What dog?

[AndyD]

We inherited a dog from a friend of mine who was going overseas. We she delivered him she told me he was a Staffie cross. I took him to the vet the other day because he was chewing his paws until they were raw and the vet said he was a pit bull.

I thought pit bulls looked like this;

This is the dog we have and he looks nothing like that;







Can anyone tell me for sure what kind of dog he is please?

[vieome]

The first picture look like a bull terrier



The second a pit bull.

[tec0]

The confusion start because all of them share a strong blood line " bulldog & terrier "

Ok your first picture is the "English bull terrier" "training difficulty is for the experienced"



The second dog in your pictures are a "Pit Bull Terrier" or what people now call "American Pit Bull Terrier" "training difficulty is moderate to high attention is important"




The third picture "i got from the internet is the "Stavanger bull terrier" physically a much smaller dog then the "Pit Bull Terrier" but more or less the same size as the "miniature English bull terrier" "training difficulty is moderate to low attention is important but they love to mess around so take it slow"



The dog you got there is more "Pit Bull"

Now 4 things to remember

1 > lost of chew toys "extremely important"
2 > Play time is important "exercise" "dog must always look at you as the Alpha"
3 > Always look for signs of accession "specially around children"
4 > Never ever hit it with a stick, or something like that "they will see it as a challenge" and then they will plan your murder...

the reward system works good with them... That said your dog look very happy that is always a good sign

Enjoy

[AmithS]

First dog is definitely a bull terrier.

I would go with you have a cross Staffordshire terrier!

[AndyD]

Thanks guys, I thought the first picture I posted was an example of a pit bull but I was obviously mistaken. I also thought a pit bull and a bull terrier were one and the same...obviously mistaken again.

We've owned Staffies in the past and the new dog is much taller than a Staffie although his head looks kinda Staffieish. I'll try find a picture of him standing up so you can see his height.

He loves chasing ball and takes his ball with him wherever he goes. He's been great with the cat although he's shown her teeth once or twice when she eats his food in front of him and he's great with all people and kids and even the guy who does our garden. His favorite is the DHL delivery guys, whenever they arrive he first frantically runs around the house to find his ball then he's out through the gate and straight into the cab of the bakkie or van ready to go for a drive. By this time both delivery guys are usually a fair few meters down the road looking decidedly uneasy.

We had a slight hiccup the other day when he was in the driveway and one of the kids opened the gate. He saw the neighbourhood watch guy with a Rottweiler and a German Shepard on the other side of the road and without hesitation he bolted through the open gate and went straight for the Rottweiler. That little stunt cost me R1.8K in vets bills. It's weird because I take him to the local park regularly and let him off the lead to play fetch with the ball and he has no problems with any of the other dogs he encounters, in fact he has almost zero interest in them at all. Even the dogs that pester him, yap at him or are boisterous and playful and also the dogs that want to sniff and get into his personal space, he just ignores them completely. I'm hoping the Rottweiler incident was a once-off territorial kinda thing.

[wynn]

Probably the neighborhood watch guy has walked past your fence/wall a number of times and their was an alpha question that has been sorted out now.
I'm betting the German Shepard was a bitch and the 'rotty a male

[tec0]

We had a slight hiccup the other day when he was in the driveway and one of the kids opened the gate. He saw the neighbourhood watch guy with a Rottweiler and a German Shepard on the other side of the road and without hesitation he bolted through the open gate and went straight for the Rottweiler.

I can explain that, the Pit Bull Terrier has a dark secret that died out a long time ago. But i happen to love dogs and there history. Your Pit Bull will instinctively hate a German Shepard especially. In the early years of dog fighting "a sport that i hate with all my being" Two dogs where bred the first was your English bull terrier "debate is still open on that one" then your Pit Bull terrier. Now the English bull terrier is a strong dog and has a horrible bite BUT funny enough they don't like to fight but are fearless. Sadly they got killed easily.

Your Pit Bull terrier on the other hand has a adrenaline charge to them that makes them fearless strong and sadly supper aggressive and dominated the fighting ring. Don't get me wrong they are good pets as long as you keep a close eye on them and yes stay away from them when they eat. They will bite the hand that feeds them. Sadly that is more of a genetic trade BUT good trainers can get around that tendency.

Make no mistake if a bad guy will come and hurt you that dog will turn him into a screaming lunch... Same is true for the English bull terrier "a dog i happen to love and have adopted" But blood lines is SUPPER important.

But as far as your Bit Bull is concerned a German Shepard is a happy meal... Again it is genetic.

[tec0]

ok I thought i must add a little something Stavanger bull terrier is the best compromise between them. Lovable playful and mostly peaceful they tend to be wonderful pets and enjoy "outside living" unlike miniature English bull terrier "inside dog/ house dog"

If the blood line is is good a Stavanger bull terrier will always be busy eating something important but mostly a very good dog very trainable dog. "despite popular belief"

[CLIVE-TRIANGLE]

and then they will plan your murder...

Damn true that!

[Pap_sak]

BTW - we also have had a pit bull for the last 10 years - had it from a puppy. Lovely dog, great with people and children - but keeps strangers out. Great with it's "sister" a tiny sausage cross. BUT will go for other dogs - I always keep him on a leash around other dogs I am super careful about it - I would feel terrible if he bit another dog, but then I take responsibility for my dogs actions. I think you should consider using a muzzle when he is off the leash and playing in close proximity to other dogs, IMO.

[Phil Cooper]

My feeling

When you go to the park you are in neutral territory.

When the dogs passed by your dog saw them as a challenge to HIS territory due to the proximity. And defended it....

Costing you money.

You should be able to claim for the vet bills from your household insurance, by the way... Liability section.

[The Gentleman]

Your dog looks like an awesome dog. It was probably more to do with territory and protecting you and his domain. It probably might happen again so just be aware that strangers that come in to the house as well. It's his nature to protect. I agree with Pap_sak, maybe get a muzzle for him if he gets any worse. Good luck!

[Electrode]

The pups are just lovable.

[Hermes14]

We inherited a dog from a friend of mine who was going overseas. We she delivered him she told me he was a Staffie cross. I took him to the vet the other day because he was chewing his paws until they were raw and the vet said he was a pit bull.

I thought pit bulls looked like this;[ATTACH=CONFIG]5945[/ATTACH]

This is the dog we have and he looks nothing like that;

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Can anyone tell me for sure what kind of dog he is please?

The second dog does look like a pitbull mix.
One thing about an APBT is that they are animal aggressive but not human aggressive.
Joseph l colby has written a good classic on the breed

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=the+american+pit+bull+terrier+Joseph+l+colby&rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Athe+american+pit+bull+terrier+Joseph+l+colby

The only dog register in America that accepts pit bulls is the ABDA

http://www.adba.cc/

Regarding conformation here are the characteristics,

http://www.adbadog.com/p_pdetails.asp?fpid=32

If you have any questions about the breed you can ask me & I will try to answer them.