Anyone have experiences with Pitbulls?

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

My roommates and I are thinking of getting a 6 month old red nose Pitbull. Tomorrow night we are going to visit with the dog for a couple hours and meet his current owner. He has told me that he is very well trained and the owner is sad he has to give him up because he his moving into a new house.

[NCstoner420]

I have a friend who took in a random pit who unknowingly to him was pregnant. She had her puppies and after a few months they broke out of the fenced yard. The neighborhood went into red alert and had all the dogs caught then taken away. Two of the puppies somehow escaped capture and came home that night, he has had them for almost five years. They're awesome dogs but very territorial when it comes to other animals. When it comes to people they are two babies, even around little kids. I guess it really just comes down to the owner and not the breed.

[hank pimple butt]

NCstoner420 is pretty much spot on. I had one and he was very hyper, loved people, but hated other animals when they came over into his yard.treat em well,and they are very sweet dogs.

[X-Clown]

How could you not, he's on the radio 33593934833282.9 times per day

[Lumps]

I deal with at lest 5-10 pits everyday. All together with one another at a rescue. Been there 3 years. Pit bulls were/are bred for aggression. There is no such thing as a 'pure blood pit', there is a purebreed called a Sattfordshire and then there are mutts derived from this breed that are basically staffordshire genes but only the aggressive dogs were bred/inbred by different poeple (not just ghetto dog fighters although this is mainly the case in America) to the point of creating the 'pitbull'. A pure staffordshire is very rare and temperament is much more stable than a 'pitbull'. Pitbulls can derive from other breeds as well and were originally bred to clamp onto a bulls' nose in the ring, getting their name pitbull. A staffordshire still a very high energy dog but it is more predictable and level headed than a pit (it is after all a purebreed).

Point: Pit genes are very inconsistent, you never know what you might get.

People misunderstand the whole misunderstanding the breed. I find there are THREE kinds of people who misunderstand this breed. 1. People who get one and think it is like any other dog and condition/socialize it as such, this person puts 100% blame on the owners for an aggressive pit when in reality it's a mixture of breed and owner. 2. People who get the breed because everyone else thinks they are violent, and these poeple like the attention a pit brings them, using the breed as a way to get attention, using the pit as a 'show off' dog and 'conversational piece' (basically getting the dog for the way it looks and is looked at. And 3. the Obvious.

These people should NOT own pits. Someone who wants a pit needs to be an good-intentioned, assertive and dedicated owner. Pits are NOT like very other dog and need to be treated differently. This is true for all breeds (training/owning a German Shepard for example, differently from an Akita) , but especially true for pits. An owner MUST be dedicated in researching temperaments and proper ways to handle them. The owner also must be dedicated in living with a pit, because as the person you're getting it from is finding out, many places won't allow it.

Now the fact that it is only 6 months is great if you really want to commit to this pit. Please commit with your life because you can bet your ass your pit will to you. Pits are very very personable dogs. They make GREAT dogs for the RIGHT owners. Like I said however their genes certainly allow them to be aggressive natured dogs even with the proper owners, they are 'poorly bred', they are ALL mutts, pitbull is not a breed. The blue pits have the worst record of this, being aggressive even in great environments but it can happen anywhere. Blue dogs in general are known for being more aggressive. The key to success (as much as you can given what genes you end up with) is to fully informing yourself of the breed and how to properly train it and socialize it and you do this for it EVERY DAY, you must commit to this animal or it can turn bad.

Pitbulls (not bad owners) get a bad wrap for a reason, and sometimes it isn't always the owner. People have to understand this. A lot of the times it is the owner but a pit isn't just some random dog abused for no reason, they are bred for their high energy/aggression, but the are very very smart and some of the most loving breeds you can find and as loyal as it gets.

[bleys]

well said 46and2.. all comes down to breeding, and of course a competent owner..

rescued my dog and has turned out to be one of the most loving animals I've ever had. he also requires plenty of exercise.

if you can't dedicated 2 30 minute walks or at least one 45 minute walk every day, then he may grow restless and you could see that resulting in a bit more aggression.. just one small tip to help.

[bleys]

Sattfordshire

my friend has a purebreed and is the most laid back animal I've ever seen. one of the most disciplined as well. incredible animal, and as far as his dog goes, is rather low maintenance..

[Kettle]

my oldest has pit in him. he's hyper, loving and defensive when other animals are around. some training has helped solve that problem though, and now we can actually go for walks around the neighborhood without him getting out of hand.

he's strong too, and probably his favorite thing is to tow me around the neighborhood on my skateboard. i highly recommend that as exercise. get a longboard one for stability. like a sector 9. I've measured our speed with GPS, and Timmy easily gets me over 15mph. I'm 210 lbs. He's 75. When we are done he flops down on the floor and has a huge smile while panting heavily.

Also, he's getting used to my daughter. He's still working up to her petting him, but licks her hands and feet regularly.

[Carolina Husker]

I'm not interested in hearing from people who want to let me know that it's because they had bad owners, so save your keystrokes; I've heard these discussions before.

On two separate occasions I've watched a pit bull try as hard as it possibly could, to the point where it burst blood vessels in its own head and was bleeding from the ears, to kill another dog. My neighbor across the street has one, and it's super sweet around people, but when it sees other dogs, it goes into an uncontrollable murderous rage. He's told me point blank, if it gets out, shoot it.

I don't trust the breed, and I'd be happy if I never saw one again.

[Lumps]

my friend has a purebreed and is the most laid back animal I've ever seen. one of the most disciplined as well. incredible animal, and as far as his dog goes, is rather low maintenance..

well said 46and2.. all comes down to breeding, and of course a competent owner..

rescued my dog and has turned out to be one of the most loving animals I've ever had. he also requires plenty of exercise.

if you can't dedicated 2 30 minute walks or at least one 45 minute walk every day, then he may grow restless and you could see that resulting in a bit more aggression.. just one small tip to help.

lol I was a little drunk typing that but I am glad to see a competent owner. You are dead on about releasing their energy that is the #1 thing to learn about pits is that they MUST have an energy outlet. This is not some lab you can let lay around all day, pitbulls must be exercised or it will build up. They must be socialized around everything, all kinds of animals, even the loud noises like opening a trash bag. With a puppy this is 100x times easier.

I like pits but a Stafford is an INCREDIBLE dog and to me a very different breed. Imagine a pit with far less aggression and much more level headed. As you said they are much more laid back and especially more temperamental. They do not require as much effort as a street pit.

Still, saying that the most impressive dog of either that I have ever seen was a street pit, a sweet red nosed girl. You could do anything to this dog, and put anything in front of her and she would keep her cool. I offered her owner money, and I am not the type to take on a pit, I know my limits, I am way too busy for one. This was one amazing dog and I still see her time to time so really it's just about the genes you get.

[Floppin]

I have a reverse brindle (looks black and white) boxer, and almost 99% of the retards in the area I live think she's a pit. Despite the fact that she would be the biggest fuging pit you've ever seen, she's 95lbs.

Also, this is going to sound racist, there's just no way around it not sounding that way, but why are black people, predominately, afraid of dogs?

[Panthro]

My family from NY are afraid of dogs as well. It all depends on how you were brought up and the experiences you've had with dogs.

[Lumps]

I'm not interested in hearing from people who want to let me know that it's because they had bad owners, so save your keystrokes; I've heard these discussions before.

On two separate occasions I've watched a pit bull try as hard as it possibly could, to the point where it burst blood vessels in its own head and was bleeding from the ears, to kill another dog. My neighbor across the street has one, and it's super sweet around people, but when it sees other dogs, it goes into an uncontrollable murderous rage. He's told me point blank, if it gets out, shoot it.

I don't trust the breed, and I'd be happy if I never saw one again.

It still could be the owner. But it could be the breed. You have to remember A LOT of pitbulls are rescued and it's near impossible to turn an aggressive/abused pit around that's like 4-6 years old already. But even if their younger, if they are not handled properly, they turn into bad dogs...quick.

If the owner has had it since a pup and has not socialized it whatsoever and has not taken the time and love it takes to raise a pit, most likley it is the owner's fault but at the same time it could be the genes as well.

All I can say is don't blame the dog for it's troubles. It's humans and their disgusting nature that has bred this dog for aggression for wrong reasons.

It is always a good idea not to trust a pit, not because they are horrible dogs but because their genes have been so fuged up by humans for decades.

[Guest]

I'm not interested in hearing from people who want to let me know that it's because they had bad owners, so save your keystrokes; I've heard these discussions before.

On two separate occasions I've watched a pit bull try as hard as it possibly could, to the point where it burst blood vessels in its own head and was bleeding from the ears, to kill another dog. My neighbor across the street has one, and it's super sweet around people, but when it sees other dogs, it goes into an uncontrollable murderous rage. He's told me point blank, if it gets out, shoot it.

I don't trust the breed, and I'd be happy if I never saw one again.

I don't understand the reasoning for keeping a dog that behaves that way. Either train the dog, or if you won't/can't, find another dog.