What do you think of Pit Bulls?

i think they are dogs that should be eradicated from the face of the earth ... they are not pets and what they have been bred for is illegal ... the building i live in changed the rules recently allowing pit bulls and guess what, on the weekend, the pit bull has lived in the building for a little more than a month, and it almost killed the neighbours small dog ... this has been a dog friendly building 25+ years and never any incident between dogs ... some strata fool thinks it is "discrimination", allows pit bulls, and now the neighbour with the small dog is hoping her dog lives and will now have to live in fear when she has lived in the building over 18 years because of a pit bull and an ignorant owner ... and that pit bull owner assured the management it was "friendly" with all dogs ... they are not friendly dogs, well maybe to their owners, but why should normal (the freaking majority) pet owners have to live in fear their dog is going to be killed by someones "sweetheart" just walking past (cuz many of the dogs are stronger than their owners, pits usually lunge, and grinning fool-headed owners assure the dog is "friendly") ... hmmmm, my dog does not lunge at other pets or animals ... it has very little to do with the owner, it is not how they are trained, it is what they were bred to be, fighters ... you don't hear of chihuahuas and pomeranians (the two breeds the ignorant supporters like to throw around) turning on their owners and killing them ... and the saddest part are the type of people attracted to this dog ... the owners fall into three categories: tough guys/girls, bleeding hearts, and about less than 1% of true qualified owners ... less than 1% is not enough to allow these dogs to be pets because the first two groups are the majority who screw them up for different reasons ... and everyone loves a screwed up pit bull ... i have a jack russell terrier and i acknowledge the reality of her breed ... i would never tell someone she is a "sweetheart" and let her play with their hamster ... the hamster would be dead, that is reality, and i can accept that about my breed, why can't pit bull owners accept the realities of their breed ??? all i read is denial ... and also, posting on this forum about pit bulls is like posting about breeding, pointless ... go into the real world, talk to adults (over their 20's), neighbours, co-workers, friends, and the majority of intelligent, successful people have ZERO need for a dog like a pit bull ... thankfully the world is not made up of bleeding hearts and tough guys/girls so breed eradication is possible ...

Pit Bull type dogs are not dogs that I would own. Nothing against the breed, just not a breed that would fit my lifestyle.

Put Bulls were bred for *animal* aggression. That does not, and should not translate to human aggression.

You failed to note that Pit Bulls were also known as "nanny dogs" due to their extreme friendliness with humans.

A well-bred Pit Bull should have a very high prey drive for *prey* animals, but not humans.

So your point of "If you have a well bred Pit Bull who doesn't need a muzzle when in the house, then good job." is incorrect.

However, this animal aggression is a reason I would not own a pit bull. I prefer to have more than one dog in the house, but I would not if I owned a pit bull.

Furthermore, when the original purpose of the dog becomes obsolete, unnecessary and illegal, should we simply allow a breed to die out due to misuse or make attempts to modify the genetics to create a more "family friendly" dog?

- Although with recent media attention, allowing the breed to die out altogether may be a good plan

Yes, pitbulls were bred originally for bloodsports but they were only aggressive towards the animal they were fighting. Once out of the ring they would not bite the hand that fed them otherwise they would have been killed.

In the late 18th century they were known as Nanny Dogs as they guarded young children and were often shown in photos with them, so it is only recently that they have been encouraged and bred to attack humans.

The Dangerous Dogs act of 1991 gave owners a ltd amount of time to legally register their dogs if they had a pitbull but since 1997 if the owner could prove that the dog wouldnt be a danger to anyone and certain conditions were met then the dog could be registered and kept.

If anyone has ever watched Animal Rescue then you might have seen police and the RSPCA confiscating pitbull type dogs, some of which are just pups and some of which are breeding bitches that are very friendly. It seems a shame to put them down becuase of irresponsible owners

I don't think you understand the pit bull breed at all. They were bred to be animal aggressive, yes, and any pit bull that is not is, frankly, badly bred. I agree there.

However, they were also bred to be docile to humans. After all once upon a time dog fighting was legal and often times a fighting dog was a family pet, and this meant that contact with children was inevitable. Pit bulls that were not safe to handle when in pain, scared, riled up, etc were shot, not kenneled. The breed by nature is aggressive with other animals (to an extent) but good with people, especially children. The breed had the nickname "nanny dog" for very good reason.

Dog fighting today is also nothing like it used to be. It's turned into a violent blood sport, but once upon a time there were rules that kept the dogs safe and mostly unharmed. The aggression of fighting pits today is extreme compared to a good fighter back in the day. Fights were broken up if a dog was injured or if a dog didn't want to fight. Today, that dog is often allowed to be mauled and bloodied up. Once upon a time that dog's owner would have been jumped and dragged out of the building for his efforts to destroy a legitimate sport.

I do agree that breeding a pit bull to not fight might be seen as breeding against the standard. But at the same time, dog fighting--even the legitimate sport the dogs used to enjoy many decades ago--simply is not popular anymore. Most people who are involved in the sport seem to be the Michael Vicks of the world who don't care for their dogs, who don't take any real pleasure in anything more than having power over an animal and winning some money. There's really no REASON to breed them with such a high prey and fight drive anymore.

Unfortunately people do buy from bad breeders. Many bad breeders think a pit bull should be unpredictable, "protective", and vicious. These breeders are almost exclusively responsible for breed bans at the end of the day, because a legitimate breeder will be careful who they send pups home with, and will be sure human aggression is not an issue. This day and age when most people are against dog fighting it's arguably stupid not to breed out some of the high prey drive as well, to make them easier to keep with other dogs and animals.

But to say that a properly bred pit bull should be somehow dangerous to people is a complete misunderstanding of the breed, its breeders, and its history.

[Add] http://www.seefido.com/dog-discussion-forum/import...

For all the people insisting that pit bulls actually have a statistically higher bite and attack rate than other breeds.

Pit bull is not a breed . Its a type of dog that covers many mixes and types that have their origins from the staffordshire Bull Terrier .

Yes in the u.k Pit bull types are illegally , and many you see are badly bred staffys or staffy crosses .

Over the 100s of years that Staffordshire Bull Terriers have been bred , the fighting 'urge' as it where is slowly being bred out of these dogs . After all dog fighting is illegal , there is no need to for these dogs to retain this trait.

Its not a 'sure thing' that they will be aggressive , but because these pit bul types re not a recognized breed , you could in reality be buying anything .

Here in the uk and the us if you have a pit bull type ,it has come from a byb , American staffs are recognized in the us as a true breed , and a lot of people cant distinguish between these and pit bull types , or even Staffordshire bull terriers. They do look very similar.

The AKC , notes that am staffs are 'show' dogs and threw the generations this 'aggression' that these types are so well known for is slowly diminishing.

"Almost everybody I've met, who's had a Bully type dog (usually STaffordshire Bull Terriers, the only Pittie owner I've met is my friend) says that "it's not the dog, it's the owner!" but I disagree."

This part slightly annoys me because Staffordshire Bull Terriers are extremely friendly. Unless socialised they are not normally dog friendly but are absolutely fantastic with people and great family pets. Pitbulls and Staffies are, by nature, people friendly! The reason you get vicious dogs is because of the lack of proper breeding and the wrong owners. There are so many people out there who jeopardise the breed because they buy backyard bred pups and neglect to properly train them and treat them the wrong way to turn them into guard dogs and then they breed from these dogs. Responsible breeders will only select the breeding pair with the best temperaments and the breeding pair who carry the breed standards. I'm not saying all backyard bred Pitbulls turn out bad. One of my friends has two Pitbulls who are very friendly and sooky dogs. Look at Cesar Millan. The dog he takes around to teach other dogs is a PITBULL. When his first Pittie started getting old the next dog he chose to lead by example was a PITBULL. No puppy ever starts out vicious or nasty by nature. It is up to the owner to encourage the traits they want. Owners so easily let these tenacious breeds become the leader and then blame the dog.

"If you have a well bred Pit Bull who doesn't need a muzzle when in the house, then good job."

As you mentioned, their ancestors were bull baiters, and they were bred to fight dogs. Why would you think they would need a muzzle in the house (unless there were other animals around)? Would you expect a Jack Russell to need a muzzle in the house because it was bred to kill rats or a Rhodesian Ridgeback bred to take on lions?

Aggression towards other animals such as livestock, cats, dogs, and bulls is different than aggression towards humans. One can be present without the other. APBTs usually have aggression towards other animals.

Not a breed I personally like...I like working breeds

As you say Pits are illegal as are pit x's and now with the DDA all breeds are covered if 'aggressive'....so no breed is safe.

I have legally come into contact with many Pit Bulls ( in the UK) and legally handled many, lovely dogs but illegal and anyone who buys them are committing a crime,so they are bred by criminals, owned by criminals , any vet who treats a Pit without reporting it is committing a criminal offense..........so owners do not use vets.....any rescue who doesn't report it and PTS is committing a criminal offense and any trainer/behaviourist who doesn't report it and trains them is committing a criminal offense IN THE UK ...........if on the other hand you re in a country that allows Pits this doesn't apply

Ha, sounds to me that you are not actually wanting others opinions, you want to let your own out about the opinion. These dogs were bred to hunt bulls and bears. That is 100% true. They were made to help not to hurt. And people have turned these dogs into fighters. I have a pit bull, and he was the EASIEST dog to train that I have ever owned. He is stubborn sometimes, but he is the friendliest dog. His best playmate are two boston terriers and another APBT. If he was vicious, or born to kill, they wouldnt play so well. And I would have to differ on the badly bred if he is not vicious. But heck, if that is the case, I would take a poorly bred pitbull over a correctly bred pit bull. But, it is how you raise them. Not in what breed they born into. But, everyone has their own opinions, but unless you raise one yourself you dont realize how much they want to please their owners, and how much they strive to make their family happy.

I disagree, a non aggressive APBT is not a badly bred one, but a well trained one. Yes they were originally bred for fighting (bulls and other dogs) and this trait is part of their genetic make up. However, they are Dog first, and Breed second. A responsible, experienced owner will stop the breed instincts from taking over. You should look up the history and you will see that they were often used in the late 19th century on farms to protect family and livestock. Yes they have been used to fight other dogs but it doesn't mean they will attack everything that moves! How on earth would they (as a breed ) have survived if they fought to the death instead of mating?

I would say that your friend does not own a pure bred APBT if she lives in the UK, but a badly bred lookalike.