Pit Bulls?

[Crawly's Mom]

Hey guys! Typically I am haunting the ball python area of the forum, however, I had a question I thought I would put out there. I keep an eye on several different forums, follow a few rescues on facebook, etc. and I cannot help but notice the overwhelming number of pitbulls.

Now I know there is a big stigma about these dogs being aggressive. I have personally been around only a handful of them and have heard both good things and bad things about the breed. Most of the time when I hear bad it has to do with a pitbull doing something to another dog or an animal responding to training or poor care.

We do not have any dogs or cats at all. We have snakes and some rats. We do, however, have a two and a half year old daughter. My question is more related to pitbulls as family pets. I know I have heard that they can be animal aggressive, does that ever translate to a child who's often playing around on the floor? I would never want to endanger my daughter. Does anyone have personal experience with the breed they could share? If so, I would truly appreciate it.

Thanks!!!

[heathers*bps]

I know I have more pics, but these are what I have on Photobucket, and I know they aren't the best photos. The white pit is actually 2 months older than my daughter. They grew up together so they have a special bond. My black one is his dad and the little brown one is his mom and we'be had them for a couple years before my daughter was born. They have never shown any type of aggression towards her. They have never done anything other than lick her to death, lol. The big black one she use to sit on his back, hold onto his ears and ride him around. I could not have any better dogs than my pits and wouldn't replace any of them for a million dollars. They are truly the best dogs I have ever owned.

[mr.spooky]

hi, iv had a few different breeds of dogs, and curentaly have a pit bull.. i can honestaly say that he is the best dog iv ever had. he was nuetered sp? as a puppy,, and i think that has alot to do with any breed. he stays inside (when im at work) with a smaller terrier,, and a cat. keep in mind that these dogs are one of the strongest breeds there are,, but dont let that intemidate you,, their heart and loyalty far surpass their streingth.
something to look at (with and breed) is their needs. some are suited to lay around, some are suited to work. with this breed, they need alot of playtime and they need to be exausted.. proper training is a must..
if you do decide to go with this breed, remember that you are getting something that comes with a bad name, so it is your job as a owner to go out of your way to change this... with mine, he does not leave the yard (fenced in) without a leash. when someone comes up to talk, hees made to sit down.
the worst thing you can do with one of these dogs is to leave confined, or on a chain all day (not saying that you would)..
these are great animals,, but like all,,, there only what you make of them...
spooky

[mr.spooky]

had to post a pic

[Crawly's Mom]

Thank you both for the info so far. I was reading more about them, I was truly curious. It shocked me to learn they had a better temprament score this past year than Golden Retrievers and Collies. I know if we ever get a dog again we will get a rescue. We don't want to go through the puppy stage, however, that being said its sometimes hard to know exactly what you're getting into with a rescue. I thought perhaps with a breed specific rescue you'd have a better idea of their temprement as they would have had a little more time and effort put into the dog than say a simple shelter.

[aldebono]

A reputable breed specific rescue would be really good I think. They know their dogs and they know the home they would be best placed in.

Adult dogs are wonderful. You know what you are going to get pretty much from day one.
Puppies can be a gamble at what intensity and activity level they are going to be as an adult.

You love an adult dog just the same as a puppy you raised, maybe more because you don't have to go through the potty training and chewing!

[L.West]

I have owned various breeds: yorkies, poodle, boxers, dachshund/terrier mix and I have to say that the smaller breeds I've had were by far the worst with the issues/aggression.

My boxers have always been little cuddle bugs - not a mean bone in their bodies.

I think with any breed you always run the risk of having an issue but for the most part I am a firm believer that they will be the type of dog/personality that they are raised to be. If you raise them up with good boundaries and rules and lots of love - you can pretty much rest assured they will return all that love and respect 10 fold to ya.

With my case right now - if someone was to break into my house - they would have far more worries with my little dachshund/terrier mix then my 80lb boxer - lol

Good luck in your decision.

[mr.spooky]

here was my experience with a breed spacific rescue,
first let me give a little of my background that was included on the application.
at the time, i worked at U.T animal hospital, i had over 8 years there, i had D.V.M's recomondations, as well as others, had a fenced in yard, as well as a 8 foot tall kenel. i told them that the dog would be kept in the house while i was at work, and in the fenced in yard ,or the kenel when i was at home. i had no kids, and no other pets,,,,i was in my LATE 20's,,,,,,,,,, i was declined..
this made me furious,, i mean what more did they want???? anyway, i did what i thought would be the next best thing in rescuing a APBT from a life of grief. i got in the paper and found "pits for sale" ,,,,, i chose the roughest neiborhood, and went looking.. when i picked up my puppy, they showed me the mother "that was raising hell in a small kennell (i dident get close) then they told me that the father was in a room and was mean, so i dident get to see him (im asuming he had fight marks all over him). as i was leaving , i ask if the puppy had any shots, they said "bring it in here" so we went to another room and it was like a station set up for shots. odviousally they were breeding many dogs.
i KNOW that my puppy came from a line of fighting dogs.
but like i said before,, hees turned out to be the best dog iv ever had,, he has shown ZERO agression to people or other animals. Iv often told myself that after MR.SPooky passes (he was born on halloween, thats where he got his name) ill probabally never have a pit again because no other one could match him.
remember its all in how YOU raise the animal..
spooky

[Jessica Loesch]

Pit bulls are great, loving, sweet.


I wouldn't steer anyone away from one.


But to address your question, would it be a good family pet?

I do know that they love to chew. You are going to have to be really strict about this. You can train them out of it, but make sure you have the time and patience to keep them trained well, whether that involves putting them in a kennel when you are gone (can be a great training tool when used properly if the kennel is large enough and provides a secure, safe spot the dog likes to be), or being extra strict (which may or may not deter their playful urge to chew on things, it depends on the dog).
This will be 100% worse with puppies.

As far as being safe, sure. They are safe. Just remember if you choose to adopt, you need to know that dog's background. Not everyone takes the time and care to properly raise a dog. If you can find an adult from a home where maybe they had to get rid of it because of apartment restrictions or something, that would be best. A puppy would be easier to make sure there is no issues, but as mentioned, it may be more difficult to condition them.

All dogs have the potential to be dangerous. Just like all retics have the potential to be dangerous when they are larger. But we know how that goes.


Good luck on your decision, and make sure you think about the time and patience you will be devoting to your new dog, whether it be puppy or adult, whether it be pit or other type of dog. And remember, do not buy a dog based on "temperament score" found in an article, as it is likely not evidenced based research, plus it will ALWAYS depend on individual dog and how you raise them/how they have been raised. You can pretty much say that any type of dog will have a similar outcome if the same person uses the same methods to raise them. Some may have more chewing tendencies than others, or barking tendencies, etc. But besides that, temperamental wise, it should mostly depend on you! I'm guessing the article was based on experiences noted by owners, and I bet that the golden retriever people gave less time and devotion to raising their dog because it is "supposed to be a great family pet" already, and the pit owners gave the dogs more time and devotion, to prove a point that pits are really great dogs, plus the people owning them obviously love dogs or they wouldn't be choosing a pit.

Happy dog hunting

[Homegrownscales]

I'll just say I love my Pitt he's the best dog I've ever had. I got him when he was 8wks. Personally I love the pup stage and we've never looked back. He's been around animals of every kind, kids of all ages, everything. Socialization and training and discipline are the key to every dogs success. Keep in mind Pitts are a breed that need a strong leader.



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