pitbulls

It's because agressiveness has been bread into them...Remember, Pete on "Our Gang" and the RCA Victor dog are both pit bulls. They didn't have the reputation back then as the do now... They haven't always been as aggressive as they have been for the last 30-40 years or so.

Also, you need the right kind of master...Fair, but very firm. They have to really know who the boss is, while respecting their boss. Abuse won't cut it, and neither will a weak owner.

They are dogs, thats all. If you see one thats 'wild' its probably because its inbred to the point of retardation.

They are more dangerous not because of their personality, but because of their physical makeup. If you watch a pitbull when it bites, it doesnt just bite, it bites and shakes. They have less bite pressure than a rotty or a shepherd (german) but when they bite their heavily muscled/short body lets them shake violently. Its that shaking that rips flesh when their teeth are dug in.

Plus 'pit bull' is a wide term nowadays. When attacks are reported and someone says 'it was a pit bull' that could mean a bull terrier, bull mastiff, boxer..etc. because people see short nose, short muscular body and immediately call it a pitbull so the number of reported pitbull attacks isnt really a fair gauge.

Aggression is a behavior and can be modified. All things being equal (that means that the entity in question is of normal intelligence capacity) aggression occurs due to enviromental influences. If something happens due to environmental influences its not genetic so that whole 'they are violent because its in their blood' argument comes from people who talk without knowing what they are talking about.

You mean Nipper, Kurt?
Albany, NY - Nipper the RCA Dog
I see him almost daily
Actually it's because they don't want them released in the lakes and rivers when the owners get tired of them.

The worst thing about pit bulls is the ignorance of people regarding this breed. As with any breed, there is the potential to breed aggressive dogs to create more aggressive dogs. That doesn't translate to "a bad breed".

As a breed, pit bulls are great. In Helen Kellers' time pit bulls were the top pick for family dogs in the country. The Little Rascals show featured a pit bull, Keller and other prominent people owned pit bulls that traveled with them constantly.

I have a pit bull - and the only danger is that she might lick you to death. She was gentle as a puppy, was not bred for aggression and since I rescued her she's known nothing but kindness. She loves cats, other dogs, kids, is playful, smart and a joy to have around.

Of the pit bulls taken from Michael Vick, only one was vicious. Even after four months of total quarantine waiting for the court case and with almost no contact with people, almost all the dogs taken from Vick were rehomed as pets and passed all behavioral tests.

Don't blame a whole breed of dogs for the stupidity and cruelty of people. Poodles can be vicious, German Shepherds, etc - if they are bred that way. There are people who want feel "bad a**" so they get pit bulls, do not train them, do not exercise them and leave them alone with children or allow them to run loose (they do protect territory and can define that territory as bigger than it is without supervision).

The reason we see so many instances of aggressive pit bulls is because people try to train them to attack other dogs. Pit bulls are not vicious by nature - that's why some idiots breed for aggression. These people have almost created an "evil twin" breed of this dog.

In some areas of the country, dog fighting has been allowed to the point where the only way authorities can see to stop it is to ban a dog breed. That's sad for the dogs and does nothing to make the people who fight them behave in a humane way.

kay

You are so wrong. The only reason pits have been chosen as "fighters" is because of the strength of their jaw and their ability to lock the jaws and hold on. Pit puppies act just like any other puppies and it's misinformation passed around as fact that causes so much damage to these dogs as a breed. My pit bull is no different than any other dogs I've had and is one of the easiest to train I've seen in years.

What is needed are not laws to kill pit bulls - but laws to prevent un-registered breeders from owning any pit that has not been spayed or neutered. Stopping the breeding for aggression would save the breed.

Perhaps "temperament" is a better word but you can breed for characteristics of personality as well as for color, conformation, etc. Pits can be aggressive toward other animals and perfectly fine around people.

I've heard people say pit bulls can just "go crazy"or "turn on their master" - no, they don't. Dobermans used to have that reputation as did German Shepherds - that myth seems to move to a different breed every 15 yrs or so.

When I'm walking my pit, Gracie, I'm reminded of the TV commercial where the dog is shouting "bacon, bacon, bacon" - with Gracie it's "people, people, people" as she wants to meet and greet every person she sees.

As for locking - of course they don't "lock" as such. Their bite is serious due to "big dog" teeth and the strong neck muscles that allow tearing and shaking actions. Any dog of any size that gets its teeth firmly implanted in part of your anatomy is difficult to dislodge.

ok, here you go:


Thats the organ that makes retrievers retrieve and sheperds herd..once it has been properly trained.

You are regurgitating something you've been told that you dont even understand. You can't breed a behavior. Thats not how breeding OR behavioral traits work.

Behaviors are learned responses. If its a learned response, it isnt genetic.

Ever hear the old saying 'Champions are not born, they are made''? Ever wonder why they say that or what it means?

TRAINING (and by extension environment) makes a retriever retrieve and a herder herd....(READ: A LEARNED BEHAVIOR) The breed is physically and mentally equipped to be able to be trained to retrieve or herd, buit doesnt pop out of the birth canal with an inate sense on how to properly fetch a stick or herd sheep.

Just like pits. If they are bred correctly, meaning they arent inbred, they arent born aggressive, but their physical makeup makes them a great candidate for fighting, and as such they are MADE aggressive by their owners for that purpose.