BLU-TIFUL PIT BULLS | UKC and ADBA Reg. Blue Pits

Tips for Pits

scroll down for an article about pit aggression

Raising a Pit Bull is not for everyone. You have to have a lot of patience and be very loving and caring to be a Pit Bull parent. And remember dogs belong in a pack and you are the Alfa of that pack, they depend on you for food, attention, and correction... you are their everything!!!!

Owning a pet is a commitment and a privilege, not a right!!!!!!

1. Pit Bulls (especially puppies) like to chew. They will chew everything that they can get their mouths on.  Blu Blu chewed up a lot of things when she was a puppy. Mostly that was my fault but if you don't have the time or the patience for chewing then don't get a Pit Bull.

2. Pit Bulls need attention. If you can't give your dog attention then don't get one. Pit Bulls need their humans. They are very loyal to their owners and crave their attention.  Our dogs are always on my lap and following me around the house and yard. I always know right where they are. They let me know when I am not paying enough attention to them by laying their big heads in my lap and giving me puppy dog eyes.

3. Pit Bulls need exercise. If you don't have a back yard then don't get a dog. Pit Bulls like to run, play, and catch. Do not tie up your dog because it only makes them mean. If your dog can't live in the house with you then its not worth getting one. Would like you to be left out in the backyard alone all day and night? I don't suggest getting a Pit Bull if you live in an apartment. If you do you should be walking your dog everyday.

4. Pit Bulls need to be trained. Every dog needs some sort of obedience training whether you do it yourself or you take them to an obedience school. Your dog will be more enjoyable when he/she is trained.  The 2 most important things that are worked with are 1. I can take anything from them whether it is food or a toy and 2. not to snatch food out of my hand. I also have always been very affectionate with them giving them lots of hugs and kisses. I can do anything to our dogs and never once has growled at me or acted aggressive in any way. I trust them 100% and they trust me.

5. Pit Bulls need to be socialized. As soon as your bring your new puppy or dog home you should begin to socialize him/her with other dogs, people and children. Don't put your dog in a position where it feels threatened or teased. Our dogs are socialized and love other dogs, cats, and children.

6. Don't leave your dog alone with a child. OUR DOGS HAVE NEVER SHOWN HUMAN AGGRESSION. Children make up more than 60 percent of all dog bite victims. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates half of all children 12 and younger have been bitten by a dog. Even though our dogs like children, I would never leave them alone with one. They have a habit of knocking them over, and they lick them to hard.

7. Treadmills, breaking sticks, weights, ect...
I do not have a breaking stick and I have never been in a situation where I needed one. I'm not saying that you shouldn't have a breaking stick. Unless you are a breeder or your dog is in weight lifting competitions there is no reason to use treadmills or weights. If your dog is a family pet then regular walks will be enough exercise.

8. Spay or Neuter your dog!!!! In addition to saving lives, spaying and neutering can also drastically improve your pet's health and life expectancy. The idea that pets become fat or lazy when they are spayed or neutered is a myth. Sterilized pets lead healthier, longer lives. Spaying a female eliminates the possibility of uterine and ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer. Neutering a male reduces the risk of both prostate enlargement and prostate cancer. Neutering also will make your pet more affectionate and less likely to roam, get in fights, or become lost.

Preventing and Fixing Pitbull Aggression
By Chad Zetrouer

an exerpt from "the pit bull guide"

I often get asked about preventing and/or fixing aggression in Pitbulls so in an effort to help people deal with this issue I will write about a few basic tips that can help. It’s important you try to prevent aggression because it’s much easier to prevent than it is to fix.

First I need to make it clear that animal aggression and human aggression are two completely different things and are in no way linked. Just because a dog is aggressive toward other dogs or animals does not mean he will be aggressive toward people. In fact, with Pitbulls this is very obvious. Pitbulls are naturally aggressive toward other dogs and animals. It has been bred into them over many generations. But, they have also been bred to be friendly to people.

This leads us to “soundness”, a sound Pitbull will never show aggression toward a person. A Pitbull that does, has been bred incorrectly, lacks confidence, and probably isn’t even a pure bred Pitbull and may not be a Pitbull at all. If a Pitbull does ever show aggression toward a person, it should be neutered or spayed immediately and never allowed to breed. The reason for this is to prevent that trait from being passed down to further generations of Pitbulls. If irresponsible breeders continue to breed these bad traits, Pitbulls will soon be outlawed all over the world and possibly made extinct.

When it comes to preventing and fixing aggression, there are three important factors that can be abbreviated as SST or Soundness, Socialization, and Training. We already covered soundness so I will skip that and start with socialization.

The best time to begin socializing your Pitbull is when it’s a puppy. This means you should allow your Pitbull puppy to interact with as many people and other dogs/animals as possible. Take it to a park or on walks through crowded areas. The more people and animals it interacts with the less likely it will be to show aggression in the future. If you have an older Pitbull it can be more difficult to socialize because it may already be showing some aggression. In this case you must be more careful. One possibility is to get a good muzzle and put it on your Pitbull and then allow it to play with other dogs. It may show aggression but with the muzzle on, it can’t do much damage. However if it does show aggression it should be immediately corrected.

Training is another important aspect of preventing and stopping aggression because a well trained Pitbull will be easier to control. Training is a very large topic so I can’t cover it here in this article, but my book contains a ton of information about training that can help you with this. If you’ve trained your Pitbull correctly and it shows aggression, you can correct it and let your Pitbull know that you won’t accept that behavior. If you correct and punish your Pitbull every time it shows aggression you should be able to solve the problem. By punish I don’t mean hitting or spanking because physical corrections don’t work very well on Pitbulls and for some Pitbulls, physical corrections don’t work at all.

If you have a Pitbull and want to get another, you should get one of the opposite sex because Pitbulls are more aggressive toward the same sex. I recommend that if you have a Pitbull, you make sure that it’s your only pet. It’s not wise to bring a Pitbull into a house that already has other dogs or cats. If you do already have another dog, whether it’s a Pitbull or another breed, you should make sure your Pitbulls is of the opposite sex of the dog you already have.

Follow these guidelines and you will have no problem preventing aggression. If your dog is already showing aggression this information should make it easier to fix but it’s much harder to fix than it is to prevent.

Chad Zetrouer is a leading expert on Pitbulls and recently released one of the most popular and most highly acclaimed books on Pitbulls available. You can reach Chad or purchase his new book The Pitbull Guide from his website at www.PitbullGuide.com.

This article may be freely distributed and placed on other websites as long as it is used in its entirety (including the link) and not edited or changed. Everything must be included except this paragraph. Use of this article without following these terms will result in severe legal consequences. If you have any questions please email me at Contact@PitbullGuide.com.