Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everybody. I've been reading this forum for the past month or so, and have found alot of good stuff here. This is my first post.
I'm getting a new puppy soon from a really close friend, whose family has alot of animals (6 dogs, 7 cats, and alot of land). They have one that appears to be one of the pitbull breeds. The only thing that makes me question whether she is full blooded or not is that she is a little skinny for that breed (but not underfed or neglected I assure you). She had a litter a long time ago with a yellow lab I believe, but of the 3 they still have from that litter, they retained alot of the dominant pit genes (short hair, large box shaped skull, brindle coloring patches). They're all very sweet dogs. Never once have I seen them show any aggression to strangers or other animals (alot of people come and go at that house, we've got a rock band that plays out there all the time).
They've also got a rott/blue heeler mix who is completely blind but also very sweet.
One of the female pitt/lab mix females just had a litter a couple of days ago, and by the look of the puppies, they appear to have the same yellow lab father.
I've been doing extensive research on many breeds, namely pitbulls and their "cousin" breeds I guess, and have been very interested in one. I've owned dogs all of my life (beagle, spitz, and sheltie), as well as many cats (I currently have two female egyptian mau cats that are to be spayed tomorrow). The cats are a year old.
Anyhow to the point. I've got first pick on this litter of pups, but as I live in an apartment untill June, the dog will remain at it's current home untill then. I think this is a good thing due to the fact that it will receive heavy socialization with many other dogs, cats, and people. All of their animals are extremely well behaved, so they seem to have a very good harmony going between all the animals and people out there.
When I bring this pup into my new house this summer, I just would like to know what to expect and perhaps some things I should do in the mean time to make the transition comfortable for not only the puppy and myself, but my cats also. I have read alot on proper introduction methods so I think I've got that down. I mainly just am curious as what to expect from a pit/lab mix as far as behavior goes. I've already got a professional dog trainer chosen and will walk the full mile in that aspect.
If any of you have any advice on what I can do to make this particular mix be as happy as possible with it's new enviornment I would greatly appreciate it. I'll be sure to take some pictures whenever they get a bit older and post the one I've chosen. Sorry for the excessively long post. I appreciate any advice.

Never appologise for long posts. Sometimes the more information the easier it is to help out.

As for a pit/lab mix- I don't have any first hand experience with that type of dog so i can't really speak about what to expect. With mixes you never really know what you are getting. That's fine. Do the best you can and work with the trainer you've chosen. Any dog will benefit from a solid obedience foundation and a lot of attention. Good luck wiht your puppy and definately post pics when you have them.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

something you probly have read but I'll type t anyway, both labs and molosser breeds are loyal dogs, labs tend to be more puppy like even into their adult years, they're also both high energy dogs, bull and terrier breeds and bull breeds are very strong dogs as well, you may want to look into activities that will work the dog physically and mentally like agility, carting, weight pull ect.
also when picking your pup I;d wait till atleast their eyes open and they become more personable, then do a simple temperment test, flip the pup over on it's back, rough it up a little, just keep in mind it's still a "sponge" so dont get too rough, you could also ask the family about the individual pups and see which they think would be best for you.

You have some wonderful information already given. I agree I would wait to pick the dog until 4 to 5 weeks old. That way you can really start to see the personality.
As for growing up. I think I have a lab/husky/pit mix of some sort. She didn't start acting like an adult (trusted outside of crate) until she was 2.5 yrs old. She is extremely loyal. Loves cats and dogs.
I would take the pup on weekends to introduce to your cats, and maybe run into dogs outside the pack it already is with. I wouldn't start doing this until the pup iat least 12 weeks old and already has both sets of shots.
You didn't say how old are the puppies now?
Post pictures as soon as you can!

Thank you everybody for the replies! The pups are just under 2 weeks old right now. I have made no plans of picking one untill they are quite a bit older. I won't even be able to take the pup with me for a few months (waiting untill my apartment lease is up). I like the ideas of testing their temperment when they get older to pick one. Any other ideas on what some good tests would be to find the healthiest/smartest of the pick? Their eyes were still shut when I last saw them which was 3 or 4 days ago. I imagine they'll be walking around in the next week or two.

Congrats on your new pup! Be ready for a life long puppy with that type of mix! I think you have the right ideas as far as starting out goes, and you've received a lot of good advice. Just please be sure to keep up with training throughout your dog's life, as it seems most mixes that involve any of the bully breed usually resemble the pitty more than the other parent and we need to help the positives of our bullies shine through. The best way is through good socialization (which you seem like you'll be doing), and good behavior (hence the training). I also highly recommend having your pup spayed or neutered ASAP as it's much healthier for your pup and most dog bites are by nonaltered dogs. There is nothing negative about the procedure, especially for mixes who really don't need to be breeding and adding to the overpopulation of pets. But, where you are spaying your cats I'm sure you already planned to have your dog done. Try to get it done ASAP for best results!

Good luck with your pup, can't wait to see pictures!

Be careful about neutering your puppy too early. Wait till after a female's first heat cycle, or after a male has reached puberty. Especially for females- the muscles that control the bladder strengthen with the help of female hormones. Spaying removes the organs that produce those chemicals, so by spaying too early you run the risk of leaving her bladder control muscles undeveloped. That will make housetraining a mess. : (
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Kadee Sedtal
home of Kyky The Amazing RRRRando! and old lady Lucy

Quite honestly, you may not want the "smartest" pup as your first puppy. My first dog Kita was incredibly smart- too smart. Smart does no equate obedient. In fact, it can mean quite the opposite.

What you are looking for is a confident puppy that is willing to pay attention to you and shows some desire to please you. It's hard to always predict in a puppy how they will turn out, but the bold as brass puppy that comes bounding up to you right away is certainly going to be overly confident and maybe will test your leadership quite often as it grows up. You also don't want the puppy that's hanging in back trying to stay away from you. Both of these personalities of dogs are great, but not necessarily for a first time owner. Take the puppy that follows you with a little coaxing. The puppy that when you hold it on it's back will struggle a tiny bit initially, but settles down.

Overall, the puppy you get will be a good friend for life and training will mold and shape the personality to what works in your life. Most of all- have fun!!!!
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Despite the bad name "pit bull" breeds have, if they're not bred from fighting lines they are very unlikely to show agression. They were my first pick for being good with children (I have 2), but since my husband is in the military we didn't want to have to deal with any stupid bans against them. They are wonderful, and of course everyone knows labs are fantastic. You might want to suggest to the breeders, though, that they either get their bitch spayed, or do health testing on the parents before breeding any more litters- hip x-rays for both, and whatever other tests are recommended for the respective breeds. That's one advantage of purebreds- good breeders won't breed unhealthy dogs. Pits and labs can both have health problems, so it would be good to look into that and know what to look out for. Good luck with your puppy.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of Kyky The Amazing RRRRando! and old lady Lucy