Owner's Manual

"Variability in behavior has a wider range within a breed than between breeds... The adult behavior of a domestic dog is determined overwhelmingly by its experiential history, environmental management and training." - M.L. Nitschke, Ph.D., CPDT, CAAB

To be bluntly honest, caring for a pit bull isn't particularly different from caring for any other type of dog. As Dr. Nitschke points out in the quote above, individual dogs within a breed or type tend to differ from each other more than they differ from dogs of another breed.

A pit bull's behavior is a dog's behavior, and no special training rules apply. You can pull any dog training book off the shelf and apply the principles to any dog, be it a pit bull or a Chihuahua. I've often thought that breed-specific "owner's guides" were something of a rip-off; aside from the glossy photos of a specific type of dog and perhaps a word or two about coat care for that particular breed, the entire remainder of the book typically parrots any other owner's guide for any other breed. Feed the dog, take it to the vet, train it, and so on and so forth—nothing special.

The social and legal ramifications of pit bull ownership, two things which have very little to do with the individual dog itself, are the two things that make pit bull ownership particularly challenging, discouraging, and frustrating. I have devoted a different section of my website, Social Issues, to these pit bull-specific problems.

The following pages make up my "owner's manual" for pit bull owners. There are very few things in this guide that are pit bull-specific. However, this website is oriented toward pit bull owners, so naturally I have written the articles to address the concerns and questions of pit bull owners specifically. The existence of an article herein does not imply that the issue discussed pertains only to pit bulls. Owners of other types of dogs may also find the same information relevant and useful.

Articles

The Pit Bull Owner's Code of Conduct

Aggression and Dog-Aggression

Multi-dog Households

Responsible Containment: How to contain your dog when you can't supervise

What type of collar is best for your dog?

On Leash, Off Leash, and Dog Parks

Understanding and Managing Risk

Speutering Your Dog

Canine Sports

Training, Socializing, and Managing

Can You Trust a Dog?