Kudos to you for doing research before you adopt!
Here are a few more things to consider that haven't been brought up:
You mentioned that you live with your mom? Will you be moving out in the future? It is VERY difficult to find a place to rent that will allow 'bully breeds.' The few that I have found charge large monthly fees and aren't safe anyway. Some states/counties/cities ban all pit-types outright. If you move to those places you may have to give your dog up and it's hard to find good trustworthy homes for them. It isn't fair, and it isn't right, but it is the way it is. This isn't to discourage you from getting one, but helping you avoid possible heartbreak.
Like any very short haired dog, they should wear sunscreen on any exposed skin (ie; near their noses, ears, bellies and anywhere they have extra short or white hair.) Dogs get skin cancer too. You can use baby-type sunscreen, but make sure they don't lick it off.
And in very cold wether they need warm coats. Tell people who tease you about your dog being a 'sissy' to !@#$ off! Pits and staffies have very short hair and sometimes not much fat! I personally found bully breeds to be babies about the cold.
It's important to feed them a really high quality diet. Super short haired dogs fed a poor diet get really rough hair which can cause rashes to people who touch them. Especially being as snuggly as they are, you want them to have soft fur.
Like other people said, socialise, socialise, socialise! I would HIGHLY recomend puppy kindergarten. Sirius Puppy Training is the best program I have ever seen for puppy training. You can look online to see if they have a center near you.
'How To Teach a New Dog Old Tricks' by Ian Dunbar is a fabulous book on puppy raising. It details socialisation, bite inhibition, basic manners training and more.
Long tailed, short haired dogs get something called 'happy tail' when they wag their tails into hard objects and bruise/cut open the skin on their tails, often spraying blood all over. If that happens DO NOT tape a bandage straight across the tail. To do that tight enough to stay on will cut off circulation to the tail and kill it.
Instead, clean it, put antibiotic ointment or whatever, cover it with guaze, and then to a few inches on either side of the wound cover it with the slit foam pipe insulation that you can buy at hardware stores. Tape it on the way you would a ballet slipper. You can tape pretty tightly because you are going in a diagonal and alternating directions. If possible tether the tail to a back leg. You will have to change the bandage frequently as moisture can't escape the 'tube,' but it is being protected from further 'whaps' while it heals.
If you do get a puppy from a breeder, make sure you can meet, AND interact with both parents. If a stud dog was used you should still be able to meet him.
There are a lot of health benefits to spaying and neutering. The risk of cancerous mammarian tumors increases exponentially with each heat cycle. Unneutered dogs can get testicular and prostate cancer. The prostate in unneutered dog also frequently becomes inflamed and swells, making it painful, difficult and finally impossible to defecate. Usually it takes a while for the owner to notice and by then at the very least the dog has to have a very invasive enema, usually be neutered anyway, and in severe cases have part of the intestines removed.
Last but not least, 'Whole Dog Journal' is a wonderful magazine for responsible dog parents. They have well researched articles by respected trainers, behaviorists, and nutritionists.
Good luck with your search.
) It depends on the owner and how diligent you are in manner training. I would suggest doing something like agility or hearding practice to keep these intelligent dogs from getting bored. Bored dogs=trouble. My Boston was always a testiment to that.
