Information You May not Know about Pit Bull Terrier Type Dogs
Interested in adopting a pit bull terrier type dog? You must be or you wouldn’t be reading this. You’ve already heard how marvelous the breed is, but you should also hear, before it’s too late, that pit bull terrier type dogs are not the perfect breed for everyone. This is a long article that could take you about 10 minutes to read—don’t let that deter you. Ten minutes is time well-spent to educate yourself about a decision that could change and enrich your life for the next decade.
What is a Pit Bull, really?
First and foremost – let’s clear up the misinformation about breed identification. This is not actually a breed, but a generic category of similar breeds including the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier (plus about 17 other breeds with some similar appearance characteristics). For all intents and purposes, this page is written with the American Pit Bull Terrier in mind. The American Staffordshire is very similar (and in some cases can be dual registered as an APBT) so the following may also apply.
What Will You Tolerate?
As a breed there are features that some people find charming, but that some people find mildly unpleasant, and some people find downright intolerable. There are different breeds for different needs. There are over 200 purebred breeds of dogs in the world. Maybe you’d be better off with some other breed. Maybe you’d be better off with a cat. Maybe you’d be better off with goldfish, a parakeet, a hamster, or some house plants.
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL IF YOU…
- Are soley attracted to the breed for it’s appearance
- Don’t intend to train your dog
- Lack leadership and an assertive personality
- Are looking for a protective or guarding dog
- Are looking for a yard dog or lawn ornament, not a house pet
- Don’t want a happy, goofy, extremely loving dog
- Dislike daily physical exercise
- Believe that dogs should run “free”
- Can’t afford basic medical care and high-quality food that all dogs require
- Are not willing to commit yourself to the next 12-16 years of owning this dog, despite what lifestyle changes you experience
Expect More Responsibility & More Challenges
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL…if you are attracted to the breed chiefly by its appearance. Once they grow out of their “cute” puppy stage, this breed is often a medium-large, stronger than average dog, generally between 40-75 pounds, with lots of energy and a larger than life personality. As all dogs do, they require a lot of time, training for basic manners and a dependable routine with their guardians. Because they are the most legislated against dog in the country, they require guardians who are going to be pro-actively responsible and work hard to maintain or improve their dog’s place in society. Finding places to rent can be difficult and sometimes finding homeowner’s insurance can be a real challenge. These are thing to work out BEFORE you adopt your dog. Because of general prejudices ingrained in society, you may face negative remarks or fearful people who have not even met your dog—be prepared to politely work to educate people or let your well-mannered dog naturally be a great breed ambassador.
Training Requirements & Bonding Activities
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you don’t intend to educate (train) your dog (puppy or adult). Basic obedience and household rules training is not optional for a dog. At an absolute minimum, you must teach him to reliably respond to commands to come, to lie down, to stay, and to walk at your side, on leash and regardless of temptations. You must also teach him to respect your household rules: e.g., is he allowed to get on the furniture? Is he allowed to beg at the table? What you allow or forbid is unimportant; but it is critical that you, not the dog, make these choices and that you enforce your rules consistently.
Using positive reinforcement is EXTREMELY important when training any dog of any breed. Many of the pit bull terriers that are rescued from pounds and shelters clearly demonstrate that they have received little or no basic training, neither in obedience nor in household department; yet these same dogs respond well to such training by the rescuer or the adopter. It seems likely that a failure to train the dog is a significant cause of abandonment.
Pit bull terriers can, with adequate training, excel at such working competitions as field trials and hunt tests, obedience, agility, and tracking. You can check out dog activities at Working Pit Bull.
Plan to be a Benevolent and Consistent Leader
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you lack leadership (self-assertive) personality. Dogs do not believe in social equality. They live in a social hierarchy led by a pack-leader who is ensuring the survival of the dog by providing safety, food and shelter. They look to their guardian as their leader and because of the training that has been done and reinforced, you will know what situations are appropriate for your dog, how your dog will generally react and when to remove your dog from a situation.
Pit Bull Terriers are Meant to be Family Dogs
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you want an aggressive, guarding or protective dog. Pit bulls were simply not designed for this activity and to encourage it is WRONG. Pit bulls can sometimes have a very people-oriented disposition and in that case, will do whatever they can to please. Dogs typically love to make new friends and are not naturally aggressive towards people. These dogs are often targets for theft and are stolen right out of their owner’s yards; cars and sometimes people break into your home just to steal your dog.
Social Butterfly or Not so Much?
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you are not willing to learn and understand breed-specific characteristics of your dog and the other dogs your dog may regularly socialize with. All purebred dogs have been purposefully bred for specific traits over the years. Terriers are known for their tenacity—though every dog is still an individual, it’s important to be well-educated and know your dog’s thresholds to new situations (including meeting other animals) and not push them beyond their comfort zone. Don’t set your dog up to fail.
Have you liked every single person you’ve ever met? Not likely. Not all dogs enjoy every other dog they meet. If you your dog likes most other dogs they’ve met, they should be introduced to other dogs that you know are well-mannered and dog-appropriate in a supervised and controlled manner. BAPBR does not recommend taking your dog to dog parks. You don’t know the other dogs, you don’t know their guardians, nor how they will react to new situations or new dogs—for a breed that is already so closely watched by the public, it’s important to take extra precaution to not put your dog into a situation with too many unknown variables.
As a responsible dog guardian, BAPBR expects all dogs to be leashed at all times. There is a leash law in our community that is a law, not a suggestion for people to pick and choose when to abide by it. This shows mutual respect to other dogs guardians—your dog-friendly dog should not be allowed to freely approach someone else’s leashed dog who may be dog-reactive. Other non-dog owners, will appreciate not having a free-roaming dog approach them without an owner controlling the situation—not everyone likes and appreciates dogs the way dog guardians do.
Having Your Dog IN Your Home
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you are unwilling to share your house and your life with your dog. Dogs thrive in close companionship with their families. They want to be wherever you are. They are happiest living with you in your house and going with you when you go out. While they usually tolerate being left at home by themselves, they should not be relegated to the backyard or kennel. A puppy exiled from the house is likely to grow up to be unsociable (fearful and/or potentially reactive), unruly, and unhappy. He may well develop pastimes, such as digging or barking, that will displease you and/or your neighbors. An adult so exiled will be miserable too. If you don’t strongly prefer to have your dog’s companionship as much as possible, enjoying having him sleep in your bedroom at night and sharing many of your activities by day, you should choose a breed less oriented to human companionship. If your job or other obligations prevent you from spending much time with your dog, then a dog is not for you at this time. A better choice would be a cat, as they are solitary by nature.
Are You a Neat Freak?
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you are fastidious about the neatness of your home. Although it is technically true that they do not require professional grooming, they do “shed” at least twice a year and your house will be full of short slick hairs that have a tendency to stick in fabric. Not to say, you must be a slob to live happily with a pit bull terrier, but you do have to have the attitude that your dog’s company means more to you than extreme neatness and you do have to be comfortable with a less than immaculate house. All dogs, like all children, create a greater or lesser degree of household mess. The Basenji is perhaps the cleanest, due to its cat-like habits; but cats are cleaner yet, and goldfish hardly ever mess up the house.
Are You a Fan of Clingy Sweaters?
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you don’t value affection and loyalty. Pit bull terriers are often extremely affectionate dogs (particularly dogs who’ve come from a shelter environment). Dogs generally become deeply attached and devoted to their own family. If they are outgoing and confident, they can be equally gregarious with strangers and may be happy to meet new people and go places where they can be the center of attention, getting rubbed and patted. They are usually exuberantly demonstrative of their affection. They make remarkable eye contact with their favorite people. They like to be near you, usually in the same room, preferably on a comfortable pad or cushion in a corner or under a table, just “keeping you company.” They enjoy conversation, petting and cuddling when you offer it. They are clownish and goofy and live to make you smile. Having a pit bull terrier is like having your own adoring fan club. Pit bull terriers are famous for their butt-tucking “zoomies” around the house, yard or where ever they can really get going. A pit bull terrier can seem downright giddy and clingingly dependent. They stay puppyish for a long time and remain just as joyful and playful well into old age.
We Live in Oregon. It Rains a Lot. You Still Have to Exercise Your Dog October-June—No Excuses.
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you dislike daily physical exercise (often in the rain in our state). These dogs need exercise to maintain the health of heart and lungs and to maintain muscle tone. Most young pit bull terriers need at least (AT LEAST) 20-30 minutes of hard exercise on a daily basis. This is a hardy, energetic, performance type dog that loves physical activity. If you do not provide a physical outlet for your dog’s excessive energy, behavior problems most likely will occur. They can show up as anxiety, destructive behaviors. Pit bull terriers are not couch potatoes. Anyone who owns one should be able to devote a minimum of 20 minutes a day, working, training, retrieving, jogging, or playing with them. If providing this exercise and work is not for you, then choose one of the many small and breeds that can exercise itself within your fenced yard. Most of the Toys and Terriers fit this description, but don’t be surprised if a terrier is inclined to dig in the earth since digging out critters is the job that they were bred to do. Cats can be exercised indoors with mouse-on-a-string toys. Hamsters will exercise themselves on a wire wheel. House plants don’t need exercise. You may be able to find an older settled pit bull in rescue with less exercise requirements.
What’s Your Budget?
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you can’t afford to buy, feed, and provide health care for one. All dogs deserve a quality diet so make sure you read labels on dog foods to find a meat based (not grain-based) food. This will vary in cost, this is a case where cheaper is not always better but the most expensive may also be the wrong choice for your particular dog. Cheap food will be reflected in the dog’s overall health and appearance. Large dogs tend to have larger veterinary bills, as the amount of anesthesia and of most medications is proportional to body weight. Pit bull terriers have generally been a very healthy breed (because they are such a mixed breed), but more and more are becoming subject to hip dysplasia and skin problems because of indiscriminant breeding. Hip Dysplasia along with luxating patellas can be costly to treat. Finally, the modest fee for participation in a series of basic obedience training classes is an essential investment in harmonious living with your dog; such fees are the same for all breeds, although conceivably you will need to travel a bit further from home to find a training class teacher who pit bull terrier friendly. The modest annual vet visits, vaccines, dental care and costs for local licensing are generally the same for all breeds, although some counties have a lower license fee for spayed/neutered dogs. All dogs, of whatever breed and however cheaply acquired, require significant upkeep costs, and all are subject to highly expensive veterinary emergencies.
Dogs are for Life, Not Just for Now—Where Will You be in 10 Years?
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you are not willing to commit yourself for the dog’s entire lifetime. No dog deserves to be cast out because his guardians want to move to a no-pet apartment, or because he is no longer a cute puppy, or didn’t grow up to be a beauty contest winner, or because his guardians through lack of leadership and training have allowed him to become an unruly juvenile delinquent with a repertoire of undesirable behaviors, or because he was adopted when the guardian was single but now has married and decided to have a baby. The prospects of a responsible and affectionate second home for a “used” dog are never very bright, but they are especially dim for a large, poorly mannered dog. A pit bull terrier dumped into a Pound or Shelter has almost no chance of survival unless he has the great good fortune to be spotted by someone dedicated to Pit Bull Rescue, and even then, the odds are stacked against him as there are an overwhelming number of purebred pit bulls already in shelters. The life span of a pit bull terrier is from 12 to 16 years. If that seems too long a time for you to give an unequivocal loyalty to your pit bull terrier, then please do not get one! Indeed, as most dogs have a life expectancy that is as long or longer, please do not get any dog!
Prepare for Prejudice and Work to Change Hearts and Minds!
DON’T ADOPT A PIT BULL… if you are thin skinned, or easily offended. As a pit bull terrier guardian, you will be constantly required to defend your choice of pet. You will have friends, family members, co-workers who will not understand and pointedly tell you all they know about “those dogs” and what “those dogs” will do. God forbid you raise your children around “those dogs”…”don’t you know what they could do?”, “don’t you read the papers”. Every move you make as a pit bull owner will affect your ability and everyone else’s ability to own this breed of dog. Whether you like it or not, your dog is a breed ambassador and you will be forced to educate others on an almost daily basis. People will walk to the other side of the street as you walk your dog. Some people will happily meet your dog and tell you how pretty he is and when you tell them your dog is a pit bull, they will recoil in fear and act as though they have been struck by a bolt of electricity. Some will refuse to let their children play at your house. Your only defense is a well-trained, well socialized companion pet that shows them how wonderful these dogs can be in the right hands and homes.
CONCLUSION: If all the preceding “bad news” about pit bull terriers hasn’t turned you away from the breed, then by all means DO ADOPT A PIT BULL TERRIER! They are every bit as wonderful as you have heard!
