APBT

[Breakthenight]

I am considering getting an APBT, and was wondering if anyone else on here has experience with the breed, ect. I love their temperments,athleticism, and intelligence. I remember when I was a kid my friend had two pit mixes, and they were WONDERFUL dogs all around.
There is currently no BSL in my area that would prevent me from adopting a "pitbull" breed, and I am seriously considering it. I have been researching casually for a few years, because I have always liked the look and personality of the APBT(Traditional not BYB giants), but for the past while I have been looking into it more seriously. I would probably be looking at getting a dog/puppy this fall rather than NOW, which gives me some time to consider options, and be SURE of my choice.
Either way, APBT owners, if you could please tell me a little about challenges/experiences/ect with your dog, and feel free to post pictures!!!!

Thanks,
aj

[GameFace]

First, you said you were looking into the traditional APBT. I take it you mean the true, gamebred APBT? Not the 'pet' bull or the bully? In that case, you'll have quite a dog on your hands. I currently own three gamebred APBTs and they are truly extraordinary dogs. I'll try to make this all logical and organized, as best as I can.
Note here that I am talking about the true APBT, not a pet bull you can buy off a BYB who thinks they're creating 'better' 'pitbulls'.

Pros:
- They love ALL people! No exceptions. Very human friendly.
- Very obediant. They love to please their owner.
- Highly athletic.
- High energy and stamina
- High tolerance for pain. (Perhaps this is what makes them so great with children, hehe)
- Affection, affection, affection
- An endless love for life

Cons:
- Dog aggression. It's an APBT thing. The number on rule for all APBT owners: Never trust your dog not to fight.
- Horrible guard dogs. They simply love people too much. Any good APBT breeder will tell you that these dogs simply cannot guard.
- High prey drive. They like chasing and hunting small prey.
- They're working dogs. They need stimulation and can become very destructive to household objects when bored.
- If you prove to be a weak leader, they'll walk all over you.
- They scare people. No matter how amazing they are, there will ALWAYS be someone who tries to get them taken away from you for one reason or another.
- They are ESCAPE ARTISTS. No, really. They can get out of almost any backyard.

My dogs get along great with eachother. They are crated seperately whenever I am gone, of course, and I've had a few spats, but that's all. However, they simply do not like other dogs. I always carry a breakstick with me when I take them for walks, and I suggest you do as well. Because if another dog runs up to me off-leash, my dog is going to react. Breaksticks are good. My dogs also eat the house.

The BEST ways to stimulate the APBT are:
- Springpoles
- Flirtpoles
- Heavy running on a treadmill
- Biking
- Hiking
- Swimming
- Weight pulling

I warn you, they do need ALOT of excercise and plenty of attention. They're the kind of dogs that will follow you around the house constantly. They simply love being with people. Also, NEVER allow your APBT to be in public off-leash. Ever. That's asking for trouble. If they spot a cat, squirrel, rabbit, or if a dog antagonizes them, it'll mean trouble.

Note: I told you all about the gamedog. You said you wanted an APBT, not an Amstaff. 'Pet' Bulls are basically Amstaffs, not APBTs. Take away that working drive, and you take away what the APBT is.


And make sure you find a GOOD breeder. Look for weight pulling titles! Show titles generally aren't as important in the APBT world, as they're working dogs more than show dogs, but show titles are great as well. Make SURE the breeder isn't breeding for color. If they specialize in red/red nose, that's fine. But if the emphasize that they only want red/rednose dogs, that's something to watch out for. Make sure you meet the parents. Spend time with them, ask to see them in different situations. Never go to a breeder who is breeding guard dogs, 'big heads and chests', 'rare blues', tough dogs, etc. Go to a breeder who, preferrably, weight pulls and maybe even hunts hogs with his dogs. A good hog hunter is a good working dog and tends to produce some good working pups.

If you have any specific questions, I will gladly answer them I don't have any pictures right now, but I'll try to get some up later.

[Breakthenight]

Yes, I was refering to a more traditional APBT, rather than the "my bitch has a 32 inch head and weighs in at 95 pounds(razors edge and Gotti...I beleive those are the 'lines' are two that are REALLY a great example of what I do not want)" type. If I was to get a dog I would definately not be getting it from a backyard breeder. Actually more than likely I would not be getting it from my province, because as of yet I have not found any good breeders to check into. Still, thanks for all the greta information so I can make an informed decision about the breed of dog I like. I am just so taken by the personality and temperment of the APBT.

Basically I want a dog I can hike, swim and play ball with, who will be trainable, intellegent. I am actually thinking about doing some dogsport and obedience.

I can't specifically think of anything, because I am crazy tired right now, but I am sure I will have a million questions a little later. Thanks so much for all the great information

And do try to get around to posting some pictures :p

[GameFace]

You probably have no idea how glad I am that you want a real APBT

You will definately have a great hiking partner. In fact, stick on harness on and when you get tired, he'll pull you up the hill, hehe.

No problem and I'll get some soon. I don't have any uploaded on this computer.

[Ratwings]

I have a rescued pit. I have no idea if he is an APBT, Amstaff, or a mix, but whatever he is, he's clearly poorly bred from some horrible backyard breeder. I love pits and pit-mixes. I really encourage you to adopt a dog from a shelter! There are SO many pits of every shape and size in rescue that are truly wonderful dogs and easily fill all the descriptions of a "real" pit bull dog and can run/hike/learn/play as good as the rest of them. You mentioned you might get an adult dog- which is awesome because basically what you see is what you get. If you see a sweet, energetic pit bull with the "traditional" appearance you like, then why would you need a pedigree?  The adults pits are the ones that really don't stand a chance at the. I live in the Philadelphia area so pits do tend to be overrepresented in shelters, but you will find that in in any city shelter, and basically there are pits that needs homes ANYwhere in the country.

My boy Sonny:

[Breakthenight]

Here in Nova Scotia we have a fair pit presence in shelters, not like in the states, but quite a few all the same. Though I am waiting a bit to find the right dog, ect, I will probably be going to the shelter once a wekk to volunteer which will give me a good chance to work with some pits and pit mixes. I would really like to adopt from the shelter, but there are rules at ours that "pit bull"breeds(whatever that means) almost always must be adopted by previous "pit bull" owners. I don't know if that is flexable at all, but I will find out when I go

BTW Ratwings, Sonny is ADORABLE!!!!He looks like such a sweetheart too!!

[dragynflye]

my girl river is a pit bull/boxer mix who looks all pit.  we adopted her from a rescue when she was just a puppy.  she is the smartest, most eager to please dog i've ever know.  she loves every one and everything and just wants to play play play!  she is highly sensitive and responds well to a simple look as correction.  she is excellent with the baby and has been very calm and gentle from the get go. 

check out www.pitbullforum.com.

[star2]

Omg that first picture of Sonny =    Look at that SMILE!  He is definitely one of the cutest pups I've ever seen! 

And dragynflye- did you ever post pictures of the baby anywhere?? 
edit: nevermind!  I hunted down your posts and found some of the baby *runs off to look at baby pics*

[nevadamoon]

We have a 5ish month old pit bull.  No idea on her 'true' breed, but she's clearly a pit.   She is still very much a puppy, so apart from wanting to chew a lot, isn't very active yet.  Our other dogs are FAST, and she has a hard time keeping up with them.  She usually ends up watching them run around the yard, and tackles them whenever they get close.  (Now, a few months from now, that's going to change...)

Our only issue we've had with her is we've been bad, and haven't gotten her out of the house as much as we should.  Socialization is so important if you're going to have a bully.  People will assume bad things about your dog typically, and so your dog needs to be friendly and well behaved.  We're still working on our Lily, and now that the weather is so nice out, will be taking her out a lot more.

They can be stubborn, and so they need a lot of training.  But, they're also smart dogs.  Lily was housebroken by 10 weeks (Obviously with frequent trips out. ) and she knew how to sit on command by 12 weeks.  It only took a few days to get her to walk on the leash, and we're working on retrieving.  They really are wonderful dogs.  She's a HUGE couch potato, and most of the time just likes to be up against you.  She's incredibly sweet, and extremely tolerant of our son.  She'll get overexcited towards cats, but listens quickly when we tell her to settle down.

Perhaps you could contact the rescue in your area, or the breed club?  APBT are registered with the UKC (if you're in the US) and so their website should be able to refer you to either a breed club or some good breeders in your area.  If you interview with them, you can further decide if it's the breed for you, and all that good stuff.

and, of course, Lily pictures:

This is the most recent, I just took this a few days ago.


These are all from early April:

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee299/ohmaibobby/Lily/728da1f5.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee299/ohmaibobby/Lily/056-1.jpg

These were her when we first got her:
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee299/ohmaibobby/Lily/072.jpg
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee299/ohmaibobby/Lily/051.jpg

She's just gotten into that stage now where her legs are getting longer, and her ears are super long and gawky looking.  I wanted to cry the other day when a little girl asked if I was going to get her ears cut. 

[Breakthenight]

nevadamoon, how cute!!! It's like she is too small for those giant too-cute-for-one-puppy ears!

Unfortunately im located in in Canada, so im not sure APBT are actually a registered breed here.....Maybe I could contact someoen off the website though and they would help?


And I have been lurking pitbullforum all yesterday, lol, to get a better idea. I may also be going to the shelter tonight after work...

[nevadamoon]

I guess the Canadian flag should have been a good tip-off for me, huh? 

The CKC registers staffies, but they are a bit different from APBT.  A lot of breeders network together, so if you can find an organization in the states that's near you (Like, if you're in a territory near the border) they might know someone in your area they can refer you to.

A shelter is a great idea, too.    If the shelters around you are anything like the shelters around here, they're probably chock-full of bullies/mixes.  Just make sure you have a chance to spend a lot of time around the dog while checking it out at the shelter, and it's often a good idea to sleep on it before rushing into a decision.  Before Lily, we were looking at this beautiful bully at the shelter who was about 8 months old, and really sweet.  But, he seemed a little uncomfortable with our son (a 2 year old, how can you blame the dog?  ) So we decided to wait on it.  He got adopted, and we ended up with Lily.

Lily doesn't look it, but she weighs about as much as our poodle.  she is a SOLID puppy.  I love how her ears don't look like they should be able to stand up on their own, but they do.  I really can't see how anyone could think of cropping such pretty ears.

[Ratwings]

Here in Nova Scotia we have a fair pit presence in shelters, not like in the states, but quite a few all the same. Though I am waiting a bit to find the right dog, ect, I will probably be going to the shelter once a wekk to volunteer which will give me a good chance to work with some pits and pit mixes. I would really like to adopt from the shelter, but there are rules at ours that "pit bull"breeds(whatever that means) almost always must be adopted by previous "pit bull" owners. I don't know if that is flexable at all, but I will find out when I go

BTW Ratwings, Sonny is ADORABLE!!!!He looks like such a sweetheart too!!

That is a GREAT idea to volunteer with the shelter pits! I am sure if you got a good relationship with the shelter, they would make a concession for you and let you adopt a pit.  I would recommend to read up on some positive training methods and do a little training with the dogs there when you are walking them. The shelter will be REALLY impressed and grateful if you can teach a trick or some nice manners. It's really quite easy and it only takes a few treats and a little time. I was at a pit bull awareness event with a local rescue, and I was the "handler" to a super cute 5 month old deaf pit bull pup. I taught the hand signal for down in about 1 1/2 hours (during the times he wasn't trying to play with the other dogs and kiss every person in sight).

And thanks, Sonny is ridiculously cute isn't he?

(edited for stupid typos)

[Breakthenight]

Yes. Sonny is far too much cute for one person :p I also adore that big grin pits have, Its so sweet!

Yesterday I dropped into the shelter and hung around a bit, but the kennels were closed because they had new untemperment tested dogs in there. Either way, I cuddled some kitties while I waited, and got to talk to the girl who runs the whole Nova Scotia SPCA volunteer section, and got my application to volunteer bumped up to the top of the 1000 app list , so I should be accepted within a few days to start officially "volunteering".
Luckly I am dog(not pit) expereinced,so I know a bit about training, though mostly in smaller dogs, so I am sure this is a new expereince altogether, I have heard pits are smart though, but stubborn,heh.

I am sure I will keep you all updated, and bring my camera for some pictures of any cute dogs I meet

[NutKitty]

I am sure I will keep you all updated, and bring my camera for some pictures of any cute dogs I meet

You'd better...! 

[Ratwings]

Luckly I am dog(not pit) expereinced,so I know a bit about training, though mostly in smaller dogs, so I am sure this is a new expereince altogether, I have heard pits are smart though, but stubborn,heh.

Stubborn... maybe although that's more of an anthropomorphism than anything.  But every pit I know is REALLY food motivated, and very smart, which makes training that much easier and fun for everyone. As far as I'm concerned positive methods are the only way to go with pits, shelter dogs, or really any dog, but I think reward-based methods really allow these dogs to flourish.

Have fun! And yeah, we really need some pics.

[Breakthenight]

So, I am starting volunteering at the shelter this coming tuesday, and I am very excited to be able to hang out with all the adorable animals there, as it is something I have always wanted to do

However in the meanwhile, while looking at the petfinder site I came across a big, smiley faced bully mix(he is a stray, they have no idea about his heritage. He looks a bit like a generic "pit bull" type dog though).There are plenty other dogs around in the shelters listed that are beautiful, and would probably be a great fit,similar breeds, but I saw this guy, and im such a dork, but I totally looked at that big grin and though "theres my dog!" haha. I know I should wait a while potentially before adopting, but I inquired asking how he was with cats, ect, kind of hoping I would find out that he was not the right dog for me. But he sounds perfect. Just for effect, here is his petfinder page. Isn't he sweet??!!
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=10623357

(Oh and Ratwings, I am not into "correction" methods either. Catch more flies with honey or whatever that saying is, and all that that implies )

[Ratwings]

Oh no, the link doesn't work! Is he at a rescue near you? Will you be able to meet him?  Good luck at the shelter next week, bring lots of treats for the pups.

[Breakthenight]

The link works fine for me...Hmm...Prehaps the site was down when you clicked(they just updated). He is in a shelter about an hour and a half away from me. He is a meduim sized (50 pound) male, about one year old, who was picked up as a stray.He is mostly white with brindle spots and a patch around one eye, and he is complete with the goofiest grin imaginable. According to the staff he is loveable, extremely friendly with all people and dogs(though I know this can change as he is still pretty young) and has no real cat issues, smart, loves being worked with, high food motivation, energetic, already neutered and house broken. I havent *yet* met him but he sounds alot like what I am looking for.

Oh and...Shelter orientation today! Though i forgot my camera 

[Ratwings]

Aww, the link works now. He's such a sweetie!

[Breakthenight]

First day aside from orientation volunteering.....

I got bit by a cat.

Lotsa antibiotics....

I have great luck eh LMAO