44 replies to this topic

[Sandman]

Yet, Caesar Milan (Dog Whisper) has a pit that seems fantastically well behaved regardless of breed.

Bad example... Caesar Milan is not your average dog owner. He's a professional trainer. I'm also pretty confident Jeff Gordon can drive my car faster around a race track than I can.

[bordercolliefan]

okay, I have to point out that dogs are bred to enhance traits and instincts. that's why some dogs are pointers and others are herding animals. they aren't just bred for appearance.

So succintly put. Thank you.

[trans]

I had a Pit once. He was a great dog! I also had a friend who had one that was very protective of their daughter. He would stand in front of her if a stranger approached. I know of other dogs that are bred as "fighting dogs" that do not have the same rep as Pits do. You are also going to have to think of the people who usually buy these dogs. The majority are people living in the ghetto who leave them in chains in the yard. I think I would hate people if I lived like that!

[caligirlz]

I inherited the pit bull in my divorce. My ex used to say that the dog is no better than the person who trained it.

"Buggs" was very loving, and a great companion. She has a heart of gold, and loved to please her master. And she could could be a real toughie. She went everywhere with me, and I especially liked the reaction when I walked her alone, specifically after dark. Even the meanest looking thugs would move to the other side of the street. Especially after they'd ask if she was mean, and I lied, and said yes.

And for the record, she did bite both myself and the ex..."love bites" hahaha, when she got too excited or carried away. At least it wasn't an attack bite where they just hang on. She certainly was capable of that type of bite. I witnessed it during our play time with toys, and branches, and trees.

It's true that certain breeds are breed for specific purposes, and along those lines, the breeding results in breed-specific defects. In her later years, Buggs developed severe pain in her hind legs, and was in agony for way too long on expensive doggy meds, before I finally figured out how miserable she was. Those piercing, shrill barks really were a sign of pain, not of being a pain, or the **itch that she was.

Would I ever get another pit bull? Probably not, my preference really is for shepherds.

[MurphysLaw]

Mean is what you breed and train into a dog.

I've met some LOVING Pit Bulls in my time, and some really NASTY ANGRY Chihuahua's.

Chihuahua's are ugly. The best thing about them though is that when they attack you can kick them. when a pit bull attacks you kicking is not going to do much. Pit bulls can be the most loving dogs, and I have meet some really nice ones, but when they lose it they have the potential to really hurt someone. That is why i never want to own one.

[momof1]

Yes, size & power have an enormous impact on the damage done by an animal so inherently, a pit bull is more dangerous than a 5 lb chihuahua. And speaking of 5 lb terror's, I would much rather be attacked by a 5 lb chihuahua than a 5 lb cat. Wanna talk a furball of nastiniess, when cats attack, it's not pretty.

[cybertrano]

I hesitate to have pit bull in my house now that I have children who are 6 and 7 . that's all i can say

[Barb J]

Owners....good or bad?

Barb

[Barb J]

Had to come back and expand upon my answer! We had a wonderful Rottweiler for 12 years. She was an amazing family dog and we are in the process of trying to find another one. With a breed like Rotties, Pit Bulls or German Shepherds, I would NEVER just get one out of the paper. I would only get one from a reputable Code of Ethics breeder. The dog would have to be pedigreed and I would want to meet the dam and sire. Lineage is everything with these types of dogs (and with any dog to be frank). Daily training and exercise is a must for working dogs. They want a purpose and resource guarding is inherant. So give them a job and they will do it with gusto!

Our vet once told us that the dog that bites the most is a Lab - people assume Labs are nice dogs and don't approach with caution.

Barb

[Steve Heard]

I met someone who trains protection dogs and was told that there's a reason certain breeds are used for protection, and that pit bulls are very protective but their instinct to chase and to attack makes them less suitable for that purpose. He says one can train a pit bull, but they still have that instinct and are too unpredictable.

A relative had to put theirs down because he bit 2 people on 2 different occasions. Their son is probably typical of the negative stereotype of pit bull owners.

A friend of mine gave hers away after becoming a grandmother because as loving as the dog is, she did not trust him around her grandson.

On the other hand, one of my friends just buried his 9 year old pit, who was one of the sweetest dogs I've known.

So, I think we can say that:

Pit bulls were bred for hunting and attacking

Some people love that about them and get them to look tough

Some pits are very nice, but the instint is still there

Some people deny pits are different from any other, some people know and acknowledge that they are unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

You will never convince either side to change their views.

[caligirlz]

Had to come back and expand upon my answer! We had a wonderful Rottweiler for 12 years. She was an amazing family dog and we are in the process of trying to find another one. With a breed like Rotties, Pit Bulls or German Shepherds, I would NEVER just get one out of the paper. I would only get one from a reputable Code of Ethics breeder. The dog would have to be pedigreed and I would want to meet the dam and sire. Lineage is everything with these types of dogs (and with any dog to be frank). Daily training and exercise is a must for working dogs. They want a purpose and resource guarding is inherant. So give them a job and they will do it with gusto!
Barb

I disagree. My most recent dog was a rescued German Shepherd. "Shadrach" was a mess when I got him, scared of every little noise, like a kitchen cabinet closing or putting a book down on the table. Shad was a pure GSD, but without papers. He was a beauty and with a lot of extra love, constant attention and training, he grew up into a fantastic dog. I had to give him up when I moved to Sacramento, but a wonderful family adopted him. I knew it was going to be a good thing when the children were fighting over whose room (& bed) he was going to be sleeping in.

[Thinkingoutloud]

There was a really interesting article in NatGeo a few months ago that chronicled an experiment that was slowly domesticating foxes. They bred them for dog-like traits, desirbale pet atributes and slowly the foxes became more and more dog-like with pleasing personalities and similar traits (tail wagging, licking etc.)

At the same time they also bred foxes for traits not wanted in a pet and those foxes became vicious animals that had to be handled very carefully.

Dogs are the same - we've bred them to contain certain traits. Pit Bulls were bred to do battle with bulls - animals 20x their size and weight. They were bred to be valient, brave, fierce, dominant, loyal, domineering, victorious and to enjoy fighting.

An animal in the wrong hands could easily have those traits exploited. And animal in the right hands could easily have those traits suppressed.

But those traits will always be there.

[casualforce]

I inherited the pit bull in my divorce. My ex used to say that the dog is no better than the person who trained it.

"Buggs" was very loving, and a great companion. She has a heart of gold, and loved to please her master. And she could could be a real toughie. She went everywhere with me, and I especially liked the reaction when I walked her alone, specifically after dark. Even the meanest looking thugs would move to the other side of the street. Especially after they'd ask if she was mean, and I lied, and said yes.

And for the record, she did bite both myself and the ex..."love bites" hahaha, when she got too excited or carried away. At least it wasn't an attack bite where they just hang on. She certainly was capable of that type of bite. I witnessed it during our play time with toys, and branches, and trees.

It's true that certain breeds are breed for specific purposes, and along those lines, the breeding results in breed-specific defects. In her later years, Buggs developed severe pain in her hind legs, and was in agony for way too long on expensive doggy meds, before I finally figured out how miserable she was. Those piercing, shrill barks really were a sign of pain, not of being a pain, or the **itch that she was.

Would I ever get another pit bull? Probably not, my preference really is for shepherds.

Sheperds have the highest rate of attacks. They just don't kill as much, so they don't get the bad press... just saying.

[Steve Heard]

Sheperds have the highest rate of attacks. They just don't kill as much, so they don't get the bad press... just saying.

After a hectic week featuring 10 to 12 hour days, I had missed a couple of workouts and between client appointments, decided to take a job through the Oak Parkway Trail, around the corner from my house.

It was beautiful. Crips, cool air, oak leaves covering the ground, a couple of very polite kids on skateboards waited for me to pass as before jetting down the hill. All was going well. As I headed down the hill, I saw a couple about 100 yards ahead, on the side of the trail, with a German Shepherd. As I approached, I could see that they had the dog on a short leash, and was relieved.

Never the less, as I passed, the dog suddenly lunged at me, and the woman pulled hard on the leash as the guy yelled, 'NO!' and grabbed the dog around the snout.

Good times.

[caligirlz]

Sheperds have the highest rate of attacks. They just don't kill as much, so they don't get the bad press... just saying.

The fault frequently lays with the owner being unable or unwilling to train & control their dog, regardless of breed.