Is this a good breed in the home and how trainable are they
Jamie


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"Jamie" wrote in message
...
Is this a good breed in the home and how trainable are they
Jamie

The ones I've known - who are from stock that probably hasn't seen a show
ring in several generations - are very intelligent, very active, and very
strong. They can also get to be VERY protective if they aren't socialized
correctly.

Unless the better-bred ABs are different, IMO this is not a breed for a
beginner.

No big reason I can think of that s/he couldn't be a house dog, though.
Keep in mind, if you don't crate the rascal, those big ol' jaws can really
do a number on your house when teething.

flick 100785

"flick" wrote:
"Jamie" wrote in message
...
Is this a good breed in the home and how trainable are they
Jamie

The ones I've known - who are from stock that probably hasn't seen a show
ring in several generations - are very intelligent, very active, and very
strong. They can also get to be VERY protective if they aren't socialized
correctly.

Unless the better-bred ABs are different, IMO this is not a breed for a
beginner.

No big reason I can think of that s/he couldn't be a house dog, though.
Keep in mind, if you don't crate the rascal, those big ol' jaws can really
do a number on your house when teething.

flick 100785
------

Thanks for the reply.I have got a extra large crate on order and door gates of
sufficient height.Ive been researching the breed for about 8 months and havent
come across much in the way of success outside of weight pulling and of course
the conformation shows.I am aware of the number they can do on my house.

I'm especially interested in obediance training having owned other dogs some
time back and enjoyed that area with them.I notice you say the ones from stock
that havent seen a show ring for generations are intelligent.The sire of the
future pup has quite a few CH in its ped and the dam though of ped isnt really
of the show element in my view but of good temp.So does that mean they are
likely less trainable?

The ones Ive met have appeared quite a suitable breed within the family, though
unfortunately ab's do seem to get quite bad press.The socialisation point you
make is notable as thats the first thing I have investigated ie Socialisation
classes.However I have heard that ab's can be very alfa dominant by about 18
mnths especially with other dogs.

Anyway many thanks
Jamie




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montana wildhack wrote:
On 2007-02-16 13:24:27 -0500, Jamie said:

how trainable are they

How much time do you expect to have every day to train a dog?
-------------
Full time---- I'm retired early.
Jamie


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"jamie" wrote in message
...

Thanks for the reply.I have got a extra large crate on order and door
gates of
sufficient height.Ive been researching the breed for about 8 months and
havent
come across much in the way of success outside of weight pulling and of
course
the conformation shows.I am aware of the number they can do on my house.

I'm especially interested in obediance training having owned other dogs
some
time back and enjoyed that area with them.I notice you say the ones from
stock
that havent seen a show ring for generations are intelligent.The sire of
the
future pup has quite a few CH in its ped and the dam though of ped isnt
really
of the show element in my view but of good temp.So does that mean they are
likely less trainable?

I didn't mean to imply that the ABs I have been around are better or worse,
temperament wise, than the show Bulldogs. Just that that's the type I've
seen - pet quality dogs from backyard breeders. Since dogs tend to inherit
their disposition, our local Bulldogs could have a different temperament
than dogs from show-ring parents.

Considering that these locally bred Bulldogs where I live, probably few
people pay attention to the parents' temperament when they breed them, I
think they're nice dogs anyway and it may say something good about the
breed. I would have one as a house dog, no problem, if it was going to be
the only dog.

Almost every pedigreed dog will have a champion or two in their background.
Look at it in the reverse. I owned a show dog (Shar Pei) that was lauded
because over her lifetime, with careful breeding, she produced 3 or 4
puppies that finished their championship - out of 16 total, iirc. A
generation or two of haphazard "backyard breeding" can undo the show
appearance, and it can undo the desired temperament.

If their parents have a good temperament, chances are good that the puppies
will, also. The ones I know, they're smart dogs and very trainable.

I am so glad you got a crate :-).

The ones Ive met have appeared quite a suitable breed within the family,
though
unfortunately ab's do seem to get quite bad press.The socialisation point
you
make is notable as thats the first thing I have investigated ie
Socialisation
classes.However I have heard that ab's can be very alfa dominant by about
18
mnths especially with other dogs.

I would DEFINITELY plan on neutering any sizable dog like this to help quell
the marking behavior, if nothing else. It's one thing when a little Toy
Poodle sprinkles a couple drops on a table leg, and another thing entirely
when a 90-lb dog does it ;-). It will also reduce but may not eliminate
aggression toward other dogs.

Also, unless you live miles away from any other dogs, if he's left whole,
anytime a female dog within a mile goes into heat, he'll smell it and want
to get out and visit her. There's no point in putting him through that
stress, is there? He'll be more likely to tear down your fence, or go
through a window, and might kill a couple lap-dogs on the way to see Juliet.

This breed is used in the South to hunt wild hogs, which is a big,
dangerous, aggressive critter. They tend to be aggressive towards other
animals and other dogs, even if spayed/neutered. And they tend to be
territorial, is my experience. This is not a dog that I would count on
being able to take to the local dog park and allow to play with other dogs,
because chances are good he won't play nicely.

You may end up with a dog that does get along with other dogs, but IMO that
would be an exception, and I think it's best to plan for a more typical
temperament. Although do socialize him when young, with other dogs and with
people. My experience, even if he matures into dog-aggression, that early
socialization isn't completely wasted and may mellow him out some. Anything
is a help when you're dealing with a big dog like this. And anyway, if he
happens to be a dog that will get along with other dogs all his life, you
can't go back in time and re-do the early socialization.

I don't know if you intend for him to be a watch dog. But please allow
everyone to pet him when young and naturally friendly, so that he loves
everybody. He'll still grow up to be protective of your house when you are
gone, probably. Anyway, there are few bad guys that will want to take a
chance on tangling with him even if he's wagging his tail. The biggest
value of a watchdog is as an alarm, through barking, and as a deterrent.
Bad guys don't want to be bitten and they'll pick a house without a dog.

I hope that you will want him to be a good ambassador for his breed, with an
attitude toward your invited guests that makes them ooh and ahhh over what a
sweetheart he is. IF he bites someone, just a simple snap-bite-and-release,
he is more likely to hurt them because of his size. Few people on the
receiving end will write that off, see. Then he'll have to be put down and
you might get sued, given the general paranoia of the American public about
bully type dogs. Ditto if he gets out and kills your neighbor's Fluffy.
He also MUST have a good recall.

The most likely dog to be involved in serious bite incidents is an
UNNEUTERED MALE. That is another good reason to neuter him. It doesn't
make him "foolproof," but it helps slant the odds in his and your favor.

If you have young children, or your guests do, NEVER leave him or any dog
with small kids unsupervised. This applies even if you change your mind and
get a lap-dog.

Don't leave him out in the yard when you're gone, because bulldogs get
stolen, and unsupervised dogs might entertain themselves by digging out,
passing people might taunt him, etc.

Don't even think about confining him with an invisible fence.

It is IMPERATIVE that you obedience train him so he comes when called
reliably, in case he gets off-leash or out by accident, and so that you can
walk him without getting road rash when he sees a cat. A dog that large and
powerful can jerk you off your feet.

As for bad press, there are a whole lot of bully dogs and mixes in the U.S.
So it isn't surprising that just by the numbers, there are more problem dogs
of that type. When I was young, the problem breeds were Chows, German
Shepherds and Dobermans.

Check with your homeowner's insurance. Some of them won't cover you if you
have a dog like this.

Sorry for the rambling. Just trying to cover many bases. I like big,
"macho" dogs, but having one does carry different responsibilities than
owning a Beagle. I get all tied in knots when I read about a bite case,
since most bites are preventable. When you've got a big bully-type dog,
opinion is slanted against giving the dog a second chance, see. He's
automatically a "killer." And he'll be put to death, and you could even be
jailed. It's something you need to be aware of before you get a dog like
this. Not because he's inherently more dangerous than a big Greyhound, but
because if there is an incident, he'll be treated more harshly and so will
you.

flick 100785

"Jamie" wrote in message
...
montana wildhack wrote:
On 2007-02-16 13:24:27 -0500, Jamie said:

how trainable are they

How much time do you expect to have every day to train a dog?
-------------
Full time---- I'm retired early.

Wonderful!

Please keep us posted in here. I wanna know about it when you start winning
ribbons in obedience with him :-).

flick 100785

Jamie