over the place (I don't want to move to a place without her) and to know about her requirements.

The one great thing about the pit breed is their want to please the owner, which is why they were good at the "sport". An owner can use that trait to his/her advantage with the training. You can correct that aggressive trait by being trained yourself in recognizing when the pup is about to get rough. But this means that you and your pup are going to be inseparable for the duration - none of this leaving the dog in the backyard all the time by itself. A good owner makes a good dog...and vice versa.

You really need to think hard about being the kind of owner the pup is going to need. I'm grateful that I was able to get a great dog out of all the training she received. At one time, I had to understand a pit could have meant having only one dog in the household (and no other pets) and forgoing leash-less walks at the beach/parks and doggie park visits.

Some people may offer their opinions based on the luck they have had with getting a "great dog" without much effort. I can't seem to get that kind of luck, but I know for a fact that the interaction between my dog and I has been rewarding. I rent, so you can imagine the dread I feel when I have to identify the kind/breed of pet I will have in the house. My current landlord never owned a dog, and only heard of bad things about dogs. So having a "pit bull" didn't go over so well..that is, until she met my dog I can't say it was easy training Roxie, but it has been very rewarding. She travels with me on road trips without being a distraction, and she is able to stay at some hotels with me (dog friendly ones). She is crate trained, and she is very quiet - I can leave her in the room by herself for short periods of time.

There are a lot of skeptics about the breed, and I take pride in erasing a little more of the bad reputation the Pit name holds when I take my dog out. I hope you and your pup achieve the same results (or even better) than I have. Good luck with your plans.

 

[bettagurl]

BRK,

Is your pup fixed? if not, you need to get it done as soon as possible. That's one way to deal the "aggressiveness". The second is to work with your pup constantly (exercise, obedience training, discipline, setting boundaries, proper socialization with other dogs in the pup's early years, etc...)...i.e, a tired dog is a good dog

I would suggest to you to do research for more detailed information, maybe from a "dog" forum. I have a pit, and I had to do the research on the history of the breed because of the breed-specific bans popping up all over the place (I don't want to move to a place without her) and to know about her requirements.

The one great thing about the pit breed is their want to please the owner, which is why they were good at the "sport". An owner can use that trait to his/her advantage with the training. You can correct that aggressive trait by being trained yourself in recognizing when the pup is about to get rough. But this means that you and your pup are going to be inseparable for the duration - none of this leaving the dog in the backyard all the time by itself. A good owner makes a good dog...and vice versa.

You really need to think hard about being the kind of owner the pup is going to need. I'm grateful that I was able to get a great dog out of all the training she received. At one time, I had to understand a pit could have meant having only one dog in the household (and no other pets) and forgoing leash-less walks at the beach/parks and doggie park visits.

Some people may offer their opinions based on the luck they have had with getting a "great dog" without much effort. I can't seem to get that kind of luck, but I know for a fact that the interaction between my dog and I has been rewarding. I rent, so you can imagine the dread I feel when I have to identify the kind/breed of pet I will have in the house. My current landlord never owned a dog, and only heard of bad things about dogs. So having a "pit bull" didn't go over so well..that is, until she met my dog I can't say it was easy training Roxie, but it has been very rewarding. She travels with me on road trips without being a distraction, and she is able to stay at some hotels with me (dog friendly ones). She is crate trained, and she is very quiet - I can leave her in the room by herself for short periods of time.

There are a lot of skeptics about the breed, and I take pride in erasing a little more of the bad reputation the Pit name holds when I take my dog out. I hope you and your pup achieve the same results (or even better) than I have. Good luck with your plans.

Good advice here... You sound like a great owner.