soon to be newbie...help me out!!

[Crash]

Hello guys, I have been looking at this forum on a daily basis for a few weeks now and I am amazed at the knowledge that you guys have on the apbt breed, but most importantly the love that you have for your animals. All pit bulls should have owners like you guys. I recently purchased a pit bull puppy (they were born a few days ago). I researched for months and finally found a breeder that I really did trust and I love her dogs. The pups father is quite impressive so I’m expecting great things out of my future pit bull. The problem is she lives ACROSS the country from me. More than anything I wish I could personally select the puppy that I wanted by interacting with them, but that is simply not possible. So, I am asking you guys to give me some pointers and questions that I could possibly ask the breeder that will lead to the pup most suitable for my taste. Bascially, I want a puppy that is very active/playful and does not have any dominance issues. She is a very trustworthy breeder and I have established a very positive rapport with her. I have the first pick so she said she will help me out the best she can. What else should I look at or ask her about that would lead to me having the best possible pup. I have 9 males to select from. All of them are red or chocolate so color is not an issue!! The pup will be shipped to me at age of 8 weeks and I have to make my pick by age of 6 weeks. So guys help me out!! Also, I realize that animal aggression can be somewhat controlled by proper training, but can you tell somewhat if a pup would be more prone to dog aggression at such a young age??

[PitBullPride]

Welcome to the forum!

[Crash]

thanks!! so guys any suggestions...advice?? Also, my wife and I plan on having kids in a few years so it is espeically important that I do not get a "bad seed"

[Boo439]

I can't really help you out, either, but welcome! I was looking for a Doberman pup for a while and they were all across the country from me, as well. I ended up buying an adolescent German Shepherd that was located about 25 minutes from me. I, personally, wanted to meet my dog before I bought him. Good luck in your quest!

[Noriko525]

Have you tried doing a search on here yet about new puppies?? That's one way to try and get some good info! If not, I'm sure someone will come along that will be very helpful and have some good advice! Good Luck and congrats on the pup!

[violet]

What kind of dominance issues do you mean? do you mean being dominant with YOU or with other dogs? With and APBT chances are you WILL have dominanec issues with other dogs. But with you..a well bred dog will just require positive training and enforcement of who is boss. Don't let your bully bully you in other words. What line is your puppy from?And are you choosing male or female? do you plan on showing or having the puppy altered right away?

[phez718]

Tooooooo weird...


Welcome

[Crash]

Of course when I say dominance issues... some puppies when you grab their head and look at them in the eyes, they REFUSE to look at you directly in the eyes and stuggle to get away. Those puppies typically have a problem with authority and are harder to train and might be human agressive due to poor breeding etc. Of course pits being human agressive is very rare, but it does happen. I guess what I am asking is are there any little tests you perform with the pups to see what kind of temperment they will have etc.

Example.... Dropping a pan ten feet away from the puppy.... the puppy should be frightened, but recover within seconds.

Thats bascially what I am looking for...that way I can ask the breeder to perform those particular tests on the pups so I can get a better feel of the dog I wish to select.

I plan on getting a male and will have him neutered as soon as the vet allows.

Thanks for your welcome and helping me out!!

[LavenderRott]

If you have a good breeder then he/she should be able to pick the best pup for you based on the questions he/she has asked you about your lifestyle and such.

Early and consistant training should prevent future aggression problem (towards people anyway). I highly recommend that both you and your wife be involved in training.

[Crash]

oh yea our new pup will be deeply involved with socialization and training!! Basically, this post was a no brainer, but I was just curious if anyone had any good tips or tests you can perform on a pup to determine personality and temperment that they had found useful in the past.

[voodoopitbull]

Puppies do not generally have dominance issues at a young age...very human-dominant pups (APBTs) can be a sign of poor breeding. APBTs are not generally human-dominant animals anyways. Just lay down the law the minute your pup comes home with NILIF (www.k9deb.com), very simple obedience commands and etc. You shouldn't have any issues if your dog is sound from a great breeder...if you do, there's always people here willing to help. The most important rule for you and your pup is HAVE FUN.

Also, APBTs don't usually show dog-aggression until they reach maturity (1-3 yrs).

I was just curious if anyone had any good tips or tests you can perform on a pup to determine personality and temperment that they had found useful in the past.

I personally don't believe in temperament tests...I haven't found many that ring true 100% of the time. If you're getting a bully from a great breeder they're typically the same...very people loving, very intelligent, active and fun. All puppies have different personalities but those are the breed traits.

Welcome to the forum!

[Crash]

yea, I totally agree that temperment testing and titles are not always reliable. The only pit bull that I have met that was human agressive came from parents that both had temperment titles!!

[voodoopitbull]

yea, I totally agree that temperment testing and titles are not always reliable. The only pit bull that I have met that was human agressive came from parents that both had temperment titles!!

I should correct myself...I haven't found a temperament test that is reliable for puppies. There's a few temperament tests given to adult dogs that can prove their stability and soundness (ATTS, etc).

What kinda temperament titles did the parents have?

[Patch O' Pits]

Welcome and congrats on your upcoming new family member!

What kennel is he coming from. Do you have picts of the litter or a site we can see them on?

Wow nine boys to choose from. That's great! Plenty of options then!

Since you can not pick hands on, I suggest you not only ask alot of questions and work with the breeder on it, but ask for video of the puppies all together and each one separately as well to get more of a feel for the personalities and plenty of pictures of the pups playing with the others.

Since you are not going to be showing faults won't be an issue so I'd definitely want to see how the pups interact with each other and with the breeder. That is why I think the video will be a great asset.

You said you researched so I'm hoping it is a breeder you feel conmfortable with that will have the best interest of both you and the puppy in mind and aid in the picking.

Yes young pups CAN be dog aggressive, but being a dominant pup does not make it aggressive. No there really isn't any way to tell how dog aggressive a pup will grow up to be IMO, but if you see the tendancy in a pup, and are concerned you know that is not the right one for you.


Good Luck! Keep us posted on your choice!

[Crash]

Glad you asked for the web site..... this is the father of the pups

www.hometown.aol.com/berapbts/crunchindex.html

The breeder e-mailed me a bunch of pictures of them the other day, but I do not know how to paste or whatever the pictures up on this forum.... I'm sure I will figure it out before long!! Thanks Patch O' Pits for the advice!!

You can also go to www.hometown.aol.com/berapbts

That is her home page!!

Thanks guys