I just got a four month old blue-nose pitbull. She just showed up on our doorstep, and the owner told us we could have her or he will put her down. He could not take care of her. I have six kids ages 1 to 14. I need to know if she will stay calm and sweet as she is now, or should I worry. The only thing she does that bothers me is she will bark at my neighbors when they are outside. Not every neighbor, just certain ones. Other than that she is great. She licks all the time and snores louder than my husband. Is It normal to snore to?

They are a very "active" dog and can be very protective of your family.

I love pitbulls. My opinion has always been that they have a certain animal instinct that other dogs don't have. So sometimes, in my opinion, it is not the way they are raised that makes them attack other people. I have been in contact with a lot of nice pitbulls. You probably shouldn't worry... but I would definitely keep her away from the neighbors that she barks at. They might fear her and she can sense that.

A lot of dogs snore. But that doesn't mean that they might not have nasal problem.

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Originally Posted by treffer

I just got a four month old blue-nose pitbull. She just showed up on our doorstep, and the owner told us we could have her or he will put her down. He could not take care of her. I have six kids ages 1 to 14. I need to know if she will stay calm and sweet as she is now, or should I worry. The only thing she does that bothers me is she will bark at my neighbors when they are outside. Not every neighbor, just certain ones. Other than that she is great. She licks all the time and snores louder than my husband. Is It normal to snore to?

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Thanks for the advice!

I would definitely begin obedience classes immediately. Exposure to lots of people and places as a puppy will help her be less fearful (and protective) when she encounters strangers. Be careful that no one is playing "rough" with her and do not play "tug-of-war" with her. Any kind of play that encourages growling should be discouraged. All of my dogs have snored, the older they get the louder they snore. :)
Have fun with your new baby and thank you for saving a life!

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Originally Posted by teachnk

Be careful that no one is playing "rough" with her and do not play "tug-of-war" with her. Any kind of play that encourages growling should be discouraged.

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Good point. My friend did that with his HUGE pitbull and it didn't seem like the right thing to do. It just made his jaw even stronger. Scary.

Mine are 4&6 and they both snore when in a deep sleep. After all these years I have tuned it out. I do not believe she will turn mean as long as she is treated well and you establish her place in the family. Dogs love to know their place and job. It makes them feel secure. In a pack every dog has a job and its place. APBTs are a very active breed. Fetch, walks and even bike rides are great for them. They can get crazy from lack of an energy outlet. Barking, chewing and neediness are signs of not enough exercise. A good run does a world of good.

I am a firm believer in the NILIF principle for pit bulls (and, really, most dogs). Nothing in life is free... the dog has to "work" for everything he wants. You may want take a look at Nothing in Life is Free which explains it in more detail.

Ive Raised Pitbulls For A Long Time. Snoring Is Defenitly Normal! All Mine Are The Same Way, I Thought My Husband Snored Loud But It Isn't Nothing Compared To My Dogs.. lol!! Pitbulls Attitudes Are All In How They Are Raised. Socialize Her With Strangers And Other Dogs As Much As Possible. Pitbulls Make Wonderful Family Pets So I Hope You All Have A Great Time With Her!!

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Originally Posted by treffer

I just got a four month old blue-nose pitbull. She just showed up on our doorstep, and the owner told us we could have her or he will put her down. He could not take care of her. I have six kids ages 1 to 14. I need to know if she will stay calm and sweet as she is now, or should I worry. The only thing she does that bothers me is she will bark at my neighbors when they are outside. Not every neighbor, just certain ones. Other than that she is great. She licks all the time and snores louder than my husband. Is It normal to snore to?

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She will stay sweet as long as u do not tie her up or put her in a pin

Pitbulls can be wonderful loving pets, but you have to consider what they were originally bred for. Do all of the research that you possibly can. Ceaser Millans book and training video's are especially good, because he deals a lot with Pit Bulls.

You must establish that your whole family as the pack leaders, first and foremost. Your pup will need LOTS of exercise to drain his excess energy. This should be done before any playing or feeding. It's up in the morning, no play, and out for a long walk as soon as you can. Go on your walk like you are on a mission. This isn't time for exploring of sniffing around. The order of things should be, EXERCISE, DISIPLINE, AFFECTION. If you start that early, and get the ground rules in place, you should have a great and loving pet.

You might also want to check out the laws where you live. Some States and Cities require that you buy insurance for a Pit Bull, and they are other certain rules you must abide by, whether your dog is friendly.

Thank you so much for rescuing this little guy! Just know that their breed requires a lot of attention and work.

Good Luck!

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Originally Posted by michelemeade

she will stay sweet as long as u do not tie her up or put her in a pin

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I have to disagree. Although they should not be tied or kept penned, they will not stay sweet unless they have the proper disipline and training for their breed.

I don't know about having that dog around your children. They are nervous dogs and if you child makes a sudden movement or sudden noise it might attack them. I also read this and I think you should know this also. Pit bulls bite with a force of almost 2,000 pounds per square inch -- that's twice the force of a German shepherd or a Doberman pinscher. Because of the deep musculature of the dog's jaws, pit bulls frequently "hold and shake" instead of biting and releasing, which is why they sometimes are called "sharks on four legs." Pit bulls are genetically insensitive to pain, which makes them difficult to defend against. Some experts even believe that the presence of hormones in children of puberty age can set off pit bulls. If you have kids at puberty age what that dog around them. I hope you and your family is safe. I will not have a pit bull around my children. I hope people defend those dogs but to me there is a reason why some states ban that breed of dog and there a survey that states that those breeds of dogs attack more children then any other breed. I feel there is a reason why some insurance companies will not insure you unless you get special insurance just for having a pit bull.

Also try to socialize her with cats. My pit is socialized with cats and it makes it so much easier on me to know she is not going to try and chase or hurt them. My sister has a black lab mix that was never socialized with cats and she gets rough with them. Dixie just lays there and doesn't even pay them any attention. There was actually a cat that was scared of dogs and she attacked dixie and dixie ran from her lol. Its just a great stress reliever to know I and other cat owners don't have to worry about her. And no as long as you treat your dog right she will never be mean. And please try not to chain her. Chained dogs tend to become mean and aggressive because like a few other people have said they do not get the same amount of attention or exercise when they are chained. And if you have any water near by, see if she likes to swim. Dixie LOVES to swim.

JPT do you own a pitbull?? You can ask any pitbull owner that has children as well. They are loving and protective around children! Now just like any other breed there will be exceptions. But as long as you train your dog and teach your children to respect the dog the dog will love them as much as you do.

Just a note to Amricca, who has given out two disagrees on this thread alone. Please read the rules and regulations of this site. You can't just go around giving disagrees (reddies) because you don't like someone's answer. Plus, you have not even posted on this thread. The answer has to be factually incorrect, and at least one of those answers was not!

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Originally Posted by jpt123svt

I don't know about having that dog around your children. They are nervous dogs and if you child makes a sudden movement or sudden noise it might attack them. I also read this and I think you should know this also. Pit bulls bite with a force of almost 2,000 pounds per square inch -- that's twice the force of a German shepherd or a Doberman pinscher. Because of the deep musculature of the dog's jaws, pit bulls frequently "hold and shake" instead of biting and releasing, which is why they sometimes are called "sharks on four legs." Pit bulls are genetically insensitive to pain, which makes them difficult to defend against. Some experts even believe that the presence of hormones in children of puberty age can set off pit bulls. If you have kids at puberty age what that dog around them. I hope you and your family is safe. I will not have a pit bull around my children. I hope people defend those dogs but to me there is a reason why some states ban that breed of dog and there a survey that states that those breeds of dogs attack more children then any other breed. I feel there is a reason why some insurance companies will not insure you unless you get special insurance just for having a pit bull.

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I have to disagree with the person who doesn't allow well-trained and socialized pitbulls around children. And the whole puberty thing is simply absurd!! Pitbulls are great dogs. They are loving companions and amazing with children. Their high pain threshold allows them to tolerate abuse from kids. They aren't called the "Nanny Dog" for nothing! The problem lies with uneducated and irresponsible owners and breeders. These dogs are sensitive, confident, courageous, and wonderful to be around (not NERVOUS).
The reason they are banned certain areas is because of how they are exploited for fighting and gambling and encouraged to be mean. This is a dog that needs to be heavily sociaized, period! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not perpetuate LIES, Hearsay, SPECULATION and the like. Get real people... the truth is they have strong wills and are not for everyone!

Pitt bulls can be some of the most loving and loyal dogs if bred and trained properly and given a chance. They have a high drive to please which is also sadly another reason why they make good fighting dogs. Many fight to please the owners.

I am a huge advocate of the breed and highly disagree with breed bans. However I will not deny that pitt bulls are not for every owner and you should definitely get prompt training. Also since the origins of your dog are so grey you do need to exercise a bit more caution. A dog bred from poorly tempered parents is much more prone to a poor temperament as well. That is why I also heavily lean on getting a pitt bull form a reputable breeder where you can meet and interact with the parents. This is true of any breed of dog down to a chihuahua.

Good luck with your new baby!

As with Dobermans in the 70s, German Shepherds in the 80s, and Rottweilers in the 90s, Pit Bulls are the "EEE-vil" dog of the decade. Training and attention can cure ee-vil. It takes time and care to do it right. Kudos for saving a life, now you have to raise it to be worthwhile.