Poodle/ Pit Mix. Worried...

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#1
We recently lost our beloved pug and I was ready for a new dog. In a moment of complete impulse I adopted a 9 week old standard poodle / pit mix. Both the mother and father are non-aggressive and were raised well. However I am freaking out all of a sudden about owning a pit mix. We have 6 young children and are only a block away from a dog park. I really want a dog I can have everywhere and with everyone. So far our new pup is amazing. He is mellow with only occasional hyper moments. He is super smart and already almost housebroken. He LOVES the kids, which is nice because our pug really just wanted me and had little interest in the kids. He is not timid and not dominant. I just can't get past all the anti-pit hype. I googled his mix but it seems pretty unheard of. Any advice, thoughts? Thanks!
 

CaliTerp07

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#3
He's a mix, so as with any mix you have to judge it on the individual dog, since the traits he has may be any combination of pit/poodle (and oh man, we do need pictures!)

Generally, pits are not human aggressive. I would never leave your children alone with the dog, but then I'd never leave a child alone with ANY dog--it's just asking for trouble. Kids and dogs are both unpredictable.

On the other hand, pits can often be dog aggressive. Again, no idea how that trait will show up in your little mix, but I would not recommend taking the pup to the dog park. You should absolutely be able to take him to the pet store, to training classes, and on walks though!

Enjoy him! He sounds like a great dog--judge him on his personality only :)
 

Maxy24

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#5
As cali said, pits are fine with people, including children and are generally very tolerant of poking and prodding due to the higher pain tolerance (being bred to fight meant they had to not let their pain affect them or it could mean death), this of course doesn't mean they don't FEEL it, they do, they just choose not to react to it. So don't LET the kids "abuse" him obviously, that wouldn't be very kind lol. Plus I don't know how poodles are with pain tolerance. As cali said you never leave any child alone with any dog for both the dog's and the child's safety.

As Cali also said pits are usually bad with other dogs, much like a greyhound has the urge to chase small furry animals and border collies have the urge to herd animals, pits tend to have the urge to fight other dogs as that's what they were bred for. This does not mean they all do but it is more likely and not uncommon. In the case of this genetic aggression towards other dogs, it cannot be trained out or prevented. However you should still work very hard to socialize the dog with other dogs for a few reasons. One, if the dog does not end up with dog aggression you don't want him to end up with fear aggression because he did not meet enough dogs as a pup. Two, even if he is dog aggressive, you don't want that to be coupled with fear aggression as well because then you'll just have a mess of a dog who goes insane at the sight of other dogs. If he is DA just don't let him near other dogs and carry pepper spray or something to keep strays/loose dogs away from you on walks.

This dog should not go to the dog park, he can meet dogs at human parks (bring him when you bring the kids) and on walks and you can set up play dates with other dogs that you know. Dog parks are full of dogs you know nothing about and you don't have any control over the situation. Like any dog he should still meet lots of dogs and people so he does not learn to fear them.

Both pit bulls and poodles are active, athletic dogs who need lots of exercise and mental stimulation (teach him tricks and other commands). Getting him involved in a sport would be great, even just backyard agility would be great.
I bet this dog will be very smart as well.

I LOVE pit bulls and think poodles are awesome dogs as well. You have nothing to worry about (not anymore than any other dog at least) so long as you are a responsible pet owner who socializes their dog and uses good common sense.
Being a mix he could be completely like a poodle, completely like a pit bull, or anything in between (both physically and in temperament), so you'll be in for a surprise.

Stay on the forum, read some old posts and ask more questions, we'd love for you to be a part of the forum family.
And remember not to take advice about pit bulls from people who have no experience with them, most people who don't like them have never met them.
 

Zoom

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#7
He's adorable(!) and Maxy nailed most of what I was going to say. Being a mix means it's not known which traits from which dog are going to come out. Poodles are athletic, guardy, one-person type of dogs. Pits are athletic, typically love all people but aren't the best with other dogs/animals. So, it's a toss up.

Do get him into obedience classes and such now, so that while he may end up being dog-aggressive as an adult, you will have taught him how to control himself so he doesn't flip out at the sight of other dogs and such and you can still take him on walks and in public.
 

Miakoda

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#8
Dog parks are a no-no. :)

And both Maxy and Zoom gave some good info. I'm going to pm you with a bit more.
 

MPP

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#9
He's adorable! I can see why you fell in love.

Both poodles and pitties are very intelligent, so no surprise there. Socialize A LOT now, while the window of opportunity is at its widest. Train as much as possible, always in a positive way. Don't let anybody talk you into jerking your dog around or slamming him down on the ground because neither side needs or responds well to such treatment.

You have a lovely pup. I can't wait to see more pictures! He's going to be an awesome dog.
 
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#11
Thanks for all the info. My friend's daughter has a wonderful female pit and I brought him to play with her today. They did very well together and she will continue to be a good source of doggy socialization for him (supervised, of course). Then we went to Petsmart and he definitely got loved on by lots of people! Everybody commented on his amazing disposition. I just said he was a mutt when people asked and they all had fun guessing his mix :) Keep the thoughts coming!
 
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#12
Sounds like you are off to a wonderful start :) You've gotten some stellar advice, and you can take anything Miakoda tells you as the gold standard!

We're going to enjoy watching him grow up.
 

Gempress

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#13
What an adorable guy! Love him! And ditto what the others said. You got some great advice. Keep posting pictures. He's going to be such a neat-looking boy when he grows up.
 

Barb04

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#16
Even if down the line you can't go to the dog park, do you have a fenced-in yard to play in.
 

BluButt

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#17
I only have two quick things to add to what's already been said....

1.) Since he appears to have somewhat of a poodle coat, I would get him acquainted with being groomed. If you plan on doing it yourself, definitely start now. He's probably going to require some sort of a hair cut at some point, which means clippers. If you've never groomed a dog, get some videos and start watching them now. Otherwise, find a good groomer who is Ok working with a puppy. The earlier you start, the easier it will be for him (and the groomer!). He might not need much done now, but just the whole process - bath, blow dry, standing on the table, distractions, being touched, etc, will be good for him.

2.) He's only 9 weeks old, which is really too young to claim "almost housebroken". :p Don't get me wrong, if he's an easy going puppy and is catching on well to going outside, that is GREAT. Wait until he's 6 or 7 months old and hasn't had an accident for a month or so before you get too excited. Adolescence can be, uh, fun. :D

Otherwise, he's freaking adorable!
 

Pops2

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#18
being bred to fight meant they had to not let their pain affect them or it could mean death
everything else was pretty good but this
WTF
seriously, where did you get this HSUS?
some dogs didn't turn on until after they felt some pain even after a lot of matches. some dogs screamed through the whole freakin match and still won. yes they have a freaking high pain tolerance but reacting to pain only mattered if it kept them from winning.
 

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