Question:

I’ve just adopted a new dog, seems to be a pit bull/lab mix — the vet thinks about 3/4 pit, 1/4 lab. He’s about a year old, incredibly affectionate and docile, smart and trainable — in a week he’s learned to sit and stay, and he’s getting used to the leash idea, which I don’t think he’d ever experienced before. (He was a stray.) My concern is that this sweet personality will change as he gets older, and that there’s something I should be doing now to guard against that. If anyone has advice for me, I’m very open to receiving it by e-mail. Thanks,

Response:

Congratulations!   There are lots of pit/lab mixes around.  I am the proud "mommy" of a 2 yr old, former stray female, seems like half and half.  I am 100% sold on this mix.  Maggie is smart and affectionate, not hyper, protective, overall a great animal. Problems?  Well, she is distinctly agressive to other dogs – not all the time, just sometimes.  She’s a dominant dog, so it’s necessary to assert and reassert who’s in charge – but she is eager to please and be loved so this isn’t so difficult. We’ve had her 4 weeks now, and as she became more comfortable with us she definitely was more naughty, testing limits – you will probably find that your dog hates cats, for example, and you may not be able to modify the barking/growling /chasing behavior.  We started obedience school last night and I was pleased to see how much better behaved Maggie was than most of the other dogs – I muzzled her for the first half as  a precaution for the other animals, she was the only muzzled dog, but at least 2 of the others needed it more than she did. Have fun with your dog!  If you want any more stories or input for you "personal experience with lab/pit" file drop me a line.

Response:

I almost adopted a pit/lab mix. The most beautiful mocha colored dog I’ve ever seen. He could jump head and shoulders above a six foot fence from a complete standstill. Although not actually aggressive, he was young and exuberant, and when treated to a dominance display by my head-case 18lb spaniel mix, playfully placed a paw on her back and all but splatted her to the ground. My other dog, a regally reserved and downright wise Standard Schnauzer mix, was standing back and gave me her "what the hell are you doing bringing us into a pen with this clumsy ox?" look and i knew that the adoption was not going to happen. Luckily he was adopted out soon thereafter to someone with an eight foot stockade fence and well over an acre of romping room. Some stories end well. JohnR

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Don’t worry — that idea that pit bulls "change" is garbage.  I’ve had my purebred pit bull (APBT) for 12 years and she has always been the sweetest, gentlest, most affectionate, best trained (on and off leash) dog that I know.  She might get a bit intense around tennis balls, sticks and the whole concept of fishing, but that’s better than being boring.  She is very people-oriented, kids and adults, has never been the least bit destructive inside the house or out and will "stay" for hours outside a restaurant, off leash, as dozens of people come up and fawn all over her. She looks like a pit bull/black lab mix, but in fact there isn’t an ounce of lab in her.  . Have fun.

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What is it with tennis balls?   Maggie LOVES them- to death that is.  Is this a pit bull thing?  Honestly, no other toy drives her so ecstatically batty.

Response:

Hi,   Yes, your dog will change unless you properly train and socialize your dog. See your vet about recommended training programs                                                                     Bob Maida

Response:

> sweetest, gentlest, most affectionate, best trained (on and off leash) dog > that I know.

What are pit bulls like with other dogs?  I guess, as always, a lot depends on the individual dog and how aggressive or dominant they are, but as a general rule do they socialise well with other canines? Rachel

Response:

Jenhwrn writes:

:What is it with tennis balls?   Maggie LOVES them- to death that is.  Is :this a pit bull thing?  Honestly, no other toy drives her so ecstatically :batty. In one of Stratton’s books, he tells the tale of how he broke up a kennel fight between two of his dogs by rolling a ball into the view of the dog that was winning the fight, who broke off the fight to chase the ball. You may want to keep this fetish of your pit at full flourish, just in case. Generally, whatever a pit bull loves, he loves like no person can love anything. What the love (or obsession) is, however, will vary. JohnR

Response:

Rachel writes:

:What are pit bulls like with other dogs?  I guess, as always, a lot :depends on the individual dog and how aggressive or dominant they are, :but as a general rule do they socialise well with other canines? It is by no stretch of the imagination safe to say that pit bulls *generally* socialize well with other canines!!!!! However, many individuals do socialize well with familiar dogs, and many are more or less okay with at least most dogs. But if a large, strange dog challenges a pit, watch out. Pits are the greatest, but they are what they are and you can’t just toss them in with other dogs and hope for the best. JohnR

Response:

My own experience is that they don’t socialize well with other animals though they can make friends with other animals. In general they love all people, hate cats, and are very aggressive with other dogs. My own knows a Springer Spaniel that she gets along quite well with and a Cocker Spaniel that can attack her, literally, and she’ll just turn the other cheek so to speak. They are a marvelous breed but not for the feint of heart or the first time dog owner. Loyal with a capitol L, smart with a capitol S, tough with a capitol T.                        Jim & Tasha the Amstaff

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>My own experience is that they don’t socialize well with other animals >though they can make friends with other animals. In general they love all >people, hate cats, and are very aggressive with other dogs.

Oh, Oh!  Is this everyone’s impression?  I have a Pit/Dane mix who loves *everything* (people, cats, dogs), but I’m planning on getting a pure APBT female puppy soon and I’m a little concerned about my four cats.  Since she’ll be raised with them from puppyhood, it should be okay, right?  I’m assuming she and the other dog (3 year old fixed male) will get along fine — I *have* seen pits with other dogs when they were raised together. Pax — Danni ULC Church of Amazement Downey, California http://www.ulcoa.com/~amaze

Response:

: Rachel writes:

: It is by no stretch of the imagination safe to say that pit bulls : *generally* socialize well with other canines!!!!! However, many   I agree that you need to be observant and cautious when you are   socializing your Pit around other dogs.  While I have met some well-bred   Pits that are brilliant dogs in all ways, I have also had some bad exper-   iences with some as well (well bred and backyard bred).   My family owns a Pit that was rescued from a backyard breeding situation.   While he was friendly to all living creatures as a pup, once he hit 9   months that all changed.  He became extremely animal aggressive and will   attack any chance he gets.  We choose to keep him since he seems happy   enough limited to human contact…we are just obsessively careful about   him getting loose.   In this case, I believe that poor breeding was a factor in his behavior,   as well as the fact that he was so sweet as a pup that we were lulled into   believing he would remain that way.  We were lax on the day he attacked   his first dog, and once he got a taste of that, he has never been the same.   Bottom line is to be cautious.  Read up on the breed, and do alot of   research on dog behavior and aggression..learn to read your dogs body   language.  All of these things will help.   Another important thing to do is to start obedience training as soon as   you can, and keep up with it.  Pits seem to appreciate work, so get your   dog involved in Agility training perhaps.   I happen to own a small animal (even medium sized animal) aggressive   greyhound.  Does that make her a monster? No, it just means that I need   to be a responsible realistic owner and keep her out of situations were   she has proven in the past to be unsafe.  Same with Pits.   Lynda

Response:

  I have a very sad side note to share with you all.  My families Pit is   going to be put down. : (   He clamped down on my father last night.  Lynda

Response:

Lynda Adame writes:

:I have a very sad side note to share with you all.  My families Pit is :going to be put down. : ( :He clamped down on my father last night. You mentioned in a previous post that he was rescued from a backyard breeding situation. Unfortunately (but not surprisingly), a lot of problem dogs are bred that way. You had to choose between the intolerable and the tragic, and chose the tragic, and tragically, that’s the right decision. I would, however, like to know whether the attack was in *any* way provoked. We had an incident with a dog we had when I was growing up (definitely *not* a pure pit, but *possibly* a pit mix) who was aggravated by a well-meaning but moronic neighbor. He damn near took the neighbor’s nose off. Those days (mid sixties) being what they were, we weren’t raided by animal control or anything, and the dog lived out its life in relative peace. But these days being what *they* are, I wouldn’t tolerate the same in any dog, even if society let me do so. But it woud’ve killed me to let a dog like that go. JohnR

Response:

: I would, however, like to know whether the attack was in *any* way : provoked. We had an incident with a dog we had when I was growing up    Absolutely it was provoked.  A Dobie/Lab (?) mix jumped our back fence    (7 foot tall) and the two dogs were in a fight.  My father ran out to    stop the fight, the dobie-mix jumped back over the fence and Diablo    (the Pit) turned on my father. Although Diablo seemed to regain his    sense within 30 seconds and let go of my father, the damage was done.    None of us (father included) blames the dog OR the breed.  We knew what we    were up against when we rescued a back-yard bred pup.  In this case though,    we were forced to make a decision, and putting this particular dog down    was that choice.   Again, we don’t blame Pits as an entire breed.  It was just strange that I   got the call about Diablo within minutes of posting my initial post to this   thread.  He really was a silly and sweet young dog. : (     I’d like to publically thank Lynda O. for helping us out when Diablo was   having his first bought with agression.  She put us in contact with a repu-   table Pit breeder who gave us some good guidelines to follow in dealing   with this particular dog.  The same guidelines also helped us to make   our final decision…this dog crossed the final line.   Lynda

Response:

Lynda Adame, The story is even sadder in light of the new info. The old fighting strains had human aggression culled out of them (they ha to allow handlers to work closely with them in mid fight, and had to allow handlers to break them – if they didn’t, they were goners), but the back yard breeders are either tolerating aggression or actively putting it back in. I wish breeders of dogs were liable for behavioral problems in their dogs. I don’t mean "seize their home" levels of civil liability, but just enough of a fine to make it really expensive to be a chronically lousy breeder. But I must also add that jumping into a fight involving a pit bull is a pretty foolish thing to do. As horrible as it sounds, it would have been better to allow the fight to proceed, at least in this sort of case when the other dog intruded. But it was perhps better to find out this problem in this way. Surely it would have been a disaster if your dog clamped on someone trying to save his dog if yours had been the instigator. You can’t expect an iota of sympathy in that sort of case. I share your sorrow, and admire your courage. I hope you stay involved with a breed that needs all the caring, courageous friends it can find. JohnR

Response:

: The story is even sadder in light of the new info. The old fighting : strains had human aggression culled out of them (they ha to allow handlers : to work closely with them in mid fight, and had to allow handlers to break : them – if they didn’t, they were goners), but the back yard breeders are   That is exactly what the breeder (who Linda hooked us up with) said…   that human aggression is not tolerated in this breed, while animal   aggression *may* be acceptable. : But I must also add that jumping into a fight involving a pit bull is a   The problem was that he didn’t jump into the fight at all, he just ran out   into the backyard to see what was going on.  The other dog hopped back over   the fence befor my dad was even near the dogs.   There is an additional element to this particular dog in that he was also   having strange muscle/tremors or seizures frequently.  No one we talked to   felt comfortable with those strange tremors and many people advised us of   possible neurological problems.  The guidelines we followed for this dog   with the addition of his possible neurological problems was that *if*   he bit a human for any reason that it was best to put him down. : I share your sorrow, and admire your courage. I hope you stay involved : with a breed that needs all the caring, courageous friends it can find.   John, I *really* appreciate your comments.  Choosing to own a hated breed   of dog does not make you many friends nor supporters.  Most people just look   at you like: We told you so.  I am angered by peoples ignorance of this   breed, but I am equally angered by the utterly mindless back-yard breeding   that goes on between "marginally bred" Amstaffs.  In Southern California   it is the norm amongst teen/20s young men to breed for aggression, even   human aggression.   I do plan on getting a well-bred AmStaff pup one day when I have a much   bigger yard and more time to play and play and play and play <G> with   the little guy.   Lynda

Response:

Lynda, Thanks for sharing more of the tale and clearing up some of my confusions about the incident. The tremors remind me of a condition a neighbor’s Rottie had. She, too, finally went berserk one day and had to be put down. The breeder in this case was a certifiably lousy one, as this Rottie’s brother had severe hip problems at the age of six months. Breeds like Pits and Rotties have enough trouble without the problems poor breeding mixes in. JohnR

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