are pitbulls good dogs to have?

Question

my husbands friend is going to breed pitbulls, and my husband wants one. im kinda scared to get a purebred. i have a 3 yr old daughter, and i dont want anything bad to happen. has anybody raised a pitbull up and was it a good dog?

if the parents arent really nice should i tell him not to get one?

Answer 1

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THey are wonderful dogs!! Purebreds are better than mixed ones, though, because if you have a mixed breed, the bite inhibition that pit bulls have can be lost, creating an unstable dog. I personally have 2 pit bulls, and they absolutely ADORE children. It is a breed trait that they love kids.. any pit bull that does not should have been culled. MAKE SURE the parents of these pups are of sound tempraments towards people, and have had their hips, etc. checked out and noted on their pedigree. If a breeder does not have this done.. they are not worth buying from. Backyard breeders should not be supported, especially when it comes to pit bulls. Here are some awesome sites about the breed!

Also.. good training, supervision, containment, and SOCIALIZATION are the key to a happy, healthy pitty!

UPDATE:::
If the parents are NOT friendly towards strangers (ie. YOU) then DO NOT think about getting them. Pit Bulls make NOTORIOUSLY poor guard dogs, as I've proved while on the job as an ACO.. I can walk very easily into most pit bulls' yards.. while many other breeds are aggressive about their territory. This is an ESSENTIAL breed trait.. while the dogs WILL protect the family if the need arises, they should not consider any normal person to be a stranger. Now, the parents may not have been properly socialized.. but that should not affect this breed trait. This really sounds like a bad situation to be buying any dog from... You may ge ta really good puppy... but I would not chance it. You may be better off getting a grown adult from your shelter, as you will know what to expect.

Edit: NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER leave a child alone with ANY breed of dog.. it is asking for trouble!! Pit Bulls may be the "nanny dogs" but dogs will be dogs, and most bites to babies and toddlers come from the family dog. SUPERVISE, SUPERVISE, SUPERVISE! Your dog of (insert breed here) can be AWESOME with kids.. until one day when baby accidentally/intentionally hurts the dog.. and the dog corrects the baby... had the baby been another dog, it would not have hurt.. but, unfortunately, this "correction" could seriously injure a baby. It's a fact of life: dogs are not humans, and lack a lot of the judgement that we take for granted. Just be vigilant, and don't be stupid and add your dog of (insert breed) to the numbers!

Answer 2

If the dog is a good dog all depends on how it is brought up and if the breed is a good fit for you.

A dog being a good fit for you and your family all depends on your family. For example, if you live in a small 500sqft apt and you are gone ALL DAY and you have a small child, then no a pitbull is not for you. These dogs are very active and need an active family. Most dogs don't do well when left alone all the time. So make sure you research the characteristics of the breed and make sure they match your lifestyle.

MOST IMPORTANTLY - when you get ANY DOG:
Make sure you train the dog, ASAP. Take the puppy to a "man's best friend" training course, or other courses like it. READ up on how best to train this breed of dog (get "pitbulls for dummies" or "training puppies for dummies")

A dog is only as good as his owners treat/train him! If you want a good dog, invest the time and money to mold him into a good dog. Pitbulls have a bad rep, but just because some of the breed have been trained to be bad doesn't mean that they all will.

My friend had a pitbull while growing up and it was the nicest dog ever. But her Mom was a stay at home Mom, and was always there to give the dog the attention it needed. They trained in properly, and didn't abuse it. They had a big back yard for it to play in as well and always took it on regular, structured walks at 6:30am, 12:30pm, & 6:30pm. Taking a dog on random walks without any stucture can cause problems - like hyper activity anytime you are home, deficating in the house, and destroying your household items.
The dog's meal time was also structured, it was after every walk. The dog was not allowed human food either - no matter what! Which meant that it never begged - well normally.

Good Luck! I hope this helps

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Yes they're a good breed and they are one of the best breeds to be around kids & family. Pitbulls are the ONLY breed I will ever own. They're smart, funny, loyal, powerful, determined, and very affectionate. But if they come into the wrong hands then its a problem. I suggest getting a book on the breed before owning one. I have a good one called "American pitbull terrier," you can get these at any pet store like petco or petsmart, even bookstores and libraries.

Oh,and you really shouldn't listen to the media..most of them never even owned a pitbull and most reports aren't even pitbulls but mixes.

EDIT: Well the parent thing is a problem and if you're a 1st time owner I suggest passing on this breeding. Do your homework and learn all the roles as a Pack Leader before making your decision. I also suggest to buy from a certified breeder whom has all his dogs registered.

Though I have gotten dogs from backyard breeders, But their parents weren't aggressive, I make sure their parents are on the yard and are as calm and submissive as can be.

Answer 5

They are great dogs, but have to know and understand the breed. They are strong dogs and as such need consistent training to make sure you have control of the dog. They are intelligent, loyal and quick to learn. They love being with their owners. Your daughter should not be left alone with any dog. Puppies can be rough and knock her over. A good way to get the puppy to respect your daughter as a leader is to let your daughter give him the food at feeding time. They are also active dogs so keep exercise in mind before you decide to get one.
You are right about the parents. If they are not friendly, don't get a puppy. Puppies inherit trraits from their parents just like people. Make sure the parents are friendly and the breeder knows about the breed. Ask if the parents have a history of any kind of genetic diseases. You want to meet both mom and dad if possible.

Answer 6

I'm really not against any one Pit-bull in particular, but I hate, absolutely HATE pit bulls and rottweilers. they are the breed that have had more stories about them turning on people the most. yes, it's true some pit bulls are really sweet dogs and never turn. but I just HATE that breed and no one will ever EVER change my mind no matter how sweet a dog they have. Here's a horror story- just a block up the nice little street we live on, a family bought an adorable little rottweiler. everyone told the man hey that's not a family dog and dont trust that dog(the guy had a pregnant wife) but the guy just ignored them. Four years later, the dog was a beautiful, friendly dog that absolutely loved everybody. one day the man had to do some work upstairs so left his four year old little....i think it was a boy(this story was a few years ago) alone playing with the sweet rottweiler in the yard downstairs while he went to do whatever. Then all of a sudden he heard this blood curdling death scream and ran downstairs to see. out in the yard the beautiful, sweet, gentle, kid-killing rottweiler had completley SCALPED they little kid- i mean he whole top of his head was like skinless. the guy shot the stupid dog before he even took the boy to the hospital. Thank goodness! so any way that wasnt pit bull but still, i wouldn't get to up close and friendly with the dog. who n=knows, he may never even growl at anyone, but i still wouldnt trust him entirely. also my friend has a dog that attacked another foster dig and made blood! didnt seriously hurt her though.

Answer 7

Helen Keller owned pitbulls
Laura Ingles Wilder owned pitbulls
and I could go on and on.

Pitbulls are wonderful dogs. Great family dogs. Loyal, smart, happy, energetic dogs. They will do anything - ANYTHING - to get approval.

BUT - they may not be the right dog for the NOVICE dog owner. As a terrier breed, they can be extremely headstrong and single minded. They are also quite energetic - bouncy - and the are a "licky" breed as well. They go through a chewy stage that lasts for about 2 years.

As a pitbull dog owner you must be committed to the following:

Training - Your dog MUST be obedience trained.
Socializing - Your dog MUST learn to interact and be gentle with other dogs and people - especially children.
Housing - Pitties do best INSIDE the house - preferably on the couch - or under the covers. They do NOT do well outside in a pen to be forgotten.
Spay/Neuter - No compromise
Proper Exercise - DAILY - Long walks, (pitties are great jogging partners) and vigorous exercise like agility and fly-ball.

In short - pitties are absolutely wonderful family pets. BUT they require attention and training. If you are not totally committed to your pittie - don't get one.

Answer 8

First of all tell your husband to tell his friend not to breed any dogs. There are too many dogs that need a good home. And unfortunately pitbulls have a bad reputation and its hard to find them a good home. Tell him that some of those poor puppies could be used for fighting. NO to breeding doggies. Adopt a doggy and tell your husband it will teach your daughter to be humane and kind. And there is no such thing as a bad dog just a bad owner. Pits can be sweet and gentle animals.

Answer 9

Well..It's proven that they are 1 of the best breeds after all. Though for the parent problem, um, I would have to say that it matters, but doesn't matter..because you can change their behavior to suit your preference when they're young. Most of these dogs are conditioned to fight, that means tortured. Most are put out on streets and are forced to survive. Thats why there is so many attacks today.

If you're up for it then go ahead be my guess and improve the breed. But if it's your first time just do some research before making your decision and pass out on this breeding. They have pitbull pups everyday in the newspaper whom dogs are registered. find one whose parents aren't as mean and enjoy your pup.

Answer 10

pitt bull haters will swear you shouldn't get one.
pitt bull lovers will swear they're wonderful and just have bad rap.

i think i'm unbiased so i'll give you a straight answer. as a breed, pitt bulls are not dangerous unless mistreated or not trained properly. however, as a breed, a pitt bull is more likely to turn for no reason than another breed. that doesn't mean that happens often, but as a breed, the pitt bull is most likely to go from sweet for the last 6 years to dangerous for some unknown reason. my bet is if the parents of the dog are particularly aggressive, i wouldn't get a pup from that pairing. however, if you are willing to properly train them, and i mean train them, not just get it to sit one out of three times for a treat, then you should be fine. but, since you have a little kid, i doubt you have the time to train it that well.

if you want statistics... i work at a vet clinic and so i see every breed come in. i've never been bitten or snapped at by a pitt bull, and i live in oklahoma which has a high percentage of pitt bulls, except i've been growled at by one and only because it had just come out of surgery and wasn't feeling too great.

i have been bitten more times than can be counted on both hands by 'lap dogs'

basically, any dog can and will bite unless trained to do otherwise. the pitt bull is only worse simply because it's bite is worse just because they were bred to have the large jaws.

i don't know if i answered your question, but i hope this long thing helps, lol. personally, i would get a dog that both you and your husband like, that way there's no room for a fight about it later, lol.