Guest Anonymous Posted April 11, 2002 Posted April 11, 2002 I am looking for advice/experiences from people who have had pitt bulls with other dogs/animals. My local shelter is packed with abandoned pitts, most of whom will be euthanized due to lack of available homes. This includes 2 entire litters of puppies with their mothers (too young for adoption just yet so I have a week or two to make a decision). I hadn't planned on adopting a pitt (really hadn't planned on any specific breed). Years and years ago I had a Norwegian Elkhound and after him I had a Great Dane. I hadn't had a dog for many years (other than some temporary guests who were homeless until I could find them a home) because I was a single mother with 3 children & a full-time job, it wouldn't have been fair to the dog. I now have a 13 week old rottweiler who was dumped in my yard when he was 5 weeks old. He is very social with people & other animals (including cats) and he is the greatest joy in my life but he (and I) would love another canine companion. Thanks in advance for any advice from anyone who has raised pitts with other pets. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted April 11, 2002 Posted April 11, 2002 Pit bulls, regardless of what people have heard and/or think, are one of the best breeds with children. You may have a slight problem with the cats but some of the pits Ive had have been able to be around cats with no problems. Since you would be getting them at such a young age thay should be okay if introduced properly. I love pit bulls, they are my breed of choice BUT, you should never leave them alone with small children or cats (as with any dog!) I highly recommend crate training. They are naturally den animals so being in the crate wont bother them. Also, you wont come home to a chewed up couch- which pits are famous for- or to a couple dead cats. Good luck! Pits make WONDERFUL pets! Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted April 11, 2002 Posted April 11, 2002 I had three different pits living with me and my two big dogs on a temporay basis (not at the smae time ... one by one). I never had a problem with them. I took them to off leash dog parks and walked them all over the place. They also were around my neighbors kids. As for cats......I think if you have cats a young pit will get used to them. Otherwise I think they will always chase them. But that has nothing to do with being a pit. That is just being a dog.... Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted April 12, 2002 Posted April 12, 2002 I adopted my pitbull from an emergency animal clinic that I was working at. He came in via the police who had raided a drug lab and taken the owner to jail. He shyed away from everyone at the clinic except for me. He is wonderful with my seven year old son, and even tolerates our old and grumpy cat. He he two now and the light of my life. He always follows me every where, running his nose into the back of my knee when I stop! I highly recommend pitbulls, however, they are a breed that requires a great amount of play time and even more affection. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted May 20, 2002 Posted May 20, 2002 I too have recently adopted a female pit bull, and she is beautiful with our children. She's shy around cats (she chases them, but if they ever turned around, she would be one fraidy-dog), but she hasn't been raised with them either. As for being with other pits, I have read through various information websites that you shouldn't leave them alone together. They are fine when they are young, and a male and female do fine together as well, but as they get older it is best to separate those of the same sex. There is a Pit Bull FAQ on the web (search yahoo under that title "Pit Bull FAQ" which is FASCINATING with pit history, training tips, etc... Pit bulls have TONS of expendable energy so be ready to exercise them, rain or shine, for a long time to get them good and tired. An exhausted pit is a happy pit. You might want to look into a spring pole or treadmill if you plan to keep your pit puppies long term. I find that if I take my baby into a fenced-in tennis court or baseball field, she just runs and runs and runs and runs for about five minutes. Then she is ready to play for a bit. She runs some more, and then is tired enough to go home and sleep all night. If you have a big field, then you should be all set. Good luck! Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted May 20, 2002 Posted May 20, 2002 Hunt around on the net for the puppy temperament test and figure out how you can do it on the pups you look at to help you pick one that will suit you. Prey drive for example is an area you want to look at closely as you have potential for children interacting and other pets in your living situation. As pitbulls were designed to fight with other dogs I suggest you pick opposite sex and as best you can a lower dominance level to the pup you already have when looking at another pup. Watch the litters at play if you can more than once and notice if the play fights within the litter escalate fast or just average and see if mom has to break them up or not. You want the most even tempered friendly pup from the most even tempered friendly dam. For your Rottie as well as the new pup find yourself a puppy kindergarten to attend ASAP and plan on basic obedience lessons too. Good luck in your search. On 2002-04-11 01:09, DanaDW wrote: I am looking for advice/experiences from people who have had pitt bulls with other dogs/animals. My local shelter is packed with abandoned pitts, most of whom will be euthanized due to lack of available homes. This includes 2 entire litters of puppies with their mothers (too young for adoption just yet so I have a week or two to make a decision). I hadn't planned on adopting a pitt (really hadn't planned on any specific breed). Years and years ago I had a Norwegian Elkhound and after him I had a Great Dane. I hadn't had a dog for many years (other than some temporary guests who were homeless until I could find them a home) because I was a single mother with 3 children & a full-time job, it wouldn't have been fair to the dog. I now have a 13 week old rottweiler who was dumped in my yard when he was 5 weeks old. He is very social with people & other animals (including cats) and he is the greatest joy in my life but he (and I) would love another canine companion. Thanks in advance for any advice from anyone who has raised pitts with other pets. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted May 30, 2002 Posted May 30, 2002 I've had one pitt that was really mean and one that is a total pussycat. Most people dont realize that the way a pit really behaves is based on its parents. My first pit I raised the same as my sEcond. IT WAS THE PARENTS THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE!!!!!!! my first pit would attack as soon as it smelled the other dog. My second pit which i raised the same way has NEVER been in a fight in 2 years. If your pitt is vicous, then it may not be a purebred Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted May 30, 2002 Posted May 30, 2002 tyson napisał(a):I've had one pitt that was really mean and one that is a total pussycat. Most people dont realize that the way a pit really behaves is based on its parents. My first pit I raised the same as my sEcond. IT WAS THE PARENTS THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE!!!!!!! my first pit would attack as soon as it smelled the other dog. My second pit which i raised the same way has NEVER been in a fight in 2 years. If your pitt is vicous, then it may not be a purebred Actually if the pit is not instinctively aggressive with other dogs in many circles its deemed a poor quality dog. :-( Not far from where I live they seized a bunch of purebred dogs bred for pit fighting and ended up having to euthanize them all even the newborn pups because as the pups grew (waiting for the court case) they attacked each other so viciously they had to be kept separated even as little pups! Parentage counts! Quote
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