I adopted a dog from a "rescue shelter", claiming this animal was a boxer/beagle mix, perfect for the house and my 3 kids.... but now that the dog is about 6-8 months old, its a full blown pit.... i have an 8 year old, 4 and 3..... should i get rid of it?? its really smart, but im just afraid of all the urban gossip.... good advice would be great!!!
2006-12-26 16:33:53 · 13 answers · asked by chopstik 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I have been working with pit bulls for the last ten years and I absolutely love these dogs. As a dog trainer I have trained them in Search and Rescue, Therapy and Service work. And pitbulls in general pass temperment tests at a rate of over 95%. How you raise, train and socialise them is far more important than what breed they are or what they look like. As a parent it is responsible to take any dog you own to obedience class (petco or petsmart have very affordable classes) and to make sure you train them. You may be suprised to hear that in england pitbulls are called "nanny dogs" because they are traditional companions of children, being very loving and protective of them. Check out the links below and contact a local dog trainer.
2006-12-26 21:05:43 · answer #1 · answered by jungles_fury 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Animals will act the way they are raised. As long as this dog isn't acting mean or aggressive I would keep it. My brother had a pit bull since it was a puppy and took very good care of it, it turned out to be very sweet and gentle. Just keep an eye on your dog and make sure he's still being gentle with the kids.
2006-12-27 22:02:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
There's no such thing as a bad dog only a bad owner. Animals react to how you treat them. If you treat the dog gently and with respect and teach the children to do the same there shouldn't be any problem.
I'm not sure how you tell the difference between a pit bull and a staff myself. Are you sue it even is a pit bull?
2006-12-27 05:44:49 · answer #3 · answered by gerrifriend 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have had a pit bull mix, she was the sweetest most laid back dog I've ever owned. Now we have a lab/pit mix and he's very sweet. He's got the lab hyperness and he's just a clown in general. Harley wouldn't dream of hurting anyone. It's all in how the dog is trained and raised. Harley loves all our neighbors and they all just adore him. My one neighbor has 2 small nieces he loves to go over and see and he's always very gentle with them.
On the flip side, I'm sure if anyone tried to harm me Harley would make sure they got the bad end of the deal, even tho he's not shown any sign of aggressiveness at this stage.
We raise and train with a firm but loving hand, no 'nibbling' on hands etc is allowed, but he can 'kiss' if he wants.
A dog is only as bad as he's trained to be.
2006-12-28 12:35:10 · answer #4 · answered by geodragonlady1159 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you have questions or issues you should talk to a reputable local breeder of American Staffordshires, Staffordshire Terriers, or American Pit Bull Terriers. They would be able to help you asses whether you are capable of giving this dog a good home. Pits and all of their bully breed cousins, need to be owned by people who are capable of handling the breed. They can be stubborn, difficult to train to certain behaviors and they are definately a management issue (in regards to other people's reactions to your dog). They are well worth it though. All of the bully breeds make excellant pets, bond strongly to their families, are protective and careful with their pack. This ONLY occurs with a family who is assertive (not abusive), and educated about bully breed behavior. As I said, a local breeder, or a good trainer (someone who's open minded but realistic enough to tell you if this dog won't fit with you) can help you determind if this breed is a good mix for your family. Do not throw him away just because of the gossip. You are now a part of the pit family, and you need to be responsible at least to the dog that you adopted by finding him a good home or a good rescue. In the future, shelters and rescues often describe pits as boxer mixes because it allows them to not only keep the dogs in the facility and adopt them out (many have a kill policy due to poor breeding in the local community) as well as allowing them to sell the good qualities of the dog without having to fight the pit bull stigma you are now concerned about. Best of luck with him, and use this experience and the knowledge you are gaining from seeing them as pups to help, even if you don't keep him, you have to now be able to see that they are not the baby killers people make them out to be.
2006-12-27 09:56:43 · answer #5 · answered by skachicah35 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't think it's an urban myth. I know of 2 families who had Pits from the time they were 6 weeks old. As adult dogs they turned on a family member and caused each of them serious injury. I know the dogs were never mistreated in anyway to cause this to happen. Your children's safety is much more important than the dog no matter how much you love him.
2006-12-27 16:34:06 · answer #6 · answered by glodi33 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Take it to a dog behavor trainer. It needs training, then it might be a good dog for you still. Lots of people say they have kids and pits, and they do fine together. Personally, I don't like pits with or without kids, but whatever floats your boat and doesn't sink mine is fine by me. But get it trained. And secure it, don't let it run loose otherwise I hope someone does to you what I do to my neighbor... oh nice policeman, that pit bull is running around loose again...
2006-12-27 16:29:01 · answer #7 · answered by nokhada5 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You said it, "urban gossip". I have a Pit Bull, he's not my first. As with any dog (they are still animals with feelings), your dog is going to be as loving as you are to him/her. They are strong family dogs. Actually, they love attention so they love all people who give them good attention. They're loyalty however, remains with their family. I talk to my American Standard the same way I talked to my children as they developed in age, age appropriately. So, right now he's entering the teen "months", I have to remind him of things from time to time, then he does the eye rolling, but over all, treat your dog well and he/she will be very sweet to you, and the children.
2006-12-27 09:26:52 · answer #8 · answered by *~*~*~~~His Angel~~~*~*~* 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Animals will act the way they are raised. If you raise a dog to fight, he is going to be aggressive, if you raise a dog in a loving way, and they are treated right, they are going to be loveable. If he has been good to you and especially your kids, I would keep him. You just have to remember that anything with teeth can bite, especially when feeling threatened.
2006-12-27 03:47:47 · answer #9 · answered by Rachel R 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
my advice to you is if you like the dog then keep it and maybe fence your yard in and put a dog house outside for him and if u dont like it then take the thing back .....
good luck** always mimi
2006-12-27 22:39:49 · answer #10 · answered by hott m 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋