Pit bull mix as barn dog?

[gr8fulrider]

(sorry I also posted this in Off Topic and can’t figure out how to delete it, but it’s horse related so I meant to put it here)

My husband and I just put in an application to adopt a 4-month old Pit Bull - somethingerother mix. I think the somethingerother includes some hound, maybe, because of tiny spots on his belly, and some lab, maybe, because he has webbed feet. He’s bigger and lankier than any pit I’ve seen.

The dog is exceptionally calm, definitely the most chill puppy I’ve seen, and so far looks extremely friendly with people and other dogs.

He’s welcome at my barn assuming we follow the same rules everyone else does, and I’m inclined to bring him. A working student with a puppy even said they could share an empty stall when we’re both riding.

Any experience with Pit Bulls/ mixes around horses? If he does have any hound in him, would I be dumb to let him off leash in an open space?

I’m not worried about aggression towards humans. The foster people said he’s an oversized lap dog and teddy bear.

[HPFarmette]

They’re all individuals. You’d need to take the same precautions as with any dog. I personally would wait a long time before any off-leash activity. This is still a very young dog. By the same token you have the opportunity to properly socialize him. I don’t let my dogs off leash ever around the horses, just not worth the risk IMO. Also, had an acquaintance whose otherwise well-trained dog accidentally contacted the electric fence, took off scared, and was gone for days. Just something to be aware of…

[findeight]

Interested to hear the responses, especially involving a rescue/foster without knowledge of parents.

Hey, I got a cat that would be a real problem if you added 40 pounds and put it in an ever changing environments with kids. And how many Jacks named Terrible the Terrier would also be problematic if they were bigger.

I also know plenty of barn dogs of traditional livestock friendly breeds and known parentage that are confined during business hours. I would have done the same with my Aussie Shepherd. And you bet they were all very cuddly in quiet situations with familiar people. No knock on rescues but, really, they mean well but sometimes are not really up on the practicality of putting a dog in a busy and changing environment with strangers in and out. Like a typical barn.

Have you checked with your personal insurance carrier?

Oh, BTW, I might consider a Pit or cross for a personal, at home dog IF I met the parents.

ETA, I think you would be dumb to let ANY dog off the leash on somebody else’s barn property, even if they say it’s OK. Too many distractions, people, critters and too much chance dog gets overexcited and ends up getting hit by a car or running and not stopping…never to return. I wouldn’t.

[Sandy_M]

Ah, here we go with nature versus nurture. Well trained dog shouldn’t be a problem. Appy breeder friends had a Staffie as a barn dog. The biggest danger from him was messing up your breeches with his slobbery Kong toy, 'cause one you started tossing it for him, you couldn’t stop, and he’d keep bringing it back and dropping it in your lap, on your boots, etc. He was well socialized, knew not to enter the arenas, chase horses or anything like that. He did live in a dog house on the property at night and was very vocal if there was an intruder, but never went after anyone.

[beowulf]

It depends on the individual.

I have a pit bull cross (half pit, half Tamaskan) who physically takes more after the bull in his ancestry. He is a great barn dog.

Memorizes cars and trucks, rarely barks, knows the UPS man (hello smartpak!!) and is excellent with the horses.

I have two pits and theyre both great barn dogs. They dont typically care about horses so are never a nuisance. What holds them back, I find, is how people interact with them. Both mine are very sweet to people who are friendly, and are very standoffish to the people who dont like dogs/pit bulls.

[painted.darling]

We have a 100 pound valley bulldog in our barn She’s actually lunged and bitten the horses a couple times so we thought she would have to go, but a couple corrections with the crop has her completely turned around! Now she follows up around with them and lays outside the pen watching. She’s only a year old and she’s already starting to be pretty darn fantastic, despite her misbehaving’s. It’s all about how you train them and when you correct them. Pit bulls are no different than any other dog, it’s the human who influences the dog, not the other way around. Socialization is a big thing here too!

[gr8fulrider]

Thanks. I’m wondering if he even is a pit bull.
This is him at 10 weeks:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pet-uploads.adoptapet.com/d/5/1/120990770.jpg?336w

What do you think?

You can’t see in the pic but he has very large feet and lower legs, and at 4 months he looks like he is going to be lankier and larger than a pit.

I’m not worried about the nurture part. My husband is very good at training dogs, and obedience trained our late, lamented GSH/Muttweiler (RIP Homer, 2000-2011) exceptionally well, especially considering that Homer was a traumatized abuse case. He works from home a couple of days per week and will be with the dog a lot. I’m sure he’ll be socialized and trained well.

Nature is another story, though he looks promising.

I didn’t mean to imply I’d let him run around off leash near the horses-- not even allowed. I just figure at some point we’ll want to play fetch outside of a fenced area but I don’t want him running for the hills when something catches his eye, which is more of a hound concern (if there even is any in there).

[khall]

Yes, they can do just fine as barn dogs. BTDT

[HungarianHippo]

I dunno, my first impression was “Boxer.”

[j_feil]

Super cute dog!

My parents have a pit bull. She was about 1.5 years or so when they got her - no one knows for sure, as she’s from a rescue. Her background story is unknown, but she was taken from an inner city. She never acted like she was in a bad situation, but it’s impossible to know.

She does great at the barn with the horses. The horses are completely uninteresting. She likes to hang with the people and the dogs. Once she got a little excited when she saw someone jumping in the ring - she probably wanted to join too. Mostly she looks for a sunny spot to relax and work on her tan. She really likes to sun bathe.

So, I think as long as you have good training/care/supervision - like any dog - you’ll be fine.

[RedmondDressage]

I’ve got a pittie/cattle dog mix. He does have a tendency to want to herd thanks to the cattle dog half but we’ve worked on that and he is overall a really great farm dog. He’s got that super cuddly pittie side so he’s also a great family pet. But obviously as others have said it will depend on the individual dog and will be heavily dependent on how well you train and socialize. I would probably agree with others in regards to not letting him of leash at the barn. If you had your horse(s) at home I would feel differently - I can’t imagine having to have my dog on a leash at all times at home… But it’s not worth the liability at a boarding facility.

[crosscreeksh]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;7680278]
I dunno, my first impression was “Boxer.”[/QUOTE]

Ha!! Mine, too!! Looks sweet! Good training will turn any dog into a good barn dog!!

[painted.darling]

She looks almost like my bulldog! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=754523791241870&set=a.754428907918025.1073741827.100000527693635&type=3&theater
My first though isn’t boxer, but some sort of bulldog. Pittie either, pitties tend to have more fuller jaws and a wider head. And I also agree with keeping him on leash at the barn. My horses are home, but if I did have to board it wouldn’t be worth the trouble.

[OveroHunter]

Super cute!

I have an oversized lap dog as well. He’s a purebred Catahoula, but he definitely resembles a pit. He’s just as great around dogs and people he doesn’t know as he is with the ones he does know.

However…

We run into the issue that people are afraid of him just by the way he looks. Granted, we have far more people coming into our barn than most barns do. We keep him put up most of the time because we don’t want him to intimidate anyone. It’s a shame because he’s just as sweet and easy going as the rest of our less scary looking dogs, but it is what it is I guess.

[King_Creole]

My lab/pit mix is a great horse show dog. He’s quiet around the horses and is happy to sit and watch the action. I do have to watch that he respects the horses though. He wasn’t raised with them and can get a bit too close to the back feet…

My pit/bull mastiff was not raised around horses at all. He just became “mine” when I met the fiance’ so he hasn’t been around the horses much. He has ZERO respect for them and got away once and almost got kicked. He just thinks they are big dogs for him to play with.

That being said, since your adorable fella is young, I think he will be great. Teach him the ropes and respect and he will be an awesome barn dog. A girl at my friend’s barn has a pit that she brings and she’s great around the horses.

[Resilient]

A couple of trainers I know have pit x shepherd mixes. The dogs are siblings, but both are great around the horses. Easy to train, they stay out of the way of horses, they’re very friendly to the people at the barn, etc. Very nice dogs, quiet at horse shows, content to lay down and relax for the majority of the day.

[jessiesgrrl]

Absolutly a cross of an American Bulldog!!! I don’t see pitbull in her at all from that picture…but you never know

I have no issues with dogs at our barn running around when theres folks there to watch em…but I strongly encourage training him to stand outside the ring on a lead when someones riding…you never know how a horse will react to a sleeping dog…ask me how I know lol

I have seen horses go tearing after a dog in an open field…the dog was 20ft away from the horse eating poop!!! There was no issues before, horse just up and decided dog had to go!

With proper training, he should be just fine with being a barn dog

Make sure to take tons of pics and post here…his cuteness iss tooo muuuch!!!

[gr8fulrider]

[QUOTE=jessiesgrrl;7680476]

Make sure to take tons of pics and post here…his cuteness iss tooo muuuch!!![/QUOTE]

I don’t have my own pix as the adoption application is pending, but this is the dog rescue’s picture of him from this weekend’s sidewalk adoption show. As you can see, he is a very anxious, insecure dog:

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10426912_706916739345998_6173655313880986368_n.jpg

[HungarianHippo]

oh the cuteness. This made me laugh out loud

[RedmondDressage]

OMG he is ADORABLE! I hope you get him