Owning an American Pit Bull Terrier in todays world

In todays world you need to be aware that owning an APBT makes you an instant target for many ignorant peope to look down on you and even judge you. This means that you need to be prepared to explain to any passersby or curious onlookers that your dog is no more dangerous than other breeds. You will need to consistently repeat phrases like "it's training, socialization and intention on the owners part which determines if their Pit Bull is dangerous or a loyal member of society." You will have to contend with preconceived notions about your dog; reasurring people of it's value and merit on a daily basis. This means that you will have to be extra careful to socialize, train and continually challenge your Pit Bull from the time you bring it home, well into it's adult life. You should practice some form of obedience training to help your dog behave in a well mannered and polite way. We suggest clicker training to aid with puppies.

Investing in as much self training literature as you can before bringing home an APBT is a wise approach. You will need to dispell myths such as the famed "locking jaw" and the "man eating pitbull" stereotype at the drop of a hat. A well trained and socialable APBT is perfect for this purpose. People simply have a harder time buying into stereotypes once they've met the perfect pit. Every APBT owner needs to aspire to become a breed ambassador along with their dog(s). If every one of us is intolerant to unpleasant behavior in our dogs as well as ignorance in the people we encounter, we can change the minds of America one person at a time. A wonderful resource to help you learn how to create a balanced relationship with your dog is Cesar Milan. He is on the Discovery Channel; Mondays at 9pm et. He has also written and inspiring book Cesar's Way. Other books we have invested in include; Pit Bulls For Dummies, Puppies! Why Do They Do What They Do?, Animal Planet's American Pit Bull Terriers and Getting Started: Clicker Training For Dogs. Two magazines also proved very helpful; Training Secrets for Bully Breeds and Bully Breeds: All About America's Favorite Dogs. Along with independent research you should look to the breeder whom your APBT comes from. They should be able to give you the benefit of their first hand experiences. Also, most reputable breeders will be happy to answer any upcoming questions once your puppy has come home.

It might seem like a lot of work to own an APBT, and it is. However, if you share the love for this breed as we do it will be well worth it. Displaying a positive image for Pit Bulls every day will help future Pit Bull owners assimilate easier. In addition, it will help educate people thereby stopping harmful Breed Specific Legislation from being passed. Furthermore, any true APBT lover will need to watch out for the spread of BSL comming their way, and be ready to protest, speak out and put themselves into the limelight in order to stop it. We need to watch out for news reports of "pit bull attacks" and contact the media making those reports to research the validity of those claims. Simply calling a television news station on their incorrect naming of another breed as an APBT can help with the negative media attention which leads to BSL. Vital questions include: was the dog registered as an APBT, did you personally see the dog, do you know what the standard for the APBT is and what it looks like and can you simply report "dog" attacks so as to not lie to the public about the breed of the dog when you don't have actual proof. Remember, the media is supposed to report facts, not fabrication and simply calling them on that can change the way they report. You pay for them and they don't want to alienate their veiwers, but they need to know people care.

Canine Nutrition

Most people do not realize the full importance of nutrition in dogs. They think that the bags with the prettiest pictures or the most "claims to fame" will give them the best results. Or, they simply over look the numerous problems that come with inferior food.

First to understand nutrition you need to realize that many brands of food you have previously regarded as healthy and balanced are actually falling far short of what your dog needs. Brands like Science Diet, Purina, Pedigree, Eukanuba and more are actually not the best- or even good- for your dogs. You may wonder why. . . and here it is. The number one problem with foods like these lies in the basic chemistry of a dog- dogs are meat eaters, and these foods are grain based. Now, you are probably thinking something like "but the bag says 'real chicken or beef.' The main flaw in trusting the front of the bag is that you have not read the ingredient list on the back. The number one ingredient (first on the list) for any dog food needs to be MEAT. This is the most important factor. Second to that is what kind of meat is listed, the first ingredient needs to be a named meat source like 'chicken' or 'beef,' not 'meat' which is likely to be a complilation of discarded scraps and possible other undesirables. Furthermore, a specific meat 'meal' is the best and 'by-products are the worst.' 'Chicken meal' is made by taking 5 lbs of chicken without by products or bones and drying it before the cooking process, it takes 5lbs of chicken to make 1lb of chicken meal. Since the ingredients are listed by weight before cooking, 5lbs of meat meal is better than 5lbs of meat because it takes 25lbs of meat to make it. Conversely, meat by-products contain heads, feet and intestines of the animals involved. These are things added in to give it a higher protein content and put it higher on the ingredient list, however- they are hard to digest for dogs and mostly just add to the mess in your yard.

Secondly, you need to consider the types of grains included in any food you may feed. Many dogs have allergies caused by grain sources in their food. Often times the owners don't even realize this. Common signs of allergic reaction in dogs include but are not limited to: increased shedding, licking of the paws, scratching, hive-like bumps and redness around nose and paws. Common allergens used in cheaper dog food include corn (and all corn parts) and wheat (and all it's parts too). Many foods like Science Diet use these as the first ingredients because they boost the measured protein content for the AAFCO listing. However, dogs and cats do not process these the same as people and will poop out most of what they ingest from them. They may gain some protein from them- but what they would gain from eating meat will be much higher. Grains like rice and oatmeal are much healthier and easier to digest, also they are not common allergens in dogs or cats.

The next things to consider when choosing a dog food are if they contain omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These are important for healthy skin and coat, and reduce shedding greatly. Foods with 'fish meal' or 'fish' will have good amounts of this. Other foods may use 'fish oil' or specific species of oil like 'salmon oil.' These will also provide much needed omega 3's and 6's.

Beyond this there are many other things to consider and I could write forever on the subject. But instead I highly suggest you go to the dog food project online to read further and utilize this food grading system to figure out what dry kibble is best. Or, you may want to consider feeding raw- a great alternative to kibble which is often cheaper.

Raw Dog Ranch

NJ Boxers

BARF Direct

My personal suggestions for dog foods vary dependent on your budget and your dogs.

Nutro Natural Choice is a good food for the money. Wheat, corn and by-product free. The ingredients on all (except senior and lite) are meat first. They use Omega 3's and 6's from real fish and include glucosamine and chondrointin in their large breed formulas. This food can be found at any petco or petsmart and at many feed stores. They have a buy 10 get one free program.

Canidae is a great food for the money. There are only 3 choices and it is an "all life stages food." There is also no wheat, corn or by-products in Canidae. They use real fish products for their omega 6's and 3's as well. Additionally they include probiotics which help dogs to digest things and clean out their system on a regualr basis. The price is often lower than many foods like Science Diet and you can always sign up for the breeder program online which will get you a free bag with each 5 you buy.

Solid Gold makes many great products including foods, supplements and treats. Most of these foods are higher protein than the before stated foods. They are great for someone involved in weight pull or other tasks which require extra energy. Our favorite of the Solid Gold foods is Barking at the Moon, a Salmon and Beef based food. These are more expensive, but you do feed considerably less than the above foods. If feeding one or two dogs, there should be no problem in affording this great food.

Some other foods we have not fed extensively to try but have heard great things about are Innova Evo, Orijen, Wellness and Timberwolf Organics. Every person needs to find what works best for their dogs and their budget. However, there are no cases when grain based junk foods will be the best choice for your dog.

The benefits of feeding a better food are extensive. They include healtier skin and coat, longevity, energy, smaller bowel movements and less propensity for diseases like kidney problems and cancer. Now, you may think that it is more expensive to feed better food. However, many of these junk foods are not much less expensive than the good ones and you will feed less of a better food.The general idea is that you will feed half as much of a food without excessive grains and junk protein than you will of a food like Purina or Science Diet. Even more amazing is how much less you would feed comparitive to a cheap cheap food like Ol Roy or Beneful. With these you may pay up to $20.00 less each time you buy it. However, you will go through the food much faster because a 50lb dog on Kibbles N Bits (for example) is suggested to be fed 4.25-5.5cups a day, whereas feeding Canidae the same dog is suggested to eat 2 cups a day, as much as 2.75 times less, and your dog will look and act dramatically better on the Candiae. With all the benefits and the fact that the value out weighs the upfront price difference, every dog "lover" needs to switch to a better food and get away from these brands which feed on our propensity to beleive their advertisements.