Owning a pitbull is asking for trouble?

Question

On saturday I am getting a 6 and a half week old pitbull/boxer mix puppy. I was always under the impression that its how you raise the dog that makes it mean or not. But I been hearing alot of things about the fight gene just being in the pitbulls and at any moment it can snap and attack even the hand that feeds it. Should I been worried? They say(besides training and how it was raised) that it really just depends on the bloodline, and how the parents were. Is this true? The litter was dumped and no one knows who they belonged to so no one knows if the parents of the litter were mean, nice or whatever. I am kinda concerned now. If I raise my pup with love and train her properly, should I still be worried?

Answer 1

One thing a reputable dog breeder will look for in their breeding potentials is tempermant. This is done for a reason. If the tempermant of the parents meant nothing to a future litter, then why do they bother? Genetics has a little to do with how a puppy might turn out as far as tempermant. I'm not saying nuture means nothing, but a predisposition to bad tempermant can be of issue with any dog.

I would say that good training and establishing yourself as the alpha in the home is going to be crucial in brining this puppy up in a proper way. Not all pups who have parents of bad tempermants will turn up the same way, you just have a higher risk of this being the case.

Answer 2

What ever you have heard about a fight gene well I personally think that is all crap. No Dogs inherits anykind of gene for fighting. Everything a dog knows is either Learned or Taught to them. If the mother dog was a mean dog, It would have had to be with the pups long enough to teach them the mean habits, therefore the pups would have learned the meanness from the mother not inherited them through bloodline. You should not worry about your puppy being hostile or anything if you raise it to love everyone it will. I hate the fact that people are so predjuces against Pit bulls, I love them, Let me tell you a few reasons why I think they are Great, I own several of them, So I'm speeking from experiance; They are fairly quick learners So there for being easy to train. They are verry Loyal to thier providers, They LOVE children. And they love to play. Although when they are young they love to chew chew chew SO I would suggest getting toys or raw hide chews, Unless you like chewed up funiture. lol
Anyway Please don't judge anything by what other people say You should never have a perdjuce unless it is by first hand experiance. If you was to give this pup a chance you would see that everything you hear is not always right. I have faith people will come around one day. If you would you should check out my site,
www.jesuslovesme.bravehost.com

Answer 3

I really believe that just like any other breed, without papers or meeting the parents, you don;t know what you will get. I had a pit bull who was the sweetest dog in the world. My main piece of advice would be to make the dogs knows you are the boss. Do not be agressive with her when training, just firm so she knows you are the dominant one. I wouldn't worry about it too much if you train her and love her properly. Pay close attention to her behavior as a puppy, is she skiddish, tail between the legs often, or a fun loving pup? Try puppy classes and socialize her as much as possible when she is very young.

Answer 4

I believe that behavior in humans and animals has a genetic component. If you get a dog from a breeder who breeds for show and/or family pets, you can raise yourself a fine pooch. If either of the puppy's parents shows aggression toward humans, you might want to approach the situation with caution. Just because it's a pit bull doesn't mean it can't be a loving, lovable pet and outstanding member of the community. But be aware that some people breed dogs (pit bulls and rottweilers in particular) to produce the meanest, most aggressive puppies they can get. Breeding matters. Just be selective, train and raise your pup with love and respect, and I'm sure you'll have a terrific dog!

Answer 5

I have owned pitbulls all my life and thank you for saying it, it is how u raise the pitbull, it is not having anything to do with the bloodline. But be warned, your going to need to spend a lot of time with it, expectially when its a puppy. I have a 9 month old pit right now and she still needs a lot of attention. And ur fear about the dog will attack you at any point, is not true. Just remember spend a lot of time with it, and make sure u let it get to know ur loved ones. That dog will protected u with its life. I love pit bulls, they are an amazing breed of dogs, and I have to agree with the girl who had to comment about rottweilers, It just depends on how u raise them. U need not to worry.

Hope I helped you in ur search for a puppy

Answer 6

If you raise your dog with love, your going to have one loving pittbull on your hands. If you yell at it, abuse it, and things like that you will have one mean pittbull on your hands. However you might have a prob with it getting along with other dogs, but you have that chance with alot of breeds. I would suggest taking it to a puppy class, where it can be around other breeds of dogs and get trained at the same time. The only reason why people are afraid of dogs like pittbulls is because the world always has to through them in the news, when they do something wrong. Any dog is able to hurt anyone at any given time, if it was raised bad. Im sure there are Golden Retrivers and Labs all over the place that attack their owners due to abuse, but you never here of it. I have a Rott and she is a big baby, she loves everyone, even new people who come over she has no prob with, and she gets along great with my two cats. Give your dog love and you will be fine. Dont let other people worry you about the breed.

Answer 7

yes it is true on the Way u raise a pit bull to be good or bad
''raise in it to fight dogs or bit people ''
and the blood line of the parents was they fighting dogs or just mean dogs or not if so the pup can b the same way
but u have a mix pit so u should b OK u and the dog
pit bulls r not bad dogs just the wrong kind of owner get them

Answer 8

I have a lab/pitbull who would not hurt a flea. He's now 10. We had his jaw checked by a vet when he was a puppy & he had the Lab's jaw. We just got a 9 week old purebred lab & my mix is tolerating him, the puppy nips at him but he's good & he's great with my 3 yr old grandson. Boxers are awesome dogs. I think you'll be just fine with lots of love. Keep him around people all the time. I don't reccommend playing tug of war with your pup. I think it causes aggression. With any dog, you should always be concerned.

Answer 9

Pit bulls are a difficult breed to own, because of the stigma that comes along with them. that being said, they are also WONDERFUL, loveable, loyal and smart dogs. part of what you heard is true, when it comes to a "fight gene". pit bulls are often dog aggressive, because it is what has been bred into them. no amount of love or training can get rid of dog aggression, instead it has to be managed. the thing is, dog aggression is NOT the same as aggression towards people. just because your dog might not like other dogs does not mean he will turn on you. the fact that he is mixed with boxer, a breed that is generally really easy going with dogs and people, might reduce the chance of your pup being dog aggressive. still, it is always a possibilty and can show up later in life. check out pitbullforum.com. it is the BEST resource for all things pit bull that i have ever seen. make sure your pup is trained (enroll him in a class if you can) and socialized with all kinds of dogs and people. good luck!

Answer 10

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