# How old before defending themselves



## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

Hi All

I have a 2 year old Jack Russell and a 3 month old pit..

How long before I can leave her in the front garden. Im scared someone will jump over the front wall and steal her cause she is so young ATM

Thanks


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## Lua (Jun 19, 2011)

Honestly, unless you have her tethered I wouldn't leave her outside at all when your not around IMO. Pit's can jump a 6 foot fence easily if it wants. Just make sure if you are going to tether that your dog can't get close enough to a fence to try and jump over because it can end tragically. As for age to be left outside alone... no clue, I don't leave my dogs outside ever for the same fear that you have of someone taking them.


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

Well at the moment they are in the back yard, but I want them in the front at guard dogs

The walls are 6 foot but she is young and will be raising the wall to 8 foot and putting up electric fencing but still want to know when she will be able to defend herself as ATM she is way to young


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Pit bulls are not good guard dogs and get stolen all the time. if you want a guard dog get a shepherd or rottie. BTW when the pit gets older you probably will not be able have them together. Especially when you are not around, that is how people come home to dead dogs. Do some research about the breed before trying to use them as a guard dog.


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

The Jack Russell is our alarm system and the Pit is there to protect us and scare people off.

We did not get the Pit just to be a guard dog, we could have gotten any large breed dog but we really lv them and my lady had one before so that is why we decided on it. Its not just a guard dog, its part of the family.

I did plenty research on pitbulls before getting one.

Im not to worried about the dogs alone as we have two gardens, so they can be separated once older, but thanks for the advice... will look out for any aggression between them


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

The reason this breed makes horrible guard dogs is because they love people so much. They are not a human aggressive breed and that's why many of them, including adults, can be easily stolen.


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## Xiahko (Feb 24, 2010)

If you want a guard dog,get a German Shepard or a Bull mastiff. A Pit bull was a horrible choice. They don't make good guard dogs at all.

you did plenty of research on them,yet you still got one to guard your property?


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## Lua (Jun 19, 2011)

Yeah, my dogs would leave with anyone... They love people way too much, they would be standing at the gate wagging their tails and anticipating a butt scratch and leave with them. haha


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## zohawn (Jun 8, 2011)

they never defend themselves against people, if they do its a rareity and the genetic purety should be questioned.

the problem is that most people who would steal a pit knows that they wont get attacked when they take it


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## davidfitness83 (Jul 7, 2009)

Make sure you socializee that pit , you don't want to add more attacks to the statistics. Your dog shouldn't display any human aggression without provocation and this includes neutral or friendly strangers in your property. I think it would be a terrible idea for you to get a guardian breed since you already demonstrated poor research skills. A guarding breed will take you for a ride and eat your home.


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

LOL when wont they be stealed hmmmmm, take a look around and look at all the grown pitbulls being stolen it doesnt stop due to age , especially with intact dogs people want to steal and breed them. Some of my dogs are full grown and I know if someone walked into my backyard when we werent home and offered one a walk or car ride they would go tail wagging, big reason I dont ever leave mine outside when im not home.


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

Everyone seems to be very critical on this site. I am not a bad dog owner otherwise I would not be here doing research and bringing her up correctly and training her from a young age.

Agreed they love humans but they are also are territorial about their home and a great deterant to people that do not know the breed, I know a few other pit-bull owners that have told me this and I have seen it 1st hand. 

Yes rotties and German shepherds are great guard dogs but I prefer smaller dog and as I had said before we lv pitbulls and she is not ONLY a guard dog but part of our family.

Most people here have guard dogs, ranging from poodles to what ever, they are chosen as a house hold member not only a guard dog as at the end of the day if someone wants to break in, they will find a way. People poison dogs here just to break in and if that does not work, they will find another way, its all about opportunity of chance and any dog is less of an opportunity for them to break into a house.


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

Most pitbulls if someone broke into there home and it was just them they wouldnt do anything , but AS ANY DOG I feel , if someone broke in and posed as a threat to the family most any dog regardless of breed will defend them and protect them. However If your looking for a dog to tie outside and be an actual guard dog this isnt the best choice of breed , there are breeds that are meant to guard property and defend the house and posessions even if you arent home like shephards, dobbis mastiffs ect. Just answering your question above when you asked when wont he be stolen and I see everyone has answered you and they werent being critical , if by critical you mean they didnt answer how you wanted then I dont know , this breed will get stolen at any age there are adults missing all the time . Also if someone can jump in easily to get him then he can jump out easily and thats not what this breed needs or the responsible owners within this breed, he gets out and something happens then we are all to pay.


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

Thanks for your reply angelbaby... 

I would never tie my dog outside, they are a companion before they are a guard dog in my eyes. I agree as well that almost any dog will protect you in a situation of danger. I dont care about my house been broken into, i care about my house been broken into when my lady is home alone and I feel that a pitbull will protect her in this situation.

The owner that sold me my her said that after 10 months she should become territorial about our home when we not here and that she should be big enough to warn off intruders... Though thx again for feed back as now I know that I should 1st raise my walls and get electric fencing before letting her out the front in the day


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

There is so much wrong on this thread im not going to even bother. Should have done more research, you apparently don't understand what a protection dog needs to possess or actually is, and you have been terribly misguided with the APBT. VERY few bloodlines of the APBT could be suited for that type of work, very few. Do you know the ped?

Big enough? This breed is not a large breed, typically ranging 25 - 55 lbs with very few exceeding the 55 - 60lbs marker. Sounds to me this "breeder" has no idea what they are talking about, BYB at its finest.


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## davidfitness83 (Jul 7, 2009)

Bluedrake said:


> Everyone seems to be very critical on this site. I am not a bad dog owner otherwise I would not be here doing research and bringing her up correctly and training her from a young age.
> 
> Agreed they love humans but they are also are territorial about their home and a great deterant to people that do not know the breed, I know a few other pit-bull owners that have told me this and I have seen it 1st hand.
> 
> ...


I would love to hear where you got this information about pit bulls being territorial perhaps against other animals or dogs but never to people? Have you seen when yards get raided by animal control? the dogs are taken off their chains and picked up like chihuahuas into the animal control vehicles lol Now try the same approach to a Malinois or a Rottie ... Lol


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

the thing where he told you at 10 months the dog will become territorial perhaps what he ment to say was at 10 months DA { dog aggression can kick in} as they mature usually 10months to a little over year { typical , but really at any time} they can show signs of dog aggression as this is a known trait in this breed. { not all pitbulls are DA but majority are to some extent} So watch her very carefully around other dogs , big reason why we all preach about NO DOG PARKS Lol. If you have multiple dogs or get another dog later on do not leave them unattended when you cant supervise like at night or when you leave the home. Good tool to have and use is a crate , crate training is easy if you havent done that yet there are numerous threads on that here and how to train. I have mulitple dogs , my males dont get along but the rest of them all do however none of them are left together if not being watched,just for preventative measures. maybe thats what he meant by possesive? Any aggression towards a human should never be tolerated with this breed or any breed for that matter.


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

Our puppy is already been socialized everyday and is going to puppy classes to avoid DA, its the last thing I want. We got a female specifically to get along better with our male Jack Russel.

Owners that are personal friends and the owner that sold us her told us that when they are not at home their dogs are territorial and have been great at protecting them when someone has tried to break in when they were at home.

When I say guard dog, i dont mean she will sleep outside or go to any length protect our house from been broken into, or that she will be tied to a pole outside. I mean a guard dog that will bark at someone trying to climb over the wall and protect us when someone breaks in and we are at home.


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

Bluedrake said:


> Our puppy is already been socialized everyday and is going to puppy classes to avoid DA, its the last thing I want. We got a female specifically to get along better with our male Jack Russel.
> 
> Owners that are personal friends and the owner that sold us her told us that when they are not at home their dogs are territorial and have been great at protecting them when someone has tried to break in when they were at home.
> 
> When I say guard dog, i dont mean she will sleep outside or go to any length protect our house from been broken into, or that she will be tied to a pole outside. I mean a guard dog that will bark at someone trying to climb over the wall and protect us when someone breaks in and we are at home.


1. You can't train genetics, you will face DA eventually no matter how much training you do with her. Especially if she is APBT and not AST, SBT, AmBully, etc.
2. Some of the most respected game dogs were females, while yes you probably have a better chance at success female doesn't mean less DA.
3. Your friends are, well never mind.. A dog barking is not protecting, if anything thats being a watchdog which is not the same thing as a guard dog.

You obviously don't care to learn, theres a lot of experience here and you have the opportunity to learn a great deal here. However if truly believe what your saying and not willing to open up and explore the possibility your wrong, well all i can say is i hope for the dogs sake you eventually do.


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

Thanks for feedback on DA kmdogs and yes I should have said watch dog rather than guard dog, I did not realize the miss understanding it would have caused. 

My friends have spoken from 1st hand accounts were people have broken in their house when they were sleeping, and the dogs protected them and I have personally heard the dogs barking at people that walk past sometimes and seen how they behave so to me they seem to be a good watch dog "From the ones I have seen personally" 

I do care to learn otherwise I would not be here and would not be putting so much effort into her.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Bluedrake said:


> Thanks for your reply angelbaby...
> 
> I would never tie my dog outside, they are a companion before they are a guard dog in my eyes. I agree as well that almost any dog will protect you in a situation of danger. I dont care about my house been broken into, i care about my house been broken into when my lady is home alone and I feel that a pitbull will protect her in this situation.
> 
> The owner that sold me my her said that after 10 months she should become territorial about our home when we not here and that she should be big enough to warn off intruders... Though thx again for feed back as now I know that I should 1st raise my walls and get electric fencing before letting her out the front in the day


You said you did research yet your first question is how old will the dog be before it protects it's self. You really did not come here looking for advice or if you did you are not open minded enough to accept what you thought was correct is not. The people you bought your dog from are not a good source of info and sound like back yard breeders (BYB) because they do not even know the temperament or size of the breed. I even doubt you have a real APBT and it is most likely a Bully or pit mix of some sort. Even if you have papers you can still end up with a mixed breed since there are some many idiot people breeding like the people you got your dog from.

I do Schutzhund which is a protection sport and 99.9% of my dogs would let a stranger walk into my property and take them out of their kennel. That is the proper temperament of the breed. In doing protection sport it is very choreographed and contextual to the Schutzhund field.

Who ever told you they would get territorial when they are older to make a good guard dog lied and stole your money. Now if they are breeding mutts or dogs that are not true to the APBT standard then yes you might have a dog who is territorial. Again a creation of a BYB not the breed standard.



KMdogs said:


> There is so much wrong on this thread im not going to even bother. Should have done more research, you apparently don't understand what a protection dog needs to possess or actually is, and you have been terribly misguided with the APBT. VERY few bloodlines of the APBT could be suited for that type of work, very few. Do you know the ped?
> 
> Big enough? This breed is not a large breed, typically ranging 25 - 55 lbs with very few exceeding the 55 - 60lbs marker. Sounds to me this "breeder" has no idea what they are talking about, BYB at its finest.


:goodpost:



Bluedrake said:


> Our puppy is already been socialized everyday and is going to puppy classes to avoid DA, its the last thing I want. We got a female specifically to get along better with our male Jack Russel.
> 
> *Owners that are personal friends and the owner that sold us her told us that when they are not at home their dogs are territorial and have been great at protecting them when someone has tried to break in when they were at home.*When I say guard dog, i dont mean she will sleep outside or go to any length protect our house from been broken into, or that she will be tied to a pole outside. I mean a guard dog that will bark at someone trying to climb over the wall and protect us when someone breaks in and we are at home.


Because there are friends of yours you are not going to be open to learning they are full of  maybe you ca stick around and learn something then go educate your BYB friends.


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

Yes I did research though there is lots to do and forums like these are suppose to help. I did not come here saying I have a reckless dog, I came here asking a very simple question and had a miss understanding with the terms watch dog and guard dog.

The people that I bought the dog from do know the size of the dog, if you read back I said I did not want a big dog, it was KMDog that miss read it and thought I said they are a big breed

As for my friends it was 1st hand accounts and my personal experience been around the breed at their houses, and that counts more than a forum that i have only been a member on for a few hours, however I am here to learn so I appreciate the feedback

Though back on topic about the dogs age and defending itself <--- If you think it never can protect itself from been stolen, then thanks for your feedback and I will make sure to secure my property before letting her out the front.


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## pittylove77 (Jun 3, 2011)

you know almost more than 90% percent of reported dog attacks (not just pit bulls) are dogs that are just left chained up out side. That's all im going to say.
a Rot or something would have probably been a better choice for you.


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## pittylove77 (Jun 3, 2011)

performanceknls said:


> Because there are friends of yours you are not going to be open to learning they are full of  maybe you can stick around and learn something then go educate your BYB friends.


:goodpost: :clap:


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

pittylove77 said:


> you know almost more than 90% percent of reported dog attacks (not just pit bulls) are dogs that are just left chained up out side. That's all im going to say.
> a Rot or something would have probably been a better choice for you.


How exactly do you come to the conclusion that I want to chain my dog up?


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

pittylove77 said:


> you know almost more than 90% percent of reported dog attacks (not just pit bulls) are dogs that are just left chained up out side. That's all im going to say.
> a Rot or something would have probably been a better choice for you.


he hasnt once said he was wanting to chain his dog up and in one post even said he doesnt want a chained dog or outside dog he wants a family member. people should learn how to read before jumping to conclusions and changing things around. READ.


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## pittylove77 (Jun 3, 2011)

Bluedrake said:


> Hi All
> 
> I have a 2 year old Jack Russell and a 3 month old pit..
> 
> ...


i never said YOU were personally going to chain her up.
but waaaaayy more than half of reported dog attacks are dogs left chained up OR dogs just left in the yard 24/7. 
again not saying you are doing or going to do any of this. just letting you know.


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## pittylove77 (Jun 3, 2011)

angelbaby said:


> he hasnt once said he was wanting to chain his dog up and in one post even said he doesnt want a chained dog or outside dog he wants a family member. people should learn how to read before jumping to conclusions and changing things around. READ.


i NEVER said HE was chaining his dog up.
read what i said (;
im leaving it at that, i do not want to argue with you angel.


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

leave her in the front garden , who here leaves there dogs in the yard during the day when they are home? I do mine can go in and out to the yard , its alot different then chaining the dog up 24/7 and your comment was talking about chained dogs attack ect , if that isnt what you meant that comment had no relevance to his questions. 
I think he is wanting to learn and maybe used the word protection / guard which we all corrected the belief on how this breed is as that kinda work and he corrected himself and used the work watch dog. My dogs are good watch dogs , well a couple are they will bark if someone comes over. 
He also has agreed to alot of what we said and has decided to reinforce his yard properly to contain his dog. Some members seem eager to jump on newbies and force it down there throat on how they shouldnt own this dog or that dog and blah blah, He is here to learn if he wasnt he probably wouldnt have even joined. The only info he has been given is from his friends whether they are a BYB that is all he has known {many of us have recieved wrong info when we started off as well , you trust a breeder knows what they are saying and sadly not all of them do , or trust petstore people fo advice ect } he is willing to learn but if people keep jumping down his throat and beating the same subject to death that the person before you just did then he is gonna get defensive shut down and never return to the forum , then where is he gonna get his info from? from the BYB he has been and who loses in the end? the dog and the responsible owners of this breed. Just saying if people actually read the initialposts and the ones from him and not the ones being misinterpreted by other members it could be a bit more productive and non bashing.


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## zohawn (Jun 8, 2011)

the problem is youre trying to tell people something they know is false. alot of people on this forum have been on pitbulls for a very long time and youre saying something that goes against the true APBT norm, i mean its extreme. i know, to you, it doesnt seem that way but it is.

pitbulls are bad guard dogs, rots are amazing guard dogs - thats just how it is and any rot or pit that deviates from that should be culled.

see what i mean now? thats the mind set of people here (and thats for the benifit of dog people and normal peopl everywhere.) 

check the pedigree, check his papers, if you got neither then you got taken-happens to the best of us.


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

@ pittylove77 - Please read the part were I said I would not let them sleep out side, and that they are companions before anything else. If you read the thread you would see that I care about my animals


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## pittylove77 (Jun 3, 2011)

angelbaby said:


> leave her in the front garden , who here leaves there dogs in the yard during the day when they are home? I do mine can go in and out to the yard , its alot different then chaining the dog up 24/7 and your comment was talking about chained dogs attack ect , if that isnt what you meant that comment had no relevance to his questions.
> I think he is wanting to learn and maybe used the word protection / guard which we all corrected the belief on how this breed is as that kinda work and he corrected himself and used the work watch dog. My dogs are good watch dogs , well a couple are they will bark if someone comes over.
> He also has agreed to alot of what we said and has decided to reinforce his yard properly to contain his dog. Some members seem eager to jump on newbies and force it down there throat on how they shouldnt own this dog or that dog and blah blah, He is here to learn if he wasnt he probably wouldnt have even joined. The only info he has been given is from his friends whether they are a BYB that is all he has known {many of us have recieved wrong info when we started off as well , you trust a breeder knows what they are saying and sadly not all of them do , or trust petstore people fo advice ect } he is willing to learn but if people keep jumping down his throat and beating the same subject to death that the person before you just did then he is gonna get defensive shut down and never return to the forum , then where is he gonna get his info from? from the BYB he has been and who loses in the end? the dog and the responsible owners of this breed. Just saying if people actually read the initialposts and the ones from him and not the ones being misinterpreted by other members it could be a bit more productive and non bashing.


 it has nothing to do with being eager and jumping on a "newbie" im pretty new myself. you're taking what i said way to far like im trying to be little the guy. that is not the case AT ALL, Im big enough to admit when im wrong and you know what all i did was read the OP and none of the comments following because i did not have the time to. so that was my bad. next time i will have to read the whole thread like i normally do before giving an answer. If anything you seemed a little eager to jump on me.

anyways Bluedrake in no way was i trying to be little you or bash you.
i simply did not read the thread and that was my bad.


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

Its not about belittling someone or jumping all over someone. It's about knowledge and facts. My problem here is bluedrake is defending the false, defending the wrong. Very few APBT's would naturally remotely fit what he is talking about and quite frankly the likely hood of him owning one of these is literally a no way, no go. Breeders of these bloodlines know what they have and won't just pass their pups along to anyone and given the lack of knowledge this guy obviously beholds.. Well 2 + 2 does in fact equal 4. (in other words the answer is obvious)

The rest of APBT's do not fit the guarding or PP traits nor do they possess what it takes to even make a "decent" run at it, not in true form.

What seems to be confusing a GREAT DEAL what a watch dog and a guard dog is..
In its very basic form..

Watch Dogs - Watches home, place or business for intruders. Barks and alerts vigorously as a first "step" of deterrent while relies on humans (owners, owner of business etc) to step forth and "finish" the duty of ensuring intruder is caught. (or however human sees fitting) These type of dogs are much more broad and even non - HA breeds can for fill this type of work with ease. Examples: Hounds, Labs, etc

Guard Dogs - Takes it a step above, willingly attacking, catch and holding, etc intruder until human arrives for further command. These type of dogs generally need a medium to high level of HA, a sense of fearlessness towards not only danger but a drive to finish the job even if injury takes place. Examples: Fila Brasileiro, Presa Canario and other types of Bandogges, Rottweiler (working bred not show bred or "pet" bred) and etc

Just about any breed can be trained to alert very few have genetically what it takes to guard. Again goes back to what OP keeps going on about.

Not to mention the other nonsense of close to a year territorial, so on so forth.

PK hit the nail on the head as the saying goes with her post.

What else is there to say? Its not about bashing its about someone defending what everyone knows to be false (even with little knowledge someone knows the APBT and guarding doesn't go hand to hand)


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## motocross308 (Oct 5, 2010)

Bluedrake said:


> Everyone seems to be very critical on this site. I am not a bad dog owner otherwise I would not be here doing research and bringing her up correctly and training her from a young age.
> 
> Agreed they love humans but they are also are territorial about their home and a great deterant to people that do not know the breed, I know a few other pit-bull owners that have told me this and I have seen it 1st hand.
> 
> ...


most are not territorial with people , just other dogs . I met a breeder this weekend , he told me to go in the back door , i went in and there was the mom of his pups, she let me right in , with pups walkin the room .

then the dog next door walked by the sliding glass door and she face smashed it with due vigor ..


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## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

Most owners have to protect their Pit Bulls from getting stolen. If you want to leave her in your secured yard, be very careful and take the precautions you mentioned. But do not expect that she will do anything to prevent a stranger from taking off with her at any point in her life. These dogs are typically very welcoming and outgoing with people, especially when they've been well-socialized. (And I personally wouldn't own a Pit Bull who wasn't well-socialized.) IMO, a mature adult Pit Bull would probably protect its family from an outright threat to their personal safety. But they wont usually guard territory, or themselves, and many wont even bark. My dogs are both adult females, and they don't bark at anything with less than 4 legs.


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## Eagle (Jun 6, 2011)

Time to throw in my two cents....

Bluedrake, I seem to get what you're intention was, and I see you may be taking this the wrong way also...remember, online typing is the best place for misunderstandings to start. I'll break things down the way I see it, and let you go from there...

First, an APBT can be taken at any age. If they are well bred, and are not shy of fearful, that means they are not HA, so will willingly go with a friendly thief...been happening since these dogs began here in the USA.

As for a family dog and protector, there is no better dog for this than the APBT (if properly bred, and game)...these same dogs that are so easy to be stolen by people will turn into the ultimate killing machines in order to protect their loved ones. That is why I believe Schutzand is good for them(I'll never do it with my dogs), to train them to stick to the sleeve, since they could easily kill. But the true APBT requires no training to be protective, and this is what makes them great. They aren't cur dogs that need to be "encouraged" to be brave, LOL.

Forget about training your pup not to be DA. It may be good to socialize, and help you maintain control. But these dogs can get the urge to fight anytime...you don't train APBT's to want to fight, as the stupid media and many poloticians think. However, dogs they grow up around can easily become lifelong friends...it's the "strange dogs" that must beware. My own dog likes puppies and small dogs, but bigger dogs, other bulldogs, and cattle, ect, they get his prey-drive literally boiling. He has one intent with these dogs and it's good to know. But his best buddy is my sisters lab-mix male...when they play he never puts his teeth on him. But never leave your pup around another dog alone, no matter how ell they seem to get along.

Territorialness can vary, and it is usually in males, particularly if they have a dominance issue. And contrary to what I saw posted, it is indoor dogs that seem to me to possess this more. I believe the study was a lie made up by those who have, "how can I chain up my dog" syndrome. I've known several breeders of game-bred APBT's who believe this give them a better chance to socialize than being "locked" in the house. But if they show this sign, they will not be bred, period, as the old timers won't feed ill-tempered dogs. BYB's do.

Good luck, and get yourself some books that include a good account of the APBT and its history. Avoid books where the idiot authors condemn the sport and deny the true history of the breed. As I've had said to me, "Truth doesn't fear investigation."


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## gamer (Feb 1, 2010)

Pit bulls are not guard dogs, the JRT will do better and all my adult apbts I have ever owned someone could just open a gate and walk off with them. Which is why when I was worried about theft I had a doberman that was kept in the peramiter of the yard to protect my apbt.


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## rob32 (Sep 22, 2010)

these type of threads tend to get out of hand. i will lend my 2 cents to this issue. 

while the pit bull doesnt make a great guard dog, it does make one hell of a watch dog just based on its bad reputation. so many people are afraid of a pit bull and consider them aggressive dogs. for many people, just knowing you have a pit bull will keep them off your property. this has been the case for me.

not all pit bulls are the same. and just because you have a somewhat less human friendly representative of the breed doesnt mean it was from a byb. the byb does enough on their own to screw up, no need to blame them for everything.

i wouldnt expect or count on a pit bull deciding to defend itself against people when it reaches a certain age. for the most part these dogs will allow someone to walk right up and steal them. my dogs will bark when someone approaches but thats about all i could count on them doing.

a rottie or a mastiff would be a much better guard dog for protecting your property but if you wanted a pit bull, i dont blame you. i did too. good luck to you!


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## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

rob32 said:


> these type of threads tend to get out of hand. i will lend my 2 cents to this issue.
> 
> while the pit bull doesnt make a great guard dog, it does make one hell of a watch dog just based on its bad reputation. so many people are afraid of a pit bull and consider them aggressive dogs. for many people, just knowing you have a pit bull will keep them off your property. this has been the case for me.
> 
> ...


:goodpost: That's a good point you make about the human friendliness. I've personally met an SBT that was used as a guard dog (the first time I met her, she got out from her kennel and bit me!). The people had bought her from another state and when she arrived she showed signs of HA. Instead of euthing her they decided to use her to protect the other dogs on the yard and was allowed to roam the yard at night (all other dogs in runs).

This is by no means typical of the breed and is very much an exception to the rule. They also never used her in their breeding program to avoid passing down any HA traits.


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## stonerreakinhavok (May 22, 2011)

ok so drake you hear every one saying that they are not good gaurd dogs but i dont think you understand why. apbts are fighting dogs they are put into a big box in which humans are located i havent read the rules but the owners are in the pit with the dogs and i think the ref is located there also correct me if im wrong. human aggressive dogs are we're not tolerated in this breed because of that. so pure bred apbts are bred to be non human aggressive because of this.


Sooo that being said your friend doesnt know much or follows the medias bull  regarding pitbulls and uses it as a selling point. Also byb's will tell you anything to unload their dogs on you it doesnt matter if your a friend or not its the C.R.E.A.M. mentality Cash Rules Everything Around Me, givin it might not apply to every byb but id say most 90 % of em


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## MamaTank (Jun 12, 2011)

kg420 said:


> The reason this breed makes horrible guard dogs is because they love people so much. They are not a human aggressive breed and that's why many of them, including adults, can be easily stolen.


:goodpost:
I haven't read the rest of the comments yet-- but this is exactly what I was going to say. The only way you are going to get your Pittie to be a good guard dog is to teach her to be aggressive towards people. IMO-- NOT a good idea. For one, it will do further damage to the public opinion of our chosen breed. For another-- it will make your little one a liability. I wouldn't leave her outside when you weren't home at all. Or one day, you will come home and she will be gone.


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

Thanks for the feedback guys really do appreciate it, without the feedback I might have lost my pup from letting her out in the front.

As I said im sorry for saying guard dog, I should have said watch dog or deterant. I cant defend what the breeder told me as I dont know the guy on a personal bases, though from what you guys have said, I should pretty much forget everything he told me.

As for my friends dogs, maybe they are not the norm. When a dodge looking character walks past the gate, they will run and go bark.. Though I have no idea what they would do if the character would approach them as no one has been that stupid.


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## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

Bluedrake said:


> Thanks for the feedback guys really do appreciate it, without the feedback I might have lost my pup from letting her out in the front.
> 
> As I said im sorry for saying guard dog, I should have said watch dog or deterant. I cant defend what the breeder told me as I dont know the guy on a personal bases, though from what you guys have said, I should pretty much forget everything he told me.
> 
> As for my friends dogs, maybe they are not the norm. When a dodge looking character walks past the gate, they will run and go bark.. Though I have no idea what they would do if the character would approach them as no one has been that stupid.


Pretty much any breed of dog will bark at someone on the other side of a fence. It's what happens when the person is inside the fence line that seperates watch dogs from guard dogs.


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## MamaTank (Jun 12, 2011)

Bluedrake said:


> Thanks for the feedback guys really do appreciate it, without the feedback I might have lost my pup from letting her out in the front.
> 
> As I said im sorry for saying guard dog, I should have said watch dog or deterant. I cant defend what the breeder told me as I dont know the guy on a personal bases, though from what you guys have said, I should pretty much forget everything he told me.
> 
> As for my friends dogs, maybe they are not the norm. When a dodge looking character walks past the gate, they will run and go bark.. Though I have no idea what they would do if the character would approach them as no one has been that stupid.


The people who would steal a Pit Bull generally aren't "stupid"-- they have done the research, and they know what they are looking for. Anyone who would steal a Pit Bull would know that they are not human aggressive. That's why it is so important to protect the one you have. Mine never stays outdoors by herself. For any reason. Because there is too much risk of her being stolen around here. I don't even leave my German Shepherd outside alone-- though his former owner told me that he doesn't take well to strangers if he is not properly introduced by his humans. I just prefer not to risk it.


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## Joewilly (Mar 6, 2011)

Good luck w/ your pups, you sure got a lot of attention. You mentioned considering them part of the family. That's how I think about mine. They're like children..even when adults. Many years ago, I left an adult dog unattended when no one was home in what I believed was a secure back yard...it had a locked 6 ft privacy fence. Someone took the dog and tortured him. He eventually made his way home...with bizarre injuries requiring surgery and long recuperation...he could never be the same physically, but his friendly personality was not affected. I felt responsible..and I was..even if it was a result of naivete...I'd never leave a dog unattended/unsupervised as a result.


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

I think if you love the dog and treathim right he will be a good deterant for your home as well. A couple years ago I was home alone and had just put the kids to bed and came around the corner in my room to a guy in my window , I freaked . I ran to unlock loki from his crate and the lil brat took off out to the back yard didnt even help { he was only like 6-7 months ) But I had my foster Rocky in the back and I got him in the house , I tell ya he was inside in my bedroom and in the window growling and snarling like he knew something there wasnt right I wasnt even in the hallway yet and he was in the window { very thankful he didnt jump out} needless to say i never seen that guy or anyone on my property again. I think dogs have instincts and I trust them if someone rubs my dogs the wrong way then I try and avoid those people there is something not right about them.


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## dixieland (Aug 14, 2009)

bahamutt99 said:


> Most owners have to protect their Pit Bulls from getting stolen. If you want to leave her in your secured yard, be very careful and take the precautions you mentioned. But do not expect that she will do anything to prevent a stranger from taking off with her at any point in her life. These dogs are typically very welcoming and outgoing with people, especially when they've been well-socialized. (And I personally wouldn't own a Pit Bull who wasn't well-socialized.) IMO, a mature adult Pit Bull would probably protect its family from an outright threat to their personal safety. But they wont usually guard territory, or themselves, and many wont even bark. My dogs are both adult females, and they don't bark at anything with less than 4 legs.





Eagle said:


> Time to throw in my two cents....
> 
> Bluedrake, I seem to get what you're intention was, and I see you may be taking this the wrong way also...remember, online typing is the best place for misunderstandings to start. I'll break things down the way I see it, and let you go from there...
> 
> ...


:goodpost::goodpost:


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