MY DOG WAS ATTACKED BY 2 PITBULLS TODAY
- Thread starter Wailua Boy
- Start date
Probably unlike a body part of yours that never is....now humor us a bit more with how you expertly spell the breed's name.
While I agree with a vast portion of your post, 2 things you stated are incorrect:I own two '"pits" 1 male APBT, and 1 female APBT/Am.Bully mix thus I feel compelled to comment.APBTs were bred specifically to fight other dogs, they are the perfect fighting dog. Many people forget this history and don't want to think about it. In some dogs with a prominent fighting lineage you cannot remove this born trait for enhanced dog aggression even with socialization. Being a "pitbull" owner you must be very cognoscente of the fact if your animal slips up you will be prosecuted for this much higher than the owner of any other breed. I added the female to my male when he was 2 and she was 6months....went very well. My male is incredibly friendly, however is somewhat neurotic thus I must watch him around other dogs because his being neurotic could trigger a fight with other dogs. The female was young enough not to reach to such behavior. Now that she is nearly 1 year she is the more dominant of the two and much more territorial than he is...thus introductions with the pair must be done carefully.
My dogs are never off leash...I dont believe this breed should be. The honest truth is if your dog were to knock someone over, defend itself from another dog, etc you will be held responsible and the breed blamed for a vicious mauling whether this was a case or not. I also agree you need to have a firm yet patient hand with this breed, and their training is not like the training of more soft breeds. If more people understood and admitted their dogs have the means to cause a great amount of damage and had the genetic predisposition for increased dog aggression we'd have far less "pitbull" incidents.
However...any "pitbull" over 60lbs isnt a pure APBT it is probably an American Bully or mix of some sort...American Bullies are typically more social and laid back than a true APBT and generally a better choice for most people.
1.) APBTs were bred originally by Irish-Americans in the early 1800's to hunt and kill RATS. Not dog fighting. Supposedly the initial cross was a male Rat Terrier bred to a female American Bulldog, however nowadays it is not likely you will "see" the RT in any APBTs because they are usually bred with larger Bully-breeds for more strength, power, obedience, etc. They were NOT breed for fighting, this is just humans capitalizing on an already existing characteristic that happened to come along on the side for this breed. Haven't you ever noticed how your dogs GLUE their attention to rodents when they see them?
2.) Various weights/heights have been given as guidelines for selecting an individual, however it is a very broad range, from 40-85lbs being an acceptable normal. Larger purebloods do exist however.
I doubt mine have seen a rodent as they are primarily house dogs I have to force outside. I know they have other bred purposes but you cannot deny most lines you see today have a strong fighting lineage. My male is neurotic for this reason I believe; he is very reactive and sensitive to even minor stimuli and gets very over excited very easily.
I also won't deny larger purebreds exist however most are under 60ish lbs. larger ones typically have some other mixing involved.
I also won't deny larger purebreds exist however most are under 60ish lbs. larger ones typically have some other mixing involved.
There's the issue - he's neurotic because he's full of energy and needs to constantly be outside burning calories and using that high-energy all pitbulls have. They have one of the highest metabolisms or any breed and need to exercise frequently. TBH, all of the pitbulls I know personally do not come from fighting bloodlines, and there's nothing out of the ordinary you are describing about your dogs,....it is typical for the breed, just like strong owner-bonding and separation anxiety.
Get them outside in a safe play-area , I'm sure you'll see a difference in them. They are inside dogs generally, but if YOU go outside with them, they will follow your lead since their biggest quality is sheer desire to please their owners. You must learn to take their undesireable qualities and turn them into a positive.
Are these your 1st APBTs?
I run both of my dogs about 3-5 miles each day(Im an avid runner) I also put them on the treadmill on days where I am unable to go outside. Exercise is very important, my dogs are just super lazy and hate being outside...hence I have to drag them outside. They also get a decent amount of play time each day with each other.
He has always been neurotic; it isn't an exercise related issue. I have been through 4 dog trainers and the last is an avid APBT person....she said it is not that uncommon with the breed to be very easily over stimulated by even minor daily changes of routine.
I have owned APBTs several times in the past along with other large/dominant breeds. Before my pits I had a GSD/Wolf cross.
He has always been neurotic; it isn't an exercise related issue. I have been through 4 dog trainers and the last is an avid APBT person....she said it is not that uncommon with the breed to be very easily over stimulated by even minor daily changes of routine.
I have owned APBTs several times in the past along with other large/dominant breeds. Before my pits I had a GSD/Wolf cross.
LOL I have no solution for you then. They're just going to be the way they are. Regardless of how well my dogs are trained, there are certain behaviors they seem intent on keeping like licking your face, pretending to be a lapdog, and getting super-excited over nothing or acting like you were never going to come home after you've only been gone 10 minutes. Dogs are domesticated, but retain individuality for both breeds and individuals. Some things you just can't change.
