Two questions

[irosstm]

First question. Can a pit and chihuahua get along? Pit is male 12 weeks.chihuahua is 6 months. Second question is about don sullivan's the perfect dog system, any users or bad mouthers of the system.

[loverocksalot]

There will be alot of research for you to do. I do not know about the above trainer but I only use positive training R+ especially after a bad experience with a more harsh style of training.
Some things to learn about to be successful are the crate and rotate program. There is much information in the training section on this forum.
I also do not have the experience in multi dog homes. Many on here do. Hope someone is able to help.

[RealPitBull]

I would not use or recommend Don Sullivan's training system to anyone. For some information on real trainers with credentials, who understand dogs and how they learn, visit this page and also be sure to read some of the threads on this board:

www.realpitbull.com/training.html

[loverocksalot]

That was the answer I was expecting. I googled his name and got a photo of some strange looking collar.

[RealPitBull]

^ He's a mess.

Also, to the OP, Pit Bulls can live with other animals very successfull but that success depends on the human's ability to manage the sitaution appropriately. Pit Bulls can be aggressive towards other dogs and they don't always do so well with cats.

Some info:

www.realpitbull.com/pitsnpets.html
www.realpitbull.com/harmony.html

[loverocksalot]

BTW if you already bought the system and want to return it after reading the advice given website says 30 day money back. No where on the site does it show the training method used though.

[fureverywhere]

I do not know anything about dog training or multi-dog households. You can find mondo information on both here. But just speaking from logic...it depends on individual personalities of all involved who gets along with who.

If we could bring home a grown puppeh to a house of cats-granted, the cats had lived with dogs before and the dog in question had walked past a row of cat cages without a squeak...

But if our group can live together peacefully you definitely have a shot, Best of Luck!!!!!!

[suziriot]

Jan 25, 2012 14:55:55 GMT -5 RealPitBull said:

Pit Bulls can live with other animals very successfull but that success depends on the human's ability to manage the sitaution appropriately. Pit Bulls can be aggressive towards other dogs and they don't always do so well with cats.

I second that.

I'm not familiar with Don Sullivan's training, but I absolutely trust Mary's assessment of any training program. In my rescue work and in my home I only use positive training tools and techniques. Clicker training is a lot of fun for both the dog and owner, and can be used for training specific behaviors or for positive conditioning. Take a look through the Training & Behavior section of the forum and you'll find quite a lot of resources and tips to get you started.

[loverocksalot]

There is actually lots of good stuff on this website. I am using some of it for a training lecture I am doing in a few weeks. I just took out the book listed on the site Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training, the author is the trainer on this website. Also she is offering it as an online class.
www.positivedogs.com/index.html
Paul owens also has a great site with free clips from his video you may find it helpful.
www.raisewithpraise.com/DogTrainingVideoLibrary.htm look for the freebees tab for good stuff. And good luck.

[maryellen]

i have 3 dogs here, each one has its own personality and level of DA (well one anyway) never leave your dogs unsupervised. most can get along with other breeds just be responsible

[michele5611]

Very important like Maryellen said to never leave your dogs unsupervised. Even if they get along now things can always change. Pit bulls reach maturity between the 2-3 years old so what you see as a puppy may not be what you get as an adult.

[irosstm]

I've always heard if the smaller dogs proves itself early the bigger one will just get it also heard different sexs will do better than same sex

[michele5611]

Opposite sex pairings will typically do better than same sex but not always and there is no guarantee.
As far as your chi or any dog proving itself early is irrelevant. Pit bulls are a dog sensitive breed and as such should never be left alone with other animals unsupervised- period.

[irosstm]

They actually share a crate now. They cuddle up and never have problems.

[loverocksalot]

They should have their own crates.

[irosstm]

Well I think a lil closer to time of maturity i'll see what happens, but as of now they do fine

[maryellen]

your 12 week pit could put your 6 month old chi in the hospital .... separate crates is a must, it is fine if they cuddle together while you are supervising , but when you are not around to watch them separate them ... just because they get along fine doesnt mean squat, all it takes is a tiff and that is it.. your chi proviing itself could result in a fight... listen to the experts who have been in this breed for over 20 years.. they know what they are talking about...

[michele5611]

It is obvious that you love all your animals and only want the best for them and want to be sure you keep them all safe by evidence of your own question.  Please consider that many of the members here have owned the breed for years. Some members are trainers, work with rescues, and shelters and have a huge amount of hands on experience. There are also a lot of members on here that manage multi dog and multi pit bull households successfully and harmoniously by responsibly managing all animals. That means separating when no one is around to supervise. It also means never ever underestimating our own animals.  Socializing Ziggy is very important and that can be done with your current animals in a supervised setting.  Ultimatly the decision is your but I highly reccomend that the dogs have their own crates. Believe me it is the best for you and them.  I hope you take what others are saying as advice and realize it is coming from a place of knowledge and at the end of the day wanting to help you create a safe and healthy environment for your animals.

[loverocksalot]

Yes to what they said. You want to set yourself and your dogs up for success. No one here is trying to scare you they are just trying to help you have a successful life with your Pit Bull rather than later saying. "I don't know why this happened they always got along".

[johnr]

Jan 25, 2012 16:57:26 GMT -5 michele5611 said:

Opposite sex pairings will typically do better than same sex but not always and there is no guarantee.

When you have as many dogs as I have had, they can't ALL be of opposite genders. I've had tons of females. First, things just started out that way, but then when the first male was Pablo, that put a crimp into adding more males. He definitely prefers females to males, but has accepted some (but not all) small male dogs. Two male Doxies actually joined the pack at different times and he seemed cool with one male foster, sort of a Shih Tzu, who I just happened not to want to keep. He wanted to clobber two small male Spaniel Mixes that I would have loved to keep, but obviously couldn't. He has also rejected some larger females. Roxie ended up larger than him, but he knew her as a pup and that no doubt helped his acceptance. I was pleasantly surprised at how totally he accepted Angel right from the start, as she arrived larger and very energetic and even a bit aggressive, which is not exactly the profile of what he's likely to accept even among females. I think part of it is that he has just mellowed quite a bit in his very advanced years. But he didn't accept Pumpkin right away. He accepted her quickly, but really checked her out first.