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Looking at either a pitbull or dogo for a first dog

1K views 22 replies 9 participants last post by  serges 
#1 ·
I looking a get my first own dog in the future. I've narrowed my breeds down to either a pitbull or a dogo argintino.

If anyone had some advice on either breed please share
 
#5 ·
An adult pit bull, known to be good with cats, could be a fine choice. I would suggest against a Dogo or a pit bull under about 2 years old.

Pit bulls are medium to high energy dogs, but in my opinion, they also have a good "off switch" usually for being pretty relaxed around the house. Most are quite good with children but some of the younger ones can be too rambunctious and playful around a small child. Prey drive varies a lot. They are terriers of course and prey drive towards cats isn't unusual but I also know of a number of pit bulls that live happily with cats. Separating the cat and dog when you aren't home is a good idea in general, regardless of dog breed.

ALL dogs should be supervised when they are around children. I had my foster pit bull around my friend's 6 month old baby several times and she was nicely gentle but there is no way I'd leave ANY dog alone within reach of a small child (under say, 8-10 years old depending on the dog and maturity of the child).
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the advice. I do have some experience with pitbulls I took care of a year and a half old male that was lost and he was the most amazing dog I've ever seen. Especially for be "new" to my house he listen very well
I've also taken Care of larger breeds such as Saint Bernards and husky/rottie mixes

How do pit bull handle cold I know they have short hair. I live in a place where it's warm in summer and cold in winter
 
#9 ·
Pit bulls should be inside dogs year-around. I mean living inside with of course plenty of exercise and walks outside with their humans. Not sure if that's what you mean by "most of the winter the dog would be inside" or if the dog would live outside part of the year like in a kennel.

That's pretty cold for many dogs, but with a proper coat and foot protection, it could be okay. I notice the pit bulls seem to show signs of being cold at about the freezing mark and if it is below about 20 F, then they need a coat and they only want to be outside while moving briskly on a walk or run and around the 0 F or if the wind chill is bad, it is out for a potty break and right back inside.

You'll want to check that there are no local laws against pit bulls ("Breed specific legislation" or BSL for short) and that your homeowners insurance will cover pit bulls. In the United States, State Farm insurance covers all breeds everywhere that all breeds are legal.

Any dog is going to be a lot of work with a new baby. You may want to consider waiting at least until your new little one is closer to a year old (at least past the really tiring no sleep at all stage) or consider hiring a dog walker some days to exercise the dog and make life a little easier. A puppy and a new baby would be an insane amount of work, an adult dog is THE way to go.
 
#10 ·
I recently got a pit from a local foster program and you are right about not being outside dogs at all. I'm here in Colorado and it is snowing right now. He does not do well in the cold and I have to coax him to go outside to do his business but he quickly returns to be back in the warmth. Their short hair make them inside dogs. If your climate was always warm they could be outside more. However if mine is any indication they are more of people dogs and want to be beside you constantly.
 
#11 ·
Ya well I won't be getting one until we buy a house. Our current landlords prefer us not to have a dog due to past incidents with other renters. This won't be for about a year to two so they child will be a little older.

I live in Alberta Canada, so it would only be for longer periods in the summer when both wife and I are at work. Winter would be different pretty much outside to go to the bathroom or on nicer days for exercise.

I don't believe there are any by laws on pit bulls where I live, it's small towns where I live. And no one ever said anything when I was taking care of the pit bull I found.

Another question, is there any good threads with tips and techniques for training? I'm looking for when I get a dog to train it not to be a full guard dog, but protective enough it will let unknown people to my house with out being to aggressive
 
#14 ·
Another question, is there any good threads with tips and techniques for training? I'm looking for when I get a dog to train it not to be a full guard dog, but protective enough it will let unknown people to my house with out being to aggressive
There is a lot of good discussion on training in the "Training" section and also in the general discussions. I will say that you do NOT want a pit bull as a guard dog or protective dog. Training a real protection dog takes a lot of work and time and in general, pit bulls are just so very very friendly that they don't really have the heart for guard work. With kids, it is far safer to have a dog that will simply bark and look a little scary than to have a dog that you expect to act on anything.

Most dogs will bark at strangers, pit bulls are usually vocal enough to begin with that they will bark at strangers and trust me, when a stranger (like a salesman or utility worker) comes up towards my front door and a 50-60 lbs pit bull flies to the window barking at the stranger, they all take a few steps back.

I think that a year or two will help in terms of the age of the kids and it will give you time to research the breed, training classes or locations (in the winter, it is great fun and very useful to take a training class that is indoors for both mental and physical exercise), and start talking to pit bull/bully breed rescues who can help match you up with an cat and kid friendly adult dog.
 
#15 ·
Also I just wanted to say if you do maybe decide to go with a different breed that is known to be protective I think most people get way more than they bargained for... I got my GSD because at the time I lived in a bad neighborhood. I knew he would be protective, but it is no joke he has the potential to really hurt somebody if I don't work with him all the time. He went through a lot of training because of something you are looking for, he barks at people he doesn't know. When they knock on the door he barks, and if you never met Eko before it is pretty scary. If you stepped back or let him know in any way you were scared he would corner you against the door! So like Shell said it takes tons of training and time. And I agree true pits are bad guard dogs, too friendly for it.
 
#16 ·
Ya the one I watch at first won't bark really at anyone but it wouldn't avoid anyone that showed up. After a while he would bark when people he didn't know showed up. And that's all I really ment by protector, or if when my kids are older and they are taking the dog for a walk if some goes after them the dog isn't gonna just sit there and lick the person face.
But something like that happening where I live is extremely rare. I don't think it's ever happened at all in this area. It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone here and in the surrounding towns. The most populated town where I live has about 1500 people at most.
 
#17 ·
Pit bulls are very lovely dogs and misunderstood in a lot of places, at least in the US (not sure about anywhere else.) I wanted one when I was much younger, but never had the opportunity due to them being much larger than what we could handle in our small home. Best of luck in choosing a new pup though, whatever you do!
 
#19 ·
It's important to make sure the breed will fit into your lifestyle. You have some experience with the a so maybe you already know. Often the wrong people get them for the wrong reasons. Almost all I've met have been very friendly but the owners are the type to have them out and about in the first place.

I've met about 4 Dogos and it's the same story although all of them seemed a bit standoffish. Not unfriendly but not eager to be petted either. They are a powerful breed and will need a comittment. I'm sure you looked up the history of the breed, I wouldn't want one mad at me but they look like they'd make a good family dog. Very protective.
 
#20 ·
I'm a new member, but have considerable experience with mixed and pure bred dogs. I won't comment on the specific breeds you are looking at, as I have no direct experience. However, let me say this. I've had dogs that were a pure joy to have with almost no effort, and dogs that I had to work VERY HARD WITH so they could be a joy to have. If you are prepared to put LOTS of time and LOTS of $$$ (yes, I believe that unless you are an expert, you may need to spend considerable cash for training assistance and advice), certain type of dogs should be avoided. My wife and I purchased a 'transition' dog just over two years ago. He is a Tornjak which is a Live Stock Guardian breed. We then purchased another one 3 months later. We love them to death, but never had any idea how much time, effort, and expenses would be incurred in training these dogs to be socially responsible. Two years later, we still belong to a club that allows us to attend as many classes as we can sign up for monthly and I doubt we will ever be able to relax the training. Is it worth it? Absolutely. But, most first time dog owners would have probably given up.

Please be sure to select the dog based on what you can put into the dog. Time is probably the key here. We still spend at least 1.5 hours a day walking and training the boys.

Cheers!
 
#21 ·
x2. I loved the look of the giant schnauzer (thank god i didnt pick a large, dominant male- I wasnt that stupid) and even though I had 20 years plus of dog ownership-- we in no way were really prepared for our small giant schnauzer female-- we spent $2000 enrolling ourselves in bootcamp with her and have free lifetime drop ins...
Luckily she is in no way as difficult as the above breed, and has mellowed out some at age 4... but still its constant vigiliance with her....I dont think a first time dog owner would have made it through with her-- and I doubt i will ever have another one (unless I am an extremely fit retiree or move to the wilderness and quit working a "job")...
 
#22 ·
also in terms of your climate you def need to bring those breeds in at night.
(Pittbulls can be fine family dogs but they do have a tendency for aggression with other dogs, are at the very least be "dog selective"... our first dog in our own home as adults was a pitt bull and she was fine companion but too dog aggressive to maintain in town we rehomed her to our parents who had a very large fenced yard in a suburb)...
also we have 2 fenced acres and its not enough room for our schnuazer in that she needs daily walks and stimulation (not sure if that would be enough for a dogo either) or she becomes a nuisance at the fenceline, guarding it and harassing passers-by....
 
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