Introduction

[jm20jb]

My name is Cathy and I've inherited a pit bull/english mastiff mix who looks mainly like a pit bull to me but my son swears his mother was the english mastiff. I am just looking for information about these critters...he seems to be a very even tempered dog, loves to please, play fetch and learns quickly. I know he has the potential to be aggressive and I'd like to make sure that never comes to pass - I'm getting some assistance in training him to do just the basic obedience right now...he's 2 and a half years old, and he's learning fast.
Some questions I have are these ~
How much exercise does this dog need? He weighs 63 pounds and the vet says he's "just right". I feed him Blue Buffalo Wilderness brand dogfood supplemented with Sojos in the evening. He loves to go for walks and since I bought a gentle leader chest harness it's far more enjoyable for me as well (he doesn't drag me down the street). Being very hot outside right now, I'm just playing ball with him in the back yard but I know he needs more than that, especially because I'm gone for nearly 10 hours a day.
Socializing ~ he gets along fine with a couple of lab/boxer mix dogs a friend has but I worry about meeting up with a smaller dog - they tend to snap at him and he's so strong I have a hard time controlling him.

[IndigoTerra]

A lot of pitties are couch potatos and love to snuggle, but, they still have A LOT of energy and most require playtime in a fenced in backyard or a walk everyday... You can find a lot of that info here. Welcome to the forum.

[Leslie H]

Welcome Cathy. Could you tell us a little more about yourself, so you can be given access? There's a sample intro sticky in this forum.