Adoption: How malleable is an adult's behavior?

Orwell said:

I am looking at adopting a pit bull on the advice of many members of this forum as well as people I have talked to out and about....

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First Things first. Thank you. As a pit owner and rescuer...thank you.

Now to business..

I only have one question about the process, and that is how malleable is doggie behavior in an adult? I only ask because I will be a dog newb.

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Depends on the dog. There are a whole bunch of different factors that make up a dog's temperment.

Genetics, early life, state of the dog's health to name three of the big ones..

Primarily, I find the prospect of an adult dog with a adult sized bladder very attractive!! I will likely be working 8 hour shifts and I think an adult would be better suited to my lifestyle right off the bat. But what if the adult has potty training issues? The adults are pretty fast learners, correct? And any issues in that respect would be brought to my attention by the rescuer anyway, right?

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Yes, a quality rescue should be able to give you an in depth run down of the particulars of the dog you are checking out.

One suggestion I have would be to enquire with whichever agency you hope to go through if you can do a series of meet'n'greets with the dog in more than one location.

What about other issues like, perhaps dog aggression? Is it possible to socialize an adult out of any DA? Again, this is likely an issue the rescue would have brought to my attention and possibly dealt with before my adopting the dog, right?

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Ok so here is the thing about DA pit Bulls..

If they have it, they have it.
If they dont , they don't.
But you won't know it
Until they show it.

DA can happen at any age and for any number of reasons.

But generally, take the worst case scenario behavior........ Would it be correctable with time, patience and training?

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Mmmm.....maybe...with most of them...yes...a select few...no...but WAIT...don't flip out..

The best treatment for DA is prevention.

Don't put your dog into a situation where YOU don't have complete control....like off leash dog parks for example...

I've watched lots of DogTown on National Geographic Channel, and it seems that they are rather successful with the most troubled of dogs, given enough time..... So is this the case with most?

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See bolded.

I'm not saying the dog will have issues, who know, my adopted dog might be the most perfect in the world!!! I'm just looking at what ifs, just to be prepared...

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This is the part where I give you homework lol.

www.workingpitbull.com Go to the bookstore on this site and copy down those titles. Track as many of those books down as you can.

Also I think I saw a post about you reading books by R+ trainers. Keep up with that reading.

[/QUOTE]
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best! That's the best mindset I guess!!

Thanks guys![/QUOTE]

That is the mindset of the MOST responsible of Pit Bull Owners.

Which means you will do smashingly.