What are the differences between the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier?
The APBT and the Am Staff were once the same breed. They are not now, because they have been bred for different purposes. Without getting into too much detail, the APBT has been bred for performance for the past few decades, where the Am Staff has been bred for looks. The APBT does have a standard for looks, but it is very different than the Am Staff, and not nearly as strict. Being a working breed, the APBT standard allows more lee way in the looks. (Cropped or uncropped ears, any color, any nose color, the Am Staff can only have a black nose.) The Am Staff has become mainly a show dog, and the APBT has been kept a performance dog. But it is possible to duel register a dog as a APBT and an Am Staff, so there is on occasion mixing of the bloods. But supporters of both breeds are pretty passionate about keeping their breeds seperate. Mainly, Am Staff people are very loyal to their breed, saying the Am Staff has a more stable temperament, and APBT people are extremely loyal to their breed, claiming it has stayed more true to the original breed and is a better athlete. Both are great dogs, and the differences between them are minimal to outsiders, but major to those associated with the breeds.
My puppy is chewing on everything and biting a lot, I can’t seem to get him to stop. Is it because he is a “pit bull”?
First of all, NO, it is not because the dog is a “pit bull”. All puppies go through teething stages, just like babies. It may seem worse with this breed because even at a young age, the dogs are very strong. You have to learn the proper technique to stop this behavior. First try positive reinforcement. When you find the dog chewing something it shouldn’t, or when the dog is biting you, take the dog and place a toy in its mouth. If the dog starts to chew on the toy, praise him and give him a treat. This will not work on many puppies. The next step is correction training. When you find the dog chewing on something or he is biting you, grab him by the scruff of his neck, (he may yelp when you do this, don’t worry about hurting the dog, the skin around the neck is very loose and is what a mother will often use to correct a puppy) give a good hard shake, and shout NO in a loud voice. Then give the dog a toy to show him what he CAN chew on. If he listens to you and chews on the toy, give him lots of verbal and physical praise or even a treat. Make it a big deal so he knows that’s the behavior you want. Some highly dominant dogs will challenge you when you do this. They will growl, try to bite, and try to get away. If the dog does this, shake even harder, shout NO louder, and pin the dog to the ground by his scruff till he stops struggling. When he does, give him lots of verbal and physical praise. Repeat this procedure until the dog listens. It may take a few weeks.
My wife and I have 2 pit bulls, we are going to have a new baby soon and were wondering what we should do to prepare. Our dogs have been known to show some jealousy when we show affection to each other and we were worried about how they would react when a new baby is introduced. What advice can you give to us?
Take things that will be the babies and let the dogs smell them now, before the baby gets here, so they are used to the smell. Walk around with a baby blanket in your arms, pay attention to it, talk sweetly to it and ignore the dogs. When they try to get your attention, teach them how you want them to act. (sit, lay, stay down, etc) It will be easier to do that now, before the baby gets here than after. Correct all jealous behavior, don't let them get your attention when they want, let them have it when YOU want to give it. When they behave how you want them to when you are holding the baby blanket, give them lots of praise. Be sure that the dogs don’t spend too much time together without you. You will find they will start to bond more to each other than you, and that will lead to discipline problems. Also, be sure to give your dogs some special time with you. Don’t forget, as hard as it is going to be when you have the baby, its going to be just as hard for them. Take them to the park once a week, or spend some time in the yard with them. Some dogs will not adjust to a new baby, they just can’t handle the change. If your dogs start to show too much jealousy, or they show a major change in personality, you may have to find them a new home. It’s unfortunate when this happens, but you have to do what’s best for the dog.
My husband and I are considering a pit bull as an addition to our family. We have a 5 month old daughter, and were wondering what your thoughts are on a pit bull with children. One of my big concerns is whether or not the dog would be OK around other children and people, say when our daughter starts having friends over or my husband and I have friends or family over. Like many people I am weary of a pit bull because of the misconceptions about them being fighting dogs and assumed very aggressive. We are from Columbia, Tennessee, and we unfortunately have people in our area who fight these poor animals. We don't want to buy a puppy from these people as they may be cross bred and unusually aggressive. What should we looked for when "shopping" for our puppy? We are very excited about getting our dog and will be excellent parents to him/her as we are both animal lovers.
APBT’s make excellent companions for children. Of course, any responsible dog owner, of ANY breed makes sure to never leave dogs and children unattended. But APBT’s are such people lovers that, if you get a well bred dog, you would never have a problem with the dog and your child or visitors. You want to be sure to do lots of research before you purchase. Call possible breeders, make sure they ADBA or UKC register their dogs. They are the two oldest and most respected registries for APBTs. Find out what lines the breeders breed, they will give you names like Colby, Wallace, Sorrells, Old Family Red, etc etc. Research the name, find out if it is a respected line with a good history. This is easy to do, all you have to do is read many of the good books out there. I recommend anything by Richard F. Stratton. (worst comes to worst, ask me about possible lines) Be sure to check out both parents of the dog, if you cant see BOTH parents, don’t bother. Bottom line, make sure you feel comfortable with the breeder and the dog. Please feel free to ask any more questions.
Can you tell me the difference in red nose, carvers, eli and so on. It's a
little confusing trying to obtain a dog when you don't know what the breeder
is talking about.
The names the breeders are giving you are in reference to the breeder lines
that the dog has been bred along. This is very important, as it is a sign as
to the quality of dog you are getting. I would suggest getting some books,
any by Richard Stratton, Frank Rocco, or Diane Jessup. They mention some
great lines, you could also run some by me if you like and I can tell you
what I know.
I am an intermediate pit bull fan and owner, and I'm looking for some advice on how to properly socialize my new puppies. The mother had a littler of 10 pure-breds and I'm keeping two. The mother's behavior was somewhat erratic, having grown up in a few different households much to my dismay. She no longer lives with me, but I have two of her puppies. They are very lovable and training has been easy, but I want to ensure that I do many things right from an early age. The mom got along wonderfully with my miniature dachshund (he's a feisty control freak) and I imagine these will do okay, too. But I want to be able to take my dogs out comfortably and have them be able to see and smell other dogs without incident. What's the best way to do this??
Unfortunately, with this breed, it is impossible to guarantee that your dog will get along with strange dogs, no matter what you do. Sometimes the urge to fight is just too strong, which is completely normal seeing as they have been bred to fight for so long. But I have seen many APBT’s that get along fine with all manners of animals. I believe the key is to get the dog around as many strange places and animals at as young an age as possible. Take the dog to public places with lots of traffic (people, dogs, children) Let the dog be petted by strangers, allow the dog to meet strange dogs, and ensure the dog gives the proper response. Do not allow any aggressive behavior of any kind go uncorrected. This includes growling, barking, backing away, snapping, and chasing. But remember, some APBT’s just will not tolerate other animals. Which is normal, just like Labs retrieve, Shorthairs point, and Greyhounds run, its what they have been bred to do for hundreds of years, so it is completely normal.
