Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My pup wont have papers, can i still show it? Is there a site on the net that gives good training advise for this breed? Should i get her ears croped if i want to show her? Whats the BEST food i can buy for this breed of dog? Thanks so much for any help!

>>My pup wont have papers, can i still show it? Is there a site on the net that gives good training advise for this breed? Should i get her ears croped if i want to show her? Whats the BEST food i can buy for this breed of dog? Thanks so much for any help!

You can most likely register her with the UKC (they have a website and it will explain the registry information needed, I'm sure) but I don't know this for certain. APBTs are not a recognized AKC breed and never have been (Staffies are however), so AKC is obviously out of the running. The UKC has shows for various things such as weight pulling; I don't know about conformation - there again, check the site. If you want to crop her ears, it should be done while the nerves are still immature - about nine weeks, I think. Beyond around that time, it becomes more painful.

As for food, in my opinion,(and there are many different opinions out there) if you are going with an already made dog food, go with a premium brand. The better the ingredients, the better the nourishment for your dog. I've had success with Nutro foods, especially Lamb & Rice which is lamb, rice and Vitamin E for a preservative. I now feed food which I cook myself (brown rice and canned chicken, plus stuff like yoghurt, cottage cheese, carrots and peas and an occasional egg). There is a nutrition forum here you might want to ask that question at.
-----
Tasha

Is there a site on the net that gives good training advise for this breed?

Bully breeds in general are often different in their training needs. I'd ask your question on the American Bulldog Forum here because there ar several people there very active in training their dogs who can give great sites.
-----
Tasha

Thanks alot for the good info. I thought im might take a shot at showing if there were any way i could. The parents are very well formed and would do good in a show im sure. I have had a few pits before and it seems that i do somthing wrong when it comes to the feeding. They all end up alot bigger then there litter mates. ALOT BIGGER! I would rather not make the same mistake again (im not shure what that was exactly). My pup will be a week old tomarrow. Ill have to post pics when she comes home. Thanks again!!

>>Thanks alot for the good info. I thought im might take a shot at showing if there were any way i could. The parents are very well formed and would do good in a show im sure. I have had a few pits before and it seems that i do somthing wrong when it comes to the feeding. They all end up alot bigger then there litter mates. ALOT BIGGER! I would rather not make the same mistake again (im not shure what that was exactly). My pup will be a week old tomarrow. Ill have to post pics when she comes home. Thanks again!!

Hmmmmmm, perhaps you were feeding puppy food too long? Many breeders (not of pits) I know feed little to no puppy food, instead using an adult food softened with milk while the needle puppy teeth (or milk teeth) are still there. It's just a thought and not necessarily the answer either. There could be a genetic predisposition for big bones in previous generations.
-----
Tasha

That maybe theres some large pits in there background or something. What kind of puppy food is best for the pit breed? Thanks alot for all your help!

Neither of the two main pit bull registries (A.D.B.A. or the U.K.C.) will register a dog who's parents were not both registered with them. The Universal Kennel Club might still be doing it. They require that the dog be at least one year of age. They want two pictures, and a signed note from a vet that the dog is, to the best of their knowledge, a pit bull. This registry is small-time, and I don't think they do shows.
There are a few breed clubs that will host fun shows for non-registered dogs.
As far as cropping, it depends on the ears, and the judge. The standard calls for either. As far as natural, the "half-rose" type ear is deffinetely preffered. So if your pup's ears stand up, or hang down like a beagle's, it may look better if you crop them. I have two whose ears stand straight up, they kinda look like bat-dogs!

Bulldawger