First and foremost doing your research before you get a Pit Bull Terrier. If I had a penny for every email I received that asked, “Jason, I just bought a Pit Bull Terrier. What do I do now?” I could buy my own Movie studio.

Training. This is by far the single most responsible thing Pit Bull owners can do. I am not talking about taking Jr. to puppy class and that’s that. I’m talking about 10-12 years of daily training.

Behavior problems, not disease is the leading cause of death in dogs under the age of 3 years old. (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior)

Veterinarian care. Why people do not take their dogs to the vet is beyond me. If money is an issue then you do not need a dog. Sorry but that’s responsible Pit Bull owner 101 stuff. Which leads me too …

Financial stability. If you rent, if you don’t have money for dog food, if you can’t afford vet care, if you are struggling to feed yourself then for the love God do not get a Pit Bull Terrier.

The average dog cost $800-$2000 per year in vet care and food costs alone. Add training, collars, leashes, treats, and toys and you can estimate another $500-$1000 on top of the average cost.

Spay/Neuter. If you are not competing in working dogs sports or showing your dog in conformation spaying/neutering your Pit Bull should be a priority. When you do that is not as important is getting it done.

Proper housing. Whether you allow your dog inside or not is your choice. However if you keep your Pit Bull outside provide them with adequate shelter. Do not chain them to a barrel with a three foot chain and expect them to be comfortable.

Common Sense Approach to Health. Are you looking for a 5 lb weighted collar for your dog because you think it will make them stronger? If yes, then you’re not using common sense. Putting weights on a dog only serves to break them down. I’m not saying that weight training is cruel or that you shouldn’t exercise your dog. What I’m saying is use common sense when it comes to your dogs health.

Advocacy. Years ago I wrote an article about Pit Bull ownership and in that article I stated, “It is every Pit Bull owners duty to help preserve the breed through responsible ownership and advocacy.”

I still believe this. If you own a Pit Bull Terrier it is your responsibility to present a good image of the breed. It is your responsibility to your dog that you provide for them and not just basic care but the best of the best.

It is your responsibility to educate yourself on the origin of the breed, the history of the breed, the many uses of the breed, and when confronted with an idiot who wants to hate on you about your dog it is your responsibility to set the record straight.

Maybe my view on a responsible owner differs from Jane Q Pit Bull owner. Maybe what makes a responsible owner is more than what I’ve mentioned here. Or maybe people will see this post as a load of bull poo. In any case, respecting your dog is the most responsible thing you can do. How you do that, well, that’s entirely up to you.

Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
Author – The Pit Bull Training Handbook
PitBullLovers.com – Gear, free articles, and free video training available.

“I love my Pit Bull. It’s how you care for them that makes the difference.”

“My Pitt-Bull is the greatest dog on earth. It’s how you treat them that makes them mean or not.”

“Irresponsible owners are the reason why Pit Bulls get a bad rap. I love my Pit Bull so much.”

I receive emails like these all the time. People comment like this on the PBL facebook page too.

When I read comments like this I have to wonder why so many people feel the need to say the same thing.

Fact: It is NOT only how you raise them that matters. A lot of things go into making a good dog. Good handling is a piece of the overall puzzle. Breeding, how old they were when removed from the litter, what happened to the pups between 3 and 8 weeks old, how the parents and grand parents behaved. These are all VERY important factors in determining the overall personality of a Pit Bull Terrier.

I can do everything right in regards to raising the dog. I can socialize the dog, train the dog, and give the dog a great diet. However if the dog is from a bad breeding, carries genetic defects, has a temperament flaw due to bad handling as a young puppy my efforts will not change the fact that in the end the dog is flawed and will probably be a handful.

More to the point Pit Bull owners by and large are ignorant as to what makes or breaks a dogs overall personality. The same person that says, “It’s how you raise them that matters” when asked, “what is the critical socialization period for puppies” will look at you with a blank stare or they toss out their best guess.

So when owners spew the drivel “it’s how you treat them” out to people it really doesn’t make any sense that someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about open their mouth to speak.

What they are doing is justifying their dogs presence to the outside world.

I have some advice for Pit Bull owners who constantly say “it’s how you raise them” or anything similar to people.

Don’t worry about it. Those ignorant souls who have made up their minds that Pit Bulls are demon dogs do not deserve an explanation or an answer.

I, scratch that, we, do not owe anyone an explanation of why we keep American Pit Bull Terriers as our breed of choice. We do not need to constantly regurgitate misconceptions about “how you raise’em” that in the end are false. It takes a lot of things to be in place to get a good dog and that is not my opinion that is a biological fact.

Another funny thing I find absolutely pointless is when Pit Bull owners start telling other Pit bull owners the same lines. Hello! They are also Pit Bull owners and I’m sure they’ve used the same line at some point in their life.

Preaching the choir is counter productive.

Well, I know it’s not that educational but I had to get it off my chest.

Until Next Time,
Jason M.
Author The Pit Bull Training Handbook
PitBullLovers.com – A Refuge for Pit Bull Owners

First, being a Pit Bull owner means you have to put up with comments like:

“Why in the world would anyone want to have one of those dogs?”

“Anyone who has a pitbull is a loser. They are putting the public in danger and they don’t even care!”

“Yeah, if I see that Pit Bull on my street again I’m going to shoot the F*$&$*$ thing!”

Being a Pit Bull owner also means you have to worry about laws being passed in the area you live in possibly forcing you to move or worse, give your dog over to the pound to be put down.

Being a Pit Bull owner means you have to put up with websites that are devoted to the breeds extinction created by whack jobs that have a bone to pick with the breed.

Being a Pit Bull owner means you have to put up with hate and racism.

Being a Pit Bull owner means you have to make sure your dogs are better behaved than the mutt two doors down that bites the mail carrier every time she drops the mail in.

Being a Pit Bull owner means you can’t live on a military base because they are banned on ALL bases. You can die for your country, just don’t have “that dog” on our base! Truly sad.

Being a Pit Bull owner means when traveling through Denver, CO you have to muzzle your dog in your car and pray the cops don’t stop you and take your dog because while passing through their state you are subject to their dog laws.

Being a Pit Bull owner means paying higher rent, insurance rates, and having to jump through numerous hoops just to live.

Being a Pit Bull owner means you are looked upon by the “big wigs” of society as a criminal, thug, gangster, drug dealer, redneck, or wanna be tough guy.

Being a Pit Bull owner means despite all the crap that morons and ignorant law makers push on you you still choose to have the greatest breed of dog ever created.

Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
Author – The Pit Bull Training Handbook
PitBullLovers.com – Learn what it means to be a Pit Bull owner!

This is a valid question. First not once in my entire life with dogs or Pit Bull Terriers have I ever referred to myself as an “expert.” I don’t view myself as an expert. I do view myself as a trained professional in the canine world. I have undertaken extensive training, invested thousands of hours and dollars, and spent countless nights educating myself in canine behavior and learning theory.

My years with the American Pit Bull Terrier combined with my professional training put me in a unique position to help others.

Simply put, my experience allows me to share my knowledge with you. What you call me or how you label me is up to you. I could care less if you call me an “expert” or that bald dude from Kentucky that has that website about Pit Bull Terriers. Either way, so long as you gain education and knowledge I’m doing my job.

So what makes me an “expert?” I don’t know you tell me.

Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
PitBullLovers.com – Working to Stop Discrimination and Hate
Author – The Pit Bull Training Handbook

Yes, my site is all about Pit Bull Terriers. Yes, it is called, Pit Bull Lovers. Yes, I am a Pit Bull Terrier fancier, trainer, and owner. With all that said I firmly believe that very few people are ready for a Pit Bull Terrier.

Pit Bull Terriers are awesome dogs but like many other breeds they are not “built” for everyone’s lifestyle. People looking for a “pet” or “house dog” should not get a Pit Bull Terrier.

Pit Bull Terriers thrive on activity. They are working dogs after all not house dogs. Running in agility, catching a rank bull, catching a wild pig or catching the “bad guy” in protection sports Pit Bulls are the ultimate canine Jack of all trades.

Pit Bull advocacy is a double edged sword. On one hand we glorify the breed and tell people the wonders they hold while on the other hand we know they are not the right dog for everyone.

This is one conundrum I’ve faced for years with PitBullLovers.com. The site paints a great picture and I try my best to include the “think before you get a Pit Bull Terrier” message but is that really going to detour someone who is a potential wrong fit for the breed?

We talk about Pit Bulls in rescue and shelters. We ask that people wanting a “pet” Pit Bull buy from one of these places rather than a breeder. When in reality shelters and rescues are just as bad when it comes to placing Pit Bull Terriers in homes that are right for them.

I’m not saying that people shouldn’t get a Pit Bull Terrier. I am saying that you should think, extremely hard, before you make a final decision. One side of having these dogs that most people fail to shed light on is the stigma you face not only from the general non-dog owning public but from the “dog lovers” as well.

“You got a WHAT!?” Sorry but I cannot come to your house anymore.

“Oh my Lord! Are you CRAZY!?” Well I guess little Billy and Jack can’t play at your place any longer.

“No, I can’t come from Christmas. I don’t trust your dog.”

These are just a few things I’ve heard and been told myself when my friends and family found out I had a Pit Bull Terrier. Are you ready for that? Are you ready for your closest friends and family to instantly alienate you because you have “one of those dogs?”

Don’t be a fool and think that your friends and family are above the cut and will not judge you. You will be very surprised at reactions.

Trying to find a place to live with a Pit Bull is becoming extremely difficult. Apartments are virtually impossible to rent with a Pit Bull. Renting a house is becoming just as hard. Landlords refusing your dog, insurance companies refusing to cover you, city laws requiring mandatory spay/neuter, facing heavy fines if you do not play by their rules.

Are you still interested in a Pit Bull Terrier? Wait there is more…

Your sitting in your home enjoying your favorite movie when you hear a knock at the door. Animal Control and Law enforcement are standing on your porch. They serve you with a notice. Either you pack up your life and your dog and move out of the city or they will come back and take your dog to the pound and put it to sleep.

Little did you know a Pit Bull ban was passed while you were sleeping and now it’s “hit the road you disgusting Pit Bull owner!” time.

Impossible you say? Just ask the hundreds of Pit Bull owners living in Denver, CO how they felt when their dogs were stripped from their homes and put to sleep as a result of their ban.

Just ask how people in Ontario, Canada feel when their dogs were taken. Those “grandfathered” in have to wear muzzles, be contained on ridiculously short leashes, and several other little rules they must follow or their dogs will be seized and put to sleep.

Still interested in a Pit Bull Terrier? Wait there is more …

The Humane Society of the United States, PETA, and the ASPCA are on the hunt for dog fighters. Offering $5,000 rewards to tips that lead to convictions. Among their “ways to spot a dog fighter” you will find such items as:

1. Has more than one Pit Bull.
2. Has a treadmill.
3. Hand walks their dogs more than twice a day.
4. Has people visiting their home often.
5. Has “spring poles” to strengthen their dogs jaws.

Interestingly enough at one time I had all of these. Matter of fact I matched up with 95% of their “dog fighter clues.” What if one of my neighbors knew about that $5,000 reward? Think I would have escaped the witch hunt?

PETA and the HSUS support breed specific legislation like mandatory spay/neuter for Pit Bull Terriers and Pit Bull TYPE dogs. They support anti-tethering laws that make it a crime to allow your dog outside when you are not allowed to build a fence because of your neighborhood association by-laws.

They support the killing of all dogs seized from “fighting rings” and declare the dogs are “unadoptable” because of their past without a single behaviorist/professional dog trainer actually testing the dogs for potential issues.

Are you ready to be a part of the club still?

If you are steadfast in your determination to own a Pit Bull Terrier. If you feel like you are 100% ready to deal with the above issues and more and you have weighed it all with your family and anyone having to deal with the dog then I encourage you to research rescue dogs and find a solid dog for your home.

Why not buy from a breeder? Very few, I will say that again, very few breeders are breeding real American Pit Bull Terriers and those that do make it difficult for you to get a dog from them. Especially if you are new to the breed. Which is a good thing.

Rescuing a dog in need of a home will satisfy your desire to have a Pit Bull, give you a great dog you know will fit into your home, and in most cases they are already in training and have been spayed/neutered saving you some extra money.

Pit Bull Terriers are great dogs but they are not for everyone. Owning a Pit Bull Terrier comes with more headaches than you can imagine. It is a huge decision that should not be taken lightly.

Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
Author – The Pit Bull Training Handbook
PitBullLovers.com – Your One Stop Source for Everything Pit Bull.