Is the pitbull dog breed really dangerous?

Question

Pit bull breeds are one of the most powerful dog breed in the world. Are they really that aggressive? Are they hard to train?

Answer 1

We researched pits extensively when we found and fostered three puppies that appeared to have at least some pit heritage. (They, at least the girls, turned out to be something else, however.) The Villa Lobos rescue center in New Orleans has what I feel is a good and balanced view of the "pit bull" breeds. http://www.vrcpitbull.net/dog/training/pit-bull-facts/



Dogs are dogs. Each is an individual, but the pit breeds were bred to fight other dogs. They have incredibly powerful jaws and are highly tolerant of pain. Some are extremely territorial/protective. There are other dogs that probably nip and bite more OFTEN than pits (little Chihuahuas and some Cocker Spaniels can REALLY be pains) but these smaller dogs usually don't do much damage even if the do bite. A pit's bite, however, is much more serious- whether it bites a dog or a human. Again, they were bred to be DOG AGGRESSIVE. The OWNER must learn to read the stance and unblinking stare of a pit that is getting "locked on" to another dog, and be able to divert the pit's attention.



IF you are a responsible dog-owner who's willing to put in the training time needed, and keep these dogs in a safe environment, then your dog will probably be a joy to you, and your dog will be a great ambassador for the breed. My best friend had a WONDERFUL pit that she loved; another friend's mother had a pit who was her constant companion.



If you do not train the dog, if you get a dog that is too much for you, or if you take foolish chances (such as leaving an infant or toddler alone with a dog...any dog) then your dog could become one of the unfortunate statistics that make national news. We knew a young couple with a pit that they dearly loved and trusted implicitly, and it turned on their young daughter. We knew of another similar case; the dog was fine until the day something snapped.



It's not the dog's fault; the owner has to be aware of the dog's heritage (and parentage as much as possible) and make provisions for these. I think the problem is that pits have NOT been taken seriously, partly because of the now-debunked "nanny dog" myth and the fact that most puppies of any breed are incredibly sweet and loving. Puppies grow up, however, and then the adult characteristics begin to show. A well-bred, well-trained and socialized young dog in the hands of a experienced owner/trainer is great..unfortunately not everyone is as prepared.

Answer 2

Many pits are dog aggressive, it's in their genes and this can cause problems, especially if they are walked in areas where other dogs go. IMO, the biggest issue with pits around people is that they are more muscular than many other dog breeds. If a 3 lb chihuahua bites you or your kids, yes it will hurt but there is only so much force that a little dog like that can put behind a bite. They also have a smaller mouth which limits where they can do damage. On the other hand, the same warning nip coming from a pitbull can cause some serious damage due to their sheer size and powerful jaws. A mix of dog aggression, training for dog fighting and their power combines to make them more dangerous than a regular dog.

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

I thinks it's funny to hear people say aggressiveness is in there "genes" it's not. Any dog can be mean or aggressive Pitbulls or not mean but more or less stubborn and pig headed. It takes a lot to train them because they really like doing there own thing they need to be socialized ALOT with other animals and people lots of repetitive training so they get it kinda stuck in their head . IT IS NOT THE DOG but the people who train it, You can train any dog to fight not just a "pitbull" I've seen chihuahuas bite people and try and go after much larger dogs or hounds or any other breed. Yes pits are harder to train but if you stay diligent there is no reason you can't have a very nice social dog. Don't discriminate on the breed discriminant on the people who made them that way. But pitbulls are defiantly not for a first dog or first puppy owner you do need experience to deal with their tough head if you insist on getting one I recommend a obedience or training classes.

Answer 5

That depends on who bred the animal and from what parents. Pit bulls are more a type of several similar breeds and their mixes, not a single breed. Therefore as mixes they aren't that predictable. There are real sweeties and real meanies among them. It doesn't help that pit bull owners on average are more interested in having a dangerous dog than a well socialized and well looked after dog. The owner might well be more dangerous than the dog...

Answer 6

My friend has a pit (well I think he might be a bit American bulldog as he weighs 80 lbs, so too big to be a full pit) and I am around him quite often. He is about 6 and is the strongest dog I have ever met. He is a sweet heart and is very obedient. He just wants to be held and cries when he is alone. When I take him on walks, though, he can be very reactive to birds, squirrels, cats, etc. but not dogs. I have met pits that are snappy and mean. I probably wouldn't get this dog breed as there is no doubt there is a problem with the breed.

They require a firm hand as they can be willful and test your boundaries. I think they are pretty easy to train and love to please. They are very attentive to your needs-keep in mind I am only referring to the pit I am around constantly.

I suppose to answer your question that they are not all aggressive but certainly some are. If you insist on getting this breed be very careful who you get the dog from. Get a calm temperament, not shy or high strung. Be sure to neuter your dog to reduce the likelihood of aggression. Enroll the dog in obedience classes and make sure to socialize it properly. Any large dog can be dangerous if not properly managed- this risk is higher in pits as evidenced by them being the leader of mauling people to death. Many people though have wonderful pitbulls that live amongst their families and never have a problem. So, following all those steps, if you insist on getting one, should ensure you get a good dog.

Answer 7

I am a former professional animal trainer (wild & exotic). I have also owned 'pit bulls' for fifteen years now. In my opinion, while there are bad apples out there (just like some people are bad apples), it takes A LOT more WORK to make a dog mean or vicious then it does to make it a loving member of the family. None of my 3 pits has ever bit anybody (a couple squirrels weren't so lucky)... My dogs would all lick your face off before anything else..

Answer 8

I've had pit bulls for years and never once have any of my dogs bitten or growled at me. Pit bulls need to under go serious obedience training and socialization when they are pups. Dog trainer Caesar Millan owns a pit bull... and it actually helps rehabilitate overly aggressive dogs. How about that? I big bad mean from birth pit bull showing labs and boxers good manners! Anyways, It's all how you train your dog. Dogs also read off of energy, if another dog is giving off negative energy, more than likely there would be a fight. As long as they're in a calm environment the "beast" will stay calm too. Granted, they can do some real damage and there are always bad seeds in every breed. Most pit bull attacks in the media aren't actual dogs listed as "pit bulls". (Amstaff, APBT, SBT) they are "pit" mixes or dogs like boxers or American bulldogs.

Answer 9

The words 'Pit' and 'Bull' were not pulled out of thin air to describe mixed dogs. It's short for American Pit Bull Terrier. Now tell me about your laid back rescue pet that you label the same breed as fighting terriers. There is 1 Pit Bull, the American Pit Bull Terrier. It is a single breed. They're not one of the strongest breeds in the world.



Depends on the bloodline. Depends on each dog and the trainer.

Answer 10

Notedley... hence they have their bad name. Though in most cases the dog is not to blame it is the person that either owns it , trained it, or bred it. Ultimately the tragedy about the dog is they were mallbred by b.y.b's and wannabe dog fighters to the point of unpredictability And thus unreliability, and distrust. And so earned the disdain of sane dog owners.... In short man has destroyed the dog. The long list of recorded attacks on humans is the sad result...... The dog was bred for one purpose ... to fight, it is a distinct trait of the dog... Certainly then, in the wrong hands, then I would consider it to be a dangerous dog.

Answer 11

The bottom line is the Pit Bull shouldn't be aggressive/dangerous to humans. They were originally bred to be fighting dogs, note DOGS but should have been able to be handled by their owners, and live with them. Unfortunately the Pit Bull has been seen as a macho dog, and because of this, unscrupulous breeders have been producing more and more aggressive animals, because there's a market for them. Too bad.



Whether they are hard to train or not, would depend on the basic temperament of the animal. If he's as he should be (intelligence and temperament), any dog can be trained.

Answer 12

Pitbulls are hard to train.

If you train them right, you should have an obedient dog who doesn't bite.

I love pitbulls but you do have to be careful to train them submission and not to bite at an early age.

But like anyone they can have mental problems, so they aren't completely safe, although it is highly unlikely if they aren't rescues that have been taught to fight that you will have any problems. Although they are very powerful and thus dangerous, most of them are very loving pets, if given the chance.

Answer 13

'Most powerful'. No.



They were bred to be HUMAN friendly, DOG aggressive.



I've known a couple well bred ones be the sweetest pups around people, yet bring another dog into the equation and tensions rise.



Shepherds were born to shepherd.

Hounds were born to hunt.

Pitbulls were born to fight.



You can't change genetics

Answer 14

Pitbulls are just dogs, the owners are the ones I'd call dangerous

Answer 15

Although breeders of this dog and many bad owners have contributed to giving this dog a really bad image, it`s not been banned in the UK and some other countries for no reason.

Laws such as this are not made lightly and are researched thoroughly before being made.

Answer 16

They were bred as nanny dogs in Britain to watch over, care for, and guard young children while the parents were away. No, they are not inherently aggressive or dangerous. But because of the purpose they were bred for, they are very sensitive to training- not easy to train, but when trained, they learn it it sticks- so when they are trained to be aggressive, they can be difficult to retrain.

Answer 17

i have heard so many stories. once a pitbull bit his owner on his face while others bit their owner on hand leg, head. i just wanna say one thing. before you buy one search all the incidents. search "PITBULLS ATTACKING THEIR OWNERS' you'll see a hundred terrible stories which will make change your decision. do not buy it. it is very dangerous. GOOGLE IT NOW! PITBULL ATTACK A LOT!

Answer 18

The American Temperament Test Society, Inc. (ATTS) breed statistics as of December 2005 show an 83.5% passing rate for the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier and an 84.7% passing rate for the Staffordshire bull terrier, as compared to an 81.2% average pass rate for all dog breeds. The ancestors of modern pit bulls come from England. The English White Terrier, the Black and Tan Terrier and the Bulldog are supposedly extinct breeds, this occasion stems from their forced retirement. However, that in their own time the English White Terrier, the Black and Tan Terrier and the Bulldog were prized animals. Vermin threatened people in more ways than just providing an unpleasant scare or as unwelcome guests; at their best, vermin ruined crops and damaged property; at their worst they served as a vehicle for fleas that carried the Black Plague. Terriers destroyed vermin efficiently and were easy animals to care for. As time went on the sports of badger and rat baiting — among others — caught on. It is from the terrier that pit bulls get their kind nature and juvenile behavior; it is also where the instinct to kill came from.These dogs were used in battle and for guarding, but they also served utilitarian purposes, such as farm work. Specifically, these dogs accompanied farmers into the fields to assist with bringing bulls in for breeding, castration, or slaughter. The dogs, known generally as bulldogs, protected the farmer by subduing the bull if it attempted to gore him. Typically a dog would do this by biting the bull on the nose and holding on until the bull submitted. Because of the nature of their job, bulldogs were bred to have powerful, muscular bodies, and the resolve to hold onto a violently-struggling bull, even when injured.



Eventually these dogs' purpose inspired the widespread practice of the bloody sports of bull-baiting and bear-baiting. In Elizabethan England, these spectacles were popular forms of entertainment. However, in 1835, bull-baiting and bear-baiting were abolished by Parliament as cruel, and the custom died out over the following years.There are often more dogs (many are mixed breeds which are lumped into the category of "pitbull") than there are owners. Pit bulls or dogs that appear to be pit bulls may be destroyed in dog pounds due to the stigma associated with the breed. Few, if any, statistics exist for these issues. Pit bulls and pit mixed dogs are a common sight in animal shelters. According to Nathan Winograd, president of the No Kill Advocacy Group, shelters today have failed to educate people about pit bull ownership and have not focused on finding them responsible homes, but rather are engaging in a "witch hunt".Dr. I. Brisbin (University of Georgia) states:



"The few studies which have been conducted of the structure of the skulls, mandibles and teeth of pit bulls show that, in proportion to their size, their jaw structure and thus its inferred functional morphology, is no different from that of any breed of dog. There is absolutely no evidence for the existence of any kind of 'locking mechanism' unique to the structure of the jaw and/or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier."One of the most popular and baseless urban myths about pit bulls is that pit bulls often ‘turn’ on their owners without provocation. However, no sane dog performs behaviors for no reason. When aggression becomes a problem the reasons can often be traced to such things as improper handling, lack of socialization or training, a misreading of dog behavior by the owner, lack of discipline, or even disease. When an owner is startled by a sudden, aggressive outburst, it is generally because they have been unaware of problems that were brewing.



Research performed by GoodPooch.com director, Marjorie Darby, finds that dogs involved in attacks overwhelmingly have a known history of aggression, even though many dog owners deny or minimize this fact. The neighbours are usually a better source for documenting negative aspects of a dog's history, than its owner(s). As such, it is further evidence that dogs, including 'pit bulls', don't just "turn" on their owners. A followup to a CDC report on dog bite fatalities came to a similar conclusion.



Hope I helped your question.

Answer 19

no there not there very protective pit bulls are awesome my moms bf has one and hes nice there only mean when u raise them mean or if they havent got there shots yet but there really nice and loving and sweet they make u feel safe there very good with kids and very fun and safe to have

Answer 20

Well I would say that how u treat them and how u look after them u will see how aggressive they are but all I can say id treat them good and there treat u and everyone good it just depends on the person how looks after them

Answer 21

Pit bull were selectively bred for hundreds of years for participation in blood sports.



For this reason they are the worlds most dangerous dog.



Their genetic make up makes them unpredictable and deadly.



One of the biggest problems with pit bulls is they do not see attacking and killing something as bad behavior.



Pit bulls can be well trained, well loved, and well behaved. Then a single incident can occur and they become unstoppable killers.



Pit supporters are soo stubborn, uneducated, selfish, and emotionally attached to their breed they don't see the danger.



Pits were bred to have a high prey drive, too be extremely game, and to ignore pain.



Pits do not have to be trained to fight, they do it naturally.



No one is exactly sure what triggers these animals to attack, but when they do they are the most capable fighters and killers of any breed of dog.



It is just common sense that dogs bred to fight and too kill are dangerous.



The media reports pit bull attacks because they are news worthy. When a dog kills a child, it is news.



Lets put a stop to the pit supporter B.S. ALL dogs are loyal, and sweet, adorable.



We can get those traits from any dog.



There are thousands of incidents where well trained, and loved family pets have turned on their owners.



The claims that only abused pits attack are false, and reckless.



Pit bulls have killed 319 people in the USA since 1990.



Pits have killed 96 people in the USA since 2012, many of them their owners and children.



Pit bulls severely injure 2 people in the USA every 12 hours.





LETS SEE WHAT THE EXPERTS HAVE TO SAY!









CESAR MILAN, celebrity dog trainer



"Yeah, but this is a different breed...the power that comes behind bull dog, pit bull, the fighting breed - They have an extra boost, they can go into a zone, they don't feel the pain anymore. He is using the bulldog in him, which is way too powerful, so we have to 'make him dog' (I guess as in a "regular" dog) so we can actually create the limits.



So if you are trying to create submission in a fighting breed, it's not going to happen. They would rather die than surrender.". If you add pain, it only infuriates them..to them pain is that adrenaline rush, they are looking forward to that, they are addicted to it...



That's why they are such great fighters." Cesar goes on to say..."Especially with fighting breeds, you're going to have these explosions over and over because there's no limits in their brain."





MELANIE PFEIFFER, veterinary assistant



Working in a veterinary hospital, you are exposed to all kinds of animal trauma. One of the more common ones is dog fights. I can honestly say that in three out of four cases, an American pit bull terrier is involved. Many times, we are able to save the life of the afflicted, but yesterday, we were not.



I propose that all owned American pit bull terriers be registered and all breeding be halted indefinitely. How many mutilated faces, mangled limbs, butchered pets and even human deaths does it take to convince us that this breed needs to be phased out?



DIANE JESSUP, Washington pit bull owner and expert



"It's not sensible to get an animal bred for bringing a 2,000-pound bull to its knees and say I'm going to treat this like a soft-mouth Labrador," says Jessup, the former animal-control officer. She blames novice owners, as much as actual criminals, for bringing the breed into disrepute. "It's a capable animal, and it's got to be treated as such."



JOHN ROCKHOLT, South Carolina dogman



"It's inhumane not to allow them to fight. If you have to encourage them to fight they are not worth the powder it would take to blow them away. To never allow them any kind of combat...That's inhumane."



RAY BROWN, former pit bull owner, breeder, dog fighter



Pit bulls didn't become dangerous because we fight them; we fight them because the English specifically bred them to be dangerous.



MARK PAULHUS, HSUS southeast regional coordinator



If it chooses to attack, it's the most ferocious of all dogs. I've never known of a pit bull that could be called off (during a fight). They lose themselves in the fight.



F.L. DANTZLER, HSUS director of field services



"They're borderline dogs. They're right on the edge all of the time. Even if the dogs are not trained or used for fighting, and even though they are generally good with people, their bloodline makes them prone to violence."







http://www.fatalpitbullattacks.com/

Answer 22

Always remember, they are bred to be fighters'

.

Answer 23

sometimes. if its a new born baby. be good to it and it will be good to you and u can train it. but if grown and then adopted dependind on there last owner it can be hard

Answer 24

nope.

Answer 25

NO..