Customer Reviews

New Owners Gde Amer Pit Bull (JG Dog)

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Finally, Finally! Here is a book written in an easy down-to earth style which covers the raising of one of America's most controversial breeds of dog. Mr Fenstermacher's knowledge of this breed obviously comes from hands on experience, as he has been breeding and raising these dogs for some time. He playfully writes of his own pets and gives brilliant examples of often overlooked training methods and their desired results. In this day and age of the dreaded "Pit Bull Danger" it is gratifying to read of these fine animals as loyal and intelligent pets

This short, inexpensive book realistically depicts the unique challenges and responsibilities of owning this special breed. If everyone followed his advice, we wouldn't have the negative press we do today. If I bred APBTs, I would give one to everyone who purchased a puppy from me.

For someone who wants to get an American Pit Bull Terrier should read this book. It talks about responsible ownership and how to socialize your puppy so that it will become a good canine citizen. Although it has a whole chapter about dog-fighting which I don't like, it uses that information to explain the temperament of the breed - which is not a vicious animal like everyone says. Ofcourse pit bulls are dog-aggressive, although some live with other dogs their whole life without any incidents. They love people and strangers and are not guard dogs - in fact they love people so much that they will let a stranger in your house, take everything including the pit bull. Some pit bull owners even get other dogs like Dobermans to protect their pit bull. It might sound strange but its true. Bad breeding, dog-fighters, gangsters, and the media gave this breed a bad reputation. Before you buy a dog - read this book first. Pit bulls are only for very few people - only if you you are getting this dog as a pet, have lots of time to spend timewith them, socialize them, and have time to love them then may be you should consider this breed. Be a responsible owner!

for someone who knows nothing or little about the breed this is a very informative book and even greater for someone who refers to the breed as a blood thristy killer who lives to fight.if it can change my fathers view on an american pit bull terrier it can change anyones!

I have had "pit bulls" and other bully breeds my entire life, and this book is a fantastic depiction of the APBT's behavior and temperament, generally speaking. It's written in a manner that's down to earth and isn't loaded with jargon.

Although the author is a long-time breeder of APBT's, I honestly can't believe that he is a responsible breeder, as he not only advocates that dogs be tied outside (to or near trees), but suggests that it is the best way to go. Statistics show that a good portion of dog bites are from dogs who are regularly chained or otherwise tied out, and trainers and behaviorists know that tethering dogs creates frustration, which can lead to aggression issues (not to mention adding to the stereotype, putting the dog in a position to be teased, etc.)

The section on training also left me feeling duped - while the author speaks out about the use of choke chains, he states that they aren't the most effective when training APBT's and may cause damage to the throat. He then goes on to state that the best training tool to use is a pinch (prong) collar because APBT's have high pain tolerance levels. Unfortunately, this guy is misleading a whole lot of people with this information - all dogs, including the "insensitive" APBT, can be trained using non-punitive methods without risking the fallout that nearly always goes along with punishment-based training. Folks can believe that choke, prong, "static correction"/shock collars, and other punitive training tools don't "hurt" if they'd like, but in order to work, these tools must cause pain or severe discomfort to stop a behavior (and often, with these dogs, even that doesn't work); telling a dog what NOT to do does not tell them what TO DO instead - there are a whole lot of "wrong" answers, but only one right answer. Make it easy for your dog and just tell him what you want him to do rather than what you would prefer he didn't do, there's no need to use "training collars."