Pitbulls? Don't want to have an incorrect understanding of the breed

[writerskramp]

They sound like horrible people, I am so sorry you had to call them your neighbor.

Yeah, I suppose.. It is what it is..

 

[Cecisflock]

I was threatened by a stray pit bull a week ago. It showed up on my property and threatened my collies and me, charged at me, and wanted to get to the chickens, too. The thing was scarred up. Thankfully, I have not seen it since last week.

i'm so sorry, hope you and your dogs are ok!

 

[LizzzyJo]

They are all different breeds and those who lump them together are ignorant




Apologies. APBT owners should know better and keep their dogs behind fences.

While they are, of course, different breeds, I believe OP @black_cat was asking about a few of these breeds and people's views on all of them, I could certainly be mistaken here - my apologies if so.

Thank you for the support. Of course I believe all dogs should be under control at all times, not just pitties.

The pitty/staffy attacks got so bad in my city (Louisville, KY) at the time they banned them. Huge fees to own them and they had to be fixed. The crack down really diminished the backyard breeding of fighting dogs. I suppose it also hurt the reputable breeders, which is sad. I haven't lived there in over a decade and don't know if they're legal now. I do know that you can't go to Ontario, Canada with a dog that has a 'pitt bull type face'. They're banned from crossing the border. I have learned this because we live near Ontario and my shepherd mix is allowed to go camping with us, but I can certainly see the discrimination here. I can see both sides of the coin.

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

It's funny you mention that bc I've been searching our local shelter's website for months looking for a dog for my MIL. I noticed every single bully mix dog was listed as a lab mix. I'm assuming due to the reputation of bullies.
No doubt labs are popular and I've met quite a few lab mixes with bad attitudes.

But Most well bred labs really will go out of there way and give you every opportunity before they bite.

I think people have a tendency to call every black dog with floppy ears a lab mix and every dog with a boxy head a pit mix. Unless they're doing dna tests I just wouldn't assume a dog is the breed it's listed in a shelter or rescue.

I agree, completely! Especially the last part. If in question, save up and buy a DNA test

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

We have 2 German shepherds in my neighborhood that are aggressive and have been known to kill small animals. I've tried getting the city involved for over a year with no luck! I stopped taking my kids on walks with our dogs because of this issue. The owner doesnt answer the door, has a broken fence that they continue to patch over until the dogs escape again and every single time animal control comes, they run back to their backyard and no one can do anything about it.

It's really sad in general, no matter the breed, when owners cannot be more responsible and caring for their pets.

 

[April0617]

Pitbull is short for American pit bull terrier. There is no umbrella term. That is straight BS.

That's the term that most city legislature uses, and shelters, and most of the general population, to describe any bully breeds. Not saying it's correct, just saying that pit bull is the umbrella term because most people use it as that. So it's been umbrella-d whether we like it or not

 

[writerskramp]

They are all different breeds and those who lump them together are ignorant

They are more resiliant than other animals, due to their background bull hunting. Although they do still feel pain. Of course.

Yep

Like any other breed, the APBT can become human aggressive, but it is not common. They are very strong breeds and with their terrier prey drive, they will kill just about any animal


Apologies. APBT owners should know better and keep their dogs behind fences.


They need a strong hand who knows what they are doing, for sure.

As one with experience which is the best teacher so the saying goes.. Great animals.. but not family friendly.. What ever that means.. Once them jaws lock around poor miscreant, there is no releasing them.. Watched as mine mercilessly crunched bones of some varmint.. I felt their pain.. or some stray who crossed his path.. One time it was in the 90's, we were all suffering the heat. Little boy was messing with him, he had enough and said so. I turned around and there was a gash which needed stitches above his lip.. Think it was his claws, not his teeth, but sure sounded like it.. Dog was ashamed and son crying.. Just a heads up. Do what you do till you can't anymore, do to circumstances beyond you control..

 

[black_cat]

WOW there are a lot of responses to this- I've read through and I'm going to go back and respond to what I feel needs response.

 

[black_cat]

As someone who has worked in the vet industry for 11 years, can I just say thank you @black_cat for doing your research prior to getting a puppy.

Actually, we already have a puppy! He's a golden retriever. I'm not looking to get a pitbull, just wanting to learn because I've heard "Cull all pitbulls! They'll kill everything!! Need to die!!" "Pitbulls are just misunderstood! It's all the humans fault! They're nice if you don't teach aggressiveness!!!" and everything in between.

American pitbull terriers and American stats are very different then the "pit mixes" then you find in the shelters. Depending on where you live you maybe be able to find a purebred, but it isn't always the case.

Understandable.

Any breed and I mean ANY breed can be aggressive to humans and animals. Breeders need to breed for temperament just as much if not more then the breed for the 'looks' of the prospective puppies. Genetics, and the temperaments of the parents play a huge factor in the overall soundness of mind of a dog. But the other big factor is exposing and socializing that little puppy to literally everything and anything that might cause the dog to be fearful and react. Unfortunately by 16weeks of age puppies have some 'set' ideas on things and that can be hard to correct as they get older, though in the right hands, (someone with experience) those ideas can be changed and the desired behavior can be achieved.

Totally!

My own Border collie, is a shelter dog, horrible life by the time she was 1.5, multiple homes, undersocialized with life, people, dogs etc. She was emaciated, missing hair, terrified of men the whole meal deal. But after 2 years of hard work with her, you would never know. She's great with kids, she can be standoff-ish with men but never aggressive and she is good with dogs. She's particular about the dogs she interacts with, but from working with her and reading her I know what she can and can't handle. So I always monitor closely and never put her into a situation that would cause her to react. She's almost 11 now and becoming a cranky old lady lol but people never suspect such a bad start to her life because of how she is now. She's a sweet girl to both men and women, she's just very aloof with people in general including her family lol.

That's wonderful that you were able to get her! Border collies are so cute but I don't think that most people can deal with their energy, which is why they get dumped.

I've worked with sooooo many dogs of all kinds. Any dog, of any size or breed or breed mix can bite in the right circumstances. It's NEVER ok to assume that your beloved dog would never bite anyone. Always be cautious, learn to read their body language and do your best to never put them in a situation that makes them uncomfortable. Socialize the crap out of that puppy, and do positive reward based training.

We're doing that with ours right now- whenever there's another dog walking by, I ask if they can meet, and whenever someone's out in their yard and goes ''aww, your puppy is so cute!!" I'll respond with ''Want to meet him?" He's 11 weeks old right now so still in the prime learning phase, and we're trying to show him as much as possible.

 

[black_cat]

I will try to answer....

It isn't ALL genetics but genetics play a huge roll in how the dogs (any dogs) temperament will be.
It is not ALL in the training but a dog with a nice temperament can be made aggressive by poor, inadequate or worst case deliberate training to be reactive.

A fearful dog is highly likely to feel the need to defend themselves. That applies to all breeds.

The temperament of the parent dogs affects what the temperament of the pups will be.
Humans can influence that temperament both positively and negatively.

Understandable! So with APBTs, it's probably mostly genetics but still a mix?