[pitbull_apbt]

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

[labman]

Pit Bulls were originally bred for fighting. But like most breeds today, many lines are nothing like their original purpose. Yes there are some mean nasty Pit bulls, mostly bred and owned by mean, nasty people. Then there are some wonderful ones owned by nice people. Some of them have posted here in the past, and your post may bring them out. Responcible people choose well behaved dogs as breeding stock.

You just can't determine a dog's behavior from its breed. I have had young Labs that wouldn't join the other dogs playing in the lake. Some traits are shared by most members of a breed, but not all. Early socialization, before 12 weeks, is important too.

[pitbull_apbt]

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

[badams007]

There are so many wonderful pits out there... many wasting away in shelters with almost 0% chance of adoption.

HOWEVER, one thing people need to consider in opting for any breed of dog is IF things turn bad, can they physically handle the dog - GOD FORBID, but I know I cannot physically manage a pit, etc.

I had a pit in my household for 3 years. Loving, well adusted, well socialized, easy to teach and direct dog... he would stop on a dime from a dead run if I asked him to... Lovely dog... Until I came home one day to my cat shredded in a million pieces all over the house... and 3 days later, he took a big hunk out of my gordon setter (show dog, female, very mellow)... after 3 YEARS of living in my pack, sleeping cuddled with the cat every night and being an excellent sibling to all the foster cairns that had come through in that time...

I learned very quickly that if I could not trust a dog I was just not willing to have them in my household... I honestly can say I would be hard pressed to trust a pit again no matter how sweet they appeared, and no matter how badly I want to think the breed gets a bad rap

-Beth

[greenpanther07]

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?

The are responsible for their dogs.. I am 16 years old I have pitbull and he is so sweet. We don't have an environment where there is abusing ut juss depends on how u treat your pitt they are really good pets!!

[badams007]

I repeat that just being a good dog owner may not make any dog, and perhaps particularly a pi a nice dog for it's whole life... This is what I said before:

I had a pit in my household for 3 years. Loving, well adusted, well socialized, easy to teach and direct dog... he would stop on a dime from a dead run if I asked him to... Lovely dog... Until I came home one day to my cat shredded in a million pieces all over the house... and 3 days later, he took a big hunk out of my gordon setter (show dog, female, very mellow)... after 3 YEARS of living in my pack, sleeping cuddled with the cat every night and being an excellent sibling to all the foster cairns that had come through in that time...


As a good friend says: All dogs have teeth, and no dog no matter how well trained or sweet they may appear, should ever be trusted to not bite under all circumstances.

-Beth

[roogirl]

I fostered a pitbull x from the animal shelter. When I initially fostered her, I expressed my concern to the vet about the nature of this breed. He said to me 'it is not the breed, it is how they are treated'. Turns out he was spot on. I eventually bought her and have had her for 2 years now, and I couldn't ask for a sweeter, more placid dog.

[heathervettechCa]

That's a VERY good question. I have worked in the veterinary industry for over 10 years now and I see a lot of breeds. Certain breeds we tend to take more caution with than others. I have never believed that any dog is born bad or aggressive, however, I think that over time certain breeds earn a reputation for potential behavior that is inherent in that breed but not necessarly always the case. The truth is, you should ALWAYS research a breed before you take it on. If more people were educated about their choice in breed, accedents would be few and far between. Yes, I think pit bulls tend to be more on the aggressive side than some other breeds especially dog aggressive, do I think that it can be trained out, yes, because I know a lot of great pit bulls that have owners that spent the time socializing and training their dog. The is just as high of a chance that a pit bull will be aggressive and mean as there is any other breed if they are poorly socialized and untrained. Pit bulls were originally bread to be fighting dogs, and they pick up behavior patterens from their parental units, thus once they began this way, the tradition continued and the breed has been unfairly labeled as a bad breed. All dogs are capable of attacking people and other animals and they can all do a lot of damage, pit bulls are capable of doing more damage due to their jaw structure and lean muscle mass, thus the reason why they were bred as fighting dogs. If you are considereing a pit bull as a pet, than just be smart and be in control from day one, get him or her trained, spayed or neutered, and socialized VERY early on. Hope this helps.
Heather

[Jessyfay]

This shouldn't even be a topic , Pitt bulls are naturally an aggressive dog, they were bred for that, trying to raise a pittbull as a family pet is like trying to raise a porcupine to cuddle. Pitt bulls are for protection and personal companionship there not for families. Unfortunately more and more irresponcible and low income, uneducated people are breeding this dog as a status and for underground fighting, banning the breed is just not the way, but banning breeding of this breed is what we should do. Peta recommends this in there spring aniamal times.

[amberandfrank]

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?

Pits are raised to be mean it is all the owner... if you do research the dogs that bite the most are usually smaller breeds "ankle bitters" growing up my family had several pit bulls and we never had a problem with them... they were possibly the sweetest dogs I've ever owned. In fact our cat walked all over them she practically raised them. I think that people who say that the dog breed is bad or aggressive are ignorant it is not in a dog its in it owner. If you raise a dog to fight it will fight if you raise it to be nice then it will...

[valinors_sorrow]

There are lots of breeds that have the potential to be aggressive, not just pitbulls. Its been my personal experience and observation of many others that dogs are very much an extension of their owners. I have raised a beagle, shepard, huskie, shar-pei and lab. I would not hesitate on a pitbull puppy to raise either, if I were in the market for another pet.

[heathervettechCa]

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 have worked in the industry of vet med for 11 years and had very few run in's with "bad" pit bulls HOWEVER, they are bread for fighting and as such they are by nature usually dog aggressive,it is just something, as a RESPONCIBLE owner, people who have pitbulls, must come to the understanding of. I don't believe that any animal is by nature "bad" or "mean" I do think that they respond to training and socialization EARLY in their lives so they are less likely to be predisposed to illnatured behavior.

[Hollyn]

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 have a male pitbull that is just over a year old, and have many pitbulls in our family. They have all been very sweet and very sensitive dogs. They are pleasers, and it is all in how they are raised. It is the owner responsibility to raise their dog right. You can train any dog to be aggressive and nasty. Pitbulls have gotten a bad rap.

[froggy7]

this shouldn't even be a topic , Pitt bulls are naturally an aggressive dog, they were bred for that, trying to raise a pittbull as a family pet is like trying to raise a porcupine to cuddle. Pitt bulls are for protection and personal companionship there not for families. Unfortunatly more and more irresponcible and low income, uneducated people are breeding this dog as a status and for underground fighting, banning the breed is just not the way, but banning breeding of this breed is what we should do. Peta recommends this in there spring aniamal times.

Do you think the same thing about bulldogs, staffordshire terriers, boxers, bull terriers, bull mastiffs, shar-peis, bedlington terriers, etc. Lots of dogs were bred to be aggressive pit fighters, used in baiting different animals and dog-fighting. On the other hand, pit bulls had a history of being a family pet for quite some time in America. The most famous example is Petey from the Little Rascals TV show. Nobody thought anything of having that dog in the middle of a bunch of little kids.

One of the problems with dogs (in general) is that a lot of people get one without doing enough research into whether the dog is a good fit for their lifestyle. The bully breeds need an experienced owner, who is willing to handle them correctly. If a chihuahua bites everyone it sees, no one cares. Let a pit bull act the same way, and people care.

List of famous pits: Poppy's Place - Famous Pit Bulls
List of fighting breeds: List of dog fighting breeds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[latizzle18]

To jessyfay , I just wanted to say that what you are saying is not true about pits , ex raising pitbulls as a family pet is like trying to raise a porcupine to cuddle, well I have had my pitbull for 11 years , and my dog has not hurting a soul my dog is the most adorable dog you will ever met I have had about seven different cats since we first got him and he never hurt any of them and he also lets stray cats sleep in his dog hoouse wit him and lets the 2 cats I have now eat out of his dog food bowl at the same time as him , so I really do think it is on the environment, and for me to have this same pitbull since 1996 he is not a mean and cruel as everyone is saying.

[mountain2]

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 think the owners is guilty of an aggressive pitt bull. I have a red nose pitt and a blue pitt. They are the best dogs I've ever had.They would never hurt us just protect us. There treated with love and respect and that what they give us in return. There part of our family.

[msrene39360]

I use to think that to but now after getting a pit I do not fully agree with that (((owners is guilty of an aggressive pit bull))) I am a pit bull owner myself and you have to think ANY dog can be aggressive rather it be a small loved dog or rather it be a big petty dog my puppy get the best treatment in the world he already has things that most dog would dream of in he's just 8 weeks old but he bites and I know I am not mean to him and I do not allow other people or dogs to be mean to him as well I know there are some people out there fighting pits and I do not think that's right I do not think any I mean any animal should be miss treated. I love my puppy so much but I know that it's in him to be aggressive it's in anyone and any animal but that should not give dog fighters the okay to miss treat them.:mad:

[froggy7]

I use to think that to but now after getting a pit I do not fully agree with that (((owners is guilty of an aggressive pit bull))) I am a pit bull owner myself and you have to think ANY dog can be aggressive rather it be a small loved dog or rather it be a big petty dog my puppy get the best treatment in the world he already has things that most dog would dream of in he's just 8 weeks old but he bites and I know I am not mean to him and I do not allow other people or dogs to be mean to him as well I know there are some people out there fighting pits and I do not think that's right I do not think any I mean any animal should be miss treated. I love my puppy so much but I know that it's in him to be aggressive it's in anyone and any animal but that should not give dog fighters the okay to miss treat them.:mad:

Ms. Rene,

Many pups of many breeds will bite at this age. I hope that you are taking the time now to teach your pup that biting is not OK. If you don't get that stopped now, you will be facing an adult dog that is, eventually, going to bite someone who's not you. And then you may find yourself in court, where the breed's reputation is definitely going to work against you.

Just as background: My parents had an akita/pit mix, and I have seen first hand how quickly he killed a rabbit that we startled out in the yard (the sound of crunching bone is still in my mind), and how easily he could pull someone who weighed twice as much as he did. And the incredible amount of power he put out when he shook things - you could feel the snap up through your shoulder. I also know that he was perfectly sweet with me, the rest of the family, and the family pets, both cats and dogs. I loved that dog, but I would never trust him running loose in a place where he could get to a neighbor's cat. Not after the rabbit. Sadly, he died a few years ago, after being with the family for 15 years.

These are powerful dogs, and you need to be in control of that power, because you will have a difficult time stopping them physically if they get it in their mind that they want to go kill something. And getting control of your puppy is going to be much easier than trying to gain it after you have let him have the upper hand for several months or years. Being in control means that you will not have to face the agonizing decision of whether to get rid of or euthanize your dog because he followed his natural instincts. And your dog will be much happier, since he will be able to go to more places and interact with more people than an out-of-control dog can.

[msrene39360]

I understand what you are talking about and I agree with the training while he is young and that is what I have been doing. Thank you :)

[RubyPitbull]

Msrene, I am glad that you understand what froggy is saying. I hope you have found a very good training program for your dog. In addition to that, as a new pit owner, it would serve you well to do as much research and reading as you possibly can to get a good understanding of your breed. There are a lot of good books out there. Diane Jessup is an author that comes to mind immediately when I speak about Pits. Reading as many resources and information on pitbulls will help you tremendously in how you approach your handling of him.

labman has a suggested reading list, that although is not geared toward any particular breed, contains some very exceptional books that are highly regarded in the training world. Please see this link:
https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...man-53153.html

With a pit, the most important thing to remember, besides training your dog to completely respond to your commands, is to socialize him as much as possible at his young age, with all animals and people, and continue that throughout his life. This is actually a very social breed. They love their people. They actually are one of the most affectionate and cuddly breeds around, if they are given the proper start in life. Mine, at 60 lbs, loves nothing better than to sit in my lap. Can be a bit of an issue at times with her size and weight. LOL. If you can ensure that you have socialized him properly, make sure that he is trained to the point where he will stop what he is doing when you give him the proper signals, give him plenty of exercise to work off his high energy, you will have a happy and balanced dog. They actually do quite well in agility. Once you have mastered the commands, you might want to enroll him in an agility course. It is a wonderful bonding experience you can have with your dog and will allow him to work off that excess energy.

I you have any questions, please create a post in the dog forum and I will get back to you as soon as I can. I will be happy to help you if you are experiencing any problems.