# Pits alone with other dogs?



## bellerose75 (Mar 11, 2011)

Hi, everyone. Still really new to this whole pitbull thing and I've been reading all kinds of threads and came upon something that has me quite scared.

I keep reading that you should not leave your pitbull alone with other dogs if you're not there...is this true? 

We just adopted our pit mix puppy and he's only about 3 months and we have to other older girls, a shepard mix and my old cocker spaniel. I'm assuming you guys mean dogs that don't know each other or that haven't been together since birth or am I wrong? 
Never owning a pitbull before I've never had to consider that my dogs could not be left alone outside if we weren't home and this scares the crap out of me. Please don't tell me it's true...I couldn't imaging leaving for the day and having to keep my 2 other girls separated from my pit. I'm thinking it would be fine later down the road because he would have grown up with them and it's not like we brought in a older dog we weren't sure about his previous background.

Thanks for any input.


----------



## Gimbler (Jan 29, 2010)

I understand just where you're coming from. We adopted Maggie, our first pit, about a year and a half ago and the whole idea of treating one of my family like she might be a loaded gun made me sick. But, I religiously separated her and her best buddy Jake every time I leave them. And I still do.

She wasn't a puppy when we adopted her, so I think you have the advantage there - but from what I've learned on this site you can never, ever assume that your pit bull won't fight. It doesn't matter that they've been raised together, have played together and never had so much as a skirmish - it could one day go very, very wrong.

I know people who leave their pit bulls out all day with their other dogs and have never had a problem. I guess they've been lucky. I like to create my own luck and err on the side of caution. And I can tell you from experience (that had nothing to do with pitbulls) there is no feeling in the world more painful than having something or someone you love kill something or someone else you love. So, I separate them when they're not supervised and then I don't have to worry.

It's really not as hard, punitive, or sad as it may seem to you now to do this. It's just a routine that they (and you) accept and becomes the "norm". We do it by crating Jake. He enjoys his crate and generally just lays around anyway. On workdays he goes into his crate on his own long before we leave cause he's looking forward to relaxing alone.

Some people just separate them into different rooms when they can't be around. You'll find that it's not so bad as it seems.


----------



## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

My personal opinion on this subject and I know some will disagree is that it can work and it depends on your dog/dogs. Pit bulls are a natural dog aggressive breed because of what they were bred to do back in the days.....dog fight. There are a few people on here who have multiple pits in homes. Some have to crate and rotate while others get along fine. I think the ones that get along are far and few between but it can happen. Alot of people also state that a pit bull shouldn't be left with other animals be it cats or other dogs. I have an aunt who has two spayed female bully breeds one pit and one pit/am. bulldog mix. She also has 2 cats and all four of them sleep together and play together. It's quite a sight to see. She has never had any issues and one of her dogs is ten years old now. Her dogs don't even know what a crate is........She may just be one of the lucky ones who has never had an issue and may never have one. Granted there is always a "chance" for anything to happen when you have a multiple dog home but more so with pit bulls. If I remember correctly yours is a mixed breed and he looks like he is part black lab due to a longer coat?? Right?? I had a pit/lab mix and a german shepard mix that lived in harmony all there lives together. Never had any issues and both were neutered males. Keep what you are reading in the back of your mind but also take it with a grain of salt. Don't let it scare you....just as he gets older and more mature watch for signs of any aggression. While he is young I would take him to basic obedience classes so he also gets a chance to be around other dogs and not just the ones in his home. Socialize lots and I'm sure he will fit in fine with his other four legged friends.


----------



## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

If I remember correctly you have a pit mix. I was wondering about it in one picture you had all three of them with your son. You might...might not have much troube because the other two are female. I can tell you from my experience that my female gets along really well with my mae dogs she is outside with them for hours. I do crate her when I leave I also crate my one male. I error on the side of caution plus it is noice to walk into the house without dogs satnding at the back door.haha. 

With this breed you must always keep in th front of your mind that they are DA ( dog agressive). they were bred this way. 

As you are training your pup it is best to get them to have a good sence of verbal commands.


----------



## EckoMac (Aug 25, 2010)

Crate training is a nice way to always have peace of mind. Ecko is not aggressive at all ever, but he's crated regardless. It's for his own safety. If he ruins the furniture I'll kill him. LOL!
Crate training a puppy is best for the puppy, and your expensive designer shoes.


----------



## Firehazard (Dec 4, 2009)

These people have some good tips and hints for the public.. AND FOR ALL YOU BULLY FANS a very nice BULLY.. (IMO in working condition make great protection dogs)

About Us


----------



## smokey_joe (Oct 14, 2005)

Yes, it is true. You do have to separate them when they are not supervised. Even if she is a mix, even if she is a bully, even if she grows up with the dogs. You should separate them, or be prepared to come home to a massacre one day. It may never happen, but wouldn't you hate yourself if it did happen & you didn't prevent it?


----------



## echs332000 (Jan 10, 2010)

This is my view on it. All dogs will have a fight now and again, doesnt really matter what the breed is. The difference is that our dogs have a fine tuned skill to fight. They are good at it and excel at it. I just wouldnt run the risk of having the 2 together by themselves. All it takes it a mad dash towards a toy or a bump into each other during a excited moment and it could be on, with no one to stop it. My dogs have spats all the time, but it never really get serious because im there to stop it right away


----------



## bsd13 (Mar 8, 2011)

Leaving dogs together is asking for trouble. It might be that nothing ever happens but why take the chance. Personally I (now) crate my dogs regardless if they are with other dogs or alone.

I had a Pit Bull that I left alone in the house when I'd go shopping, etc and one day came home and found he had suffocated to death when his head got stuck in a juice pitcher that my roommates kept their Pomeranian's food in. If I had crated him like I should have instead of giving free range of the house I'd likely still have him.


----------



## Carriana (May 13, 2008)

Not only does it protect your dogs, all of them, but crating also protects your furniture and other household items from that destructive streak that pits tend to go through when they are bored out of their minds. 

As was already said, better to err on the side of caution than to learn the lesson the hard way by losing one of your other beloved family members.


----------



## peachesmommy (Oct 11, 2010)

I always seperate my pit from my little dog if I'm not going to be right there at the time. Even going to take a shower or use the bathroom. I bring my little dog with me. They get along fine. He's the alpha and isn't afraid to put her in her place. But things can change in the blink of an eye. He's 14 years old and I wouldn't want to see anything happen to him if she suddenly decided she had enough. I always keep the quote "Your pit bull may not start the fight..but they will finish it" in the back of my mind as a reminder. I never leave them unattended alone.


----------



## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

My dogs are always "raised together" in that I get puppies and raise them in my home with whatever dogs I may have. Proper upbringing does not protect you from genetics all the time. The safest policy is to separate while you are not around. The old-school mindset that "dogs should be free" doesn't really wash over Pit Bull ownership too well. Crate-train your puppy now. She will grow up accepting it as the norm, and be able (in theory) to hang out with your other dogs while you are home. It is not scary so much as it is setting your dog up for success rather than failure. If you prepare yourself now that your dog is a member of a breed which is strong, driven, and bred to fight other dogs, you can take steps which will make it more likely to work out in the long run.

I do know someone who keeps all 3 of her Pit Bulls loose in the house together while she is away. It makes me personally uncomfortable, but it works for her at this point. (Two are kind of boyfriend/girlfriend and the third is their puppy. Two are altered.) Myself, I have always taken the safe road. I've lived with these dogs long enough to know that when things go wrong, they go _way_ wrong when an APBT is involved. If I can stop the way wrongness by putting my dogs in crates while I am away, its well worth the trouble.


----------



## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

I say never leave them alone together. I know people who do, some are fine, some have had accidents. I only have one spayed female, she is dog selective. She didn't "turn on" to being DA til she was nearly 2 years old. It doesn't matter if it's male or female, if the other dog challenges her, she will fight. I have always broke it up before anything escalated thankfully. But I will never and have never left her alone with another dog, even before she showed signs of being DA. 

My question is, why does keeping your dog seperate form the other two when you are away bother you so much?


----------



## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

As a rule you NEVER leave a pit or pit mix alone with other dogs while you are gone. I am a dog trainer and cannot tell you how many calls I get about pits one day killing house mates. Then I have to explain why it happened and it was not the dogs fault but the owners. They may get along fine for a long time then something can happen where they disagree and you can have a dead dog. Most normal dogs when they fight will stop on their own but not APBT's or even Bullies they will keep going.

I use to years ago, when I first started keeping this breed, would leave them alone. The one day they killed another one of my none APBT's. It was devastating and changed how I viewed this breed for ever. Do not learn the hard way just crate the APBT while you are gone and your good to go


----------



## william williamson (Feb 26, 2006)

I've never slept, nor left the house for 33 years with a pit in the space of another without satisfactory(and I'm hard to satisfy)restraint.you'll never hear a horror story from me.
(point of interest)my pit has a leather collar. I inspect it regularly,and thouroughly.it has 2 small stretches,not even a tear at the cinch side of the buckle.guess who's gonna be out 35 bucks, and guess who's gettin some new jewery?


----------



## bellerose75 (Mar 11, 2011)

Shes Got Heart said:


> I say never leave them alone together. I know people who do, some are fine, some have had accidents. I only have one spayed female, she is dog selective. She didn't "turn on" to being DA til she was nearly 2 years old. It doesn't matter if it's male or female, if the other dog challenges her, she will fight. I have always broke it up before anything escalated thankfully. But I will never and have never left her alone with another dog, even before she showed signs of being DA.
> 
> My question is, why does keeping your dog seperate form the other two when you are away bother you so much?


Thanks guys for all your responses, so I guess the yays out rule the nays. 
So, to answer the above question, my answer is this; I've had all kinds of breeds and both males and females together all my 32 years and never had to separate them because one was prone to fight with another. I've had outdoor dogs and indoor dogs, dogs that would follow me on the trail while horseback riding, dogs that I could leave loose if we were at the lake, etc. I guess I never really thought about that when we did finally feel it was okay to get a Pit. So, I guess of all the breeds out there, this breed is not the breed to take lightly. I never thought that my dog ways would have to change, but I guess they'll have to. At least with him. And kinda sorry to say, I'm not upset in my choice to adopt him from the shelter but I don't know that I will ever own another pit again, just because of all the precautions you have to take with this breed.

Luckily he is already doing great at his crate training. I just feel bad one will always have to be treated differently than the others.

And yes, he's a neutered male puppy and my other two females who are not spayed, but they are older dogs (Pawny 8 and Neena 12).

But, again, thanks for all the info that you great owners have to give. :clap:


----------



## bsd13 (Mar 8, 2011)

bellerose75 said:


> Thanks guys for all your responses, so I guess the yays out rule the nays.
> So, to answer the above question, my answer is this; I've had all kinds of breeds and both males and females together all my 32 years and never had to separate them because one was prone to fight with another. I've had outdoor dogs and indoor dogs, dogs that would follow me on the trail while horseback riding, dogs that I could leave loose if we were at the lake, etc. I guess I never really thought about that when we did finally feel it was okay to get a Pit. So, I guess of all the breeds out there, this breed is not the breed to take lightly. I never thought that my dog ways would have to change, but I guess they'll have to. At least with him. And kinda sorry to say, I'm not upset in my choice to adopt him from the shelter but *I don't know that I will ever own another pit again, just because of all the precautions you have to take with this breed.*
> 
> Luckily he is already doing great at his crate training. I just feel bad one will always have to be treated differently than the others.
> ...


Pit Bulls have been known to worm their way into the hearts and minds of even the most stoic of people.

As far as him being treated differently than the others, don't feel bad. It's for both his safety and theirs. Not to mention your own sanity.


----------



## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

bellerose75 said:


> ...I don't know that I will ever own another pit again, just because of all the precautions you have to take with this breed.


These breeds aren't for everyone. The main thing is that you have the necessary information and are well prepared to handle the dogs you have now.


----------



## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

These aren't dogs for the faint of heart, that's for sure. Precautions are part of it. You also will have to deal with resistance from people, sometimes from unexpected directions (like family). I actually find the dogs themselves easier to deal with than peoples' perceptions about what they _think _my dogs are. I'd rather crate-and-rotate for the rest of my life than sit in even _one_ more meeting where a place is talking about banning the breed.


----------



## Gimbler (Jan 29, 2010)

> And kinda sorry to say, I'm not upset in my choice to adopt him from the shelter but I don't know that I will ever own another pit again, just because of all the precautions you have to take with this breed.


I think I said the same thing in another thread many moons ago. As long as you're not upset or second-guessing the adoption I think you'll find it all works out fine. Like you I had only a passing understanding of the breed but had owned dogs all my life and had no doubts about my abilities. I adopted Maggie because she was Maggie and she needed a home at the same moment I needed another dog. I don't regret it and she's been a joy. I have a new appreciation and affection for a breed of dog I knew little about.

But, I'm pretty sure she'll be the first and last pit I ever own. Not because of the precautions so much - as I've really gotten used to them and fairly quickly. I'll bet you will too - and then you won't feel sorry, you'll just wonder what all the fuss was about! lol

I'm old, and not getting any younger. She's young and doesn't appear to be getting any older in any hurry.  I'm sure by the time she's old and gone I will NOT have the energy to keep up with another pit. My husband likes to say that she would have been the perfect dog for us 10 or 20 years ago.

Anyway - hang in there and don't feel sad. It's not like he's a little devil dog just waiting for you to turn your back so he can finally eviscerate your old girls. In all probability they'll have long, fun and loving relationships, accepting the separations as simply the way life works. It us as humans that are burdened by desires, fears and what-ifs.

Our Maggie and Jake are best buddies. The precautions are only to make sure that a bad moment doesn't mean devastation for anyone involved. And it seems the dogs are none the wiser or worse for wear because of it.


----------



## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

As ong as you take the time to excersie properly your little guy and socialize him too he will nt mind at all being in a crate. Vendetta spends time each day in her crate she doesnt mind at all. Do I mind that she has to be in because she doesnt like two of the other dogs here yes I do but I know that my girl has quality time when we are together. I have thougt about owning another breed one that doesnt require all the precautions but my heart is with this breed. I love their personalities and I am sure in a yrs time ou will be head over heals in love with this breed too.


----------



## bellerose75 (Mar 11, 2011)

You guys are great! I told my husband this afternoon that hopefully I didn't ruffle any feathers with my comment about "maybe never owning a pitbull again" and you guys did the opposite and were understanding and didn't jump down my throat at that comment. 

One of the reasons I even considered a pitbull was because my brother owns one, he's a little over a year, and he brought him over the Thanksgiving holiday. I was super, super leary of him, cuz at this time I still was totally against the breed. But he was a just a huge ole' spoiled baby. We introduced him to my dogs and he did great and they stayed outside together and we had no problems at all. 
Then I got Dice and started doing a lot of research on the breed and now I'm worried that my brother is not doing everything he should with his dog. But I can't tell him what he should/shouldn't do with him, just like I can't tell him how to raise his kids. But I worry that he will have problems in the future with his dogs. He just got another pit puppy so he could "breed" them in a few years, which I don't agree with. His dog is ridiculously spoiled, no crates, no kennels, nothing. I think my brother thinks he truly is a child and can't really discipline him or treat him the way he should be treated. But it's his dog and they live in New Mexico and both his dogs have competely destroyed furniture and other expensive items. Just hope nothing else gets "destroyed" the older the dogs get with no formal training.


----------



## william williamson (Feb 26, 2006)

bellerose75 said:


> I think my brother thinks he truly is a child and can't really discipline him or treat him the way he should be treated. But it's his dog and they live in New Mexico and both his dogs have competely destroyed furniture and other expensive items. Just hope nothing else gets "destroyed" the older the dogs get with no formal training.


it's not our place to have any say as to what he does.your here,your learning,thats all we can do is honor your questions and personally,i don't like what you've explained,yet I have no opinion. when he comes here and ask questions,as you have,then I have a voice,til then,prayers for him and folks like him is the extent of my involvement.
take care of you,and lead by example.


----------



## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

william williamson said:


> it's not our place to have any say as to what he does.your here,your learning,thats all we can do is honor your questions and personally,i don't like what you've explained,yet I have no opinion. when he comes here and ask questions,as you have,then I have a voice,til then,prayers for him and folks like him is the extent of my involvement.
> take care of you,and lead by example.


Couldn't have said it any better. Some people just need to learn the hard way. Fortunately, the OP had the good sense to ask a question and use the information wisely.


----------



## mamas boy (Dec 5, 2010)

better safe than sorry imo cause the sorry would be terrible


----------



## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

bellerose75 said:


> You guys are great! I told my husband this afternoon that hopefully I didn't ruffle any feathers with my comment about "maybe never owning a pitbull again" and you guys did the opposite and were understanding and didn't jump down my throat at that comment.
> 
> One of the reasons I even considered a pitbull was because my brother owns one, he's a little over a year, and he brought him over the Thanksgiving holiday. I was super, super leary of him, cuz at this time I still was totally against the breed. But he was a just a huge ole' spoiled baby. We introduced him to my dogs and he did great and they stayed outside together and we had no problems at all.
> Then I got Dice and started doing a lot of research on the breed and now I'm worried that my brother is not doing everything he should with his dog. But I can't tell him what he should/shouldn't do with him, just like I can't tell him how to raise his kids. But I worry that he will have problems in the future with his dogs. He just got another pit puppy so he could "breed" them in a few years, which I don't agree with. His dog is ridiculously spoiled, no crates, no kennels, nothing. I think my brother thinks he truly is a child and can't really discipline him or treat him the way he should be treated. But it's his dog and they live in New Mexico and both his dogs have competely destroyed furniture and other expensive items. Just hope nothing else gets "destroyed" the older the dogs get with no formal training.


He is your brother and you can at least educate him and give him sisterly advice. First advice I would give him is to come to gopitbull.com and learn before he breeds and becomes one of the many BYB's in the world. Sounds like he loves his dogs but he has no idea what he is in for. Seems like most people who own a pit bull think they need to breed them just because  anyways, glad you are here and learning......I want to see more pics of Eyore


----------



## motocross308 (Oct 5, 2010)

I have found that the best way to teach others is to make sure my dog is a true credit to the breed .. when people see how wonderful they can be , teaching is easy


----------



## 00 S/C Lightning (Apr 7, 2010)

Onyx, staffy bull, and Ruby, boston terrier, get along great. They play great and both know one anothers limits. They share toys beds and kennels, not treats/ears. Onyx nearly mauled if my wide didnt grab Ruby and I bulldoze Onyx he could have done irreversable damage. He did her a warning and she backed off. 

I watch him snap antlers, ribs, bison knees and cow bones with little to no effort. And playing tug swinging around throwing and shaking for over a hour with no regrip is a daily reminder that everything is capable of happening. Onyx is on the smaller side of the bulldog spectrum, he is none the less a bull dog. Daily life he is very loving to Ruby. Amped dogs, especially bulldogs, dont cool quick. Now not being home to suervise means one or more dogs may not be breathing when you come home from work


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

to answer your question shortly,

never leave your apbt with another dog unattended. 

Do not think that because your pup is not DA now that he gets along with other dogs. Once he hits full maturity whether it be a yr or more, it will be there. The DA is going to come one day.

Dont think that because your dog gets along with yours, that he will get along with others.

Your dogs could get along great, the difference is, IF they do happen to fight, and you are not there to stop it, your dog could kill one of your other dogs, if not kill it most likely injure to the point of needing to be put to sleep. an old cocker spaniel would be ripped to shreds.

Seperate them when feeding, dont give them a reason to fight.

male, female, dont matter. I have a mother and son that have gotten into it.

you stated your dog is a mix, no one will really be able to tell you how your dog is going to behave because it is a mix so your dogs behavior may or may not be different but its better to play it safe.

always have your dog leashed.


----------



## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

I am very glad that you joined our forum with an open mind and willingness to learn.  I had owned dogs my entire life before I got my first and only (so far) APBT. I have learned so much from the net, talking to owners of the breed, reading books. They are truly a unique breed of dog. The ultimate canine warriors. I wish you the best of luck with your new pup.


----------



## amberjo0509 (Aug 19, 2010)

My boy is 4 years old and I have had him since his was 4 weeks old...I have never even considered seperating him from any other dog in my house. I left him with a Golden Retriever he had only known a few days while I dog sat and they were fine...I also left him with my Pomeranian and never had any problems. To me if you expect problems they tend to present themselves...If you train your dog well from puppy to adult I personally don't think you'll ever have problems(although that is just my opinion) It's all in how you raise your puppy


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

amberjo0509 said:


> My boy is 4 years old and I have had him since his was 4 weeks old...I have never even considered seperating him from any other dog in my house. I left him with a Golden Retriever he had only known a few days while I dog sat and they were fine...I also left him with my Pomeranian and never had any problems. To me if you expect problems they tend to present themselves...If you train your dog well from puppy to adult I personally don't think you'll ever have problems(although that is just my opinion) It's all in how you raise your puppy


is this a regular daily thing? or have you only done this a few times? I would say your lucky nothing happened if you have only done it a few times. that is just IMO. and I dont know your dog, its not impossible, the few and far between can even be taken to dog parks. I have had my dogs since they took their first breathe, raised them with nothing but love, they are well trained, and I suppressed their DA as much as possible, and their DA is still very strong.

these dogs have been bred for years to fight, it is in their nature, a correctly bred apbt should be DA


----------



## bellerose75 (Mar 11, 2011)

Blue_Nose_Bella said:


> He is your brother and you can at least educate him and give him sisterly advice. First advice I would give him is to come to gopitbull.com and learn before he breeds and becomes one of the many BYB's in the world. Sounds like he loves his dogs but he has no idea what he is in for. Seems like most people who own a pit bull think they need to breed them just because  anyways, glad you are here and learning......I want to see more pics of Eyore


I'm just hoping that next time he comes to visit he'll see our puppy being much more disciplined than his dogs and see how we live on a daily basis with him and maybe it'll help him understand that he should start changing his thinking in a big way. Unfortunetly my brother isn't very computer savy, I was able to send him a few good you tube videos on the breed and he seemed to really appreciate those. But him being older and him having a pitbull first, I don't want to act like the bratty little sister with all this pitbull information and come across as the "know it all". All I can do is hope and pray that they will never have a incident involving their dogs. I hope Dice will be a great example to the breed with good manners and controlled DA when he gets older.


----------



## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

bellerose75 said:


> I'm just hoping that next time he comes to visit he'll see our puppy being much more disciplined than his dogs and see how we live on a daily basis with him and maybe it'll help him understand that he should start changing his thinking in a big way. Unfortunetly my brother isn't very computer savy, I was able to send him a few good you tube videos on the breed and he seemed to really appreciate those. But him being older and him having a pitbull first, I don't want to act like the bratty little sister with all this pitbull information and come across as the "know it all". All I can do is hope and pray that they will never have a incident involving their dogs. I hope Dice will be a great example to the breed with good manners and controlled DA when he gets older.


Just becareful when he comes back for a visit. If I remember correctly you said he brought his dogs along this past visit right? His are still young as well?? Next time I would tell him to leave his dogs home because you are putting your dogs and he is putting his dogs in a bad situation and you are guaranteed to end up breaking up a fight. You have two un-fixed females but dice is already neutered? Glad that he is fixed but he will still be interested in the girls when they come into heat and he gets older. He will also still try to hump them. I would consider getting the girls fixed as well not only will it keep peace in your house but it's a health risk for your girls to not be fixed. Mammory cancer and pyometra is always a chance you take with intact females. If you are showing your dogs and plan on breeding it's one thing to leave them intact....if they are just house pets its best to spay.


----------



## amberjo0509 (Aug 19, 2010)

socalapbt said:


> is this a regular daily thing? or have you only done this a few times? I would say your lucky nothing happened if you have only done it a few times. that is just IMO. and I dont know your dog, its not impossible, the few and far between can even be taken to dog parks. I have had my dogs since they took their first breathe, raised them with nothing but love, they are well trained, and I suppressed their DA as much as possible, and their DA is still very strong.
> 
> these dogs have been bred for years to fight, it is in their nature, a correctly bred apbt should be DA


I have dog sat friends dogs for months at a time and anytime I have ever brought a new dog home and told Ash that this dog is staying he just deals with it. He's never attacked another dog once since I've had him or shown any DA. Everytime I introduce him to another dog (male/female) he's only had one thing in mind...Playing...He tends to roll on his belly after they play for a minute and give them dominince as well...He's one of a kind  He runs in my yard when he goes potty and comes back when I holler...Don't get me wrong I know he's got it in him to be agressive and that DA may occur someday but I'm looking at it like this...he's a perfect gentleman and he's never given me any reason to hinder him from doing things different breeds can...I can take him with me anywhere without worrying as long as I'm being observent. There's always the people who give me dirty looks and pull their children in the opposite direction but every person I can get to come ask me about my dog is a person I can potentially educate about the breed. He deserves it. I feel like people create more problems for their dogs than the dog does...And like I said before if you expect problems you'll have them...I raised Ash like I have every other dog I've ever had(and I grew up with pits and pit mixes as well as others) and I think that's why I never had problems..I don't treat him differently and he acts just like the rest of them...well trained and laid back.


----------



## 9361 (Jun 25, 2009)

My dog is only interested in playing 99% of the time, but god help the dog the other 1%.... You never know when two dogs might fight. It is NOT WORTH THE CHANCE! Well at least IMO, it isn't. The saddest story I ever read was on another forum. A guy was at work, and his girlfriend left his 3 pits out alone together. They had always gotten along, but he never left them alone together. But that day, two ganged up and killed the other. It was a horribly sad story. I can't imagine coming home to that.


----------



## bsd13 (Mar 8, 2011)

amberjo0509 said:


> I have dog sat friends dogs for months at a time and anytime I have ever brought a new dog home and told Ash that this dog is staying he just deals with it. He's never attacked another dog once since I've had him or shown any DA. Everytime I introduce him to another dog (male/female) he's only had one thing in mind...Playing...He tends to roll on his belly after they play for a minute and give them dominince as well...He's one of a kind  He runs in my yard when he goes potty and comes back when I holler...Don't get me wrong I know he's got it in him to be agressive and that DA may occur someday but I'm looking at it like this...he's a perfect gentleman and he's never given me any reason to hinder him from doing things different breeds can...I can take him with me anywhere without worrying as long as I'm being observent. There's always the people who give me dirty looks and pull their children in the opposite direction but every person I can get to come ask me about my dog is a person I can potentially educate about the breed. He deserves it. I feel like people create more problems for their dogs than the dog does...And like I said before if you expect problems you'll have them...I raised Ash like I have every other dog I've ever had(and I grew up with pits and pit mixes as well as others) and I think that's why I never had problems..I don't treat him differently and he acts just like the rest of them...well trained and laid back.


Me thinks you're playing with fire. When your dog does get in a fight and does maim or kill another dog how are you going to look him in the eye and say "Sorry Ash, but you're going to the pound to be destroyed because you did what comes natural to you and I thought I had loved it out of you..."?

It's just not worth the risk.


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

amberjo0509 said:


> I have dog sat friends dogs for months at a time and anytime I have ever brought a new dog home and told Ash that this dog is staying he just deals with it. He's never attacked another dog once since I've had him or shown any DA. Everytime I introduce him to another dog (male/female) he's only had one thing in mind...Playing...He tends to roll on his belly after they play for a minute and give them dominince as well...He's one of a kind  He runs in my yard when he goes potty and comes back when I holler...Don't get me wrong I know he's got it in him to be agressive and that DA may occur someday but I'm looking at it like this...he's a perfect gentleman and he's never given me any reason to hinder him from doing things different breeds can...I can take him with me anywhere without worrying as long as I'm being observent. There's always the people who give me dirty looks and pull their children in the opposite direction but every person I can get to come ask me about my dog is a person I can potentially educate about the breed. He deserves it. I feel like people create more problems for their dogs than the dog does...And like I said before if you expect problems you'll have them...I raised Ash like I have every other dog I've ever had(and I grew up with pits and pit mixes as well as others) and I think that's why I never had problems..I don't treat him differently and he acts just like the rest of them...well trained and laid back.


i understand your point, but i will respectfully disagree in the how you raise them statement, as there are many people that have raised their dogs the same as you and cannot do what you can. its in most dogs, you must have the rare exception, and I have come across some pits that behave like yours as well.


----------



## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

Some lines and some individuals are "colder" than others, ie, less likely to engage another dog. I am all for allowing these dogs to live like normal dogs. But that doesn't mean leave them unsupervised, loose in the house, loose in the yard, etc., with another dog. Sensible precautions in no way limit your dog's ability to function and enjoy life. It doesn't stunt a human child to wear a seat belt in the car. It doesn't stunt a canine to not be left loose with other dogs.

When I was a teenager, we had three related dogs. Mom and her two daughters. At a year, one of the daughters started beating the tar out of mom while we were all playing in the yard. I sure wasn't expecting trouble, and the dogs weren't untrained. We placed mom in a new home who brought her back to visit us later. Well, the daughter who had always been cool decided to get in on that nifty scrap action and the two of them mixed it up. The attacking sisters, on the other hand, never had beef a day in their life. We used to crate them together in an over-sized Vari-kennel.

That's one pairing out of three that never fought. Luck was on our side there, because it would have been a horrific scene. Luck does not negate the need for sense in dog ownership. If given it to go over again, I'd do a lot of things differently, including keep the dogs separated while unsupervised. The reasons for doing so are countless.


----------



## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

@ amberjo0509. You ever watch the news when an apbt or similar breed has killed or attacked another dog? The owners all say the same thing in the interviews. "He/she's never done anything like this before..."

Plenty of us don't have to separate our dogs 24/7 but two dogs unsupervised together is "playing with fire" as bsd13 puts it.


----------



## SARGEnNIKITA (Jan 3, 2010)

Well I am gonna to add my two cents for the newer people here... I havent been on in a while and to come on for five minutes and read this is frustrating...

First APBTs DO NOT belong anywhere near dog parks. Your dog might be the most well behaved dog in the world and I would believe it because of its breed HOWEVER this breed was bred FOR DA... so just because your dog doesnt start the fight HE WILL FINISH IT... and your dog will end up on the news adding to the bad rap and you will be labeled a bad owner...

I have owned, trained, bred and fought for this breed for 30 years and I have had my fair share of accidents... I too thought that my dogs would be ok together a long time ago... You can think whatever you like but i will tell you this - WHEN YOU COME HOME TO A BLOOD BATH AND ONE OR TWO DEAD DOGS YOU WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND... Do yourself a favor and save yourself the heartache, buy a couple kennels and separate them when no one is home.


----------



## amberjo0509 (Aug 19, 2010)

bsd13 said:


> Me thinks you're playing with fire. When your dog does get in a fight and does maim or kill another dog how are you going to look him in the eye and say "Sorry Ash, but you're going to the pound to be destroyed because you did what comes natural to you and I thought I had loved it out of you..."?
> 
> It's just not worth the risk.


To each their own I suppose...95% of the time he is the only dog I have but I refuse to treat him like a potential monster in the closet. He grew up at my mom's with 4 other dogs and since we've been on our own he's always been allowed to play with any other dog that wants to play with him and has always done great. I would hate for something to happen but he's 4 years old and has never given me a reason to worry. I call this dog off the neighborhood cats all the time and I feel like that shows a lot of self restraint on his part because he's much faster and stronger than me but chooses to listen, I feel like he applies that same restraint everyday whether it's tested or not...this dog was on deaths door when I got him and I think he remembers that and chooses to rise above the stereo types. To me he's not a Pit Bull..He's my dog, that's all And I doubt anyone would ever change how I raise my dogs because they have always been wonderful


----------



## 00 S/C Lightning (Apr 7, 2010)

bahamutt99 said:


> Some lines and some individuals are "colder" than others, ie, less likely to engage another dog.


Absolutly agree. SBT have been known to be among the coldest of the bulldogs. Onyx is just that, but as said before, once he gets hot he will not leave things be or back off. Its only happened a few times. I played it smart and took us accross the street or turned away


----------



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Shes Got Heart said:


> My dog is only interested in playing 99% of the time, but god help the dog the other 1%.... You never know when two dogs might fight. It is NOT WORTH THE CHANCE! Well at least IMO, it isn't. The saddest story I ever read was on another forum. A guy was at work, and his girlfriend left his 3 pits out alone together. They had always gotten along, but he never left them alone together. But that day, two ganged up and killed the other. It was a horribly sad story. I can't imagine coming home to that.


completely agree with you, to me its not worth the risk. People have bad days/moments as well, why wouldn't dogs. Too huge a risk to me. I feel for that other guy you mentioned, and the girlfriend, never meaning harm, but oh so stupid. No good, and so unnecessarily painful.

Another forum I am on always always left their cat and pit free, thinking there is no way their pit could catch him, or climb up where the cat stayed perched. We all know pits are super smart, and would one day catch the cat was slipping. One night coming home from work, no blood. Years of not being able to catch the cat must have caught up when the pup finally did he was so excited/pissed/who knows, shaken kitty syndrome. So sad and 100% avoidable.



amberjo0509 said:


> To each their own I suppose...95% of the time he is the only dog I have but I refuse to treat him like a potential monster in the closet. He grew up at my mom's with 4 other dogs and since we've been on our own he's always been allowed to play with any other dog that wants to play with him and has always done great. I would hate for something to happen but he's 4 years old and has never given me a reason to worry. I call this dog off the neighborhood cats all the time and I feel like that shows a lot of self restraint on his part because he's much faster and stronger than me but chooses to listen, I feel like he applies that same restraint everyday whether it's tested or not...this dog was on deaths door when I got him and I think he remembers that and chooses to rise above the stereo types. To me he's not a Pit Bull..He's my dog, that's all And I doubt anyone would ever change how I raise my dogs because they have always been wonderful


What people are saying is most of us sympathize and understand how you feel. Its the WHAT IF that I am not willing to take. No one is saying to treat him as a potential monster, but you HAVE to respect what he is and what history shows. Have you never had a bad day and acted abnormally and then realized a few days later, wow I should not have done that, or I was in a bad mood and didn't mean that. Why can't you respect a dog could have one of those days? And with a Pit Bull they have the ability to kill when they make a mistake, so why take the risk and leave your dog alone with anything, at anytime? Why put your dog in that situation? I am not like some people who think they SHOULD NEVER be around other animals (each one is different) but alone, NEVER alone! Its just not worth the risk.


----------



## bsd13 (Mar 8, 2011)

amberjo0509 said:


> To each their own I suppose...95% of the time he is the only dog I have but I refuse to treat him like a potential monster in the closet. He grew up at my mom's with 4 other dogs and since we've been on our own he's always been allowed to play with any other dog that wants to play with him and has always done great. I would hate for something to happen but he's 4 years old and has never given me a reason to worry. I call this dog off the neighborhood cats all the time and I feel like that shows a lot of self restraint on his part because he's much faster and stronger than me but chooses to listen, I feel like he applies that same restraint everyday whether it's tested or not...this dog was on deaths door when I got him and I think he remembers that and chooses to rise above the stereo types. To me he's not a Pit Bull..He's my dog, that's all And I doubt anyone would ever change how I raise my dogs because they have always been wonderful


I hope your dogs really are that one exception to the rule. For your sake, for your dog's sakes, and for the sake of the other animals they are around.


----------



## ashes (Jul 7, 2010)

when I was a kid and I'm talking years back we would leave our pit with our Lab alone fortunately we never had problems with either of them. I consider myself lucky for it and this was before I knew to separate and to me it didn't even cross my mind since we never had problems with the dog, But they were female and male so that could of helped as well. My grandma till this day doesn't separate her pit bull and German shepard and lol somehow they don't have problems either?? But once again it is female and male lol She did have German shepards who did have to be tied from one another because they would fight till the death! lol I've warned her but she's an old stubborn woman


----------



## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

amberjo0509 said:


> To each their own I suppose...95% of the time he is the only dog I have but I refuse to treat him like a potential monster in the closet. He grew up at my mom's with 4 other dogs and since we've been on our own he's always been allowed to play with any other dog that wants to play with him and has always done great. I would hate for something to happen but he's 4 years old and has never given me a reason to worry. I call this dog off the neighborhood cats all the time and I feel like that shows a lot of self restraint on his part because he's much faster and stronger than me but chooses to listen, I feel like he applies that same restraint everyday whether it's tested or not...this dog was on deaths door when I got him and I think he remembers that and chooses to rise above the stereo types. To me he's not a Pit Bull..He's my dog, that's all And I doubt anyone would ever change how I raise my dogs because they have always been wonderful


You have the appropriate information from some people with experience. What you choose to do with it is up to you. I genuinely hope you don't learn the hard way.

We used to leave our two SBTs (male/female) out together during the day for about a year. We were extremely lucky that the first serious fight (the female had to go immediately to the after hours vet to get stitched up) they had we were home for. If there hadn't been anyone home to separate them she would be dead. End of story. Since then, I don't assume that my dogs are the exception to the rule and no chances are taken.


----------



## Gimbler (Jan 29, 2010)

aus_staffy said:


> You have the appropriate information from some people with experience. What you choose to do with it is up to you. I genuinely hope you don't learn the hard way.
> 
> We used to leave our two SBTs (male/female) out together during the day for about a year. We were extremely lucky that the first serious fight (the female had to go immediately to the after hours vet to get stitched up) they had we were home for. If there hadn't been anyone home to separate them she would be dead. End of story. Since then, I don't assume that my dogs are the exception to the rule and no chances are taken.


:goodpost:

past performance is no guarantee of future results


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

her advice is not good advice to a new apbt owner. However she may have the exception to the rule, they are out there. I have seen a few myself. I have a rare case myself, I have 2 unaltered males that I can walk together without problems, but I do not leave them alone together. 

The only thing I would see incorrect in her belief is her thoughts on how you raise a dog, raising a dog with nothing but hugs and kisses does not mean it wont be DA. I think at best that can really be done is to supress the DA, but if definitely does not take much at all to bring it out. Than again there are the rare exceptions.


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

amberjo0509 said:


> To each their own I suppose...95% of the time he is the only dog I have but I refuse to treat him like a potential monster in the closet. He grew up at my mom's with 4 other dogs and since we've been on our own he's always been allowed to play with any other dog that wants to play with him and has always done great. I would hate for something to happen but he's 4 years old and has never given me a reason to worry. I call this dog off the neighborhood cats all the time and I feel like that shows a lot of self restraint on his part because he's much faster and stronger than me but chooses to listen, I feel like he applies that same restraint everyday whether it's tested or not...this dog was on deaths door when I got him and I think he remembers that and chooses to rise above the stereo types. To me he's not a Pit Bull..He's my dog, that's all And I doubt anyone would ever change how I raise my dogs because they have always been wonderful


you sound like you are applying human thoughts and emotions to a dog.

all pits are stronger and faster than humans, your dog should obey you, and thats good that he does, but he doesnt say im faster and stronger than you but ill listen anyways cause you saved my life. you just have a well trained dog, or one with weak prey drive, or both.

your dog does not make a conscious effort to rise above negative pitbull stereotypes. your dog does not know that pitbulls have a bad reputation.

he is your dog, your dog is a pitbull. dogs have natural instincts, pointers point, retrievers retrieve, pitbulls fight.

im sure you love your dog and thats great, but we cannot apply human emotions thoughts and feelings to dogs. if you dont want to take it from me, take it from the dog whisperer.


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

aus_staffy said:


> @ amberjo0509. You ever watch the news when an apbt or similar breed has killed or attacked another dog? The owners all say the same thing in the interviews. "He/she's never done anything like this before..."
> 
> Plenty of us don't have to separate our dogs 24/7 but two dogs unsupervised together is "playing with fire" as bsd13 puts it.


your right and you hear it all the time, and when you do hear it, the dog is usually around a yr old or so. and why does this happen? because the owners were unaware that DA kicks in at about a year or so.

For my female it kicked in at about 9 months, before that she was fine with other dogs. now she will attack another dog on sight if given the chance.


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

ashes said:


> when I was a kid and I'm talking years back we would leave our pit with our Lab alone fortunately we never had problems with either of them. I consider myself lucky for it and this was before I knew to separate and to me it didn't even cross my mind since we never had problems with the dog, But they were female and male so that could of helped as well. My grandma till this day doesn't separate her pit bull and German shepard and lol somehow they don't have problems either?? But once again it is female and male lol She did have German shepards who did have to be tied from one another because they would fight till the death! lol I've warned her but she's an old stubborn woman


i have a mother and son that have gotten into it.


----------



## stusmom (Oct 25, 2010)

we leave stu alone with our other dogs when we're not home and we have 5 other dogs (2 springer spaniels, a rottie and a chi). 4 males (including the pit) and 1 female chihuahua. we feed them all together too. we do own 2 kennels but rarely use them. we didn't get stu as a puppy either, he came from a shelter when he was 18 months old. he's now almost 4. we don't let them have full run of the house, we babygate off the living room and they stay there and lounge on the furniture all day. we don't free fed or leave toys out, not that anything would happen but because i believe that everything in my house has it's place. we even have a cat and 2 ferrets. the thoughts never crossed my mind to treat him differently, he's never given me any reason too. i understand what everyones saying from experience and how they do things and i'm in no way telling you that your dog won't need to be crated, all i can do is vouch for my own dog and the way i do things. everyone knows their place. my oldest dog is 13 and no body screws with him. we catch them all sleeping in our oversized veri kennel atleast once a week with the cat too. i just can't understand why i personally would do anything to treat him like an outcast in my own house. it's my personal decision and its been a great one....your decision is your decision, just be sure to take responsiblity if things don't work like you thought they would. i'm not a puppy person and will never willingly own a puppy, but just know they test the waters around 18 months....good luck and may you be happy in whatever you decide


----------



## william williamson (Feb 26, 2006)

stusmom said:


> we leave stu alone with our other dogs when we're not home and we have 5 other dogs (2 springer spaniels, a rottie and a chi). 4 males (including the pit) and 1 female chihuahua. we feed them all together too. we do own 2 kennels but rarely use them. we didn't get stu as a puppy either, he came from a shelter when he was 18 months old. he's now almost 4. we don't let them have full run of the house, we babygate off the living room and they stay there and lounge on the furniture all day. we don't free fed or leave toys out, not that anything would happen but because i believe that everything in my house has it's place. we even have a cat and 2 ferrets. the thoughts never crossed my mind to treat him differently, he's never given me any reason too. i understand what everyones saying from experience and how they do things and i'm in no way telling you that your dog won't need to be crated, all i can do is vouch for my own dog and the way i do things. everyone knows their place. my oldest dog is 13 and no body screws with him. we catch them all sleeping in our oversized veri kennel atleast once a week with the cat too. i just can't understand why i personally would do anything to treat him like an outcast in my own house. it's my personal decision and its been a great one....your decision is your decision, just be sure to take responsiblity if things don't work like you thought they would. i'm not a puppy person and will never willingly own a puppy, but just know they test the waters around 18 months....good luck and may you be happy in whatever you decide


to all other pit bull owners.please realize.theirs this thing called one percenter.it is used to describe the one percent of anything that OPPOSES what the normal is.
which means,theirs that 1 dog in a hundred.
I do not think this post should be your base.and also,until theirs a doggy death, and the dog expires with a perfect track record that the one percent applies.
who knows,maybe i'm wrong.33 years of pit bull ownership in every arena except extreme guard work,I have had pits.I'll use my better judgement.not at the expense of a dog.


----------



## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

I would never leave Vendetta out with another dog when I was not home. Not only could something happen while I was away but what if in he excitement that I am home she goes over the top and jumps on another dog and that dog in turn gets mad then it is on. I have very good control over Vendetta with verbal commands but doesnt mean I could stop her with a "NO". In fact she hates one dog so bad she went over a 6ft fence to get at her. 

Mikado was never crated and I left him alone with Maggie( my yellow lab) for all of his 6yrs. They were great together but that was Mikado a very unpitbull like pit bull.


----------



## mike06train (Mar 17, 2011)

I think it depends on the dogs, but there is always a risk. I had 2 males that always got along great. They would even sleep wraped up with each other. They were like that for 3 years. My wife found a female pit pup she wanted so we bought her. We went out and crated the pup and left the males to rome free in the house. I'm guessing it was the sent of the female, but Jackson and Rocky tried to kill each other that night. Rocky was cut up but Jackson sufferd some bad tears in the head and chest. 
Crate them when you go out. It only takes one time. When these dogs fight they put their all into it.


----------



## DueceAddicTed (Sep 28, 2009)

Its a game of "Russian Roulette" when you think like that and I hope any of you thinking its ok cause it hasn't happened yet never have to experience the heart wrenching pain of seeing on of your dogs dead, because you left them alone. 
I've had these dogs from age 16 and I am 39 now, I've had ones from the better days that were DA from start and through the years have had some couch potato's.
Well couch potato's can snap too and I learned that in my 20's when I came home to a dead dog, and a bloody mess, a friend of mines bitch lost an eye for the same mistake. Since then one or both my dogs will be in a crate, does that mean I don't love him he is spoiled rotten but because I love him is why he is in his crate when no ones home. Now he's crated even if I make a mail box run, I use to lock up the Shnorkie and leave Duece out for those kinds of 10 min. errands but he lost that priveledge due to counter surfing.

Anyway its not cruel or inhuman to crate them while not supervised, and hopefully your not spinning that barrel every time you walk out of the house, playing with your other dogs lives. And another is that if you ever have to walk into a situation like that you know to BLAME YOURSELF and not the dog, people get smacked with reality then want to rehome the poor dog for somethings they knew could happen ......

Good luck to ALL .......


----------



## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

DueceAddicTed said:


> *Anyway its not cruel or inhuman to crate them while not supervised*, and hopefully your not spinning that barrel every time you walk out of the house, playing with your other dogs lives. And another is that if you ever have to walk into a situation like that you know to BLAME YOURSELF and not the dog, people get smacked with reality then want to rehome the poor dog for somethings they knew could happen ......
> 
> Good luck to ALL .......


:goodpost::goodpost:. Amen. What's cruel is unnecessarily creating an environment where dogs could get hurt.


----------



## SARGEnNIKITA (Jan 3, 2010)

omg seriously.... Having more than one dog in your home and letting them all roam freely is asking for an accident... All it takes one wrong look and the challenge is on... Doesn't matter if it's one pit and several other breeds or two pits alone....

my honest opinion DON't OWN THE BREED UNLESS YOU UNDERSTAND AND RESPECT WHERE THEY COME FROM AND WHAT THEIR ORIGINAL PURPOSE WAS AND WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF... I'm sorry but some people hurt this breed more by spewing some of this stuff... 

crate or separate your dogs when not being supervised so you don't have to go through the heartache that so many of us have had to... It amazes me when people get the truth they so willing asked for and still ignore reality...


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

if you jump out of a plane without a parachute you will die. if 100 billion people jumped out of a plane without a parachute, 1 would live.


----------



## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

amberjo0509 said:


> My boy is 4 years old and I have had him since his was 4 weeks old...*I have never even considered seperating him from any other dog* in my house. *I left him* with a Golden Retriever he had only known a few days while I dog sat and they were fine...*I also left him* with my Pomeranian and never had any problems. To me if you expect problems they tend to present themselves...*If you train your dog* well from puppy to adult I personally don't think you'll ever have problems(although that is just my opinion) *It's all in how you raise your puppy*


These words of foolishness are a bulldog owner's worst nightmare and a great failure to understand the breed they own. If I may ask what makes your methods of madness above this breeds genetics? No amount of training in this world overrides the law of genetics.

Around this house we prefer to come home to living animals so we crate when not home to supervise or you can chain it's called being a responsible dog owner. I don't recommend challenging this breeds genetics you will loose it's only a matter of time don't say I didn't tell you so. The creators of this breed didn't say never trust em not to fight for the heck of it. There is great logic and truth to that statement. Doesn't matter who's pit-bull it is genetics don't lie nor do they pick or choose. The breed is what it is accept it and be responsible and proactive prevention is better than a cure.... or do the responsible owner's of this breed a favor and find another breed. Unfortunately in this case your opinions don't override the fact that DA has been selectively bred into these dogs from the beginning of time. That is a fact supported by years of documented history and if you choose to go against the grain than you deserve what's coming to you.


----------



## bellerose75 (Mar 11, 2011)

Okay, somehow my original post turned out to be a 5 pager...

what the heck did I start...:hammer:


----------



## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

I've been keeping up with reading this thread and if the people here that have owned this breed for years and know what this breed is like. If what they are saying doesn't put the fear of god in you as to what you need to do for our breed of choice to keep them safe in a multiple dog home than you are living in LA LA land if you think your dogs are invincible to not hurt another dog you all need a reality check . That being said.....I have an uneducated owner in my family who owns two spayed females. One pit bull and a pit bull/american bulldog mix. One is ten and one is three. This breed basically fell into there laps ten years ago and then my cousin (there son) went into the airforce, moved to california and got Cali the pit bull. He then got sent to kuwait two years later and my aunt had to take Cali while he was gone. I warned her they may not get along and to buy crates but she didnt listen to my advice. Luckily they get along great and never fight, play together, sleep together etc. They go to work and leave them alone all day. Not once have they come home to blood shed. They have two cats to and the dogs love them. They even sleep with them. I could talk until my face is blue about what they should do by keeping them separate but they wont hear it. They aren't my dogs so I just ignore it and pray to god nothing happens when they are not home. So far so good but it only takes one time. Who knows, maybe they will be that one exception and never have an issue. They just treat them like any other dog they have ever owned..........


----------



## Gimbler (Jan 29, 2010)

bellerose75 said:


> Okay, somehow my original post turned out to be a 5 pager...
> 
> what the heck did I start...:hammer:


LOL! You asked a good question, got some advice, and responded very well. You'd think that would be the end of it, huh?

The thread probably would have just died a natural death at that point if someone hadn't gone all "exceptional/know better".

Like someone in here said about the 1 person surviving jumping out of a plane without a parachute. It's like this person were the survivor and instead of recognizing their luck opened a "Jump Without a Chute" school of skydiving and advocacy. :hammer:


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

socalapbt said:


> you sound like you are applying human thoughts and emotions to a dog.
> 
> all pits are stronger and faster than humans, your dog should obey you, and thats good that he does, but he doesnt say im faster and stronger than you but ill listen anyways cause you saved my life. you just have a well trained dog, or one with weak prey drive, or both.
> 
> ...


am i the only person that noticed this?


----------



## SARGEnNIKITA (Jan 3, 2010)

no our dogs don't know bad rap or not they just know how to be what they are... And that needs to be understood....


----------



## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

stusmom said:


> we leave stu alone with our other dogs when we're not home and we have 5 other dogs (2 springer spaniels, a rottie and a chi). 4 males (including the pit) and 1 female chihuahua. we feed them all together too. we do own 2 kennels but rarely use them. we didn't get stu as a puppy either, he came from a shelter when he was 18 months old. he's now almost 4. we don't let them have full run of the house, we babygate off the living room and they stay there and lounge on the furniture all day. we don't free fed or leave toys out, not that anything would happen but because i believe that everything in my house has it's place. we even have a cat and 2 ferrets. the thoughts never crossed my mind to treat him differently, he's never given me any reason too. i understand what everyones saying from experience and how they do things and i'm in no way telling you that your dog won't need to be crated, all i can do is vouch for my own dog and the way i do things. everyone knows their place. my oldest dog is 13 and no body screws with him. we catch them all sleeping in our oversized veri kennel atleast once a week with the cat too. i just can't understand why i personally would do anything to treat him like an outcast in my own house. it's my personal decision and its been a great one....your decision is your decision, just be sure to take responsiblity if things don't work like you thought they would. i'm not a puppy person and will never willingly ow a puppy, but just know they test the waters around 18 months....good luck and may you be happy in whatever you decide



It is this kind of irresponsibility that really gets to me. Just because you never had a problem does not mean you never will. I use to be like this years ago when I was a younger and just starting my career as a dog trainer. I thought you could train the DA out of them and keep them in a pack. Everything was fine till the dogs started to mature around 2-4 years old. Then all hell started to break lose with multiple dogs. Finally the last straw was when 2 of my APBT's who were therapy dogs and NEVER showed DA killed my Border Collie. Never even a sign that would happen but I left them alone and every thing was fine for years till one day it changed. I will never forgive myself for killing my Border Collies it makes me sick just writing about it. That day changed my life for ever with this breed but for the better. The moment you do not respect the breed for what they are is the moment you leave your self open for disaster! Can you have pits get long and nothing happen? Sure there are exceptions to everything but that is why you consider yourself lucky.
But ask yourself this would you be able to live with yourself if you came home to a dead dog or two when it was completely out of the blue with no warning signs. The answer is probably not you would never forgive yourself or worse blame the dog. I did not blame my dogs but I never felt as close to them as I use to and that is not their fault they were just being APBT's.

I do have dogs who get along in the house and can be together in the dog runs however if I leave I separate them, or if they ever got into a fight I would have to keep them apart. I have an APBT who lives with my Boston terrier but they are never left alone and I watch them like a hawk. I have break sticks through out my property and I know how to break up a fight if I need to. I also have dogs who will never get long with another dog. 
Now being a trainer and doing dog sports I will have several dogs with me at a time. I do not care if they do not like each other they WILL behave on leash and that is with training but I would NEVER let them lose and chance a fight. I even had dogs get along for 7 years before they had to be separated.

I have had over 30 dogs in the past 15 years and 99% of them has been APBT's. I know what this breed was bred for and I respect that and everything is fine. What makes me sad is when I get calls from people asking for help because their pit bull killed another dog or is fighting and wants them to get along. My solution is to crate and rotate and put Obed on them to add control. That is the best case scenario.


----------



## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

:goodpost: The only problem with that is that it requires thought and effort. It's far easier to leave things to chance and blame the dog when things go pear shaped.


----------



## stusmom (Oct 25, 2010)

i would never blame my dog if something SHOULD happen. you don't know my dog, or my pack, the way they interact or the rules i set for everyone. if something happened i'd take responsiblity for it. but i'm not going to treat him differently than i treat the others because something "might" happen. he's my dog and he will be treated like my other dogs no exceptions, no special rules. they eat, sleep, play and live together. the end....i'm totally not going to be popular here but that's the way i choose to do things. like it or not. comense the bashing


----------



## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

stusmom said:


> i would never blame my dog if something SHOULD happen. you don't know my dog, or my pack, the way they interact or the rules i set for everyone. if something happened i'd take responsiblity for it. but i'm not going to treat him differently than i treat the others because something "might" happen. he's my dog and he will be treated like my other dogs no exceptions, no special rules. they eat, sleep, play and live together. the end....i'm totally not going to be popular here but that's the way i choose to do things. like it or not. comense the bashing


So basically you came to a "pit bull" forum with a closed mind and aren't willing to open it and learn from some people who have owned this breed for decades? You could learn from there mistakes before you come home to a dead chihuahua with a snapped neck. Did you not read Performance kennels post? She came home to a dead border collie after years of her dogs getting along. If you want to take a "chance" that something "might" never happen than go for it. I pray for your dogs.....especially the little one.


----------



## gamer (Feb 1, 2010)

If you dont mind your older dog getting torn up go ahead and leave them together, I have seen 2 4 month old pups kill a full grown rottie that was left with them dont risk it i you love your pets.


----------



## gamer (Feb 1, 2010)

stusmom said:


> i would never blame my dog if something SHOULD happen. you don't know my dog, or my pack, the way they interact or the rules i set for everyone. if something happened i'd take responsiblity for it. but i'm not going to treat him differently than i treat the others because something "might" happen. he's my dog and he will be treated like my other dogs no exceptions, no special rules. they eat, sleep, play and live together. the end....i'm totally not going to be popular here but that's the way i choose to do things. like it or not. comense the bashing


You have to treat them different, they are a different breed, much better then other dogs but much more work and dedication.


----------



## motocross308 (Oct 5, 2010)

there is a reason they kept breeding these dogs to fight ! They are good at it and enjoy it . plain and simple... is it worth the risk for a few moments of convenience?


----------



## william williamson (Feb 26, 2006)

socalapbt said:


> am i the only person that noticed this?


been preachin it for 25 plus years.
i had had pits for about 8 years when they pulled the BSL in miami.where I hail from.
my mantra then and has always been,when folks ask me if my dogs A pit I say,
"shhh,don't tell her she's A P-I-T---B-U-L-L.I don't let her watch the news,or read newspapers,she has no clue,she thinks she's A baby".

so yeah,theirs A plenty what know that.I spread the word like A crack ho spreadin herpes.


----------



## stusmom (Oct 25, 2010)

i didn't come here "close minded" i understand you guys have experience and that's great. as for me, i'll continue to do what i'm doing which doesn't mean i don't love my dogs. they are everything to me, every single one of them. i don't treat my rottie different from my springers or my chi differently than the others. so i'm not gonna treat my pittie differently. they all have the capablitlity to kill one another, not just the pit. maybe you guys are right and i might come home to a dead dog, or maybe i'm right and nothing will ever happen....but this is the way i choose to raise and live with my dogs, you have your ways and i obviously have mine. good or bad, i own it. i in no way told the op to do what i do with her dog, everyones different and it's what you're comfortable with. i'm more than comfortable to leave ALL my dogs alone together, some may not be. it works for some and not for others. sorry i have a difference of opinion from the rest of you, but this is the way i choose to do it and i'm more than happy with that decision. good day all


----------



## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

stusmom said:


> i didn't come here "close minded" i understand you guys have experience and that's great. as for me, i'll continue to do what i'm doing which doesn't mean i don't love my dogs. they are everything to me, every single one of them. i don't treat my rottie different from my springers or my chi differently than the others. so i'm not gonna treat my pittie differently. they all have the capablitlity to kill one another, not just the pit. maybe you guys are right and i might come home to a dead dog, or maybe i'm right and nothing will ever happen....but this is the way i choose to raise and live with my dogs, you have your ways and i obviously have mine. good or bad, i own it. i in no way told the op to do what i do with her dog, everyones different and it's what you're comfortable with. i'm more than comfortable to leave ALL my dogs alone together, some may not be. it works for some and not for others. sorry i have a difference of opinion from the rest of you, but this is the way i choose to do it and i'm more than happy with that decision. good day all


Hey, at least your honest . Just never say never!


----------



## smokey_joe (Oct 14, 2005)

stusmom said:


> i didn't come here "close minded" i understand you guys have experience and that's great. as for me, i'll continue to do what i'm doing which doesn't mean i don't love my dogs. they are everything to me, every single one of them. i don't treat my rottie different from my springers or my chi differently than the others. so i'm not gonna treat my pittie differently. *they all have the capablitlity to kill one another, not just the pit.* maybe you guys are right and i might come home to a dead dog, or maybe i'm right and nothing will ever happen....but this is the way i choose to raise and live with my dogs, you have your ways and i obviously have mine. good or bad, i own it. i in no way told the op to do what i do with her dog, everyones different and it's what you're comfortable with. i'm more than comfortable to leave ALL my dogs alone together, some may not be. it works for some and not for others. sorry i have a difference of opinion from the rest of you, but this is the way i choose to do it and i'm more than happy with that decision. good day all


They don't all have the same capability the pit has. The other dogs would probably stop before death. They would quite. The other would recognize the signs of defeat & stop. They would go to the separate corners. Your pit will not quit, and he will not recognize another dog's "white flag."

It is your dog, you can do what you want with it. I just wish you understood what you have.


----------



## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

stusmom said:


> i didn't come here "close minded" i understand you guys have experience and that's great. as for me, i'll continue to do what i'm doing which doesn't mean i don't love my dogs. they are everything to me, every single one of them. i don't treat my rottie different from my springers or my chi differently than the others. so i'm not gonna treat my pittie differently. they all have the capablitlity to kill one another, not just the pit. maybe you guys are right and i might come home to a dead dog, or maybe i'm right and nothing will ever happen....but this is the way i choose to raise and live with my dogs, you have your ways and i obviously have mine. good or bad, i own it. i in no way told the op to do what i do with her dog, everyones different and it's what you're comfortable with. i'm more than comfortable to leave ALL my dogs alone together, some may not be. it works for some and not for others. sorry i have a difference of opinion from the rest of you, but this is the way i choose to do it and i'm more than happy with that decision. good day all


The sad thing is you are playing with your dogs life. My dog mean more to me and I learned a painful mistake. Some of my dogs get along and I might be able to leave them alone but I would not risk their lives because of my ignorance and pride or what ever your reason is. You never have a problem till you do, then you have a dead dog and there is no going back. Many people thing because the dog is young and they get along all if fine. Just wait till that dog matures and see if you happy pack stays happy. Again I care too much for my dogs to leave it to chance.


----------



## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

stusmom said:


> i didn't come here "close minded" i understand you guys have experience and that's great. as for me, i'll continue to do what i'm doing which doesn't mean i don't love my dogs. they are everything to me, every single one of them. i don't treat my rottie different from my springers or my chi differently than the others. so i'm not gonna treat my pittie differently. they all have the capablitlity to kill one another, not just the pit. maybe you guys are right and i might come home to a dead dog, or maybe i'm right and nothing will ever happen....but this is the way i choose to raise and live with my dogs, you have your ways and i obviously have mine. good or bad, i own it. i in no way told the op to do what i do with her dog, everyones different and it's what you're comfortable with. i'm more than comfortable to leave ALL my dogs alone together, some may not be. it works for some and not for others. sorry i have a difference of opinion from the rest of you, but this is the way i choose to do it and i'm more than happy with that decision. good day all


Would you leave a loaded gun around the house with small children living there? Don't you understand this is not about your OPINION it's a hard cold FACT that these dogs are genetically wired from the beginning of their creation to show aggression around other animals period a bulldog can turn on at any given point and time they don't have the start the fight but if challenged they will finish it. Your opinions are not above the facts about this breed and their genetic makeup. You can't roll the dice your playing with fire it's only a matter of time before you end up with dead dogs on your hand. Then what will you say? Oh I didn't know or I didn't mean for this to happen. There is no excuse to own a breed that is known for Dog Aggression and not take the proper precautions to protect the other animals living in your home and in society. When a bulldog fights they don't stop until they have finished the job. These dogs were bred for gameness and dog aggression. This is beyond foolish to me because you know better yet you choose to do what's wrong because you think you know more than the creators of this breed. Your opinions are not above genetics. It's because of people like you that my breed has a tarnished image. If you love your dogs so much why are you risking their lives when it's so simple just to take the proper precautions and crate while you are not home to supervise. You have no one to blame but yourself in the end. So sad


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

smokey_joe said:


> They don't all have the same capability the pit has. The other dogs would probably stop before death. They would quite. The other would recognize the signs of defeat & stop. They would go to the separate corners. Your pit will not quit, and he will not recognize another dog's "white flag."
> 
> It is your dog, you can do what you want with it. I just wish you understood what you have.


mine have gotten into it a couple times before, its funny because normal dogs stop once you break up a fight, with pits, once you break it up, they try and go right back at it.


----------



## Heatherbean (Mar 20, 2011)

*other dogs*

I don't crate my dogs, I never have. they don't fight or chew up furniture. I wouldn't leave them alone with another dog that wasn't as big and strong as they are though. I don't think that they are aggressive but they want to play with other dogs like they are all pits too. This could easily lead to a smaller dog to getting hurt. On the same note I have a cat too, and they have never tried to attack the cat. I really think it depends on the dogs, their ages, their temperament. really lots of factors. I guess the best advice is to separate them if you are worried about it. 
I have 4 kids ages 10 months to 5 years old here, I always watch the dogs around the baby because they will just walk over him like he's not there but the other kids all love the dogs, they play with them and the dogs have never hurt them. I think my female thinks of the kids like her puppies. I used to baby sit and my dog would get upset when the parents came to pick up their kids, she really didn't want them to go. I wish that every one could see pit bulls the way I do. to me saying that all pits are aggressive is like saying that all people are aggressive; you just can't make assertions like that. There are so many factors that go into people and dogs.


----------



## Heatherbean (Mar 20, 2011)

Sadie said:


> Would you leave a loaded gun around the house with small children living there? Don't you understand this is not about your OPINION it's a hard cold FACT that these dogs are genetically wired from the beginning of their creation to show aggression around other animals period a bulldog can turn on at any given point and time they don't have the start the fight but if challenged they will finish it. Your opinions are not above the facts about this breed and their genetic makeup. You can't roll the dice your playing with fire it's only a matter of time before you end up with dead dogs on your hand. Then what will you say? Oh I didn't know or I didn't mean for this to happen. There is no excuse to own a breed that is known for Dog Aggression and not take the proper precautions to protect the other animals living in your home and in society. When a bulldog fights they don't stop until they have finished the job. These dogs were bred for gameness and dog aggression. This is beyond foolish to me because you know better yet you choose to do what's wrong because you think you know more than the creators of this breed. Your opinions are not above genetics. It's because of people like you that my breed has a tarnished image. If you love your dogs so much why are you risking their lives when it's so simple just to take the proper precautions and crate while you are not home to supervise. You have no one to blame but yourself in the end. So sad


You are mis informed and it is sad. This is the kind of BS that leads to BSL. Pit bulls are TERRIERS. TERRIERS are genetically wired to dig in the ground. Thats what Terrier means. I have personally known many, many pit bulls and other breeds of dogs. The only dog that I personally know that has attacked anyone is a LAB. A BLACK LAB, and that dog attacked people because the owner was an idiot and for no other reason. Should people leave their pit bulls alone with babies, probably not. But I would make the same argument that no dog should be left alone with a baby, especially one that has never been around a baby. how is a dog supposed to know what to do around that little thing, and small kids tend to do things like poke eyes and pull ears, which would make me want to bite them. My dogs don't attack anything, I wouldn't hesitate to leave my dog alone with any one or any thing with the exceptions of Babies and small dogs. Only because those two things can't play the way the big dogs play, they would get hurt. But not because the pit bull would attack them. The bottom line is that you have to know your dog. Treating all pit bulls like criminals that need to be locked up is a mistake though.


----------



## Blue_Nose_Bella (Jan 16, 2011)

Heatherbean said:


> You are mis informed and it is sad. This is the kind of BS that leads to BSL. Pit bulls are TERRIERS. TERRIERS are genetically wired to dig in the ground. Thats what Terrier means. I have personally known many, many pit bulls and other breeds of dogs. The only dog that I personally know that has attacked anyone is a LAB. A BLACK LAB, and that dog attacked people because the owner was an idiot and for no other reason. Should people leave their pit bulls alone with babies, probably not. But I would make the same argument that no dog should be left alone with a baby, especially one that has never been around a baby. how is a dog supposed to know what to do around that little thing, and small kids tend to do things like poke eyes and pull ears, which would make me want to bite them. My dogs don't attack anything, I wouldn't hesitate to leave my dog alone with any one or any thing with the exceptions of Babies and small dogs. Only because those two things can't play the way the big dogs play, they would get hurt. But not because the pit bull would attack them. The bottom line is that you have to know your dog. Treating all pit bulls like criminals that need to be locked up is a mistake though.


PERHAPS YOU SHOULD GO BACK AND READ ALL 6 PAGES before you tell someone who has owned game dogs longer than you that she is misinformed! Your right, they shouldn't be treated as criminals but they need to be treated as a dog who was made to fight and be naturally aggressive to other dogs. This thread is like beating a dead horse!!!! Yes, some can get along and live in peace for years until one day you may come home to find one dog greeting you and a blood bath. Good luck!


----------



## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

We never once said that our dogs were criminals. Far from it but you can not trust a APBT to fight. They may not start any fights but a growl or a snap from another dog and that APBT will be on. It wont stop until one or both are dead. You have to respect this breed for what it is what it has been breed for. It s a fighting dog pure and simple. It is sad to think that so many people love this breed but dont understand it and are not willing to do the research that should be required before owning it. I sincerely hope that some of new people stick around and learn about this breed and decide to treat the dog for what it is and become a spokes person for the breed and not another media story.


----------



## william williamson (Feb 26, 2006)

Heatherbean said:


> You are mis informed and it is sad. This is the kind of BS that leads to BSL. Pit bulls are TERRIERS. TERRIERS are genetically wired to dig in the ground. Thats what Terrier means. I have personally known many, many pit bulls and other breeds of dogs. The only dog that I personally know that has attacked anyone is a LAB. A BLACK LAB, and that dog attacked people because the owner was an idiot and for no other reason. Should people leave their pit bulls alone with babies, probably not. But I would make the same argument that no dog should be left alone with a baby, especially one that has never been around a baby. how is a dog supposed to know what to do around that little thing, and small kids tend to do things like poke eyes and pull ears, which would make me want to bite them. My dogs don't attack anything, I wouldn't hesitate to leave my dog alone with any one or any thing with the exceptions of Babies and small dogs. Only because those two things can't play the way the big dogs play, they would get hurt. But not because the pit bull would attack them. The bottom line is that you have to know your dog. Treating all pit bulls like criminals that need to be locked up is a mistake though.


I'd ban this one right out of the gate.


----------



## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Heatherbean said:


> You are mis informed and it is sad. This is the kind of BS that leads to BSL. Pit bulls are TERRIERS. TERRIERS are genetically wired to dig in the ground. Thats what Terrier means. I have personally known many, many pit bulls and other breeds of dogs. The only dog that I personally know that has attacked anyone is a LAB. A BLACK LAB, and that dog attacked people because the owner was an idiot and for no other reason. Should people leave their pit bulls alone with babies, probably not. But I would make the same argument that no dog should be left alone with a baby, especially one that has never been around a baby. how is a dog supposed to know what to do around that little thing, and small kids tend to do things like poke eyes and pull ears, which would make me want to bite them. My dogs don't attack anything, I wouldn't hesitate to leave my dog alone with any one or any thing with the exceptions of Babies and small dogs. Only because those two things can't play the way the big dogs play, they would get hurt. But not because the pit bull would attack them. The bottom line is that you have to know your dog. Treating all pit bulls like criminals that need to be locked up is a mistake though.


The terrier is so far removed from this breed it is not even relevant anymore and that right there tells me you have no clue what your talking about. I am a dog trainer and have been around this breed for many years and I get the phone calls of "my dog killed/attacked my other dog(s) I have no clue what went wrong they all got along for years without a problem." It is really sad to sit there and talk to these people and come to find out it was because the dogs were left alone or maturing or some small thing started a fight. In most cases the owners did not know how to break up a pit bull fighting and could do nothing but watch that dog kill or seriously injure the other dog. I have had it personally happen to me years ago when I sounded just like you and it took a dead dog to change my attitude.

So your combo of dogs you have are probably ok for now but that could change. I have had dogs get along till they were 7 years old then try and kill each other. It can happen at any time and you should be more responsible than you acting on this forum. At some point you may have a problem and could you live with yourself if your dog was killed? Guilt is a very strong emotion and I feel horrible I lost my dog to my ignorance.

I train dogs all day almost every day and yesterday I just got back from an agility show. I took my oldest dog to a show 3 hours away for the day to try and finish her second championship. It was a 6 hour drive total and I went with my best friend and her Border Terrier (A true go to ground breed). The dogs rode lose in the van along with her 5 year old. Vixen and Bezel get along just fine but never once did we leave them alone in the car together for one minute. Vixen gets along with most dogs unless they start a fight then she will finish it. Vixen also HATES my older bitch and they were fine till they were 7 years old then they started to try and kill each other. Now I never left them alone but they could be lose in the house together till that point. It is all about knowing the breed, respecting it for what they are and managing it so that nothing bad happens.

No Sadie's comments do not promote BSL. What makes a case for BSL is irresponsible pit bull owners like yourself and a few others in this thread that think these dogs are good pack dogs. Then when your dogs kill each other at some point that is what catches people's attention and supports BSL.
Do not come on this forum of many educated pit bull owners and think for one second we buy into the whole, dog dogs are friendly thing. We know what these dogs can do and respect them for it. We are not saying keep them on lock down, shoot my dogs are in the public everyday at work with me, what we are saying is use your head. Pit Bull 101, never leave them alone together, never feed them together, never leave bones or food items out. All those things are just using common sense and logic.


----------



## redog (Oct 14, 2005)

Heatherbean- Irresponsible and ignorant owners are what kills our breed. you can only avoid problems by using your head. if your head isnt right, your dog will pay for your stupdity. If you're not willing to take precautions then you are "the pitbull problem"! 
open your eyes, read, learn, and be the owner your dog expects you to be


----------



## smokey_joe (Oct 14, 2005)

I had the same attitude a few years ago. $2000 in vet bills later, my dogs are crated & separated. And, I now know how to break up a fight.


----------



## redog (Oct 14, 2005)

smokey_joe said:


> I had the same attitude a few years ago. $2000 in vet bills later, my dogs are crated & separated. And, I now know how to break up a fight.


folks always think their dog is the acception but they are fooled. Stupid is, not being able to take advice from folks with experience. If you and I had great folks trying to help us, we wouldnt have experienced our blood baths. this is by far, the easiest thing to avoid with our breed.


----------



## Firehazard (Dec 4, 2009)

SPCA vet tech and Isolation technician for a couple of years; If the place you adopted your dog from does temperment testing then there should be some proof of it on the adoption agreement.. that should be the first step; if not .. well a pit mix is not a pittie and sometimes rescues and adoption facilities adopt pure game lil APBTs out as mixes cause they think APBTs are big mean dogs. LOL I've argued many a lady about that crap, and have to show them all my dogs which is what led me to start bringing Hooch to work with me at the SPCA to educate all the tarts. 

no one can actually answer your question honestly without seeing pics of the dog, pics of them playing even better video (phone) that shows the behavior patterns of the dog(s). 

Any adopted pet should be loved unconditionally that does not mean they should come in at free run in a home with other dogs.. 1st step is you should bath everyone that day so they all get the same treatment and they all get the same smell (your yard and house) There are ways of introducing APBTs that never let another dog near it to another just as there are wolves it begins with smell and attitude. Bathing usually humbles dogs then they want to play afterward; a real happy attitude at that time usually and if they smell the same and associate you as pack leader at that time then you touch the dogs on a psyche level that most people don't think about but when they do its a real aah Ha moment. APBTS arent to be trusted not to fight that is true; lets start with a photo of your dog to see if its likely a pit or pitmix.


----------



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Heatherbean said:


> You are mis informed and it is sad. This is the kind of BS that leads to BSL. Pit bulls are TERRIERS. TERRIERS are genetically wired to dig in the ground. Thats what Terrier means. I have personally known many, many pit bulls and other breeds of dogs. The only dog that I personally know that has attacked anyone is a LAB. A BLACK LAB, and that dog attacked people because the owner was an idiot and for no other reason. Should people leave their pit bulls alone with babies, probably not. But I would make the same argument that no dog should be left alone with a baby, especially one that has never been around a baby. how is a dog supposed to know what to do around that little thing, and small kids tend to do things like poke eyes and pull ears, which would make me want to bite them. My dogs don't attack anything, I wouldn't hesitate to leave my dog alone with any one or any thing with the exceptions of Babies and small dogs. Only because those two things can't play the way the big dogs play, they would get hurt. But not because the pit bull would attack them. The bottom line is that you have to know your dog. Treating all pit bulls like criminals that need to be locked up is a mistake though.


No one is saying to treat them as criminals! They are to be treated with respect for what they are genetically engineered to do. Leaving your kids alone with a pit? Thats NOT the issue. The issues is irresponsibly leaving multiple animals alone, including a pit bull, without human supervision is a certain tragedy waiting to happen. Period. If the risk you take is to leave multiple animals unsupervised, then YOUR the one at fault if one gets hurt, or killed, NOT the dog. The ONLY way to avoid this, is to NEVER EVER LEAVE ANY PIT BULL ALONE with another ANIMAL. Children and humans are NOT other animals. The reason the Pit Bull is different (even if he is your "baby" and could never ever do anything to any of his "brothers and sisters" since he was raised by the best person in the world and with the same dogs/cats/animal) is because its been years of "people" breeding the aggressiveness into them.

Its people that refuse to take advice and knowledge of this wonderful breed that make BSL's. Its people who feel their pit isn't inherently aggressive if the time comes and the situation warrants it. Its irresponsible owners who take their dogs to a dog park and let them run free. Its irresponsible owners who allow their dogs to live unsupervised. It is partly those same irresponsible owners who contribute to the public's opinion and need for BSL.


----------



## gamer (Feb 1, 2010)

stusmom said:


> i didn't come here "close minded" i understand you guys have experience and that's great. as for me, i'll continue to do what i'm doing which doesn't mean i don't love my dogs. they are everything to me, every single one of them. i don't treat my rottie different from my springers or my chi differently than the others. so i'm not gonna treat my pittie differently. they all have the capablitlity to kill one another, not just the pit. maybe you guys are right and i might come home to a dead dog, or maybe i'm right and nothing will ever happen....but this is the way i choose to raise and live with my dogs, you have your ways and i obviously have mine. good or bad, i own it. i in no way told the op to do what i do with her dog, everyones different and it's what you're comfortable with. i'm more than comfortable to leave ALL my dogs alone together, some may not be. it works for some and not for others. sorry i have a difference of opinion from the rest of you, but this is the way i choose to do it and i'm more than happy with that decision. good day all


You and people like you are why most of society fear this breed, because people like you say stupid stuff like this so a family member or friend tries it and ends up with a dead dog or cat. Please do the breed a favor and place the one you have in a responsible home. Thank you



Heatherbean said:


> You are mis informed and it is sad. This is the kind of BS that leads to BSL. Pit bulls are TERRIERS. TERRIERS are genetically wired to dig in the ground. Thats what Terrier means. I have personally known many, many pit bulls and other breeds of dogs. The only dog that I personally know that has attacked anyone is a LAB. A BLACK LAB, and that dog attacked people because the owner was an idiot and for no other reason. Should people leave their pit bulls alone with babies, probably not. But I would make the same argument that no dog should be left alone with a baby, especially one that has never been around a baby. how is a dog supposed to know what to do around that little thing, and small kids tend to do things like poke eyes and pull ears, which would make me want to bite them. My dogs don't attack anything, I wouldn't hesitate to leave my dog alone with any one or any thing with the exceptions of Babies and small dogs. Only because those two things can't play the way the big dogs play, they would get hurt. But not because the pit bull would attack them. The bottom line is that you have to know your dog. Treating all pit bulls like criminals that need to be locked up is a mistake though.


not much stupider then this.

eta: BSL was started and lives through people like you and the other poster I replied to. If people would stop acting like pit bulls are labs and love everyone and everything they will stop putting them into situations that get them bad rep. If only the breeders of today had learned how to not be greedy and were more like the dog men of old this breed would not be in so many idiots hands today and we would be able to own the all american breed IN america.


----------



## DueceAddicTed (Sep 28, 2009)

SMH ... I wish people like this would keep their opinions to them selves, and not put other new owners at risk of thinking ~well ok this person leaves their dogs alone together, it might be ok in my home too~. Pitcrap ...
[email protected] a chi or spaniel killing a pitbull now that is MORONIC thinking ...

Duece is crated and like I said earlier the most spoiled rotten animal in this house, probably more spoiled then my own children, his happy wagging tail, licks and hugs are not the actions of an animal treated unfairly or criminal like. Those are the actions of a dog who is as strong as a bulldozer happy and content in his life and why because I keep him safe, protect him from his own instinctual actions to be top dog and take down anything in his way of being so. He is a friendly boy but I know one wrong move on my Shnorkies part will be his last of Duece chooses so, why in the hell would I risk leaving them alone together?

Learn, go through other members threads who had that same mentality before coming here then experienced just what we are trying to save others from experiencing. Its owners like YOU that have BSL on the rise, these are NOT pack dogs they were bred to fight, bull bait and love their HUMAN. These dogs only need their owner they can careless about having other doggie friends .....

Shameful that the majority of the people who responded to this thread have ages of experience with this breed and are sharing the horror stories so that others won't go through the same or worse end up on the news adding to the end of all of US owning this breed. Stupid choices like this hurt the future for all of us .....


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

when pits play, its that rough housing that leads to a fight, it slowly escalates until it kicks off. It reminds me of when I was a little boy and your mom says when you rough house some one always gets hurt. or how little boys start out playing, but one pushes the other one too hard, so he pushes him back hard, and next thing you know, the 2 little boys are fighting. same with the dogs, they start off rough housing, it escalates and the switch gets flipped on. or all it takes is a challenge, body posture can start it, the dogs accept the challenge, they dont back down.

anyone who is wondering about this stuff, should know what the term game means. go read it.


----------



## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

Heatherbean said:


> You are mis informed and it is sad. This is the kind of BS that leads to BSL. Pit bulls are TERRIERS. TERRIERS are genetically wired to dig in the ground. Thats what Terrier means. I have personally known many, many pit bulls and other breeds of dogs. The only dog that I personally know that has attacked anyone is a LAB. A BLACK LAB, and that dog attacked people because the owner was an idiot and for no other reason. Should people leave their pit bulls alone with babies, probably not. But I would make the same argument that no dog should be left alone with a baby, especially one that has never been around a baby. how is a dog supposed to know what to do around that little thing, and small kids tend to do things like poke eyes and pull ears, which would make me want to bite them. My dogs don't attack anything, I wouldn't hesitate to leave my dog alone with any one or any thing with the exceptions of Babies and small dogs. Only because those two things can't play the way the big dogs play, they would get hurt. But not because the pit bull would attack them. *The bottom line is that you have to know your dog. *Treating all pit bulls like criminals that need to be locked up is a mistake though.


How many dog fights have you broken up with this breed in particular? How long have you owned this breed? I have seen this breed go from playing to kill mode in less than a few seconds. I have seen these dogs raised together and one day they could no longer be in the same room with one another. These dogs don't have to be treated like criminals what they need is responsible owners to love and protect them. They need owner's who understand their genetic make up and what they were bred to do. Not owner's who live in La La land and think they can fix or change what's been sowed into these dogs since the beginning of time. You can only control what your there to control. You can NOT train out dog aggression in this breed you can control it and prevent tragedy from occurring. Until you have witnessed firsthand what these dogs are capable of you don't know. You haven't done your homework and as a result your setting your dog up to fail. We are ultimately responsible for everything our dogs do. When your dog gets loose and kills another dog your at fault. When you leave your dog unattended with other dogs or animals and your dog is challenged or it's genetics kicks in and another animal is hurt or killed in the process you are to blame NOT the dog. Here is a quote from old man tudor a legend in this breed take note.

*EARL TUDOR - 1939 - Original quote appearing in letter "If you tell a man there are 270,678,984,341 stars in the universe, he will believe you. But if you put up a sign saying "KEEP THESE DOGS SEPARATED, OR THEY WILL FIGHT", that man has to make a personal investigation".***

This is so true yet so sad you have people on this board who have had their hands in these dogs for years. A trainer who works with this breed everyday and is one of the few trainer's out there who really does understand this breed telling you don't leave these dogs unattended for any reason. Your one of those people who will have to learn that hard way. No matter what or who tells you these dogs can never be trusted not to fight. You will have to see it with your own 2 eyes to believe it.

PS - The APBT was not bred to dig holes they were selectively bred for gameness these dogs were bred to fight other dogs not play in dirt.

You said you KNOW your pit bull what makes your dogs genetics any different than the rest of the APBT's in the world? How do you know what your dog will do when your not even there to supervise it? Dogs are like small children they need constant supervision. When you can't be there to supervise you arrange for someone else to watch your dog or you put your dog in a crate or on a chain! You don't let your dog run wild with other animals in the home especially not a dog who's been bred to fight other animals. How ignorant can you possibly be? These are animals!!!!!! People kill me when they say oh I KNOW my dog that has to be one of the dumbest statements I have ever heard. You don't know your dog because you can't talk to your dog and ask him how he feels or what he thinks. We go off animal behaviors and every breed has distinctive characteristics this breed is KNOWN to be dog and animal aggressive because of their history it wasn't by accident that they became this way it was by PURPOSE!! Get a clue or please give your dog to someone who will accept that dogs history and truly love and protect it by using common sense and basic breed knowledge. This is not rocket science.....

I suggest you pick up some old historical reference books written by the great dog men of the past who actually selectively bred these great dogs and witnessed first hand what these dog's were engineered to do. Start with a Colby Book and go from there. Than you come back to this same thread and tell me you know more about these dogs then the men who are responsible for these dogs even being here to begin with.

While your at it I am positive you don't own break sticks you should invest in some and learn how to use them. Pick up some crates or organize a solid chain set up on your property. If you want real advice there it is. You ignore the truth if you want to eventually you will be forced to face it and you may not like what you see. As my grandmother use to say on keep living.


----------



## Xiahko (Feb 24, 2010)

Left my 4 dogs and our cat alone once...... Lab killed the cat. Lesson learned for us.

the lab was a rescue we found abandoned,and we took her in,and stupidly left her alone with our other animals.

She also picked up 2 of our other dogs and tossed them into walls and tables. Broke one of our dogs backs.

yeah...I wont leave animals unattended with one another ever again...No matter how much I trust them,or how long they've known each other. 
It's not safe.

Oh yeah, and we had the lab like 3 months before it finally killed the cat. Had shown little interest before hand. No idea what triggered it either.


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

Sadie said:


> How many dog fights have you broken up with this breed in particular? How long have you owned this breed? I have seen this breed go from playing to kill mode in less than a few seconds. I have seen these dogs raised together and one day they could no longer be in the same room with one another. These dogs don't have to be treated like criminals what they need is responsible owners to love and protect them. They need owner's who understand their genetic make up and what they were bred to do. Not owner's who live in La La land and think they can fix or change what's been sowed into these dogs since the beginning of time. You can only control what your there to control. You can NOT train out dog aggression in this breed you can control it and prevent tragedy from occurring. Until you have witnessed firsthand what these dogs are capable of you don't know. You haven't done your homework and as a result your setting your dog up to fail. We are ultimately responsible for everything our dogs do. When your dog gets loose and kills another dog your at fault. When you leave your dog unattended with other dogs or animals and your dog is challenged or it's genetics kicks in and another animal is hurt or killed in the process you are to blame NOT the dog. Here is a quote from old man tudor a legend in this breed take note.
> 
> *EARL TUDOR - 1939 - Original quote appearing in letter "If you tell a man there are 270,678,984,341 stars in the universe, he will believe you. But if you put up a sign saying "KEEP THESE DOGS SEPARATED, OR THEY WILL FIGHT", that man has to make a personal investigation".***
> 
> ...


the problem i see is too many people applying human attributes to dogs.


----------



## socalapbt (Mar 13, 2011)

Heatherbean said:


> You are mis informed and it is sad. This is the kind of BS that leads to BSL. *Pit bulls are TERRIERS. TERRIERS are genetically wired to dig in the ground. *Thats what Terrier means. I have personally known many, many pit bulls and other breeds of dogs. The only dog that I personally know that has attacked anyone is a LAB. A BLACK LAB, and that dog attacked people because the owner was an idiot and for no other reason. Should people leave their pit bulls alone with babies, probably not. But I would make the same argument that no dog should be left alone with a baby, especially one that has never been around a baby. how is a dog supposed to know what to do around that little thing, and small kids tend to do things like poke eyes and pull ears, which would make me want to bite them. My dogs don't attack anything, I wouldn't hesitate to leave my dog alone with any one or any thing with the exceptions of Babies and small dogs. Only because those two things can't play the way the big dogs play, they would get hurt. But not because the pit bull would attack them. The bottom line is that you have to know your dog. Treating all pit bulls like criminals that need to be locked up is a mistake though.


and pitbulls are genetically wired to fight. that is what they were made for.

if you can understand what terriers are genetically wired to do, i think you may be able to understand what pitbulls are genetically wired to do.


----------



## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

Yes that is true people think that dogs reason the same way humans do. They dont. They dont understand or remember for too long. That is why you need to keep training them. You can train them do alot but you can not training them to go against a trait that has been bred into them for 100yrs.


----------



## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

socalapbt said:


> the problem i see is too many people applying human attributes to dogs.


:goodpost:This is very true .. People love their animals and forget they are still just animals. They are not humans. Animals will be animals regardless of breed and training. I don't put anything past the animals in my home no matter how well bred or mannered they are. I have learned to prevent certain things from happening and to pay close attention to my dogs behavior. Not how much I love them LOL.

Your statement couldn't be any truer. This is why HA dog's are allowed to remain breathing in society stupid owner's failing to cull them making excuses for them because they think they KNOW their dogs. The signs are always there but people don't think and utilize common sense they choose to ignore those warning signs and than cry accident after tragedy has struck.


----------

