[HunterTull]

how would you raise a well behaved pitbull but still need it for a yard dog (making sure no one wants to come in)

 

[Iryman]

If you do some research here is what you will find about our beloved pits

The APBT is not the best choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the breed and highly undesirable.

you will need to get a different breed of dog if you want a guard dog

 

[geisthexe]

how would you raise a well behaved pitbull but still need it for a yard dog (making sure no one wants to come in)

I highly suggest you going to a PP trainer, one that is training in PSA or ASR they are going to be your best bet on training the dog to have some kind of Civil when it comes to strangers. You can also have them train the dog to do a bark at the stranger as well.
You do not need to work on the bite work part of training but the part when he shows the dog the difference between a good and a bad person.
I also highly suggest if you do not want the dog nice to stangers do not allow just anyone to touch your dog. Meaning if you take it on a walk and joe down the street that you know comes up, let Joe pet the dog. If a stranger you do not know comes up wanting to just pet your dog, be leary do not allow him/her to touch the dog, tell them that "the dog is in training at the moment and so I do not like him petted at this moment", you are taking control of the situation by just those words. But if the Jerk down the street comes up to say something to you, teach the dog to bark on command.

The APBT I rescued was being trained in PSA and he is very well at it. when someone comes near me and my deminor changes he goes into defense and acts more civil. When a person is very friendly comes up and ask to pet him, and my deminor does not change, he is wagging his tail to be petted.

My Presa's are trained the same way, my big male Drago is one of the most friendlest guard dogs you will see, on a general basis, anyone can pet him as long and I do not change. but he can be as civil as hell and scare a person.
He is in training for bitework and he loves every minute of it.

I hope this helps you. If you have any questions on how to start working the dog please ask.

In a whole these are good words to live by since dogs are taken all the time for fighting or being the dogs that are killed in the yard for training for it.
When I train for Obedience I teach people about the 3 people watch, Friend, Nice person, & Stranger. Not so much training the dog but letting people know about who should touch your dog and who should not. It helps with understanding the dog can be stolen at anytime. Even from your hands.

Deb

 

[ericschevy]

how would you raise a well behaved pitbull but still need it for a yard dog (making sure no one wants to come in)

You are looking for something that is uncharacteristic of the breed. However, the stigma attached to the breed is enough to keep strangers at bay even though there is no reason for it...
In other words there are lots of people around here that are afraid of mine but have no reason to be. I can tell them there is nothing to worry about till I'm blue in the face to no avail...

 

[MY MIKADO]

Yep Mikado just has to look at someone and they hightail it out of here but my old yellow lab is the one to fear. Mikado will show you where I keep the money ( not much there) but Maggie will keep your hand if you touch it.

 

[natdidier]

Mikado, I find the personality difference between your pitt and lab so funny. That's how mine are. I can leave my house unlocked because I highly doubt someone would try to break into my house (the barks will surely scare them). But if someone was brave, all they would need is some food and a ball and my pitts would just eat and play. My mutt would be the first to run up and tear a piece out of the robber. If Nino sensed it was a bad person, he would go into defense mode after chasing the ball, and Rudy would eat, run up to the person bark and run away. I guess my house isn't that safe, huh??

 

[cane76]

how would you raise a well behaved pitbull but still need it for a yard dog (making sure no one wants to come in)

encouraging the untrained apbt to be a aggresive guard dog is really creating one of the most dangerous types of dog in the world,a fighting breed with a guardians temperment.But if you want to go about it the right way then geisthexe advice is spot on.....

 

[OldFortKennels]

I had a girlfriend in college who kept my dog Rocky at her house. In the years time that my dog was there, her house was the only one on the street not to get broke into or harrassed. Rocky was the sweetest dog you will ever meet. Her house was left alone based on the apperance and hype of my dog! MY dog didnt have to be aggressive. Simply put, in the eyes of the average citizen, pit bulls are seen as "aggressive dangerous dogs". At any point the vandals could have come on her yard and stolen my dog for that matter but apperance was the deterrent!

 

[geisthexe]

I had a girlfriend in college who kept my dog Rocky at her house. In the years time that my dog was there, her house was the only one on the street not to get broke into or harrassed. Rocky was the sweetest dog you will ever meet. Her house was left alone based on the apperance and hype of my dog! MY dog didnt have to be aggressive. Simply put, in the eyes of the average citizen, pit bulls are seen as "aggressive dangerous dogs". At any point the vandals could have come on her yard and stolen my dog for that matter but apperance was the deterrent!

As much as I agree with you, even with my guardian dogs, who are very sweet and people are afraid of them. It is still possible b/c to many people train there dogs to take food out of the hands of strangers. Shame b/c all it would take is a bad person to come in with posion on the food and kill or make the dog sick. So by teaching the dog to be wary of strangers is the best way to go. It does not make them mean just keeps them more alert.

 

[ericschevy]

I had a girlfriend in college who kept my dog Rocky at her house. In the years time that my dog was there, her house was the only one on the street not to get broke into or harrassed. Rocky was the sweetest dog you will ever meet. Her house was left alone based on the apperance and hype of my dog! MY dog didnt have to be aggressive. Simply put, in the eyes of the average citizen, pit bulls are seen as "aggressive dangerous dogs". At any point the vandals could have come on her yard and stolen my dog for that matter but apperance was the deterrent!

LOL, That's what I was trying to say..
I can tell people that come over that there is nothing to worry about till I'm blue in the face but people seem to think that they are not to be trusted.
My Dad used to think the same way simply because the only ones he ever knew were fighters. It took me a while to get through to him that DA does not= HA. Stubborn old man anyway..LOL
By the way Rocky is my Dads little buddy now....