Adopting a pit bull

Toby4Life · 10-04-2008, 08:16 PM

I'm in the process of adopting another dog! I think I've found the perfect match for us and he just so happens to be a pit bull. The last thing I need to do before it's official is bring Toby to meet him (Lewis) to be sure they get along. I'm curious about people's opinions/experience with this.

I'd guess Lewis is about 6 mos. old so I'm wondering if I'll even get a good idea how he'll be or if he could end up completely different after he matures more (I know Toby at 6 mos. wasn't much what he's like now).

Also, any thoughts/suggestions/comments on adding a second dog to a home would be welcomed. I want this to be a good thing in Toby's mind.

zimandtakandgrrandmimi · 10-04-2008, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby4Life

I'm in the process of adopting another dog! I think I've found the perfect match for us and he just so happens to be a pit bull. The last thing I need to do before it's official is bring Toby to meet him (Lewis) to be sure they get along. I'm curious about people's opinions/experience with this.

I'd guess Lewis is about 6 mos. old so I'm wondering if I'll even get a good idea how he'll be or if he could end up completely different after he matures more (I know Toby at 6 mos. wasn't much what he's like now).

Also, any thoughts/suggestions/comments on adding a second dog to a home would be welcomed. I want this to be a good thing in Toby's mind.

Have you met Lewis face to face would be my first question.

My second question would be concerning BSL in your area. Do you have Dangerous dog laws..insurance practices..etc in your area?

Also what kind of temperment does toby have?

lastly if you haven't already I would suggest running through this website

www.workingpitbull.com

and a few others I will post for you if you'd like...

Dakota Spirit · 10-04-2008, 08:35 PM

Also, please be aware now that Pits are prone to dog aggression. It doesn't mean they all experience it and it doesn't mean you can't have two dogs in the house - you just need to be aware and ready to handle any such situation.

This page has some good pointers as well as a link to information on the practice of "Crate and Rotate", which is one way to handle dog aggression in multi-animal homes. Keep in mind that it doesn't just have to be a crate either. You can rotate using different rooms of the house as well.

http://www.pbrc.net/second_dog.html

Darkmoon · 10-04-2008, 08:45 PM

Also when considering bringing a Pit Bull into your house, are you prepared to "Crate and Rotate" if necessary? Some Pit Bulls start showing signs of Dog Aggressiveness between the age of 18months and 2 years. If this Pit does turn out to be DA, are you prepared for this? Are you strong enough to keep this breed from pulling you on your behind to get to another dog? Pit Bulls have a lot more to them then just the avg. dog.

Are you prepared for the negative comments you WILL receive from family, friends, people on the street?

I'm surprised that the shelter your getting Lewis from are allowing you to get him when there is another Male in the house. Are you prepared for that?

Make sure this is the breed for you and your family. I really encourage you to read up on the breed before you bring him home, beyond just the breed standards.

Pit Bull history:
http://www.pitbull411.com/history.html

Bad Rep a good site with a lot of information:
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/

Pitbulllovers:
http://www.pitbulllovers.com/general...-articles.html

BSL and other facts:
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/

I'm not trying to talk you out of adopting Lewis, in fact I'm happy you are considering him, but I also want you to be prepared for the future. You can get a Pit Bull as a puppy then have them be completely different later in life. Its like that for any dog really. But when you own a Pit Bull, its not just your dog, that dog reflects on EVERY Pit bull alive. If a Pit Bull on the other side of the world does something bad, it reflects on your dog. So just be prepared for the worse and hope it never happens

zimandtakandgrrandmimi · 10-04-2008, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dakota Spirit

Also, please be aware now that Pits are prone to dog aggression. It doesn't mean they all experience it and it doesn't mean you can't have two dogs in the house - you just need to be aware and ready to handle any such situation.

This page has some good pointers as well as a link to information on the practice of "Crate and Rotate", which is one way to handle dog aggression in multi-animal homes.

http://www.pbrc.net/second_dog.html

Hey! I waz gonna post that one!

anyways...yes...pits are prone to dog aggression. This is absolutly nothing that should scare you away from this dog. I own tow pit bulls. one is dog aggressive. The only thing that means is your dogs cannot be unsupervised and free to roam. Meaning they cannot have the run of the house together when you are not there.

Pits are typically VERY high energy dogs...Springpoles are excellent for burning off some of that energy as well as flirtpoles and treadmills. Consistent everyday training is a must. And as a whole with their people pleaser temperments they tend to respond much much better to clicker training than other methods.

is Lewis on Petfinder? Can we see him?

Toby4Life · 10-04-2008, 09:56 PM

Here's the link to check him out.

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/dis...petid=11713873

I'll try to get to all of the questions:
We did meet him and interacted with him for about 30 mins. a few days ago. He's really exactly what we were looking for and our main requirement was in regards to his temperment. He seemed like an absolute sweet heart, very gentle, pretty laid back, easy going, etc. Our current dog, Toby, is a pretty mellow guy as well though he has a TON of energy to release on our walks/runs/trainings/games. He gets along great with other dogs and loves to play. He's pretty well trained but isn't to the point where he is a robot - he's definitely all dog!!

As for being able to handle Lewis, I'm definitely not underestimating him but I'm also not in the slightest worried about it (though my SO may be a different story).

Being a representative for the entire breed is actually one of the reasons I'd like to adopt him. I'm very familiar with their reputation and I'd like to do all I can to ensure this stereotype isn't continued. The snide comments and such from friends and family would be welcomed as I hope to have a shinning example of the excellent qualities of this breed in an effort to disprove people's misconceptions.

There isn't any BSL in my area and I own my own house where the ins. doesn't even ask for breed. I think the main reason the Humane Society isn't concerned about us already having a male is because of Lewis's laid-back temperment - though I haven't officially been approved yet so that's yet to be seen.

As for him being right for my family - he fits all the attributes we are looking for and I've done a lot of reasearch on the breed including talking for some people I know who are current pit bull owners.

Thanks for the feedback; I'll take a lot at the sites provided and check back for additional comments/suggestions. Let me know if I left anything out.

zimandtakandgrrandmimi · 10-04-2008, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby4Life

Here's the link to check him out.

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/dis...petid=11713873

I'll try to get to all of the questions:
We did meet him and interacted with him for about 30 mins. a few days ago. He's really exactly what we were looking for and our main requirement was in regards to his temperment. He seemed like an absolute sweet heart, very gentle, pretty laid back, easy going, etc. Our current dog, Toby, is a pretty mellow guy as well though he has a TON of energy to release on our walks/runs/trainings/games. He gets along great with other dogs and loves to play. He's pretty well trained but isn't to the point where he is a robot - he's definitely all dog!!

As for being able to handle Lewis, I'm definitely not underestimating him but I'm also not in the slightest worried about it (though my SO may be a different story).

Being a representative for the entire breed is actually one of the reasons I'd like to adopt him. I'm very familiar with their reputation and I'd like to do all I can to ensure this stereotype isn't continued. The snide comments and such from friends and family would be welcomed as I hope to have a shinning example of the excellent qualities of this breed in an effort to disprove people's misconceptions.

There isn't any BSL in my area and I own my own house where the ins. doesn't even ask for breed. I think the main reason the Humane Society isn't concerned about us already having a male is because of Lewis's laid-back temperment - though I haven't officially been approved yet so that's yet to be seen.

As for him being right for my family - he fits all the attributes we are looking for and I've done a lot of reasearch on the breed including talking for some people I know who are current pit bull owners.

Thanks for the feedback; I'll take a lot at the sites provided and check back for additional comments/suggestions. Let me know if I left anything out.

on the workingpitbull site there is a link to a forum. This forum is frequented by the woman who created Law Dogs Usa and the working pit bull site as well as many breeders and trainers and owners of pit bulls. it is a good place to go to learn and get support for any issues that might pop up...very cool place...you should definatly check it out.

another good site

www.apbtconformation.com

which contains the pit bull encyclopedia.

things health related to read up on

Hip Dysplasia
Demodectic Mange

these are two of the most common conditions that affect the breed. If I were you and I got him, I would have his hips checked as early as possible. Catch it early if it is going to happen so that you don't end up with a bunny hopping pain riddled dog.

Mange isn't too big of a deal but knowing about itreatments and such beforehand helps.

DON'T ever leave him in a car or an unsecured area. Pit Bulls are very often stolen for not good purposes. A kid recently broke into my house to try and steal one of my dogs. one of my rescue pit bulls was stolen also. I know and have read of and spoken to many others who have had their pit bulls stolen as well. they are so people friendly they will just let someone take them without a fight more often than not.

now to the fun stuff.

Pits tend to have a lot of drive. Use it to your advantage. Springpoles are sooo much fun for them and are an incredible workout. they are easy to build..cheap and your dog will most likely go bananas for it.

Flirts you can find loads of info on.

if you can..get his canine good citizen cert or a therapy work cert. It will do wonders for your boy and for the breed.

and of course he may turn out to be a couch potatoe and that's cool too..
Any pit specific questions?

when you have them meet do it on neutral ground preferably off leash and don't let the pup bug your older guy too much and they should be fine...they may squabble a little but that is normal. Just remove the object of the squabbling..toy..food..whatever..

I think that is all I have for now...hope I don't sound too much like a pompous windbag

You sound like you will make a decent pit owner. and he is definatly a cutie...

ps.

.I can give you some dog aggression related stuff if you would like..simply to have it on hand and be able to recognize the signs should they appear.

Jen D · 10-05-2008, 11:00 AM

There are so many Pits in the Humane Society have you considered a female? Doing rescue for years with the American Bulldogs we would not let two males go together even if one of the dogs were laid back. Good luck on your search for your second dog and I hope you find one that will make you and your dog happy.

Spicy1_VV · 10-05-2008, 03:58 PM

The main concern would be dog aggression if Lewis does grow up to become DA because you already have another dog.

4-6 months old is extremely young to know a dogs temperament. I think you just have to be ready to keep them separated or keep a very close eye on them if they start to have issues. You should also never leave them unsupervised together. Even dogs that always get along most of the time might get into a tiff but it could be much more serious when a Pit is involved and no one there to stop it.

Training and more training will be good, if he is the type of dog you can get to focus you can better teach him that behaviors are unacceptable or get his attention if needed. There isn't a guarantee that if there is a confrontation he will totally listen to you but it is much more likely that you can get his attention and prevent a fight. Prevention can be very important.

You can start crate training for him over night. You can order a breaking stick off the Pit rescue site and I believe the $ goes towards helping the dogs.

You should socialize him and build his confidence levels too. He sounds like a really sweet dog with that pit love temperament if you can bring him out of his shell. You could consider the puppy kindergarten classes with him too.

He might be very laid back or he might be one that needs more work and excercise. He is so young now that it is hard to tell. It is just something to keep in mind.

TeddieXRuxpin · 10-05-2008, 04:23 PM

I think starting with him now is better than starting later. Training is going to be a HUGE factor and will be a must if you bring him home.

Britches has been living with me for 6 months. Not knowing his background because he was found on the street, but I have 100% faith that because of his training he is a wonderful dog. I know for a fact if he wasn't he would be hell on wheels because he's already like a bull in a China shop. He has matured in the last few months, but he's still only 9 months old. That next year or two is the tell tell.

I don't have much to add because so many others have given great advice. Good luck with whatever decision you do make. And we will need pictures if he does come home with you.

Spicy1_VV · 10-06-2008, 06:57 PM

Two big concerns are BSL and home owners insurance. These should always be a concern. Not to be worry free.

BSL can be passed at anytime, there used to not be BSL anywhere now many cites have it. Some places didn't have BSL 5yrs, 3yrs or 1yr ago. If BSL is passed there are few options. 1. Have your dog PTS , 2. Give your dog to new home 3. Keep your dog illegally (be a criminal) 4. Move to a place without BSL

If there is a grandfather law which not all have you could get lucky and keep your pet without much worry. Other times grand father laws come with restrictions, allowing you to keep your pet but to adhere to their policy. Which could be carrying extra liability insurance, muzzling your dog in public, keeping your dog contained in your home or in a kennel or fence with dig proofing and possibly a top, be registered which is often a higher fee (sometimes much higher) then normal city licensing, these are just a few things you might have to do.

If your HOI chooses to change their policy that means you have to try and find one which will accept you having this breed. Ours didn't ask about breed either, they didn't have a black list and obviously didn't care. That is until they changed their policy and sent a letter stating that as of whatever date they no longer insure owner of Pit Bulls. Therefore you get dropped.

When owning this type a breed there is a lot that comes with it having nothing to do with the dog himself. You must always be prepared.