1. BASIC
CARE
FOR YOUR
PIT-BULL
Types of Food and Food dishes
- Pit-bulls should have stainless steel flat bottom
water and food dishes as many plastic dishes
present possible allergies to the skin.
- Pit-bulls need a high grade of dog food. The
first ingredient should be meat, with crude pro-
tein no less than 30% and crude fat no less than
20%, with fiber content 4% or less.
- It is also good to by dog food that contains
no corn or soy product used. Many top well-
known brands such as Pedigree and Purina use
corn and soy for fillers, as these can promote
skill allergies which cause increased itching in
pit-bulls and skin breakouts. It is good to use
a top quality dog food, such as Diamond, that
says right on the package “contains no corn or
soy products.”
Muzzles, Collars, Leashes, and Tags
.
- Muzzles can be a good product to buy just to
insure safety of others due to reputation of the
pit-bull breed, but most of the time collars are
the best fit for pit-bulls.
- The best collars consist of choker type collars,
as these are best when controlling or training
you dog by allowing them to not pull or drag
you with the lease. Chokers should have no
more than 6 inches in excess length in com-
parison to neck length, so there is only a little
room to spare, but not so much that the collar
slips over the dogs head.
- Making sure you have a sturdy leash that is
strong is very important as pit-bulls are strong
dogs. Leather is best, but a good thick leash
of other material is good as well. Retractable
leads are not recommended due to their ability
to break and wear easily over time.
- It is important to make sure your collar and
leash fit well, and have a proper place to dis-
play and attach all vaccination tags. Making
sure your pit-bull is properly vaccinated, and
displaying the right and current tags is very
important due to the bad reputation of the pit-
bull breed.

2. Bathing aids, Clippers, and Brushes
- With pit-bulls being medium shedders most
pit-bulls can be bathed as needed or when their
owner sees fit. If you keep your pit-bull brushed
regularly it will reduce the need for bathing.
Buying a soft bristle brush or rubber brush and
brushing in the opposite direction of the hair
and then brushing with the grain of the hair will
help with shedding issues.
- When bathing, proper soaps should be used
that do not promote irritation. A good flea
shampoo, besides the over the counter flea
shampoos, is basic blue Dawn dish soap. Fleas
don’t like some of the additives within dawn dish
soap making it a safe and effective flea repellent
and killer shampoo. Using Dawn dish soap with
a basic anti-shedding shampoo makes a good
combination and is less irritating to the skin.
- Pit-bulls need their toenails clipped on a reg-
ular basis, about every two weeks. Good nail
clippers are good to have so nails can be kept
short. Buying guillotine or scissor type clippers
that are sharp will be less painful for your dog.
Purchasing your own clippers and learning
properly how to cut your dog’s nails will save
you costly visits to the vet for routine nail care.
Types of Toys, Bones, and Treats
- Making sure your pit-bull has the proper toys
is necessary to reduce chewing and bad behav-
iors. An occupied dog is a happy dog and is less
destructive.
- Pit-bulls like toys to play tug of war, so a good
rope bone or tug toys are a necessity. Balls are
good as long as they are hard and larger than
their mouth, as pit-bulls are hard on toys and
tend to destroy toys that are not well made cre-
ating a choking hazard. Making sure toys are
safe is extremely important for your pit-bull’s
well-being.
- Bones are good as long as they are not rawhide
as rawhide promotes choking risks to pit-bulls.
A good choo-hooves or large bones with dried
meat on them make good treats as well as basic
dog treats. Again, it is good to stay away from
dog treats with corn, soy, or red dyes (red in col-
or) as they can promote allergic reactions to the
skin and cause breakouts similar to humans.
Socialization and Pit-bulls
- Socialization is just as important as having
the proper tools and home to care for you pit-
bull. Pit-bulls should not just be kept in wired
crates or enclosures as this creates lack of so-
cialization and is a recipe for disaster. With
proper socialization by walking your dog
around other people and animals in public ar-
eas, this can be a good socialization method to
prevent unpredictable behaviors and help your
pit-bull develop an even temperament.