[synm26]

I just adopted a 8month old pup and am very nervous she has pit/boxer in her. Looking for all and any advice/info on these breeds and raising them correctly. She will be around children and many other animals so want to make sure she is raised properly to be a member of the family.

 

[Willowy]

What exactly are you nervous about when it comes to the breeds? All dogs need to be raised properly.

 

[BuggLover]

I would say raise her as you would any other dog. Anyone I know that has a larger bully breed (boxer, mastiff, pit bull, bulldog, etc.) has just raised them like any other dog and they have had no problems. That being said I have also heard some very troubling advise from random people saying that you need to yell and be really rough/tough with pit bulls to train them, some people even believe in hitting them when they are being "bad" because that is the only way to get through to them. Please don't listen to this junk, I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement and I have seen this work wonders on bully breeds before. I would also check with your local shelters and any bully breed rescue groups in your area, they often have training classes for people to help educate new owners. I know my Humane Society has a specific training class for Bully Breeds and their motto is for your dog to become an ambassador for this breed group.

 

[synm26]

Not nervous about boxers....but have had bad experiences my entire life with pits and pit mixes (live in nm where most of the time they are bought for the wrong reasons)...though I dont see my dog any diff or love her anyless.. Have seen how small mistakes in raising them leads to all the neighbors chickens, sheep, and many times children being bit and or killed. So want to make sure I learn as much as possible from actual responsible owners of these breeds. so excited to have her and learn!

 

[synm26]

I know my Humane Society has a specific training class for Bully Breeds and their motto is for your dog to become an ambassador for this breed group.

Great quote! She can be my little rolemodel for others ;p

 

[Shell]

I just adopted a 8month old pup and am very nervous she has pit/boxer in her. Looking for all and any advice/info on these breeds and raising them correctly. She will be around children and many other animals so want to make sure she is raised properly to be a member of the family.

She's a dog. No more, no less. Provide plenty of age appropriate exercise (don't do on-leash running until aged about 14+ months, no weight pulling until physical maturity either). Provide lots of positive training (no physical punishments- time outs are okay). Provide lots of love and affection. Socialize her with kids and dogs and like with ANY dog, always supervise when children are around. Pit bulls are usually very eager to be trained, very eager to please and very attention oriented which makes training fun and since they crave attention, simply taking away the attention is "punishment" enough

There isn't much "different" in how I treat the bully breeds than any other breed. I do suggest people make sure their homeowners or renters insurance doesn't have any breed restrictions (State Farm is a good choice often) as some blacklist pit types AND boxers (among other breeds like German Shepherds). Personally, I am not a fan of public dog parks for bully breeds; not because there aren't plenty of bullies that enjoy playing with other dogs but because IF anything happens, the public/media and sometimes even animal control will blame the "pit"

Maybe check out facebook for a bully breed group to socialize with and do fun events, group walks, find training classes etc.

 

[BuggLover]

Not nervous about boxers....but have had bad experiences my entire life with pits and pit mixes (live in nm where most of the time they are bought for the wrong reasons)...though I dont see my dog any diff or love her anyless.. Have seen how small mistakes in raising them leads to all the neighbors chickens, sheep, and many times children being bit and or killed. So want to make sure I learn as much as possible from actual responsible owners of these breeds. so excited to have her and learn!

I think I have been really lucky that I have never had a bad experience with a pit or pit mix, I think that is partially because Edmonton hasn't had any major problems with dog fighting. That being said we do have BSL, which they are currently reviewing so hopefully they will change the bylaws.
I would definitely recommend looking into training for bully breeds, it's a good way to get out and meet people with the same concerns and help each other. I am part of a Bully meetup group but they don't meet very often. Winston is just a little guy but he goes straight for the big guys when I take him out, one of his best friends in my area is a huge American Pit Bull Terrier, the two of them have a blast and he plays great with smaller dogs. So yah, just get her socialized and trained and she should be good.

 

[oldhounddog]

You or a family member may be in danger of being licked excessively and showered with kisses........




oldhounddog

 

[Shell]

Not nervous about boxers....but have had bad experiences my entire life with pits and pit mixes (live in nm where most of the time they are bought for the wrong reasons)...though I dont see my dog any diff or love her anyless.. Have seen how small mistakes in raising them leads to all the neighbors chickens, sheep, and many times children being bit and or killed. So want to make sure I learn as much as possible from actual responsible owners of these breeds. so excited to have her and learn!

Generally it is more like a serious of major abuse and neglect, not in any way small mistakes, that causes these dogs to be human aggressive. Chickens, well, that's just prey drive and nearly any dog will go for a chicken given a chance.

Dogs that are chained up are more likely to bite- they are often neglected, rarely socialized, encouraged to be "protective" which is basically a recipe for disaster.

Gross mismanagement is other factor-- there was a case of a mutt that killed an infant. The very very young infant was left alone with a large dog who it appeared may have just tried to treat her like a dog and "play." Entirely preventable and not even a case of human aggression.

The media also leads people to believe that "pits" have more bite incidents than they do... recently here the media reported so-called breaking news that a child had "almost had his hand bitten off by a pit bull." What a lot of people didn't get to see was the follow-up news story where they revised it to the correct facts that a child had been bitten (not severely) by a SHELTIE! Slightly different eh?

Edit to add:
Getting involved with a good group of responsible pit bull/bully breed owners is a GREAT way to learn a lot, see all the great things pitties can do, and get lots of positive interaction.
My rescue has dogs that are service dogs in training, dogs that go to schools to show kids how to treat dogs nicely and how to care for them, dogs that go to children's hospitals and places for abused kids to cheer them up etc.

 

[CourtC3]

Pit bulls can actually be sweet, very loyal family dogs as long as you train them properly (although I guess that can be said for any breed!). From what I've heard and experienced, most of the aggression that this breed is somewhat infamous for is a result of neglect or abuse. Just be patient, provide lots of positive reinforcement, and love her!

I think it's a great idea to get in touch with a local pit bull/bully breed organization. I'm sure they'll have great resources that you can use to figure out what works for you and your puppy.

 

[Fade]

treat them like you would any dog but I found it is important to make sure they are trained and have "manners" cause they are very excitable and rather heavy and sometimes they do not know when to stop. So training them to have manners helps. puppy classes would be a great thing for the dog it would get time around other dogs and people while learning commands. Also you will face prejudice against the dog at some point and a well mannered dog impresses on people. Boxers are super high energy dogs too so you will get double the dose of an over enthusiastic dog =-D ( i tell you this while mine romps around the yard leaving a path of destruction lol )

 

[zimandtakandgrrandmimi]

ahh the endless variations of confirmation bias and self fulfilling prophecies

youve had bad experiences. so youre expecting bad experiences. if you expect that of her, she'll give you that.

instead...how about this.... she's a dog. your dog. she's like an unfinished painting. she will be what you make of her. love her. teach her. give her your best and most of all, believe in her and in yourself. you'll be fine.

 

[titiaamor]

There are pit specific forums which are very helpful. They are terriers, and like all terriers, have a higher prey drive. This works in our favor as it keeps the mice out of the chicken feed

I have noticed in the 2 pits I've known well- minenow and a friend's from 8 years ago- that they are very loving to humans but people are often afraid of them. The cross the street to get away from Sacha....just something I had to get used to. And actually, as dumb as people can be around dogs, I'm happy to have the extra cautiousness.

 

[hanksimon]

I agree, especially with everything that Shell said.
1. You socialize all dogs with lots and lots of people.
2. Teach them Bite Inhibition so that teeth never touch skin.
3. Socialize them with lots of puppies and different dogs.
4. Try to find other dogs with the same energy level to play with.
5. Try to socialize them very young with chickens and with sheep.... Note that prey animals can be stationary or they can be moving, you have to socialize with both conditions.

I have a well-socialized Lab mix... sweet, gentle, comparatively harmless, even to sleeping cats or rabbits being held. If the cat or rabbit runs, he'll chase. Plus, if he sees squirrels under any condition ... they are prey...We didn't have squirrels when he was a puppy. it's a good thing he doesn't run quickly...

Prey animals are difficult to deal with, but sometimes socialization helps....

 

[Amaryllis]

Eating chickens does not make a dog bad. Kabota is the sweetest dog ever and he's killed 4 mice, 2 birds and 3 rabbits- on leash!

Pit bulls are dogs, plain and simple. Treat him with kindness and consideration and you'll get it back ten times over.

Have you seen bad pit bulls? Probably. Lots of idiots breed lots of dogs, leading to what I've seen: a human aggressive golden, a husky that did nothing but shake and fear aggressive labs. Bad breeding tends to make bad dogs, either in health or temperament. Not the dogs fault.

 

[synm26]

ahh the endless variations of confirmation bias and self fulfilling prophecies

youve had bad experiences. so youre expecting bad experiences. if you expect that of her, she'll give you that.

instead...how about this.... she's a dog. your dog. she's like an unfinished painting. she will be what you make of her. love her. teach her. give her your best and most of all, believe in her and in yourself. you'll be fine.

I am not expecting bad experinces at all just want to make sure she isnt one of those I am a experinced dog owner who is extremely excited to have her am seeing her for exactly what she is a dog with her own personality just wanted info on bully breeds....

 

[synm26]

Eating chickens does not make a dog bad. Kabota is the sweetest dog ever and he's killed 4 mice, 2 birds and 3 rabbits- on leash! .

Not bad dog but I do see them killing sheep, calves, and yes chickens as having a bad owner who doesnt take the necessary steps to protect there dog and other livestock....example dog was attacking a calf and the dog ended up dead with a hoof to the head .....the owners knew there dog attacked livestock....OH and i am by no means at all calling you a bad owner so please dont missunderstand me (who could be with that cute a pup around )

 

[synm26]

Thank you everyone for the great advice it was all very welcome and appreciated ! :clap2:

 

[synm26]

pics! :wave:

 

[destinylopez]

make sure they get lots oe exercise and put them around as many people and other animals as possible the more social the more confident and secure the dog very important for both those breeds oh and rules teach as soon as u can that u r the leader sit stay come when called are lfe savers have had pitts my whole life there a great breed loving kind full of life no better breed so enjoy it