Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 3
Where to Go from Here 3
Part 1: Getting Started with Pit Bulls 7
Chapter 1: Pitting and Petting: The Pit Bull’s Past 9
Creating Canine Gladiators 9
Showing Off 12
Becoming America’s Sweetheart 15
Overcoming Pride and Prejudice 17
Growing in Popularity 18
The Michael Vick influence 19
The consequences of no-kill shelters 19
Breed-specific legislation 20
Finding the Middle Ground 21
Chapter 2: Sizing Up the Pit Bull 23
Toughing It Out 23
Building a Better Bulldog 24
The American Dog Breeders Association standard 25
The United Kennel Club standard 30
The American Kennel Club standard for the American Staffordshire Terrier 31
Strutting His Stuff 33
UKC conformation shows 34
AKC conformation shows 36
Chapter 3: Deciding whether a Pit Bull is Right for You 39
Making a Commitment 40
Making the Match 42
Getting to the Heart of the Matter (or Your Pit Bull) 43
Facing the Facts 45
Chapter 4: Shopping the Bull Market 53
Avoiding Bad Blood 53
Searching High and Low 54
Checking the classifieds 55
Buying from a breeder 55
Getting a dog from a shelter or rescue group 58
Checking the Bona Fidos 64
ADBA registration 65
UKC registration 65
AKC registration 66
Picking Your Pit 67
Part 2: Giving Your Pit Bull a Good Home 71
Chapter 5: Bringing Home Your New Best Friend 73
Puppy-proofing Your Home 74
Fencing In Your Pit Bull 75
Providing a Cozy Doghouse 77
Giving Your Dog a Comfortable Place to Sleep 77
Crates 78
Exercise pens 79
Shopping for Your Pit Bull 80
Toys 80
Food and water bowls 83
Collars 83
Leashes 85
Grooming supplies 86
Poop bags 87
Travel supplies 87
Chapter 6: Living with Your Pit Bull 89
Acting Like a Pit Bull in a China Shop: House Rules 89
Taking the Pit Stop Outside 90
When the Plumbing’s Broken 91
Trying Your Patience 92
Understanding Pit Talk 93
Becoming a Social Animal 95
Going to Kindergarten 97
Meeting the Children 98
Going for a Bull Run 100
Making a Splash 102
Hitting the Road 103
Finding a Pit-Sitter 107
Finding a Lost Love 108
Part 3: Training and Having Fun with Your Pit 111
Chapter 7: Coping with a Pit Bull Terrorist 113
Saving Your Home 113
Fighting Like Cats and Dogs 114
Cats 114
Dogs 115
Avoiding DogFights 117
Breaking Up a DogFight 119
Calming the Raging Bull 122
All in good fun? 122
Biting the hand that feeds 123
Dealing with Pit Bull Aggression 124
Plucking Up Courage 126
Corralling the Escape Artist 127
Digging Up Some Dirt 127
Tales from the Bark Side 128
Chapter 8: Training the Teacher’s Pit 129
Training Your Pit to Wag Her Tail 130
Working for food 131
Making ideas click quick 132
Getting the Timing Right 133
Following the Ten Commandments 134
1 Thou shalt not live in the past 134
2 Thou shalt not train your dog to be bad 134
3 Thou shalt not confuse 134
4 Thou shalt not speak in tongues 134
5 Thou shalt not use excessive force 135
6 Thou shalt not hurt thy friend 135
7 Thou shalt not beat a dead horse 135
8 Thou shalt not end on a low note 135
9 Thou shalt not go crazy 136
10 Thou shalt not lose your patience 136
Going to School 136
Getting the Right Stuff 137
Starting Basic Training 138
Coming to terms 138
Sitting bull 140
Staying power 141
Learning ups and downs 141
Walking well-heeled 141
Trying Every Trick in the Book 143
Chapter 9: Going Out to the Bull Games 145
Pulling His Weight and More 146
Training to pull 146
Becoming a S.T.A.R. 148
Being a Good Citizen 149
Staying in Step with Obedience and Rally 149
Overcoming Obstacles 151
Following His Nose 152
Getting a Grip on Schutzhund 152
Rounding Up a Herding Title 153
Taking a Flying Leap 154
Racing the Clock 154
Part 4: Keeping Your Pit Bull Healthy 155
Chapter 10: Feeding a Bottomless Pit 157
Starting with Dry or Moist Foods 158
Considering Raw 160
Boning Up on Nutrition 161
Eschewing the fat 162
Skin and bones 163
Feeding Time 164
Keeping Your Dog Hydrated 164
Chapter 11: Primping Your Pit Bull 165
Taking Your Pit to the Cleaners 165
Smelling Like a Rose 167
Debugging Your Dog 168
Making fleas flee 168
Ticking off ticks 168
Managing mange 169
Losing those lousy lice 170
Saving Your Dog’s Skin 170
Scratching the surface of allergic itching 170
Pyoderma and impetigo 171
Cooling down hot spots 171
Nailing Down Nail Care 172
Going in One Ear and Cleaning Out the Other 172
Keeping an Eye on the Bull’s Eye 174
Keeping Your Dog Armed to the Teeth 176
Chapter 12: A Clean Bull of Health 179
Examining Your Pit Bull 179
Gums 181
Body temperature 182
Pulse, heartbeat, and breathing rate 182
Establishing a Relationship with a Vet You Trust 183
Making Sense of Blood Tests 184
Giving Your Dog Medicine 185
Staying Up to Date on Your Dog’s Vaccinations 187
Puppy vaccinations 187
Rabies 188
Distemper 188
Hepatitis 188
Leptospirosis 189
Parvovirus 189
Coronavirus 189
Tracheobronchitis (kennel cough) 189
Lyme disease 190
Keeping Your Pit Free of Worms 190
Ascarids 191
Hookworms 191
Whipworms 192
Tapeworms 192
More worms 192
Dealing with Intestinal Parasites 193
Coccidia 193
Giardia 193
Preventing Heartworm 194
Chapter 13: Sick as a Dog 195
When Your Dog Just Isn’t Himself 195
Dealing with Diarrhea 196
Saying Vamoose to Vomiting 197
Coping with Coughing 198
Helping Your Dog with Urinary Problems 199
Understanding Endocrine Disorders 200
Hypothyroidism 200
Cushing’s syndrome 200
Investigating Immunological Problems 200
Banishing Blood Parasites 201
Ehrlichiosis 201
Babesia 201
Coping with Cancer 202
Looking into Lameness 202
An arm and a leg 203
From the hip 204
Doctoring Your Dog 206
Holistic medicine 206
Homeopathic medicine 206
Herbology 206
Chiropractic medicine 207
Acupuncture 207
Trying Home Remedies 207
Chapter 14: Pit Bull First Aid 209
ABCs of First Aid 211
Artificial respiration 211
CPR 212
Specific Emergencies 213
Poisoning 213
Seizures 215
Heat stroke 216
Hypothermia 216
Bleeding 217
Limb fractures 217
Bloat (gastric torsion, gastric dilatation-volvulus) 218
Insect stings and allergic reactions 218
Snakebite 219
Burns 219
Electrical shock 219
Chapter 15: Helping Your Dog Age Well 221
Eat and Run 222
Act Your Age 223
When You’ve Done Everything 225
Eternally in Your Heart 226
Part 5: The Part of Tens 227
Chapter 16: Ten Pit Bull Resources 229
Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Help the Pit Bull’s Reputation 233
Index 237
