Many new dog owners are often unsure what to expect when adopting a dog of a mixed heritage, especially when part of the dog’s lineage is that of a Pit Bull. Fear not, Pit Bulls rank among the most loyal, affectionate, human-oriented, intelligent, and well tempered dogs on the planet. A good rule of thumb for all owners is to treat your Pit Bull mix as if it were a “purebred”, always remembering that in the eyes of the public and media a Pit Bull mix is practically the same thing as a purebred Pit Bull. Any problems your Pitty mix causes will be attributed to the Pit Bull breed as a whole.
A majority of Pit Bull mixes will tend to exhibit decidedly “Pit Bull-like” behavioral tendencies like dog-aggression, although the intensity of the aggression may not be as high as in purebred Pit Bulls. Genetically speaking, a dog is made up of 50% of its father’s genes and 50% of its mother’s. That means that if your dog is 50% Pit Bull and 50% Akita, technically it should exhibit an equal tendency towards Pit Bull-type behavior and Akita-type behavior. The dog’s temperament would be equally Pit Bull and Akita. Studying the breed(s) your dog is mixed with will give you a better understanding of your dog, and therefore enable you to care for it properly.
Pit Bulls, in a nutshell, are a breed that is overly friendly with people, never prone to human-aggression or guarding, and known for dog aggression. Sometimes, when the breed is crossed with breeds that were bred for protection or guarding, or breeds prone to wariness of humans, problems can arise due to merging of temperamental opposites. A Pit Bull mixed with mastiff breeds, German Shepherds, Dobermans, Rottweilers, and similar breeds can be a dog that poses a real problem. Such a dog could exhibit the Pit Bull’s tenacity, strength, and smarts while also inheriting the human-wariness and guarding instincts of the other breed(s). This can be a dangerous combo, and such dogs may very well be best off with only the most experienced of owners.
Pit Bull mixes should be held to the same behavioral and temperamental standards as purebred Pit Bulls, and as such, human aggression should not be tolerated. Your Pit Bull mix should always be represented to the public as a mixed breed, not as a Pit Bull. It is unfair to the Pit Bull breed as a whole to label dogs of mixed heritage as “Pit Bulls”. Only purebred American Pit Bull Terriers can rightly be called “Pit Bulls”. If your Pit Bull mix is crossed with a Lab, or a Beagle, or a Shepherd, or any other breed, it is just as much a Lab or Beagle or Shepherd mix as it is a Pit Bull mix, and should be identified as such.
is there alot of breeds between pitts and english bull dogs?
i have a pit bull mixed with staffordshire
his name is stryker
I just aquired a bloodhound pit bull mix. I know no one can tell, but should the dog be a gentle one?
I just picked up a bloodhound cross with pit. Very lovable, reserved boy, plan to start tracking him soon, he’s 3yrs and does well with my american bulldog/whippet mix. Both are neutered.
Do you have a picture of him ,? You could share, I just adopted a bloodhound, pit mix, he’s only 8 weeks, ty
Does anyone know a little about the akita/pitbull mix such as: behavior? I just bought one and my girls love it, but it seems to jump, pull hair, bite, or nibble i shoud say since its only 2 months old. Should I be concerned with this type of breed? I think he’s playing 99 percent of the time, but it does seem to be just a bit agressive. Please let me know if you have any 411 for me or if there is something i should look out for, like what are some red flags? Thanks……..
whew. that is a scary mix. both can be bullies. if the dog is bitey aggressive at such an early age…you must nip that now! training is important and may not be enough! good luck!
We are fostering 2 pit lab mix puppies that are 2 months old and both puppies have responded to very simple training quite easily with training treats. They are very intelligent and need a lot of physical and mental stimulation and respond well to simple yet direct correcting. They need to know who the pack leader of the house is and realize it is not them. I found it helpful to read articles on pit mixes to know the best way to start training and correcting at an early age and both dogs have responded extremely well to what I have tried. Train train train and give them a lot of exercise including running and climbing. If they nip and bite at the kids, or others, just instruct them to stand up and say ouch every time the dog nips or even playfully goes after them. Every time they stand up and say ouch the dog should quit, if the dog continues after the kids stand up, but them in a puppy time out (enclosure/crate) to relax. Never yelling it, but calmly saying ouch and looking at the dog. Do this every time and those behaviors will soon stop. They are testing limits like most youngsters and need to know boundaries and be held accountable when they cross the boundaries.
What kind of treats do you give em? Cause I have Pitbull Lab Mix and she’s almost 9weeks
I adopted my Pitt/Boxer mix 4 months ago. Lydia is one of the most easy going and relaxed dogs i know (probably biased of me lol) She’s only really hyper when she is around one of her littermates and that’s all just excitement.
My brother (unfortunately) Would like her to growl at others and bark untill she realizes she knows the person. However helpful that may be, we live in a small town, and i just know that word will get out about the Pit mix barking at all the children across the street at school. *rolls eyes*
For Gene with the bloodhound pit bull mix, our family had one and he was without question the best natured dog I have ever met. He just passed away Monday and our family is devastated. He was loving, patient, tolerant, open, and friendly and sort of everyone’s pet on our small road, visiting neighbors, playing with the kids, including our 2 young kids. If I ever find another bloodhound pit bull mix, we’ll be snapping him up! Hope this helps…
For Tori. I have a papered Bloodhound and a papered Pit. I think my Pit may be pregnant. If you would be interested please email me at olympicfishnut@hotmail.com. I am relieved to see that people may actually like this mix. What did your dog look like?
I too have a bloodhound/pit mix. She is 6 Months old and absolutely beautiful. She’s a reddish color with almost a lab-like face, big floppy bloodhound ears, and a few folds on her neck.She’s very intelligent and thoroughly enjoys our 1 one 1 training time. Sweet as apple pie unless she gets to wound up. But hey, she’s a puppy. She’s never bit or even growled at us, loves my 2 year old profusely, and she gets along fabulously with EVERY dog she meets. A true heart melter.
do u have a pic trying to figure out what mine r mother said pitt/german shepard daughter said pitt/hound do know there mother was full blooded pitt
Good Morning, I just wanted to let you know that i just picked up my bloodhound/pit yesterday.. 6 weeks old.. i love him.. what should i expect?
our daughter’s friend has a pitt and she THINKS she got preg. by a bulldog. are these a good breed? and if not sure what she got preg. from is it a good idea tu get the pup asking because we have little dogs(maltese,pom/yorkie and little kidos) she i trust the puppy with my little ones?
be careful. both pit bull and bull dog are in the bully breed category. they both are amazing dogs to people, BUT frommy experience not so good with other pets. dogs cats whatever. if u read about pits any good author will ALWAYS tell you if you have a bully breed dog it must be supervisee 100% of the time with other pets. not cuz they r monsters, BUT because if a fight breaks out…they do not stop. and someone is gonna be dead orin bad shape…definitely your littledog…like i said they are amazing dogs. pits are my favorite, but since i have many pets i have no pits. pits should idealy be the only pet in the house.
no! both pits and bull dogs are great dogs, BUT are not other animal friendly. taking one could end in the death of your little dog…even if they grow up together…not a good idea!
i think i have a pitbull dauchsund mix i am not sure, but it has a small long body; with 100%pitbull features.
8Its literally like a mini pitbull…. has anyone ever heard of this?
Hey Jonathan I seen one of those in Leavonworth, Ks. I have been trying to find a pic of one on internet but can’t seem to find one. I think these dogs are really neat looking but I don’t think the breed is well known yet….Linda in Texas
I visited a four month old beagle pit bull mix at our local shelter for possible adoption. I have a 10 year old son and a 13 year old daughter. The dog looks most like a beagle, although I know that is not an indicator of temperment. In the short time that I spent with him he did not bight, or chew on anything but the toys he had. He was very friendly with me and my kids and rested his head on my lap. I’m a very responsible pet owner and have had several dogs in my life from pup to old age. Does anyone have any input on this type of mix?
Hi Sharon, it doesn’t look like anyone responded to you, and although it’s nearly a month later I’m going to respond anyway. I am not an expert on pit bull mixes, but I own 2 of them, both are lab/pit bull mixes. I think that beagle pit bull mix would be just fine. I know even less about beagles, so you’d probably want to investigate that a little further, but you can’t go wrong with the pit. Also, your children are older, and as long as you educate them on how to interact with the dog you should be fine. I would feel comfortable bringing home a beagle/pit mix with 10- and 13-year-old children. It sounds like you have some experience raising dogs, so if you haven’t adopted him/her yet, I would say go for it. You have to watch for aggression up until they are 4 yrs. old, but I bet the beagle in him/her will balance that out.
With our dogs we can take their food bowls out from under them while they’re eating with no problem, we can take bones out of their mouths while they’re chewing on them, no problem. Of course, we wouldn’t let our guests do that, even if they knew each other really well! Let alone complete strangers. But then, would you do that with any dog? Not me.
Good luck! I only just discovered this website a week ago, otherwise I would have responded sooner, sorry.
i have a yr old pitt,boxer,puggle mix. he has been great. other than the nipping and jumping and whining sometimes in his crate, he has been a joy.in my state if they have pitt in them, they are considered pitts by law.
What state is that?
hi sarah, pit bulls get a bum rap. i have a small no-kill shelter in pattison, texas. i have 3 pit mixes and they are all amazing. i swear not a one of them would propbably bat an eye if they had to defend me. pits are super loving, super loyal, and great protectors…*** the only thing i would caution on is pits with other pets…including cats….in a perfect pit household…the pit would be the only pet. not cuz they are monsters, but because uif they do get in a scrap…something is gonna get hurt or worse. they dont give up a fight. and they never back down…at least i have not seen that. many times the fight wasnt even their fault./ but in the end…who cares which oet has the fault…
BUT withy people…i think pits are the perfect pet. especially cuz you have kids who are a bit older being that you would not be getting the dog as a baby….nobody can guarantee anything, BUT i bet you once you took this beagle baby home you would not even regret it!
super playful, unbelievably lovable…my one full blooded pit “cupcake” goes on errands with “momma”. she listens when i tellher to stay up front when something is being loaded, and when i drive she sits in the front passenger seat (her choice) and she will flip my arm so i am always hugging her…she needs momma to touch her..super loving. probably more than i have even been loved before…AND I TOOK HER AT 6+ YEARS OLD. KNEW NOTHING ABOUT HER PAST. i found her on the side of the road. she had been hit by a car. maybe she knows i saved her? i dont know, but to me she is the Godsend! i love my girl! (but as i said above)…..not good and not to ever be left with other pets without 100% supervision). she is animal aggressive and jealous. sometimes the instigator, sometimes not…but she has had fights and they never end up good. she never killed another animal, but she would have if i had not broken the fight up. BIG point. i had to literally beat the shit out of her to get her to let my other dog go… i punched, kicked, and yelled…and she never ever puffed up, or even growled at me. nor did she have any bad feelings afterward. when she gets in trouble she feels awful. i can ffel that. BUT i know in my heart she will never be “other pet friendly or safe.” kids, heck yea, she is such a lover.my friend slept over one night and she was afraid of my cupcake. i told her not to be and had cupcake play ball with her for a while. anywho, my buddy slept on the couch, and told me in the am that cupcake brought her the tennis ball many times during the night, and was sweet as can be when she got up to use the rest room.as long as you let them know that visitors are welcome, they are ok…but tell your guests to leave all their own pets at home! God bless. and i hope you gie beagle baby a chance. so many pits and pit mixes are overlooked, and end up destrohyed cuz they are misunderstood!
i have a blue nosed pit but i dont know what she is mixed with? what is possable
Probably bulldog
I have 3 pit mixes, Turbo, Moose, and Lil bear…and a full blood pittie…cupcake! love em! they are great dogs, but from much experience most pits even mixes do not do well with other pets. my exception is moose. he is a hugh 90 pound pit/chocolate lab mix…thank God he has a lab attitude cuz he is just pure muscle and has the big pt jaw and teeth. he has been housed with his best friend Black jack. a 50 pound lab/blue heeler mix for about 3 1/2 years. i separate when they eat…BUt they have never had a problem. this is extra lucky since they are both boys. i had black jack first…i dont know what made me think they would be great yard mates…but i was right. they are very rowdie, and share a huge 1/2 acre fenced in yard. they each have an extra large igloo, and as fcar as toys moose enjoys stuffed animals, and black jack is all about tennis balls. funny, but they dont alternate toys so there has never been a toy issue. i went outside one day and black jack had a quarter size bite out of his side. i could tell it was a bite, BUT e=actually this was good??>>>> because it told me that moose does not fight like a pit. wehatever made him mad he felt the need to bite, but he did just once….maybe black jack deserved it. i dont know, but i pay a lot of attention and they seem to be bff’s….now on the other hand Turbo has to be housed alone. he does not play nice with other dogs. period! i have tried to let him play with a dog he seemed to want to be friends with, and always a scrap ended up happening. one of them would try and hump the other or whatever and boom a fight. now he does not fight like a ppit either. easy to break up fight, but he never let the grudge go. and he hates the other 2 dogs he once scrapped with. they r never together…i dont like everyone so how can i expect him too! :)…..Lil bear is only 5 moths old, unfortunately i see the pit fight attitude in him. he is little now so it is important for himto socialize with all the animals here, but i know already that when he gets about 8 months old when i leave he will have to be kenneled or put in his won yard…..if you pay attention it isnt hard to figure out. Now cupcake my full pit is always supervised. and she gets put up when i am busy or have to leave home. she fights to the death and i haveseen her snap for no reason….she is unbeleivably loving to me and to people i let her know are allowed to be here. a great people dog. if i were not in the rescue/charity biz and i was only allowed 1 pet. it would be a pitbull rescue. an older one as they are the most dumped dog there is. i found cuppy at 6+ years old and she loes the heck outta me! very much my girl!…all of my pitties are different and all are special! all have issues, but, well, so do i! 🙂
I have 2 dogs a pit bull and a collie mix they have been together for four year now all of a sudden they what to fight each other i don,t know what to do. i am afraid that they will hurt each other bad , they are both house dogs. i am getting afraid to show affection to either of them ,i don,t know what to do i love both of them so much.
I was curious about mixed Pits. I have a 9 yr old pure female pit who has always been a sweetheart. She does bark at people on the other side of the gate but once I open it she stops. If all Pits were like her there would never be bad ones. I also have a 5 yr old that I have had since he was 5 weeks old. The guy that I got him from told me he was Pit and Bull Mastiff. As a puppy he did look like it. I took him to the vet only to discover that he wasn’t that at all. Turns out he was Pit, Akita and Chow. Well thats a combination. He too is a sweetheart, but is protective with me. He really watches people around me. He is not a threat except when my grown son plays ruff with him. I think if it was taken to the fullest extent he could possiblely cross the line. I dont allow that type of play and I have had to come down on my son when he has done it. If he is treated with love and respect you couldnt find a nicer dog. He does like to chase cats though which I nipped in the bud as soon as he makes the move. I have a new member to my dog family, a little 4 month old girl Boxer who this she can take on the world. My dogs are everything to me and loved so much. Thanks for letting me share.
I have a Border Collie/Pit Bull mix, a pit build with border collie coloring. We got him from a “no pit” shelter at about 18 months, a vet later told us he is part pit. He is now about 10 yrs old. He is the best dog ever!! We have had two kids since we got him, as well as, two cats. He was protective of our children when they were babies. No one could come near them without permission(He never uses his strength just his size). He LOVES cats, often we find them cuddled together. All of them, even neighborhood cats wandering through our yard. Alot of mothering qualities in him. I can stick my hand in his food dish while he’s eating. Even when we rough house he is sooo careful. The only thing he is aggressive towards is squirrels, he’s caught a couple of the slower guys. He is truly a gentle giant.
I have the same mix. Border/Pit. Sweet as ever!
What dogs are mixed to make the pitbull bully
i have a 14 week old colby pit / american bulldog mix.. beeutiful and huge already.. hes doing really well with my 1 yr old cat however he does seem to nip a little and i correct him imed. with the cat.. but im worried due to the prey instint will that last or will he end up killing the cat… hes a sweet dog already trained to sit and shake and almost potty trained.. if i dont take him right when he lets me know hes got to go is the only time hes peed in the house but other than that hes great… i love my bully breed.. and i hope he grows big and strong and is the teddy bear that ima raise him to be..
My two Pitts are constantly playing with my cats and nipping and stepping on them. As long as there isn’t growling or any signs of true aggression,you have nothing to worry about.
I had a Pit-mix for years. In that time she lived with various other dogs (a chihuahua, a mexican crested, a whippit, a greyhound, and several others). The only time she ever did anything remotely aggressive is when my girlfriends chuhuahua treid to bite me while my Pibble was lying on the couch next to me. Baroness didn’t snap, snarl, or growl – she simply lunged forward and “nose-bopped” the chihuahua hard off of the couch. Other than that, she snarled at the chihuahua once when the little thing decided to climb up on her in here bed in the middle of the night and startled Baroness. That same chihuahua used to snap and growl at B all the time and my good pup ignored it. For most of her life she lived with our Bullmastiff, two years her younger, and other than establishing their pack order when he was a pup, they were fast friends and played constantly. For a time we had a neighbor with a yorkie that would constantly crawl under the fence into our yard and, again, neither Baroness nor Kaiser (our Bullmastiff) ever tried to hurt it – though they may have scared the dickens out of it the first time it met them in our yard and they rushed up to it curious. They realized it was another dog and obviously no threat to them or their people and simplyt tried to play with it after that.
What I’m getting at here is that your assessment of APBT, Pit-mixes, and mastiff breeds is completely inaccurate. A dog is a reflection of its owner and level of training and socialization. Do I recommend APBTs as housemates with cats, rodents, or other small furry pets? No, absolutely not because they’re terriers and terriers were bred originally as pest control dogs so their prey instinct is stronger than anything else. I never had a lot of squirrels interested in living in our yard or stray cats hanging about when I had her because she would enthusiastically give chase but not one time did she ever act aggressively towards a person that was supposed to be in our house or one met outside the property. When we had children and she was elderly and sick, she was never a threat to them, never aggressive, or jealous – well, maybe jealous but in the hurt feelings way rather than aggressive and dangerous to them. She was set in her ways and sick by that point (Addison’s Disease had almost killed her before we caught it) and did not really want anything to do with them but would still absolutely diligent in her duties to protect the family – checking on noises they made, sniffingtheir bassinet to make sure they were there and ok, closely monitering visitors while they interacted with the twins, and going upstairs to investigate sounds when the children were upstairs. She was the epitome of a devoted, loyal, and gentle companion and guardian of home and family – to include her canine family members. For the others reading this post, I would do more research rather than relying on this post as in all of my experience – its dead wrong.
I’m looking at a blue heeler/pit bull mix and this article was extremely helpful, thank you! Does anyone have experience with this particular mix and know what their temperment might be like?
I had a 3/4 pit 1/4 boxer and he was a great dog but didn’t get along with the other male boxer we had they would play and end up fighting but as far as kids he was good with didn’t like share his food though, very loving , comical, loyal, protective, territorial. He was stolen from us & we miss him greatly & would pay anything to get him back …
I have a 9 month old pittbull chocolate lab and akita mix and he is one of the most smartest lovable and loyal dogs i have ever owned i have 4 kids and 2 very young nieces he would never even think about showing aggression too he was easy to train if it wasnt for leash laws i wouldnt have to use one on him ever hes good with other dogs and cats even wild animals on the trail we walk him on
I just purchased a 6week old pit and blood hound mix, he’s absolutely adorable, I really wish I could post a pic of him.
I’m looking at a pit/border collie/tree walker coonhound mix puppy. Any insight on how this mix might be? Did a little research on all three but would like input. Thanks!
my boyfriend has a pit mix. he says that it’s mainly pit bull and boxer, but she looks nothing like a boxer. she is MEAN to their other dog who is a boxer. his boxer is kind of old, and she is younger. she constantly starts fights with him out of absolutely nowhere. the other day my boyfriends brother was petting her belly then when she got up she immediately lunged at their other dog. it’s gotten to the point where they literally just lock her in a cage (that’s WAY too small for her) whenever people are over or when they’re not home. she’s never attacked a human that i know of. i’ve tried telling him to get rid of her or somehow train her to not do that. what should i do?