Two Pit Bull Dogs?

I like pit bulls. I’ve trained a lot of pitbulls. I almost always have a student with a pit bull or some mix.

 

However, if you get two of the same sex, you have an increased risk of fights with each other. 

 

The old American Bulldogs were the same. I remember talking to John D. Johnson about his bulldogs back in the late 90’s since I was thinking about getting one. He said pretty much the same to me as he did in this interview, “These dogs are very dog-aggressive and do not live together well. Even when bulldogs were more plentiful, almost everyone that had one only had one or occasionally a pair, male and female. Almost no one had two males or two females because they could not get along with each other.”

 

My recommendation is, if you are going to have more than one, to get opposite sex. While there is still a potential for a fight, you lessen the chances. (Yes, I expect to hear about people that have more than this and have had no problems. That isn't the point.)

 

This does not make pit bulls, or American bulldogs, bad dogs. There are other breeds that I could mention, with no bulldog heritage at all, that I would make the same recommendation.

 

Bulldogs like this have a functional role. In the old days, you’d have a family bulldog. It would lay around and be like any other pet with the family and guests. But, like many communities in 3^rd world countries, there would be feral dogs that would be dangerous to the kids or the livestock. If a stray came onto the property, the dog’s job was to chase it off or kill it. Feral dogs are no joke, they are dangerous, and you need a defense. It is a similar role that flock guards do for sheep. They lay around with the herd, but if a predator comes nearby (coyote, wolf, bear, big cat, etc.), their job is to solve that problem. A fight to the death or to run it off. They are used for that role even today all around the world. Even greyhound breeds are used today to kill predators such as coyotes.

 

It is important to recognize that some breeds are not expected to love every dog they meet. Why people think otherwise is beyond me. Maybe they have watched too many Disney cartoons. Even people don’t like everyone they meet. The goal with every dog should be neutrality: you can take the dog places without incident. The dog shouldn’t be overly interested or defensive around other dogs, and you should be able to control them. 

Plan accordingly.