I have an APBT puppy, she is 9 weeks old now. I did not get her to be a personal protection dog, and know that apbt's generally make crappy guard dogs..... but due to some recent threats, and living where i do, i would like a dog that could protect me if needed(my 3 adults are VERY human friendly, would just ask to be pet. I don't want an aggressive dog, and i know that properly trained ppd's aren't aggressive...
what do you all think about having an apbt as a protection dog.
Before you all ask, i have had quite a bit of experience with this breed, and dogs in general. If i did pursue this type of training, i would get help from a ppd trainer, etc.
I would use her for this over my other dogs because she is still so young, i can train her correctly from the start.
Any suggestions?

It is not impossible, just that as with any breed being considered for PPD work the dog needs to have the right stuff for the job - solid nerves, courage(that developes into confidence) I like my dogs with a slightly more than middle of the road amount of sharpness to them and a hard temperament, simply because it is what I am used to. Drive for the work is very important and for a lot of dogs you don't know how well they will do in a real stressful situation until they are well into the training, working in prey, and old enough/mature enough to be worked in defense.

When Cajun was stolen we had just begun his defense work a few months prior, just before my move across country, at the age of 20 months. That was how I knew for sure he could really do the work, prior to that is was hope and guessing/assuming based on his dominant, extremely confidant, hard, slightly sharp temperament that he indeed would do well.

I am sure some much much more experienced people will chime in, as I am not yet by any means an expert. But I will just say that it is not impossible, and worth a shot. HOWEVER - if you are truly concerned for the safety of your family, this dog will not be old enough to be worked in defense for at least a year and a half, (at least!) and indeed she may be 3 or older by the time the training was "finished." In the mean time you are still in danger.

Get some mace, or get a gun. I say do this whether or not you have a trained PPD as for me, personally, the dog is just an insurance policy if all other measures fail. I rely on myself first and foremost and the dog is a last resort.

For the record, if you have 4 pit bulls at your house, I really doubt anybody will want to break in, regardless if they are friendly, or seem friendly. Anybody who wades through a pack of pit bulls is going to need a bullet. IMO. I may get shot for saying that, lol.

haha, my adults aren't pit bulls, they are a corgi mix, a rottie mix and a shepherd mix. She is my only pit. I have had them before though. Well, i also am fostering her brothers, so i guess there are 5 pit bulls at my house, though they are only 9 weeks old......
i will get some mace, my dad is a cop, so he has the good stuff.
I know it'll take a while to have her trained. I am prepared for that.

Ah. Sorry. :laugh: I don't know why I assumed they were pits. Either way, wading through a sea of strange dogs requires guts beyond just scampering past fido chained to the dog house in the backyard. If someone is prepared to face that many adult dogs whose temperaments are unknown (assuming the intruder is someone you do not know) they are either armed, extremely determined, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or just plain stupid. Or a combination of all of the above.

true...i'm not really worried about my house being broken into... it's more for all the walking i do, especially at night. I can bring my dogs most places, mine are just so doggone friendly.....i have been surrounded by 6 people making threats and the police were called etc... and the dogs did nothing, except gave a why aren't you paying attention to me bark....
sorry, i'm not trying to contradict everything you say...hahaha

Mallory,
Maybe the question you should be asking is "can my dog do this kind of work"? It's a lousy feeling to put so much time and energy into accomplishing a task like protection training and then find out the dog just can't cut it. If you didn't purchase your puppy with that intention, then it's still not to late to go back and investigate the pup's background. What were the parents like? The grandparents? Did any of them ever do any kind of work like what your wanting, or were they all pet quality type dogs?

She is a rescue, she and her litter were turned over to me by her former owners, some lousy byb'rs. Her dad is amazing, very well tempered, which is surprising considering he lives on the end of a chain with minimal food and shelter. The mom is more high energy, still not aggressive, but isn't handling being chained up very well. She is very frustrated.
I know she wasn't bred for this kind of work, and like i said, i didn't get her for this. Just curious if all the qualities and drive were there( if i have her tested by a trainer) if having a pit for a ppd is worth pursuing.

In the situation you described, Mace and a handgun would be my best friends. Actually, they ARE my best friends! I have a concealed weapons permit and carry one of three handguns with me when I walk at night or in questionable neighborhoods, whether I have a dog with me or not.

Confronted with 6 people, even a well trained capable PPD would be of limited use against that many people, and may only cause the people confronting you to pause rather than stop. Your best bet is to get something to protect yourself with, IMO. If guns make you uneasy, and a gun is not the answer for everybody, nor do I recommend them to anybody/everybody, then don't walk alone and/or carry mace.

Back to the original topic, and in agreeance with Michael, it is not impossible to have a pit bull as a PPD, it just depends on the dog's suitability for the work, the handling, and training.

 Quote: jennifer marshal

or not.

Confronted with 6 people, even a well trained capable PPD would be of limited use against that many people, and may only cause the people confronting you to pause rather than stop.

BUT, so would a gun and Mace if 6 people jumped you and took it from you and used it against you.....

I understand what you are saying, I really do, but since I am LE, this type of advice makes me cringe. I have seen people who are scared to death of guns go and get one because someone told them something like, "all ya gotta do is point it and they will run, don't even gotta put bullets in it".

Sorry to go off topic, but this nailed me wrong tonight and I in no way meant it towards you Jennifer, just trying to make a point, I would have commented no matter who said it.

Back to APBT PPD training.

Ah none taken Carol, and I would like to say that I am not meaning go get yourself a gun! You must be comfortable with this and I do not think guns are a simple solution to every problem. If you get a gun, way before that you need to educate yourself on the proper use, care of, and how to properly handle yourself in situations where a weapon might come into play.

I just grew up with guns, am comfortable with them and prefer to use a gun than a dog. If I get sued and put in jail for being a moron, at least my dog didn't get put down for biting someone.

Not auto-condoning fire arms, sorry all! Thanks for posting Carol, I should have worded my responses more carefully