Any advice on socializing my pit bull puppy?

Question

I adopted my pit bull puppy from a local animal shelter yesterday, and want to begin socializing asap. He is approx. 7-8 wk old neutered male. I will start walks around our neighborhood but I'm worried that won't be enough interaction for him. (We live on a military base and I don't see too many people dog-walking.) We are also pretty much in the middle of the desert with every "big" city at least an hour's drive away. Unfortunately, our town does not have a petsmart/petco or any dog parks either.

Should I make the drive out to "the city" and take him to dog parks/Petsmart there? I want him to take obedience classes, so this will eventually happen. What can I do for daily interaction/socializing here though? Any ideas?

To Abby_Normal: I didn't give you the thumbs down.. I actually really appreciate your advice, as well as the Answerer below you. It makes me sad to know that I probably won't be able to let my dog around others once he's older, but this is the choice I made. Thanks to everyone for their contributions - every bit helped! =)

Answer 1

Regardless of socialization, dont forget pit bull types are usually dog aggressive. They can turn on at any age, even if they are 10 and have never shown any signs.
As a responsible pit bull owner you shouldn't take your dog to dog parks or places where there will be a lot of dogs. It is harder to break something up if there are several dogs involved. If a dog happens to jump on your pup, there is a good chance your dog will severly injure or even kill the other dog.
Regardless of any training or socialization you cannot trust a pit bull type to get along with other dogs. It is something that comes with owning a pit bull type and should be heeded by any and all owners.
Good luck and enjoy your pup.

Edited: Give me as many thumbs down as you want. I have had over 30 years experience with the APBTs. I know them and know what they are capable of.
Do you really want to risk your dog's life? If you want a dog you can take to the dog park or allow to play with other dogs, you need to get a different breed than one of the pit bull types.

Answer 2

I agree wiuth what everyone else says, however an important detail to socializing your pup is to make sure that the socializing you do give him is quality as well as quantity. Meaning, make sure that the dogs that your pup come in contact with are balanced. Make sure that you ask other owners if the two dogs can meet and greet. As a previous Petsmart trainer I have seen many dogs get into fights because the owners allow thier dog to run up to every dog they see and get into thier face.
I'm not saying that to worry you, just know that not all dogs are friendly. And don't go by the tail wag either. It's just best to ask.
Oh, and also, when you do check out training, I honestly would suggest a trainer that uses what's called the "Natural Method". It is the use of rewards and corrections in a balance. Just like dogs would do in nature. Positive Reinforcement does work, (not on most dogs believe it or not), but even as a Petsmart trainer, I never ever used their corporate, mass-appealling methods. That place is only good for shopping and socialization. To give you an idea about all that I highly suggest you check out www.Leerburg.com and read Ed Frawley's theory on good dog training. Oh and by the way, the second set of shots should do him well. The third set is really just an overkill shot. And congrats and good luck with the new pup.

Answer 3

Once he has all of his vaccinations, I would definitely take him to the PetSmart classes even if its a bit of a drive. They are so much fun and you will definitely benefit from them. I started my jack russell in them as a pup...and we continued up through the advanced level. Its great...she loves seeing the other dogs. If you have the time....before or after the class try to find parks in the city area or walk the dog around town to meet people/dogs in a more crowded environment. Good luck! Bring your dog to as many places as you can with you.

Answer 4

You don't need dog parks in order to socialize the dog. Take him to an area where people are around, like a shopping center (not indoor mall) grocery store, etc and walk the dog up and down there, this at least will get him used to people. Also I assume, you have a Veterinarian in your area, find out from them where people might walk their dogs so you can "introduce" your pet to some. Make sure he gets lots of exercise and love and you should have yourself a great pet.

Answer 5

Good for you!! Yes puppy classes would be great! taking him with you to the pet store, doggie daycare is also great!! We have an Akita puppy and they also tend to be dog aggressive so socialization is the best when young!! Good for you being a responsible pit owner!! Walks in a park with other dogs around as well.

Becarefull though you should not walk him around much until he has his third set of shots because of the risk of parvo and other things. You have no idea if other People have gotten their dogs shots so until your puppy is protected do not take him around other dogs!! I think is it after set two or three ask your vet to be sure!! Good luck

Answer 6

Petsmart should have a daycare facility in your area. He can play with other dogs as well. Take him there a few times a week, they will also work on training him too, which takes the burden off of you a bit. It's about 18 bucks a day I think so just take him there once or twice a week as needed.

Answer 7

Lots of walks and go to parks on post. I live on a military base also and there will be at least one park and even if he is on a leash he will still be learning how to behave and act around people and dogs. You can even try some smaller pet stores in your area and see if they will allow pets to come in. A lot of them do, they just don't advertise it. Or if you know someone else that has a dog you could arange to walk together or have doggy playdays.

Answer 8

Take your dog for walks, talk to him when you walk him so he doesn't act up when other dogs or people are coming towards him. He will jump up on people to smell thier faces until you get him trained not to do that. You can also take him to the closest park and have him interact with the kids and that there. But you will need to watch him, most dogs don't like thier tails and ears pulled. So when he's around little kids, the kids might pull on his ears and tails and he might snap at them to make them stop doing this. Also you can invite your friends over, have them bring thier dogs with them and both dogs can play in the backyard.

Answer 9

Even if you socialize your dog with many different dogs while it's young please don't leave it unattended, Try reading the Training Secrets for Bully Breeds it has a lot of good information on how to train and keep your bully busy it also says that don't trust your bully not to fight, it may not start the fight but it will end it. Dog parks are not for these type of dogs when they hit maturity. Around 10 months old their attitude will change. I had a American Bulldog that was GREAT with other dogs, socialized him, took him around friendly dogs, loved playing with other dogs but one day as I was walking with him a little Jack Russel was off it's leash and attacked my dog as we were walking but luckily I got control of my dog and the owners of the Jack Russel finally got their dog after it was running back and forth attacking my dog like a little bumble bee, he was to quick for my dog to grab (thank god), After that incident my dog loving puppy turned into an aggressive dog, he was 10 months at the time, He started challenging me, and would be VERY Cautious around dogs that walked by us and wanted to bite them. He would then challenge my authority and would run at me from behind and grab my arm, my husband thought I was just joking because this pup acted like he was an angel around my husband who the pup knew was the boss, would do as he asked and would lick him in the face so my husband thought I was just lying about him challenging me after that dog attacked him and turned really dominant until one day I was out in the back yard with him and I told my husband to watch us just to see how the pup acted with me, sure enough he ran at me from behind grabbing my arm and now started shaking it. I was just not dominant with him and didn't show him that I was the leader of the pack to. I eventually had to rehome him with an experienced dog owner who had pit bulls all their lives and knew how to train and correct a dominant dog. it was to bad because we loved the dog so much even though he changed dramatically and were so in love with American Bulldogs, well about 2 years after rehoming that dog we did end up getting another American Bulldog who is the total opposite of the first we made sure we did everything right and made sure he knew where he placed in the family and don't trust other dogs that are off their leash and only take him around dogs we know and are friendly, when I see another dog off it's leash we either walk the other way or yell to the owner if they are in sight. Good Luck.

Answer 10

You need to be careful about letting your pup come into contact with too many dogs until it has had all its vaccinations. Once it has had all shots(around 15 weeks old) you can start having it socialize with other dogs . Obedience classes are a wonderful way to socialize pups. Good luck!