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 Adopting a 2 year old
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| Author | Topic: Adopting a 2 year old |
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Christine16 New Member  Posts: 1 |
posted 10-14-2003 07:49 AM
 
I was recently considering adopting a 2 year old pitbull from a colleague of mine who took her in from a family who no longer wanted her. The original family wanted her to be a guard dog but as it turns out, she was just to friendly for a guard dog. I have never had a pitbull before, but I have had other dogs (mostly hunting dogs; i.e. english setters, german pointers). I have met the dog and she is a very timid and loving dog. However, you hear so much bad press about pitbulls turning. I was wondering how true this was and how much had to do with ownership and just some plain old T.L.C. Any recommendations from all you more experienced owners? Things I should look for in her behavior before I take her? Just so you guys get a better idea, her environment will be with myself and my roommate. There are no other dogs/pets present. Any advice would be great before commiting to her. I would want her to stay with me forever of course. After 2 years, she's just done too much moving already IP: Logged |
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goob Member  Posts: 552 |
posted 10-14-2003 12:07 PM
Well, most APBTs are pretty active, and will become destructive if not given enough exercise and mental stimulation. They often have high prey drive and will chase (maybe even kill) cats, squirrels, and other small animals. Then they also have a high propensity for dog aggression, which can manifest itself in just about any form, from dogs that are so intense about getting every other dog they see that they scream when they come across one, to dogs that will not bother, and will even play with other dogs, but when challenged, will fight. You may get lucky, and she may end up completely non-dog agrgessive her entire life, or at least only have a small degree, but you should be prepared to deal (through training and management) with it should it pop up at some point. Dog aggression usually starts to show in the APBT breed between 1-3 years, so with luck, she will stay at about the same level as she is now. The problem with dog aggression in APBTs though, is that sometimes you don't even know they "are" dog aggressive until they get into a fight, and by then it's a bit late to do much except stop the fight and get prevent more incidents from occuring. So it's best to avoid situations where a fight with unknown dogs could break out in the first place, by avoiding dog parks and the like, and keeping her on-leash when out in public unless you're in an enclosed area. A more viable option is playdates with a few other dogs (with their owners present), who have temperaments that are compatible with your pup's, in an environment you can control. Again, you may get lucky and NEVER have a single problem with her, but if she ever does get into a fight, she has an advantage born of centuries of selective breeding for the ultimate fighter, and the other dog will likely sustain serious injuries. It's not surprising that she didn't make a good guard dog, normal APBTs are extremely friendly towards people, and owners often joke that their dogs would be more likely to invite the thieves in and show them the goods than bite them or guard anything On the pit bulls that "turn", most often these dogs belong to irresponsible owners and breeders who tie their dogs out in the yard or shut them in a basement and forget about them until they want them for something. The dogs are rarely a part of a "family" as most pets are, but rather a commodity, status symbol, or the like. Breeding also plays a part in these dogs' temperaments, there are pit bulls out there that are unstable because of something in their genetics that made them that way. These type of dogs do sometimes find homes, often with horrible owners looknig for "mean" dogs, who seek to emphasize those traits. So yes, how the dogs were raised does play a part in these incidents, as does poor breeding and genetics. Usually dogs that are unstable by nature show signs of faulty temperament throughout their life, and owners either choose to ignore, or encourage these problems. It sounds like this dog is a normal, friendly pit bull One thing I would check before taking her... does she let you take toys, treats, etc from her without growling or putting up a fuss (running away playfully is not considered "fuss", BTW You may have already known all this stuff, but I just thought I'd put it in there just in case. If you do get her, you will likely become a lifelong breed advocate, as there is no other breed wuite the same as the APBT. I've grown up with my girl Goo, and can't imagine life without an APBT in it. If you'd like to email me, I'll send you some links for places with more information on the breed. My email is pitpalz@yahoo.com [This message has been edited by goob (edited 10-14-2003).] IP: Logged |
The timidness could be a bit of a problem if she's hiding from or barking at people that she doesn't know, as that type of fearfulness could lead to fearbiting. If she's just a bit shy, though, then I wouldn't worry about it unless it progresses. She may also be that way because of her environent right now, and become more confident once you get her home, which would result in her being less timid. I would socialize her carefully to make sure she doesn't have any bad experiences, but make sure she does get some socialization, as the more "good" people she meets, the more confident she will be in meeting them. All times are ET (US) | next newest topic | next oldest topic |
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