Properly raised Pitbulls.

ive seen episodes of the dog whisperer will reform aggressive pits to the point they pass "the guinea pig" test.
(their squeaking and wiggling is especially hard to resist)

its purely a matter of teaching them to respect and submit to the things we want. do not leave them to thier own devices or people get hurt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h77O3CgwKNg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4RqB-HjkdI&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUV1oTciznE&NR=1


also while on the subject.. watch this fascinating series!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJQdYG2WHoE

but not dog breeds. The same people that will tell you that you shouldn't base an opinion on race, creed, religion or sexuality will happily slam a whole breed of dogs based on the actions of a few bad ones (usually made bad by the cruelty of their owners).

Being prejudiced against a dog breed is like being prejudiced against a human race.

"All pit bulls are dangerous. White men can't jump." Etc. A grizzly bear isn't a dog. Neither is an alligator or a shark.

Do you understand the difference between a dog breed/human race and a species? Maybe you should educate yourself.

can't dogs be bred for character traits as well as looks?

I mean you could at least be helpful here



Shark



Dog

Now go forth fellow DUer, and confuse them no more.

Makes it very succinct.

No not really.

I find we don't have to get them to "submit" to us. Respect goes both ways.

Additionally, pit bulls are not an aggressive breed by nature - they are a LOYAL breed, and that loyalty has been used against them by unscrupulous people who like to have a tough looking dog as a status symbol.

Nor do I agree with your statement that leaving them to their own devices gets people hurt. It usually takes intent to make a dog vicious. We'd be better off leaving them alone than teaching them violence and fear.

You're profiling this breed just as incorrectly as those (I think) you're trying to educate.

A post I made in another thread about pit bulls from a pro-pit bull site:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=printer_friendly&forum=439&topic_id=1063869&mesg_id=1064394

Not all being walked by gang bangers either. I was in Petco last week and a couple were there with two dogs, one of whom was a pitbull. I asked if I could pet her, and she was just like any other dog. Over Xmas, I had a great experience with another female pit who belongs to the daughter of a family friend. She was really playful, but STRONG! Playing with the rubber pull-toy was tough and I'm a 200 lb guy. This little gal was strong as an ox, but sweet as sugar.

I grew up with boxers, and I heard that pits have some boxer in them, so maybe that's why I like 'em. I'm also such an animal lover that their plight bothers me a lot and the breed needs to be proven that they're not just a bunch of freeloading canines just waiting to kill you in your sleep. We have four cats, so won't be getting any puppies anytime soon, but maybe one day.

Here in Baltimore, there are lots and lots of pits. Many are loving dogs, kindly raised but at the same time, others are owned by people who don't care about the attitude of the dog or are activly trying to make them vicious and/or fighting them.

There's a lot raised for dogfighting. And too many are owned by bad owners who want them as a tough status symbol. They seem to really predominate areas in the lower socio-economic strata. And I'm not putting down those owners. Just the one's who only own the dogs for fighting or as some tough status symbol and fail to train, socialize and fence in their pits properly.

I really wish the fad would go away. The animal shelters in my area 50-75% of the dogs in the shelter are pits or pit mixes.

As Cesar Milan puts it pit bulls are a gladiator breed and they need a firm pack leader who knows what they are doing.

That's why you're seeing more of them. They're good dogs and a lot of people are working to try and improve opportunities for them.

Bully breeds can be very strong willed and if a person is going to have one they need to understand it can take a strong pack leader to keep them in line. I have had APBTs and other bullies since I was 9 years old, I'm 47 and have never had one go rank on me. Here is my last dog and current dog, both credits to the breed.

This is Birdie,she was a rescue and was with us from 1999-2010. RIP sweet girl



This is Olive, she's also a rescue and has been with us since about Sept. of last year, wonderful dog



The most important thing to remember with any dog is, if you're going to have them, YOU are the leader, and you have to lead. The dog's behavior is quite often a reflection on the type of leader they have. I also think a lot of problems we're seeing are the result of people getting the dogs and then just letting them do whatever they want. Bad way to go. Buy some books, learn something about dogs, train and teach them well...or don't have them.

Yes, leadership is key. Adopting a Pit Bull is a huge responsibility and that responsibility and the precautions that go along with it must be respected at all times. Pits react to aggression with aggression so it takes a strong, patient leader and "pack" to raise them and keep them properly. Pits love their humans and cannot be left alone or separated for long periods. They must be part of the family and always, always treated with a firm, loving hand.

Birdie and Olive obviously both adopted the right family. Good for you and thank you for caring enough about them and the breed to do this the right way.

You must be an all around animal lover. :hi:

They're very smart and intensely loyal. But if the owner is an idiot, the dog will be also.

and also a number of very aggressive Pit Bulls. Much depends on the owner and the training the dog receives.

You could breed the aggressiveness out in 6 generations.

Russian breeding experiments with foxes
http://www.floridalupine.org/publications/PDF/trut-fox-study.pdf


Scientists theorize that the domestication of wolves to dogs probably began the same way
Nuture is a way but pit bulls do have a Nature too and have been breed
to be what they are.

I've seen dog owners who were afraid of their dogs.

My neighbor has a beautiful, sweet pitbull... but he won't be that way for long because idiot neighbor keeps the dog in a cage way too much. This poor dog is in his cage so long that he now does his toilet duties inside the cage. This is cruel. This is going to ruin a very good dog.

Makes me :cry:

A friend of mine runs a pitbull rescue org... she's rehabed them too. It's so sad what people do.

That sounds dangerous. I had a roommate that did the same thing and I ended up pretty much taking care of the pit because I didn't want him to become desocialized and vicious.

Don't get a pit if you aren't willing to spend time with it!

I'm trying to find a local non-kill pit rescue org that will be able to work with the local dog licensing authority... before it's too late. Poor guy is a beauty, and so sweet. He's starting to show signs of aggression when on leash or tethered... tethering is really heinous too! We live in a town-home complex... to raise a pitbull properly in this environment, you'd need to do a lot of things differently than this owner. 1) let the dog live in the house 2) take him on at least two walks a day, at least an hour long each, and 3) take him to a dog park or dog beach where he can run free for a couple of hours every week while socializing with other people and animals. That would be a minimum. This poor dog spends the vast majority of his time in a cage in their garage... so sad.

little Chihuahuas can be raised to be aggressive.

One of my sisters had a Chihuahua that was quite scary, small as she was.

She and her ex husband teased her all the time and then laughed when she would snarl and growl. She was a most unpleasant little animal, and I felt sorry for her because it wasn't her fault.

No matter what it is that makes his/her ownerperson pleased. THAT is why they make good fighters/guard dogs/attack dogs. That's also why it's really pretty straightforward bringing them back from the brink when they've been mishandled.

you could ever ask for,

but then my grandson is the sweetest and kindest kid you could ever ask for.

That is the problem - not the properly raised ones.
A bad pitbull is much worse than improperly raised dogs of other breeds.
True, sorry.

Why is that (other than obviously the little toy breeds)?

Seriously?

I'm thinking maybe not. You probably would not want to meet up with an improperly raised German Shepherd, for instance. I don't know how high Pit Bulls can jump, but I have two young Shepherds who can leap up high enough to bite my face off if they wanted to.

Luckily, they don't want to...


PS...I know how high they can jump because we blow bubbles at playtime and they like to "kill" the ones that are still over 5 feet in the air.

did not need the Dog Whisperer to teach them, as they were all sweet dogs. Unfortunately, they are all now in doggie heaven. But I do have a Chihuahua that definitely needs the help of the Dog Whisperer.

because they assume those animals are vicious killers.

So they raise them accordingly.

If people were to decide golden retrievers were the most vicious dogs alive and some started getting them because of that assumption we'd see a lot more aggressive golden retrievers in the news.

There are no bad breeds, plenty of bad owners though.