badrap
Posted : 10/8/2006 9:07:38 AM
He looks more like an Am Staff to me, and someone paid to have his ears docked, so whoever gave him up put some money into him.
I have an Am Staff male, neutered, nearly 4 years old, who has played at off leash dog parks for as long as I've had him with no problems at all. I also have a spayed female APBT who is great with dogs her own size but very dominant over other females. i got them both as adults from rescues, and they were introduced OUTSIDE the home territory in a parking lot far from either home. There was some posturing, but after a walk they were ready to play. When we first got her home, I was around all the time to supervise interaction and we did have two minor fights over kibble. It seemed to be a pecking order issue and months later, they play very well together and are left uncrated and unsupervised daily. They can often be found sleeping in the same chair.
HOWEVER: we have recently had some altercations with a friend's non-neutered german short-haired pointer. luckily the results were superficial, but the boys cannot be left unsupervised.
be aware that pits have been known to attack other dogs with no or very little warning and that they make a lot of noise when fighting. sometimes it sounds like human screaming. fights involving pits can be VERY scary and VERY loud and to safely break them up you really need two people. these are dogs that are MUCH MUCH stronger physically and mentally than most other dogs. you yourself need to be be physically strong and mentally prepared not to panic in the event of a fight.
pits and am staffs were, sadly, bred to fight each other, at least in their most recent and general breeding history. interestingly enough, though, one of the most important qualities in a fighting dog is human submission. a well bred pit will NEVER show human aggression beyond guarding your front door. you should be able to take food from his mouth and handle him when wounded with no fear. young children should be able to pull his tail and climb around him with no issues. if this dog exhibits ANY human aggression, please seek professional help. i am so saddened by the news stories of pits attacking people and the trend of breed bans.
i've had pits and am staffs all my life and the rule of thumb is: you must always be the most vigilant, responsible dog owner in the world.
these guys are very athletic and need a lot more excersise than most people give them: swimming is GREAT. they are, at root, TERRIERS. people forget that because their bad rap supercedes their breed history. ALL terriers are tenacious and can be dog aggressive. pits especially are escape artists- my male can clear a 6 foot fence like it's not even there, and he is FAST. obedience train like your life depends on it, but expect that "down stay" might be very difficult for this dog, especially if he sees small prey like a squirrell. remember to be a "pack leader" or he'll run your life.
i've tried all different kinds of leashes, training collars, leads, etc. and the most effective is a four foot nylon slip collar (sort of like you see in show rings) worn directly under the ears and jaw. if you can control his head, you can control his body. pinch collars have worked well for me, but only when training with no distractions because they can actually leave little holes in the neck if the dog decides to ignore it (which is very easy for them as they have a high threshold for pain).
i have found that they tend to have sensitive stomachs. i feed an organic food with no grain and high protien; my dogs are very sleek and muscular because of it. they are prone to loose stools if they get into the trash or whatever.
they need very little in the way of grooming, which is nice.
be ready for people to treat you and your dog like criminals, regardless of your behavior. i've been through several vets where the vet techs were afraid to handle my dogs for no reason other than their breed. don't be thin skinned, and make sure your dog is an ambassador.
one thing you WON'T need to train is cuddling, licking, love-bug-ness. my dogs are 65 lbs of wiggling happiness at my door when i come home, and great foot warmers, couch sharers, shoulders to cry on. they LOVE humans and always steal the show when we bring them to parties.
treat him right and you'll have the best block-headed friend youcould ever ask for.