Pit bull myths and behaviour help?

Im going in order of your questions:

1. Do not be nervous around him. Yes people's fear of these dogs are only based on incorrect news stories and the media blowing things out of proportion. Also due to irrisponsible people who do not train their dogs and who do not breed correctly. Those dogs have poor genetics from being illbred and have stupid people as owners.

2. The APBT has the potential to be dog-aggressive. This is a factor in the breed and must be accepted by the owner. Though not all of them are dog aggressive. None of mine are, and they go to the park all the time and play with other dogs. It is not in the APBT's nature to be human-aggressive. If they turn out to be, then again this results from poor breeding, no training, or the training of them to be guard dogs. Again, stupid people make bad dogs.

3. The APBT sometimes does require a different method of training. Though they are very intelligent and learn very well and quickly. Do not use negative training on an APBT or any dog for that matter. This is not necessary as all the APBT wants it to please it's owner. Though you need to be consistent in your training and never let the dog dominate over you. You need to establish authority while the dog is still young.

4. Your fears are understood, but highly unecessary. The APBT is by nature a friendly dog towards people and a wonderful family dog when properly trained and cared for. APBTs do not have "aggressive streaks", there are simply unfortunate dogs who were not treated with the love and respect or properly trained and bred who ended up with the worst possible people...irresponsible people. Please do not blame the breed for the only crime they ever commited was being born into a world full of hate.

pitbulllovers.com is my favorite site. Check it out and you can find some great thing on the APBT :)

Pit bulls are actually some of the most loyal and loving dogs. It is all based on how they were raised. The training will probably be a bit more strict than with other breeds, and make sure to socialize your puppy early. Any dog can develop aggressive behavior towards other dogs, but I've mostly seen this out of dogs that were not properly socialized when they were young. The aggression can stem from fear of something unfamiliar, or if something tragic happens, like your puppy is attacked by another dog. It's not like Cesar Milan says, dogs may live in the moment, but they don't forget the past. Your best bet is to socialize your puppy with other puppies of similar age, just because it's new for all of them then. Other than that, there are many breed resources out there, just take some time to get to know specific breed traits. You should be able to train your puppy very similar to how you've trained your previous dogs, but if you are worried about it, maybe try contacting a pit bull rescue and ask about how they train them. They probably would know the breed best out of anyone. Good luck!

Pit bulls were specificly bred to be people-friendly and dog-aggressive when used in dog fighting. it is an accepted trait for a pit bull to show some aggression towards other dogs. it NOT acceptible for the dog to aver show any aggression towards humans. EVER.

A pit bull should never attack its owner for any reason unless said owner is being abusive, then the dog has every right to defend itself.

Being a mixed, the pit bull traits might be diluted enough for the golden retriever traits to show through. Your dog might never show any dog-aggression in its entire life, and that's a very good thing.

Strict training is because they are strong and bull-headed dogs. They can be very loyal and are very smart, but because they are smart, they can get bored easily. You need to make sure the dog knows that you are in charge at all times. Don't think of him as a pit bull-mix if it makes you nervous, think of him as a golden retriever mix instead.

There shouldn't be a strong aggressive streak in your dog, but be prepared for some dog-aggression and research into stopping it as soon as it shows. You don't want to let it become a habit.

Pitbull Behaviour

If trained properly, pit bulls are the most loving, caring family dogs ever. Great with kids too.

The thing is they are the type of dogs that if trained improperly will become way more aggressive than other breeds not trained well. That's where their bad rep comes from. People think they are cool, buy them, and don't train the well.

Your dog is a great example. Trained well, your dog will be super loving and loyal :D

Pit Bulls are supposed to be dog-aggressive, it's natural, but they were never supposed to be human aggressive. So to mask the dog-aggression, you need to enroll your pup in socialization classes and obedience classes -- ones with other dogs.

& yes, Pit Bulls are known for attacking their owners but this is because they are poorly bred(Greyline, Razor's Edge, and Gotti bloodlines)-- well bred Pit Bulls will not do this, and it is also because of no training(or lack thereof).

Stricter training? Mmm, not necessarily, just more consistency.

& your dog is mixed with you said, Golden Retriever? Chances are your pup will just be happy-go-lucky and fine, but be sure to enroll in the classes.

ADD: The "type" of breed is "Bully," "Pit Bull"s >are< a breed: the American >Pit Bull< Terrier.

Pit bulls mostly get the reputation because anybody who wants a mean dog gets a pit bull and trains 'im to be mean. So if the world is full of mean pit bulls it's because of the people who are training 'em, not because they want to be mean.

If you wanted to make a mean dog, the pit bull is a good candidate, because of their strength, intelligence and loyalty.

Similarly, if you wanted to make a great family pet, the pit bull is a good candidate, because of their strength, intelligence and loyalty.

You make the dog.

There is so much controversy over this breed.

You hear that there are good pitties out there but I have only met 2.

You are constantly training when you have a head strong dog. Constantly reinforcing what was learned before. They are are opportunists & are constantly testing their limits & testing you.

You need to be firm & consistent. How firm depends on the temperament of the individual dog. Where a tap on the nose of a timid dog is enough, you may have to use more strength in the correction on a stronger temperamented dog. (I trained in aggression work & at times I had to use my fist to correct a dog for biting when it should not) It all depends on the temperament of the individual dog.

Firm & consistent!

Don't believe any of this. I had a pure bred pitbull when I was 5, he constantly risked his own life to protect me from other dog when I was that little. When he was sick or injured he NEVER EVER snapped, growled, or or even bark at any one. If I fell in my pool he would jump in and save me. His name was was spidey like spider man because he was my super hero. We got him when he was old, so he died a few years after we got him from a shelter. They are the most loyal and caring dogs you can get. And all of those myths are lies made by politicians to get them re-elected the next year. They purposely soil the reputation of this breed, just for their personal gain. I HATE THOSE WORMS. Never believe any of those lies or myths.

My pit bull loves people and other dogs, so that myth is out the window. Challenge their owners? Never heard of it, but I can honestly say I don't think it's true.

My dog is aggressive when he feels threatened. Otherwise he's just a mush.

When we first got him he chewed on everything. Get yours some heavy duty chew toys. Kong toys work well. Preferably something that squeaks.

Establish who is in authority with your dog, you are the alpha of his pack, he obeys you. It's not so much the training as making him recognize you as the one with authority in your house.

Pit bulls are loyal and sweet animals. Don't listen to any idiot that says otherwise.