[bellerose75]

Hi, everyone. Still really new to this whole pitbull thing and I've been reading all kinds of threads and came upon something that has me quite scared.

I keep reading that you should not leave your pitbull alone with other dogs if you're not there...is this true?

We just adopted our pit mix puppy and he's only about 3 months and we have to other older girls, a shepard mix and my old cocker spaniel. I'm assuming you guys mean dogs that don't know each other or that haven't been together since birth or am I wrong?
Never owning a pitbull before I've never had to consider that my dogs could not be left alone outside if we weren't home and this scares the crap out of me. Please don't tell me it's true...I couldn't imaging leaving for the day and having to keep my 2 other girls separated from my pit. I'm thinking it would be fine later down the road because he would have grown up with them and it's not like we brought in a older dog we weren't sure about his previous background.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Gimbler]

I understand just where you're coming from. We adopted Maggie, our first pit, about a year and a half ago and the whole idea of treating one of my family like she might be a loaded gun made me sick. But, I religiously separated her and her best buddy Jake every time I leave them. And I still do.

She wasn't a puppy when we adopted her, so I think you have the advantage there - but from what I've learned on this site you can never, ever assume that your pit bull won't fight. It doesn't matter that they've been raised together, have played together and never had so much as a skirmish - it could one day go very, very wrong.

I know people who leave their pit bulls out all day with their other dogs and have never had a problem. I guess they've been lucky. I like to create my own luck and err on the side of caution. And I can tell you from experience (that had nothing to do with pitbulls) there is no feeling in the world more painful than having something or someone you love kill something or someone else you love. So, I separate them when they're not supervised and then I don't have to worry.

It's really not as hard, punitive, or sad as it may seem to you now to do this. It's just a routine that they (and you) accept and becomes the "norm". We do it by crating Jake. He enjoys his crate and generally just lays around anyway. On workdays he goes into his crate on his own long before we leave cause he's looking forward to relaxing alone.

Some people just separate them into different rooms when they can't be around. You'll find that it's not so bad as it seems.

 

[Blue_Nose_Bella]

My personal opinion on this subject and I know some will disagree is that it can work and it depends on your dog/dogs. Pit bulls are a natural dog aggressive breed because of what they were bred to do back in the days.....dog fight. There are a few people on here who have multiple pits in homes. Some have to crate and rotate while others get along fine. I think the ones that get along are far and few between but it can happen. Alot of people also state that a pit bull shouldn't be left with other animals be it cats or other dogs. I have an aunt who has two spayed female bully breeds one pit and one pit/am. bulldog mix. She also has 2 cats and all four of them sleep together and play together. It's quite a sight to see. She has never had any issues and one of her dogs is ten years old now. Her dogs don't even know what a crate is........She may just be one of the lucky ones who has never had an issue and may never have one. Granted there is always a "chance" for anything to happen when you have a multiple dog home but more so with pit bulls. If I remember correctly yours is a mixed breed and he looks like he is part black lab due to a longer coat?? Right?? I had a pit/lab mix and a german shepard mix that lived in harmony all there lives together. Never had any issues and both were neutered males. Keep what you are reading in the back of your mind but also take it with a grain of salt. Don't let it scare you....just as he gets older and more mature watch for signs of any aggression. While he is young I would take him to basic obedience classes so he also gets a chance to be around other dogs and not just the ones in his home. Socialize lots and I'm sure he will fit in fine with his other four legged friends.

 

[MY MIKADO]

If I remember correctly you have a pit mix. I was wondering about it in one picture you had all three of them with your son. You might...might not have much troube because the other two are female. I can tell you from my experience that my female gets along really well with my mae dogs she is outside with them for hours. I do crate her when I leave I also crate my one male. I error on the side of caution plus it is noice to walk into the house without dogs satnding at the back door.haha.

With this breed you must always keep in th front of your mind that they are DA ( dog agressive). they were bred this way.

As you are training your pup it is best to get them to have a good sence of verbal commands.

 

[EckoMac]

Crate training is a nice way to always have peace of mind. Ecko is not aggressive at all ever, but he's crated regardless. It's for his own safety. If he ruins the furniture I'll kill him. LOL!
Crate training a puppy is best for the puppy, and your expensive designer shoes.

 

[Firehazard]

These people have some good tips and hints for the public.. AND FOR ALL YOU BULLY FANS a very nice BULLY.. (IMO in working condition make great protection dogs)

About Us

 

[smokey_joe]

Yes, it is true. You do have to separate them when they are not supervised. Even if she is a mix, even if she is a bully, even if she grows up with the dogs. You should separate them, or be prepared to come home to a massacre one day. It may never happen, but wouldn't you hate yourself if it did happen & you didn't prevent it?

 

[echs332000]

This is my view on it. All dogs will have a fight now and again, doesnt really matter what the breed is. The difference is that our dogs have a fine tuned skill to fight. They are good at it and excel at it. I just wouldnt run the risk of having the 2 together by themselves. All it takes it a mad dash towards a toy or a bump into each other during a excited moment and it could be on, with no one to stop it. My dogs have spats all the time, but it never really get serious because im there to stop it right away

 

[bsd13]

Leaving dogs together is asking for trouble. It might be that nothing ever happens but why take the chance. Personally I (now) crate my dogs regardless if they are with other dogs or alone.

I had a Pit Bull that I left alone in the house when I'd go shopping, etc and one day came home and found he had suffocated to death when his head got stuck in a juice pitcher that my roommates kept their Pomeranian's food in. If I had crated him like I should have instead of giving free range of the house I'd likely still have him.

 

[Carriana]

Not only does it protect your dogs, all of them, but crating also protects your furniture and other household items from that destructive streak that pits tend to go through when they are bored out of their minds.

As was already said, better to err on the side of caution than to learn the lesson the hard way by losing one of your other beloved family members.

 

[peachesmommy]

I always seperate my pit from my little dog if I'm not going to be right there at the time. Even going to take a shower or use the bathroom. I bring my little dog with me. They get along fine. He's the alpha and isn't afraid to put her in her place. But things can change in the blink of an eye. He's 14 years old and I wouldn't want to see anything happen to him if she suddenly decided she had enough. I always keep the quote "Your pit bull may not start the fight..but they will finish it" in the back of my mind as a reminder. I never leave them unattended alone.

 

[bahamutt99]

My dogs are always "raised together" in that I get puppies and raise them in my home with whatever dogs I may have. Proper upbringing does not protect you from genetics all the time. The safest policy is to separate while you are not around. The old-school mindset that "dogs should be free" doesn't really wash over Pit Bull ownership too well. Crate-train your puppy now. She will grow up accepting it as the norm, and be able (in theory) to hang out with your other dogs while you are home. It is not scary so much as it is setting your dog up for success rather than failure. If you prepare yourself now that your dog is a member of a breed which is strong, driven, and bred to fight other dogs, you can take steps which will make it more likely to work out in the long run.

I do know someone who keeps all 3 of her Pit Bulls loose in the house together while she is away. It makes me personally uncomfortable, but it works for her at this point. (Two are kind of boyfriend/girlfriend and the third is their puppy. Two are altered.) Myself, I have always taken the safe road. I've lived with these dogs long enough to know that when things go wrong, they go way wrong when an APBT is involved. If I can stop the way wrongness by putting my dogs in crates while I am away, its well worth the trouble.

 

[9361]

I say never leave them alone together. I know people who do, some are fine, some have had accidents. I only have one spayed female, she is dog selective. She didn't "turn on" to being DA til she was nearly 2 years old. It doesn't matter if it's male or female, if the other dog challenges her, she will fight. I have always broke it up before anything escalated thankfully. But I will never and have never left her alone with another dog, even before she showed signs of being DA.

My question is, why does keeping your dog seperate form the other two when you are away bother you so much?

 

[performanceknls]

As a rule you NEVER leave a pit or pit mix alone with other dogs while you are gone. I am a dog trainer and cannot tell you how many calls I get about pits one day killing house mates. Then I have to explain why it happened and it was not the dogs fault but the owners. They may get along fine for a long time then something can happen where they disagree and you can have a dead dog. Most normal dogs when they fight will stop on their own but not APBT's or even Bullies they will keep going.

I use to years ago, when I first started keeping this breed, would leave them alone. The one day they killed another one of my none APBT's. It was devastating and changed how I viewed this breed for ever. Do not learn the hard way just crate the APBT while you are gone and your good to go

 

[william williamson]

I've never slept, nor left the house for 33 years with a pit in the space of another without satisfactory(and I'm hard to satisfy)restraint.you'll never hear a horror story from me.
(point of interest)my pit has a leather collar. I inspect it regularly,and thouroughly.it has 2 small stretches,not even a tear at the cinch side of the buckle.guess who's gonna be out 35 bucks, and guess who's gettin some new jewery?

 

[bellerose75]

I say never leave them alone together. I know people who do, some are fine, some have had accidents. I only have one spayed female, she is dog selective. She didn't "turn on" to being DA til she was nearly 2 years old. It doesn't matter if it's male or female, if the other dog challenges her, she will fight. I have always broke it up before anything escalated thankfully. But I will never and have never left her alone with another dog, even before she showed signs of being DA.

My question is, why does keeping your dog seperate form the other two when you are away bother you so much?

Thanks guys for all your responses, so I guess the yays out rule the nays.
So, to answer the above question, my answer is this; I've had all kinds of breeds and both males and females together all my 32 years and never had to separate them because one was prone to fight with another. I've had outdoor dogs and indoor dogs, dogs that would follow me on the trail while horseback riding, dogs that I could leave loose if we were at the lake, etc. I guess I never really thought about that when we did finally feel it was okay to get a Pit. So, I guess of all the breeds out there, this breed is not the breed to take lightly. I never thought that my dog ways would have to change, but I guess they'll have to. At least with him. And kinda sorry to say, I'm not upset in my choice to adopt him from the shelter but I don't know that I will ever own another pit again, just because of all the precautions you have to take with this breed.

Luckily he is already doing great at his crate training. I just feel bad one will always have to be treated differently than the others.

And yes, he's a neutered male puppy and my other two females who are not spayed, but they are older dogs (Pawny 8 and Neena 12).

But, again, thanks for all the info that you great owners have to give. :clap:

 

[bsd13]

Thanks guys for all your responses, so I guess the yays out rule the nays.
So, to answer the above question, my answer is this; I've had all kinds of breeds and both males and females together all my 32 years and never had to separate them because one was prone to fight with another. I've had outdoor dogs and indoor dogs, dogs that would follow me on the trail while horseback riding, dogs that I could leave loose if we were at the lake, etc. I guess I never really thought about that when we did finally feel it was okay to get a Pit. So, I guess of all the breeds out there, this breed is not the breed to take lightly. I never thought that my dog ways would have to change, but I guess they'll have to. At least with him. And kinda sorry to say, I'm not upset in my choice to adopt him from the shelter but I don't know that I will ever own another pit again, just because of all the precautions you have to take with this breed.

Luckily he is already doing great at his crate training. I just feel bad one will always have to be treated differently than the others.

And yes, he's a neutered male puppy and my other two females who are not spayed, but they are older dogs (Pawny 8 and Neena 12).

But, again, thanks for all the info that you great owners have to give. :clap:

Pit Bulls have been known to worm their way into the hearts and minds of even the most stoic of people.

As far as him being treated differently than the others, don't feel bad. It's for both his safety and theirs. Not to mention your own sanity.

 

[aus_staffy]

...I don't know that I will ever own another pit again, just because of all the precautions you have to take with this breed.

These breeds aren't for everyone. The main thing is that you have the necessary information and are well prepared to handle the dogs you have now.

 

[bahamutt99]

These aren't dogs for the faint of heart, that's for sure. Precautions are part of it. You also will have to deal with resistance from people, sometimes from unexpected directions (like family). I actually find the dogs themselves easier to deal with than peoples' perceptions about what they think my dogs are. I'd rather crate-and-rotate for the rest of my life than sit in even one more meeting where a place is talking about banning the breed.

 

[Gimbler]

And kinda sorry to say, I'm not upset in my choice to adopt him from the shelter but I don't know that I will ever own another pit again, just because of all the precautions you have to take with this breed.

I think I said the same thing in another thread many moons ago. As long as you're not upset or second-guessing the adoption I think you'll find it all works out fine. Like you I had only a passing understanding of the breed but had owned dogs all my life and had no doubts about my abilities. I adopted Maggie because she was Maggie and she needed a home at the same moment I needed another dog. I don't regret it and she's been a joy. I have a new appreciation and affection for a breed of dog I knew little about.

But, I'm pretty sure she'll be the first and last pit I ever own. Not because of the precautions so much - as I've really gotten used to them and fairly quickly. I'll bet you will too - and then you won't feel sorry, you'll just wonder what all the fuss was about! lol

I'm old, and not getting any younger. She's young and doesn't appear to be getting any older in any hurry. I'm sure by the time she's old and gone I will NOT have the energy to keep up with another pit. My husband likes to say that she would have been the perfect dog for us 10 or 20 years ago.

Anyway - hang in there and don't feel sad. It's not like he's a little devil dog just waiting for you to turn your back so he can finally eviscerate your old girls. In all probability they'll have long, fun and loving relationships, accepting the separations as simply the way life works. It us as humans that are burdened by desires, fears and what-ifs.

Our Maggie and Jake are best buddies. The precautions are only to make sure that a bad moment doesn't mean devastation for anyone involved. And it seems the dogs are none the wiser or worse for wear because of it.