[msrene39360]

Rubypitbull,
Thank You:) I might have to take you up on that offer soon.:D

[Heavens Touch]

Pit bulls were not Bred for Fighting. They were actually bred for family dogs. Believe it or not. It isn't in there blood to harm. It is when the owner treats them wrongly. The reason pit bull kill is because they have lock jaws which means when the bite something they have to rip through it. I used to have a pit bull puppy and he was as sweet as can be. My Pomeranian was more aggressive than him. There have not been any incidents with him, meaning he never bit anyone, even as a puppy. They can be trained not to hurt but you have to understand that they will not tolerate aggressive behavior.

[RubyPitbull]

Heavens, although I do agree with you regarding training and a few other points you have made here, there are two things that you need to be aware of. I am not trying to be argumentative here but I take researching and understanding breeds thoroughly, quite seriously.

One is, they do not have "lock jaw." That is a bacterial disease that affects the nervous system, and is most often associated with humans. Most pitbulls do have a hinged jaw which allows them to grab and hold onto their prey different than any other breed out there. It is very difficult to break that hold once it is firmly in place. The other is, unfortunately they were originally bred to be a fighting dog. People who fought dogs were looking for the ultimate fighting dog and experimented by mixing quite a few breeds in a trial and error sort of way. They were ALSO bred to be excellent companions to humans because someone had to be able to handle and control the dog. The intent, and their purpose, was to fight other dogs and be obedient to, and easily controlled by, their owners.

[SHERRYANDGREG]

I have been a dog groomer for the last 10 years and I own 2 pit bulls. I would gladly choose a pit to groom any day over most small breeds. None of the pit bulls I groom have been aggressive. However most small dogs I groom are. I also own a cocker spaniel that I would never leave unattended around my children but my kids can play with my pit bulls and climb all over them with out so much as a growl or whimper out of them. I think all dogs have the ability to be good dogs it just depends on their training and environment.

[cls_2008]

I read many opinons and i think the owner is guilty for aggression of pitbull dog
Is pitbull aggresive breed or people make it aggressive? What You think?

I feel the same way because I have a blue pitbull and she is nice as ever

[carolbcac]

I believe Pit Bulls are a breed for more experienced owners. Taking on the responsibility of this breed means understanding their strength and the potential for damage. It means spending a lot of time socializing them to animals and people, and never letting down your guard.
I personally like the breed in general, but I also watched one kill one of my cats. (It was my fault, I was evaluating him for a shelter, and had discovered he was animal aggressive. I was in the process of reporting this and recommending this dog not be put up for adoption. The cat had gotten into the room without my knowing it.)
I have noticed many owners tend to fall into one of two categories: the macho man who wants an equally macho dog and is proud of the dog's strength and aggression. The other extreme is the owner who is out to prove what a pussycat the breed really is, and has a false sense of security. The good owners fall somewhere in the middle--they appreciate the outgoing and confident nature of the breed, but they know how powerful they are and the owners are always vigilant. Obedience and good manners are practiced daily, and the dog is never unsupervised with children.

[murker1]

Any dog doesn't matter the breed is not born aggressive,
Any dog doesn't matter the breed that is raised well will never attack a human being,
A dog will act according to his/her masters wishes,

I adopted a staffie about a year back, she was lovely, simply the best dog ever,
However she had one major defect, she was extremely aggressive towards over dogs, whenever she laid eyes on one she would go crazy, literally mad, she wouldn't even bark properly she'd just screech with rage,

So after finding this out we decided to conact the place we got her from, we found out that she was used for dog fighting, of course this broke my heart, knowing that our cute little jazz had been introduced to a world of violence and pain, when we first got her we noticed scratches and marks which we think are now wounds from her previous "life",

However instead of giving her back, we wanted to take care of her, and train her to get along with other dogs, so for 4/5 months we went to these dog training class's, she eventually got a little better, until I took the final plunge myself and introduced her to one of my friends dogs completely face to face, and of course she barked and screech'd as I assumed she would, but when she saw that I wanted for her to get to know this dog and be calm she immediately was quite, looking up at me with her big staffie smile, and now I go on walks with other friends and their dogs without worrying about her attacking/barking at them,

Basically what I'm trying to say is, no dog is bad, they are raised that way, however, no dog can not be changed,


How can she be deem'd as an aggressive dog?

[babygirl85]

You know what? I had a friend of mine over a couple months ago, the first time being to my house, around my dog, and she was petting him, he was licking her, she was doing fine with him telling me how well behaved and gentlemanly he was... then she says "what breed is he?" pitbull... then "oh no" and she backs away like he will attack and tear her to shreds at any second. I just about kicked her out of my house. But the God in me (and my husband) held me back. So of course it's the owner of the dog who controls the turnout of the personality. My husband and I taught him to never play too aggressively when we have toys, and what do you know, now that he has a playmate, he barely grazes her. It's definitely all in the teaching.

[Silverfoxkit]

Any dog is capable of vicious tendencies, even your neighborhood golden retriever. I myself was attacked by a Labrador. In fact right now the number one biters are dachshunds. Some can just be more dangerous then others if they do turn. Pitt Bulls as a breed do have the potential to cause harm, especially if those tendencies are fostered, but they also have the capacity for great love. Pitt Bulls use to be the all American farm dog, but now sadly all that the media allows you to see are the killers. Breeding also plays a large part in the makeup of a dogs personality. "Game bred" pitt bulls or dogs from these lines are much more likely to become more aggressive. If you are interested in getting a pitt bull,I would suggest ONLY getting one from a reputable breeder, and meeting the parents to get a feel of how the puppies may be. If you get one from the guy in the parking lot, you may be buying "game" bred dogs.

[rex123]

I believe that it is the owners who make the dogs aggressive like I always say there is no such thing as bad dogs only bad owners!!

[binx44]

I don't think pits are naturally aggressive dogs in recent times. Back when they were still bred for fighting yes they were aggressive. My boyfriends brother owns 3 pits and one valley bull and he has three VERY small children.
They were taken to obedience just to be safe as pups but they are the best family dogs I have ever met besides dogo's (which are used for wild boar and mountain lion hunting in argentina but are loving protective dogs when it comes to family

[linnealand]

i can say that only 5 % from pitbull owners teach them to fight! Only 5%. The other 95% love this dogs !

I'm wondering where you got this information from.

Clearly there is a chasm between pit bull owners who are supportive of the breed and people who are afraid of them, generally because of their massive power and a highly publicized history of aggression.

There is no question that both nature and nurture play their part in the disposition and character of any dog.

There is also no question that there are good pit bulls out there. Heck, there are some really great pit bulls. The good ones are known for being excellent companions, including in families with children.

Still, no one can argue that a lot of people, especially children, other dogs and pets, have been maimed or killed by pit bulls.

Unfortunately, pit bulls are often sought out by owners who are attracted to aggression. Again, this doesn't mean that all pit bull owners are this way, far from it, but it does account for a good deal of the nurture parts gone wrong.

Many want to argue that every breed has its own aggressive dogs. This is true, but it doesn't change anything when it comes to dealing with the problems associated with problem pit bulls. It just means that not enough people know how to handle and train their dogs. That's not a good thing when it's a chihuahua, and it's definitely not a good thing when it's a dog with a much bigger, more powerful bite.

No matter how much a pit bull owner loves their dog, there is no arguing with the facts. Fear of pit bull aggression has not come out of thin air. They are responsible for more fatal dog attacks than any other breed.

The following comes from wiki: Pit Bull - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"A comprehensive study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that the pit bull breeds are the breed most often involved in fatal dog attacks in the U.S. Out of 238 dog bite deaths for which the breed was known from 1979 to 1998, 66 were caused by pit bull attacks (over 20%), more than any other breed."

Also from wiki: Dog attack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"There are studies that claim certain breeds are more likely to attack than others. A study by Merritt Clifton, which analyzed serious attacks in the U.S. and Canada between 1982 and 2006, determined that Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios, and their mixes were responsible for 74% of attacks studied and 65% of fatalities.[6][7] Another study indicates that pit bulls and their mixes were involved in approximately one third of the reported human dog bite-related fatalities between 1981 and 1992, while Rottweilers were responsible for about half of those fatalities reported between 1993 and 1996."

Google the 10 most dangerous breeds. The pit bull comes up again and again.
Top Ten (10) Most Dangerous Dog Breeds | Pets Do

I can only assume that the bans aren't coming out of thin air either. States, cities, towns and municipalities could not be able to legislate bans and restrictions of certain breeds if there were positively no facts to support the laws.

I realize that this question has pulled up a lot of the loving, caring and responsible pit bull owners who frequent this site. Thank goodness you do what you do. But there is another side to the story, and that information needs to be here too.

[linnealand]

I think the following is an excellent site that all pit bull owners (or potential owners) should read. The people who manage the site love and rescue pit bulls. They also take a fair and very serious look at proper pit bull ownership.

Pet Pit Bull - Breed Information

[Silverfoxkit]

One problem contributing to the breeds bad rap is that when shown photos, many people are unable to differentiate between pitt bulls and other close breeds such as boxers, staffy's, and American bulldogs, and the dog/dogs responsible for the attack are misidentified. I'm not saying pitt bulls are not responsible for bites, just maybe less then they are given credit for. Can you find the pitt bull?

Pet Pitbull - Find the Pit Bull

[Alty]

Got it on my 5th try, wow, that's not easy. You're right Silver, I think many of the attacks are probably blamed on pit bulls even though the dog isn't a pit bull.

The thing to remember, all dogs have the capability to attack, even teacup poodles can and will attack. So, why do pitbulls get a bad rep? Because, when they attack they can cause a lot of damage, even death. Other breeds can as well, but for some reason we've focused a lot of attention on the pitbull breed.

All I can say, if you aren't an experienced pet owner, don't get more dog than you can handle. A pitbull requires someone who knows what they are doing when training this breed of dog. It's not for a novice pet owner, so buyer beware.

[Silverfoxkit]

The dogs I knew weren't right off the bat were the lab, the swiss dog, the boxer, the russels, the vizla, the rotty and the cur, which would be easier to recognize for me since they are my state's dog. Even still, it took me 3 tries! I have more dog knowledge then your average bite victim though. An example is that I know someone with a French bulldog. I've heard people ask countless times, "Is that a pitt bull?", or my favorite variation I've heard at least a dozen times, "Is that there one of those english pitt bulls?" If people are capable of mistaking a frenchie for a pitt...

[beeayoutifulove]

I have a pitbull-he is the sweetest an absolute sweet heart, I don't know where I would be without him. We have two other dogs as well, although he is dominant he is not aggressive towards them. With him I've only experienced that he is very dog aggressive and territorial. I'm not sure if this is due to his breed, but I think that he's just got a "dominant dog" personality, which dogs of any breed can have.

[absowutewy]

Beth, while you were obviously well intentioned you did not do your research before bringin your Pit Bull Terrier into your pack nor did you manage his socialization after. Owners like yourself do further damage to the breeds TRUE reputation.