ziadel

whelp, I am looking for a new pet, and I would like to get a Pitbull... a nice brindle pitbull...

havent quite decided on the gender yet, but definately a pitbull...



now here are my questions..

Does anyone know of any reputable breeders? I really want a dog bred for temperment, not size, but at the same time, I would like a functional dog (something that will bark when someone comes lurking in my backyard, but not jump through one of my windows and try to eat the person)

if you dont know of any reputable breeders, can someone give me some tips to figure out exactly what the breeder is breeding for?

I was thinking about taking the dog hunting with me, but thats in the distant future and I would be hesitant to do that because I am unsure about exactly how much that would affect the dogs temperment from day to day...



anyways, thanks in advance for your help

and sorry if this has been done, but I did a search for pitbull and got some crap about a dog named fila or something


btw, I'm in upstate new york

phredgreen

you searched the wrong way. google it.



http://www.geocities.com/bigdog2594/


http://www.pflugclankennel.net/pflug...ne/indexx.html

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WhoaitsZ

thank god! i read the title and thought 'of fuck, here we go again' due to Pitbull = good or evil debates.

i've never owned one that got big. the only pit i ever had got struck by lightning. way weird. i do, however, own a great dane/boxer who weighs roughly 120-130 lbs.

he is a sweetheart... who will rip your throat out if you hurt me

i have never heard of a pit as a hunting dog. i really dunno what to say... although i really think the whole kill associating with a pit may be unwise?

either way, you're wanting a gorgeous and powerful dog. good pick. couple of tips..

1) you are already on the right track. know your breeder. drill him/her with questions about the dogs, training, past, ect.

remember. never get a dog with violent ancestors. the main rule of thumb with big dogs is go back three generations. if grandpa was a fighter, the pup has high risk of being aggressive.

2) play! play a lot with the puppy and start as early as possible. do not use tug-a-war toys. a lot of people say 'whatever' and they have some pull games. the thing is, sure, a wrestling type game may not cause problems. buuuut if it does, that's one hell of a big problem.

i've always played with Jeb, but no serious rough or tugging. we have never had one power problem.

3) socialize early. get your family, your neighbors, your girlfriend. whoever will come should play with/pet ASAP. dogs are soooooo protective that they seriously need socializing quick.

Jeb was eight or so months when i got him so i introduce everyone to him first. the few people who don't meet him first get some unpleasant growls and threats.

4) training. daily. everyday! period. if you don't have 15 mins for basic 'sit' and 'stay' commands, you do not need a dog.

these commands are absolutely priceless.

---------

also check out petcare.com for insurance. it pays off well.

jeb ate a shag rug he had a $1,200 surgery! I paid $50 insurance is as low as $6-20 a month. i pay $9.95 and i highly, highly recommend it.

good luck and keep us informed!

ziadel

no tug of war?
exactly why not?

and what exactly do you consider good playing?


I've had several dogs throughout my life, and I always wrestled/tug of war'd/played fetch with them...


never had a problem :shrug



what exactly would you recommend I do to keep the dog active?

WhoaitsZ

what i've always done with my dogs is keep lots of options as far as toys and playing goes. keeping a lot of stuffed toys, balls, ect and play. throwing the ball. chasing him and let him chase you. wrestle, just not too roughly.

from what i've read from proffesional dog breeders is tug-a-war encourages power struggles and agressive. i'm not saying it is fact, it's just something i have read over and over. I really do see how it could turn into a power struggle when he hits puberty.

oh and don't forget walks!

sillygirl

I had a purebred Great Dane and a Dane/Rotti mix. I was told with them not to play tug of war for power struggle reasons, too. And I was also told not to play too rough with them as far as wrestling goes, and not to smack them playfully to get their attention or get them to grab at your hand (does that make sense? Smack in a playful manner?) becuase that encourages aggressive behavior as well.

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mml

I am certainly not expert, but I had a pit/chow mix which was the best dog I have ever had. We played pretty rough, and she loved it. Tug of war and wrestling were daily occurances and while she was definitely agressive, she never bit me. She was a fun pet, good companion and great guard dog.

You can always contact the American Kennel Club to find a reputable breeder. But check out your local pound or Humane Society, you never know what kinds of dogs end up there. A friend just got a pure bred Weimerrunner(sp?) at the pound, that he would have spent at least a grand on from a breeder.

Good luck.

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lurkette

My recommendation would be to first find a good, reputable trainer, and work backward from there - the trainer should be able to direct you to a reputable breeder, and should also be able to help you temperament-test the pups. There are a host of "tests" you can give a puppy to find out if it's overly aggressive or dominant to start with.

Here's some info on bull terriers:

<a href="http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bullterrier.htm">http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bullterrier.htm</a>

"Though this breed was once a fierce gladiator, he is much gentler now. A Bull Terrier might have a preventive effect and it might defend it's owner in a truly critical situation, but it isn't breed to be a guard dog. Courageous, scrappy, fun-loving, active, clownish and fearless. The Bull Terrier is a loyal, polite, and obedient dog. They become very attached to their owners. The Bull Terrier thrives on affection and makes a fine family pet. Bull Terriers like to be doing something and fit in well with active families where they receive a great deal of companionship and supervision. They do not do well in situations where they are left alone for 8 hours a day. This breed can be a wonderful pet if very thoroughly socialized and trained, but not recommended for most households. Fond of both grown-ups and children, but may be too energetic for small children. They cannot tolerate teasing and children should be taught to respect the dog. They can be very protective and willful. Do not encourage this breed to be possessive or jealous. Bull Terriers may try to join into family rough housing or quarrel. They need very firm training and lots of exercise. Bull Terriers must be given a lot of companionship, or they may become destructive. Be sure to socialize them well. They can be extremely aggressive with other dogs. Unaltered males usually do not get along with other male dogs. Males and females can live together happily and two females can also be a good combination with care and supervision. They are not recommended with other pets. They make excellent watch dogs. This breed can be somewhat difficult to train."

If this is your first dog, I would SERIOUSLY recommend something other than a pit bull. It'll be a lot of work to train and because of their breeding there is little margin for error if you're not experienced in dog training and behavior, or if you don't have some serious time to devote to socializing them well.

I'm also not sure how good a hunting dog a pit bull would be, but I don't see why they wouldn't like it.

Good luck!

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kurty[B]

I play extremely rough with my rotti/blue heeler mix, and have always done so since he was 8 weeks. Some people think he's being violent, but he's just playing. Aside from if you're a stranger, or just someone he doesn't know very well coming in the door, yeah he'll bark at you (if the door happens to be unlocked and you just barge right in [I hate this] well you just opened a big can of worms, he's an indoor dog and he's very protective).

Ummmm, what else... Oh yeah, one of my old roommates started a fight with me, that had worse results with the dog then the barging in the door thing. Otherwise, once he gets his initial barks out he's rather gentle with strangers, and if anyone says "NO" or "STOP" or "Back Off!" he'll stop what he's doing.

He's had attention almost non-stop since I've got him, he's lived in a house with at least four to five other people at a time, and someone is almost always around.

I can understand how the rough housing and such could get out of hand with a dog that isn't very socialized. I think the biggest importance is giving your pup lots and lots of attention and loving. My pup literally is my best-friend/companion, he pretty much goes everywhere I do (unless he simply isn't allowed), and well yeah. If you're not going to have time to spend with your pup than I would definitely NOT suggest getting an active/aggressive dog.

hucklebuck74

I have to agree with Z and Kurty on the importance of socializing your dog. Take him everywhere you can, put him in unfamiliar surroundings so that he doesn't freak out if he is in an unfamiliar situation when he is older. Socialize him with all types of people, children, adults, people on bicycles, as much as possible so that he will feel comfortable with different people and situations

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Peryn

I agree with the early socialization thing. I think that is FAR more important than not being rough with him. MY dog is 100lbs, give or take 5 lbs, depending... chocolate lab. Generally a gentle dog to begin with. Since we had him, 6-8 weeks old, he was constantly getting practice learning proper social behavior. The breeder allowed us over to look at him occasionally, since he was about 4 weeks old. Other people would come by and look at their dogs. She would talk to the people about the dogs behavior while they were visiting, and tell them what the dogs should and shouldn't be allowed to do. As a pup my dog was introduced to new people almost daily. By 10 weeks he associated with 2 or 3 other dogs on a semi-regular basis. As he got a little older he went to the dog park on a regular basis. This got him used to associating with bigger animals. Animals that would put him in his place if he got out of hand. My grandmother dog is a airdale. Beautiful, fun dog. Comes from a long line of freindly house dogs, a few hunting dogs even. He is as gentle as can be....if you know him. He never met more than a few close relatives. He stayed at his house his whole life. About a year ago he was outside, tied to teh car. He saw someone, pulled, ripped the leash, and bit the guy. Never played tug of way with him, or wrestled with him...he is very gentle with his toys. But if you dont know him, and he doesn't know you, he is downright aggressive.

I tug a lot with my dog. I can sit in the chair, he will pull my around by some of his toys. I wrestle with him. We play VERY hard. He plays hard with other dogs. Luckly, he is very durable, and has fun with it. But since he was a pup, i would even let him bite me. To an extent. Then i would tell him gentle, and remove his mouth. Didn't take too long and he knew how hard he was allowed to bit when we were playing. If he gets out of hand, i can tell him to be gentle and he will back off. If he gets rough with another dog, all it takes is the right kind of bark, or a little growl or yip, and he is off of them. He stays off until they initiate play again.

As for new people, he has just started growling at people outside our house as they walk by. This behavior is not acceptable, and he is learning, but i am not very strict about it. His tail is wagging the whole time hes growling, and i know for a fact all he will do is come up and lick them and have them sctrach his butt. But the growling is nice from a protective standpoint, but i dont want guests to feel threatened.


I guess i got off point, the i personally believe the key is in solid, consistant socialization training. Get him used to meeting new people, not the same people over and over again. Take him for walks, and bring a squirt bottle to punish unacceptable behavior. Teach him from a young age how to behave around people he doesn't know. Take him to a dog park, have him meet and greet and play with other dogs. He needs to know how to play, and have an older dog put him in his place occasionaly. I believe you should play somewhat rough with him, and make him know his limits. Enforce very strictly how rough he can get. If you find you cannot control him, stop the behavior. Dont wrestle, dont tug, dont let him destroy his toys. I just think that how his plays with his toys is a very minor part of his disposition, with his socialization skills being THE single largest, if not the only, determining factor in how aggressive he is toward others.

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raeanna74

The above information sounds great. I agee - if this is your first dog I would suggest choosing some other breed first. You could always get a second dog later. My Uncle breeds Brittany Spaniels for hunting. They are excellent trackers/pointers.

One point that I didn't see mentioned was, Check to make sure that the breeder doesn't interbreed his dogs too much. My uncle made the mistake of breeding one of his females with her father and a couple of her puppies had some problems. One of the pups humped everything in site including chairs, Ended up getting fixed and yet wouldn't quit making it impossible to work with him or even train him. If they interbreed much it just causes a few problems occaisionally.

Good luck in your hunt.

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ratbastid

An alternate theory about playing tugging games that I read recently actually ENCOURAGES it. The theory goes that in the wild, dogs use tugging with each other to pull apart pieces of animals they'd killed. Apparently working together to pull something apart is a social bonding thing among a dog pack, and doesn't really have much to do with dominance. :shrug:

lurkette

I think the recommendation against playing tug with more assertive breeds has less to do with dominance than with the likelihood that teeth are likely to make contact with human flesh while they're playing, albeit unintentionally. These dogs usually need to be taught that it is a BIG NO NO to touch teeth to a person, as people are already pretty scared of them, and even if a dog just happens to bite someone carelessly who's not the owner in the process of playing tug with them, they're likely to get upset and you could risk having to put the dog down. Or being sued. Also, you'd hate to have them learn that tugging is ok and, for instance, initiate a game of tug with a kid's toy or something and accidentally bite them.

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Darkblack

I would agree here. Although, I think it has to do with your situation. If you have small children around at all I would say no tug of war. The dog will not know whom he is aloud to tug with and who he is not. My cousin got hurt pretty bad when he was a baby and their dog grabbed the rope toy he was holding and pulled, pulling my cousin head first into the coffee table. t does tell the dog that aggressive behavior is ok. If the dog has something and you try and take it away from them, be prepared for tug of war. This is not your dogs fault and he is not being bad so don't punish him. You taught him this with the tug of war game.

I guess that is all I have to say about it. If you don't have kids around and don't mind your dog playing aggressively then there is no problem with it really. It is good for their jaw muscles to play that way just make sure you get the right kind of toy. Nothing that their teeth can get caught in or those they can choke on small pieces that may break off, such as eyes and noses on stuffed animals.

Fire

Ok- had a friend get mauled by a pit bull- no provacation, knew the dog, one minute ok, next dog is tearing his hand off- surgery and cast later he's ok, dog was not destroyed- that said- I also have friends with a staffordshire terrier/german shepherd mix- about 70 lbs of pure muscle- I was raised with Danes, and this dog, at only a year old, is much stronger- despite this, it is the best behaved, most kind natured dog that i have ever known- the trick, they tell me is the constant supervision and socialization that it recieves- these are very "needy" dogs- you must have LOTS of time on your hands and be able to give supervision and firm training- I should also note that this dog is very intellegent- supposedly this is a trait of the breed, (staffordshire, pitt bull) and they need to be kept busy to prevent them from destroying household things out of boredom. So I guess I have to second the ideas above- know your breeder- this is the case for any dog- and repared to spend lots of time with them.....

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