Pit bull Owners: Talk Me Down

[RoxMonster]

The bottom line is, I don't think you should put you or your dog(s) in a situation where you aren't comfortable. Any dog can feel uncomfortable and lash out, even if they are normally sweet. And this can be ANY breed. Any dog can have a bad reputation and be a total and complete sweetheart.

My dog is a lab mix, and labs are known for being super friendly, people-lovers, etc. Roxie is incredibly sweet with us, but because of her background (abuse), she is scared of strangers and has exhibited fear aggression. She is MUCH better, but because of it, we don't put her in situations where she might get scared.

So in short, I don't think you should be scared of a pit just because it's a pit. Just like I don't think you should run up to a strange dog and stick your face in its face just because the breed has a sweet reputation. So if you don't feel comfortable with someone bringing a dog-of any breed-over because you don't know how they'll interact, then politely tell her no.

[expatpumpkin]

Thanks for your input, everyone. It's nearly midnight so I'm going to bed. Will check again in the morning. I'm going to sleep on it.

[Jalapeñomel]

Frankly, I think it's irresponsible to have two dogs at a party that have never met before.

[gottadobe]

I would decline any strange dog coming to my dinner party.

[lexxasaurus]

All the places I've lived, Staffordshire Terriers fall under the "pitbull" category. Is it only the American Pit Bull Terrier in the UK that falls under that law?

Either way. I love Staffies, I love Pits, I've never had a problem with any bully breed. They've been darling dogs in my experience - that being said, I agree with previous posters who suggested meeting before dinner to introduce the dogs. I don't think a friend would bring a dangerous dogs but sometimes you introduce them and they just don't click. Definitely don't fret simply because of the breed, but a meeting should help to put your mind at ease. I hope it all goes well!

[leeluu]

So, I have nothing against pits, they are so cute! However, there are a ton of anecdotes in this thread about how non-violent they are, so I'll share my differing experiences. My best friend and her mom had a pit growing up, and the dog was very aggressive (and unfortunately ultimately had to be put down due to aggression). They did not breed or raise him to be aggressive but he was. The only other experience was extremely limited - I went over to someone's apartment a few times that had 2 pit bulls, and while they were very cute and very lovely, they played very aggressively and it made me uncomfortable (however the owner was not great at discipline).

On a side note, whenever I look at petfinder.com, the majority of dogs in my area are pits and it makes me so sad for all the cute pities without loving homes.

[Deleted]

Nov 8, 2013 18:34:43 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

Don't all dogs have a tendency towards aggression though?

No. Nika does not have a tendency towards aggression against other dogs. As was ponted out earlier, she is a husky so she has a strong prey drive, and will attack cats and other small animals, but she just plays with all other dogs. And kisses humans.

[bab]

Say no. This is crazy.


Seriously, say no.

[purrbox]

Nov 8, 2013 15:24:04 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

ETA:  We live in London, which is a VERY dog-friendly city.  Bringing your dog to a dinner party isn't strange in my circle.  Among fellow dog owners - in our circle - it's actually the norm.  Dogs come to our parties all the time.  So the issue isn't the dog, it's the breed.  Which is why it's probably flammable

This is awesome! I need to move to London.

[obladi]

Now I am trying to imagine a dinner party with a bunch of random dogs who don't know each other, all in someone's apartment in London. That sounds very...chaotic lol.

[mrsjuleshs]

Pits can be intimidating as are several other breeds so I can understand being a bit uneasy around them. My female smiles and it looks like she is snarling. We find it cute but some people are scared till they realize her tail is wagging so hard her whole body is swaying with it. And mine wrestle and when they play tug with their rope they are so noisy you would think they are fighting. One of dds friends was afraid of them at first but now he is always loving on them and one of my friends adopted a little pittie after spending time with mine and seeing how sweet they are and that they love kids. Any dog can hurt a person but pits are really powerful so they can do far more damage. One of my pittie girl's brothers had to be put down because he was aggressive. Then again, he was left chained up in the backyard all the time without much human contact. They are a great breed but they have to have an alpha and interaction and discipline. I still stand by what I said about bringing the dog into your home in that situation is not a great idea but I think it would be wonderful for you to meet the dog and get to know it and see how your dogs are with each other but it has to be on neutral territory.

[10nille]

If one of my phobias was my dog getting attacked then I'd ask her not to bring her dog. Sounds even if the norm to bring dogs to dinner parties you will not be able to relax.

[foundmylazybum]

If both dogs are used to these types of social situations (seems to be the norm in UK), then the "stress" people are speaking of (loud noise, party type atmosphere)--isn't really a stress to these two dogs. It's part of their lives.

Arranging an on leash meeting--and probably googling other ways for dogs to have a successful meet and greet will go a long ways to mitigate some of your fears.


And if it really makes you uncomfortable, then you can absolutely say no.


That said, I've lived with an American Staffordshire, and he was great. He lived with my 16 pound Mini Schnauzer and the also got along just fine. My family does have live in a community where dog-friendly gatherings are very common, and it's not uncommon to see small dogs (pugs, mini schnauzers, min pins etc) paired with bigger dogs (pits, mutts, labs etc). Honestly, I've never--in probably 10 years seen a problem at a party with a dog fight. All our dogs were well socialized, friendly etc. I worried more about my dog knocking a kid over or stealing food lol.

[pitterwoo]

Staffys are a little different from what you typically think of as a pit bull. They are smaller, shorter and IIRC had less breeding toward dog fighting.

I don't think you need to be more concerned about this dog than you would with any other dog coming into your home. As I said above, I think asking her more about her dog and making some plans to manage the dogs meeting would be best. No matter how many anecdotes people share or how positive the breed description is, it still comes down to the two individual dogs and your comfort with the supervision you can provide at a party.

[ralphlauren]

Nov 8, 2013 15:56:41 GMT -5 Alyssa said:

I don't care what breed it is......no dogs are allowed over for dinner. Dogs put their mouths on things, they slobber, they pee, the chew on furniture, they shake and fur flies off them....absolutely no dogs are allowed. What a weird request.


You also never bring an outside dog over to another dog's home without properly introducing them in neutral territory first.

Huh??  Not all dogs do this.  



 I have 2 dogs and one is a pit and I would never ask to bring them to someone's house.  Ever. 

[ralphlauren]

Nov 8, 2013 18:32:12 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

Nov 8, 2013 18:25:26 GMT -5 berbles said:

A Stafforshire Terrier (not an American Staffordshire) would be considerably smaller than what most would consider a pitty.  Like English bulldog height.

Yes, he's about this size, but with a more narrow face.  I'm 99% sure he's mixed.  So less tendency towards aggression?

If you are not comfortable say no.  Asking Internet strangers what to do is crazy.  We are not going to alleviate your fears and worries. 

[expatpumpkin]

I've slept on it and have decided to allow him to come. Partially because I already said yes and and partially because I just can't imagine she'd bring a dangerous dog to my house. If she says he gets along with small dogs, I think I should believe her.

We will walk them together when they arrive so they can be introduced on neutral territory. Worst case scenario, my dog can spend the evening in another room.

These two dogs will be the only ones at the party and it's a small party (just 5 of us plus the dogs). I expect her dog to be very well socialized. As I mentioned before, it's very dog-friendly here... So most dogs are VERY well behaved since they're accustomed to being out and about.

In a normal week, my dog does the following: rides buses and the tube, joins us for dinner in pubs and some restaurants, goes clothes shopping with me, visits my friends' houses, etc. He even shops at Whole Foods in his doggie carrier. Flame away, we're in our mid/late 30s and he's an only child.

Thanks for your responses. I will update tomorrow and let you know how it went.

[winecat]

Pit bulls are "bred for aggression" nor do they have a higher level of aggression. In a 2010-2011 test of dogs by the American Temperament Test Society, pit bulls scored higher than many other "friendly" breeds including Golden Retrievers. (http://einhorninsurance.com/california-insurance/pit-bulls-pass-atts-temperament-test/)

I'm glad you are meeting earlier. I'm sure that will help ease your mind. (And maybe change your opinion of pit bulls.)

[pitterwoo]

Nov 9, 2013 8:57:01 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

In a normal week, my dog does the following: rides buses and the tube, joins us for dinner in pubs and some restaurants, goes clothes shopping with me, visits my friends' houses, etc. He even shops at Whole Foods in his doggie carrier.

This all sounds so fun!

[redheadk]

Just chiming in that some friends of ours have 2 pits (12 and 4). We bring our shih tzu and dd with us to their house. It doesn't concern me any more than it would with any other dogs. I know their dogs are around a lot of people and other dogs. Honestly, they aren't at all interested in our shih tzu. We watch them all closely but it's no big deal.

Have fun at your dinner party!

[purrbox]

Nov 9, 2013 10:17:54 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

Nov 9, 2013 8:57:01 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

In a normal week, my dog does the following: rides buses and the tube, joins us for dinner in pubs and some restaurants, goes clothes shopping with me, visits my friends' houses, etc. He even shops at Whole Foods in his doggie carrier.

This all sounds so fun!

I know, right? I totally want to live in London now!

[dexteroni]

Nov 9, 2013 8:57:01 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

In a normal week, my dog does the following: rides buses and the tube, joins us for dinner in pubs and some restaurants, goes clothes shopping with me, visits my friends' houses, etc. He even shops at Whole Foods in his doggie carrier. Flame away, we're in our mid/late 30s and he's an only child.

That's awesome. We would totally do this if our dogs were smaller.

I would have also had reservations about bringing a new dog to my house when I wouldn't be able to devote full attention to their interactions -  not just a pit bull, but any new dog. Even with well socialized dogs, you just never know, and IMO it's the dog owner's responsibility to supervise inter-dog relations. Introducing and walking them beforehand was a great suggestion. I hope it went well!

[furby]

expatpumpkin

The UK KC does not actually recognise the Pit Bull Breed at all. Whilst a Staffie is technically a 'bull-type,' it is a recognised, legally safe breed.

As with all breeds, some dogs are more aggressive than others. I would never lump all dogs into one group because of the actions of a few. If pushed, in terms of reported violence, I'd say lower than Rottweilers and Mastiffs.

FWIW, I've NEVER heard of bringing your dog to a dinner party and I'm British! My Beagle would be on the table eating everyone's food...

[expatpumpkin]

UPDATE: They are here and he is GREAT! Can't believe I was ever scared

Will update again later!

[purrbox]

Nov 9, 2013 16:03:03 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

UPDATE: They are here and he is GREAT! Can't believe I was ever scared

Will update again later!

Oh, yay!

[dexteroni]

Yay for new dog friends!

[midnightmare81]

Nov 9, 2013 16:03:03 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

UPDATE: They are here and he is GREAT! Can't believe I was ever scared

Will update again later!

This made my day. I have been following but had nothing to add until now. I'm so glad (and not surprised) that everything is well. I figured if this is common in your area, the normal concerns of all the excitement and food around causing issues would be less of an issue then it would be normally.

On another note, pit's are SUCH great dogs! The one we had we found running loose near a major highway in Houston. She was the sweetest dog. I literally was able to walk right up to her and put a leash on her. The only difficulty I had was trying to do it while she was so busy kissing me! The only reason we didn't keep her is because we lived in an APT with breed restrictions. Thankfully they were nice enough to let us keep her until we found her a new home, since she would have been put down immediately if we called animal control, but it was only allowed until we found her the right home.

[mcmel]

Nov 9, 2013 16:03:03 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

UPDATE: They are here and he is GREAT! Can't believe I was ever scared

Will update again later!

I'm so happy it's working out!

[peachdragon]

Nov 8, 2013 15:27:19 GMT -5 @iamsnazzy said:

It's weird that she asked to bring him, regardless of what kind of dog. But re: being scared because he's a pitbull...you know what the majority of us will say. His breed has nothing to do with his temperance. I'm assuming that she knows you have a dog and that she wouldn't be bringing him if he was aggressive.

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[expatpumpkin]

FINAL UPDATE: The dinner party went great and I was comfortable with him after the first 2-3 minutes. It was nerve-wracking at first - mine kept following him around. I was sure that he'd snap at any moment from this aggravation, but he wasn't even slightly interested in - or bothered by - my little guy. As it turns out, he's a senior dog at 12, so he just wanted to sleep. He found a comfy spot and pretty much stayed there all night. My dog is lazy so he did the same thing. They happily co-existed for the evening. Success!