Please tell me about Pit Bulls.

[JennaPenny]

I've known many of them. Every single one I've met are SO sweet. I'm just a court TV addict, and every single dog attack either off leash or on, minus I think just three, were pit bulls. Not human- dogs. And they always seem to be yorkies. Not all of them, but enough to where it makes me ask. A friend wants me to visit for the weekend next month. Chewie doesn't do well with me gone for long. They have a pit bull. She says he's around her kids and cats and they've had little dogs (nothing chewie's size, though) and thinks he's a lap dog. I'm just wondering if my pre judgement is wrong, and it isn't something that would be dangerous.

[lillymae]

Pitties are wonderful dogs & deff get a bad wrap. They also DO NOT having locking jaws as most people believe, in fact they don't even have the strongest jaws as far as breeds go. In fact they are down at like 3rd or 4th. I honestly don't believe & from what I have read that they are any more dangerous or unpredictable then any other large breed dog or for that matter any breed of any size. I remember when I was about 6 or 7 yrs old & every time you heard of a dog attack it was a German Shepherd , I just didn't get because I was born & raised with the breed & they were all so gentle. When I was around 12 it was the Doberman with the bad wrap then in my early 20's it was the Rottie. Then came the Akita & then the Pittie. The problem is that any large breed dog has the potential to be dangerous. If you look at the stats Pitties are no more aggressive then any other breed, the problem is they out number other breeds & is why & the only reason why there are more pittbull attacks or bittings then in other breeds. About a month ago I was reading another stat that said pitties percentage wise were about 9th or 10th down on the list if you actually take into account the numbers estimated in the total # of bites per the estimated # of dogs in the breeds they were comparing. Does this make sense ? I was a vet tech for yrs in an area of southern Ca that was HIGHLY populated with pitties & I never met a mean one but those darn Chi's now those little buggers can be mean & they are also one of my favorite breeds, mean or not I Love em, lol. When my 2 oldies I have now pass over the bridge I am going to Ca to rescue a Pittie as the shelters there are FULL of Pitties & most shelters in southern Ca are very high kill. I just hope I can be strong enough to only come home with one, lol

[JennaPenny]

Originally Posted by lillymae

Pitties are wonderful dogs & deff get a bad wrap. They also DO NOT having locking jaws as most people believe, in fact they don't even have the strongest jaws as far as breeds go. In fact they are down at like 3rd or 4th. I honestly don't believe & from what I have read that they are any more dangerous or unpredictable then any other large breed dog or for that matter any breed of any size. I remember when I was about 6 or 7 yrs old & every time you heard of a dog attack it was a German Shepherd , I just didn't get because I was born & raised with the breed & they were all so gentle. When I was around 12 it was the Doberman with the bad wrap then in my early 20's it was the Rottie. Then came the Akita & then the Pittie. The problem is that any large breed dog has the potential to be dangerous. If you look at the stats Pitties are no more aggressive then any other breed, the problem is they out number other breeds & is why & the only reason why there are more pittbull attacks or bittings then in other breeds. About a month ago I was reading another stat that said pitties percentage wise were about 9th or 10th down on the list if you actually take into account the numbers estimated in the total # of bites per the estimated # of dogs in the breeds they were comparing. Does this make sense ? I was a vet tech for yrs in an area of southern Ca that was HIGHLY populated with pitties & I never met a mean one but those darn Chi's now those little buggers can be mean & they are also one of my favorite breeds, mean or not I Love em, lol. When my 2 oldies I have now pass over the bridge I am going to Ca to rescue a Pittie as the shelters there are FULL of Pitties & most shelters in southern Ca are very high kill. I just hope I can be strong enough to only come home with one, lol

They do get the nastiest rap. . Never met one I haven't adored. Lock jaw, surprisingly, wasn't even something that crossed my mind- and it was because my aunt's doberman that took a huge liking to me, so he was "mine" went to bite her little pekingese mix. Not from being mean. He was nervous. He bit the owner instead. We got into a convo, and she told me it was no worse than her own pit bull from year's ago bite, on accident that one, too. I was 17- she brought up lock jaw being more of a myth. I never forgot that. Her pit bull bit her for the same reason "my" doberman did- nervousness. Her little dog was so hyper than he just wigged out.

What you are saying DOES make sense. ONLY reason apart from my court tv that would make me nervous at all, is the terrier prey drive. Chewie also lunges with no warning. I have also read theories that debunked that. Chewie has done it right in front of me with daughter (from her rapidly fading resource guarding) and to this mean little chihuahua next door (did it first.) I figured if she does it, would a pit bull do it, as it is one of the listed breeds. But the debunk theory says that terrier prey drive is bs.. then other ones say it's not bs.

You are so great doing all that you do! Seriously, amazing. If you come home with any of them.. take pictures. I LOVE pitties playing. They get this crazed look and their tongues hang out. SO funny!

[lillymae]

Well if Chewy gets aggressive then you do need to be careful, not because the other dog is a Pittie but because it's much bigger then her. My Wolfhound that I lost to cancer this past Feb was a sight hound meaning they hunt by sight, so anything that moves quick got his FULL & undivided attention but he would run fast up to little dogs & put on his breaks just before he got to them & stood still as a statue & would not lift a foot till the little dog stopped running around. He would let the little one get it's hello's out & then gently & cautiously try to find it under him to check it out, it was comedy to see for sure. He was always afraid to step on it & I find that amazing as I don't know how he knew not to step on it as he never had & I had him from the time he was around 10 mo old, so maybe he stepped on one before I got him IDK but he was a big ol funny boy & I miss him so much. So sometimes little can start the fight as they can be very much intimidated be the larger dogs & is why you must always be cautious when introducing dogs of such size diff & be VERY cautious if you allow them to play as IF the large dog were to run into or over the little one it can be fatal & believe me it's not a pretty thing to see. Captain my Wolfhound was never allowed to play in that way with my little ones as I have seen WAY too many times the ugly side of that situation. Captain got his own separate play & roughhouse time outside with myself & DH & he was very happy with that. Now indoors was a diff story as he never got the Mad Dogs or the Crazies or the Zoomies inside the house & when the little ones did he got out of their way fast, usually behind or beside me. He would look at me like Ummmm, momma they are playing in the house & they are gonna get in Biiiiig trouble.When I think of him, sometimes I laugh & sometimes I cry or like rite now sometimes I do both. UGH I need a big dog, this is the longest in my whole life that I have been without a big dog in my house & I don't like it much but I know I need to hold off as Sparky, Ruby & PooKat are all in Kidney failure & putting them through the stress of adding a new pet rite now is not going to happen, but one day.... So I think you will be fine taking her as long as you proceed with caution.

[Wylie's Mom]

Bc of what us HUMANS have done to the pittie breed, there are some pitties and pittie traits that can be unpredictable and aggressive. Many/most pitties are just big 'ol goobers who think they are lap dogs though . But human beings have altered the natural course of this poor breed - and we now see the consequences of what we've done.

But the real issue here is not to just be careful bc this is a pittie...the real issue is to be extra, extra careful bc 1) another dog is involved (*any* dog) and 2) it's a larger dog. *Any* two dogs can be very dangerous to each other if they get triggered; if a big and small dog get dangerous together, it's most likely going to be the smaller dog who pays dearly. Also, a large dog can - through no real fault of its own - end up hurting a small dog just from trying to innocently play w/ a smaller dog.

With Chewie being small (aka more vulnerable) AND aggressive, you should approach this w/ extreme caution. Keep both of them on leash for a good long while during introduction - and you only allow them off leash if they do not trigger each other. If either one triggers the other, you need to be careful and keep them separated or leashed to you at all times.

[Maximo]

As Ann wrote above, *any* 2 dogs together can be dangerous if triggered. Doesn't matter what breed.

My Yorkies boys are close in size and have the potential to harm each other. They love each other, but they are 2 strong males and they do have their moments when they get overly feisty with one another.

I would not risk leaving a visiting dog alone with my dogs.

[matese]

My most favorite in big dogs are the pit bulls. My family has them and some friends also and they are the sweetest babies. If it wasn't for the fact that I would have to put up a 6 foot high fence and feel like a prisoner I had the offer on two occasions for a pit puppy, it tore me up to have to refuse their offer. However, I would NEVER allow MY yorkie to be in the company of the pits that I know. You just never know what may trigger one of the dogs and yes, my little yorkie would get seriously injured or killed.

[Rachael1983]

With any dog you're not familiar with, its a situatuion to proceed with caution? My brother has pit bulls and they are friendly but I monitor closely. They only see each other on holidays so its similiar to your situation. Don't be so close to judge just because its a pit bull, bad things can happen with any dog. Fingers crossed your visit goes well.

[gemy]

I would come prepared with a crate. Leashing your dog to you is not going to work out well if the other is free to roam. Do not .et them play together in or outside. The crate is for your dogs safety.

[KairaPup]

As a whole the breed is more prone to dog and other animal aggression especially to smaller animals and small dogs. This is genetic, not through the fault of the owner- and was bred into them when they were fought against one another.

Many bull breed mixes do okay with other animals, many do not since they were bred down from animals genetically inclined to be animal aggressive. I do not trust them with other animals until I've gotten to know the dog. A true American Pit Bull Terrier will attack any animal near it, especially other dogs. They are bred to be what is called "game" and not release or stop even if they are suffering severe injury.

The likelihood of your friend having a proper APBT is low though and it is likely a bull breed mix. I'd exercise caution until you get to know the dog, but the dog might be just fine.

[Lilah Charm]

I have known a lot of nice pitbulls. I have also been in cooperative living farm situations where two separate pitbulls teaming up together killed two different goats on two different occasions years apart (different owners, different dogs, different goats) innumerable chickens- - a raccoon one time and that was amazing- they are very prey driven dogs. I had always just said- well, they aren't so good with other animals but they are great with people. Then one day I read this: 2015 U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities - Dog Bite Statistics - DogsBite.org

I read the individual stories, the biographies with documented dates, times, dogs, with pictures next to them- faces of real people- -!; I just don't think I can ever feel safe again around a pitbull. I have known a lot of nice pitbulls, -!: I have met some scary, dangerous ones and blame it on the owner but still. Anyway, you might want to read that website. It collects bite and fatality statistics from dogs. Scared the heck out of me. I will stick with Yorkie's.

[lillymae]

Originally Posted by KairaPup

As a whole the breed is more prone to dog and other animal aggression especially to smaller animals and small dogs. This is genetic, not through the fault of the owner- and was bred into them when they were fought against one another.

Many bull breed mixes do okay with other animals, many do not since they were bred down from animals genetically inclined to be animal aggressive. I do not trust them with other animals until I've gotten to know the dog. A true American Pit Bull Terrier will attack any animal near it, especially other dogs. They are bred to be what is called "game" and not release or stop even if they are suffering severe injury.

The likelihood of your friend having a proper APBT is low though and it is likely a bull breed mix. I'd exercise caution until you get to know the dog, but the dog might be just fine.

I have to ask, Where did you get your info ? as this is absolutely not true. I was a vet tech for yrs & we had several people as clients who were breeders of APBT & showed their dogs. These dogs would not hurt a fly, in fact the vet I worked for bred & showed Chi's & his dogs were often in the office. When we boarded the Pitts for our clients the Pitts played with the Dr's Chi's & a couple of those Chi's were pretty obnoxious as far as thinking they were big mean dogs, they would often go after the Pitties actually biting at their legs & feet & never , not once did any of those Pitties ever try to harm or even show any kind of aggression towards the Chi's. So again, I will say this is misinformation.

[lillymae]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Bc of what us HUMANS have done to the pittie breed, there are some pitties and pittie traits that can be unpredictable and aggressive. Many/most pitties are just big 'ol goobers who think they are lap dogs though . But human beings have altered the natural course of this poor breed - and we now see the consequences of what we've done.

But the real issue here is not to just be careful bc this is a pittie...the real issue is to be extra, extra careful bc 1) another dog is involved (*any* dog) and 2) it's a larger dog. *Any* two dogs can be very dangerous to each other if they get triggered; if a big and small dog get dangerous together, it's most likely going to be the smaller dog who pays dearly. Also, a large dog can - through no real fault of its own - end up hurting a small dog just from trying to innocently play w/ a smaller dog.

With Chewie being small (aka more vulnerable) AND aggressive, you should approach this w/ extreme caution. Keep both of them on leash for a good long while during introduction - and you only allow them off leash if they do not trigger each other. If either one triggers the other, you need to be careful and keep them separated or leashed to you at all times.

Ann, I agree on some part here but let me clarify. The Pittie traits you refer to here I don't believe are actually Pittie traits but bad traits period and are not specific to the Pittie breed but any poorly bred dog of any breed or size. I have known more Goldens & Labs that I would never trust & they are supposed to be the # 1 family dogs.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Bc of what us HUMANS have done to the pittie breed, there are some pitties and pittie traits that can be unpredictable and aggressive. Many/most pitties are just big 'ol goobers who think they are lap dogs though . But human beings have altered the natural course of this poor breed - and we now see the consequences of what we've done.

But the real issue here is not to just be careful bc this is a pittie...the real issue is to be extra, extra careful bc 1) another dog is involved (*any* dog) and 2) it's a larger dog. *Any* two dogs can be very dangerous to each other if they get triggered; if a big and small dog get dangerous together, it's most likely going to be the smaller dog who pays dearly. Also, a large dog can - through no real fault of its own - end up hurting a small dog just from trying to innocently play w/ a smaller dog.

With Chewie being small (aka more vulnerable) AND aggressive, you should approach this w/ extreme caution. Keep both of them on leash for a good long while during introduction - and you only allow them off leash if they do not trigger each other. If either one triggers the other, you need to be careful and keep them separated or leashed to you at all times.

I am a bit more precautious around any bully breed with Jackson. Some of them can come across very strong to other dogs and also Jackson WILL defend himself... I'd never label him as aggressive, he's very used to other dogs and willingly allows anyone into his home. With me as a pet sitter he's encountered many breeds. But he will fight back if he feels threatened and I think that is what worries me the MOST because if the bigger dog decides to fight back even harder, Jax doesn't have a good chance of winning that fight.

So yeah typically I avoid bully breeds unless they are well known to be super gentle and okay with other dogs. My aunt had a pit bull that was so chill his whole life. I never worried about him around Jackson.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by lillymae

I have to ask, Where did you get your info ? as this is absolutely not true. I was a vet tech for yrs & we had several people as clients who were breeders of APBT & showed their dogs. These dogs would not hurt a fly, in fact the vet I worked for bred & showed Chi's & his dogs were often in the office. When we boarded the Pitts for our clients the Pitts played with the Dr's Chi's & a couple of those Chi's were pretty obnoxious as far as thinking they were big mean dogs, they would often go after the Pitties actually biting at their legs & feet & never , not once did any of those Pitties ever try to harm or even show any kind of aggression towards the Chi's. So again, I will say this is misinformation.

It actually is quite true. Go to any pit bull forum and most owners are prepared for crate & rotate life eventually. They also almost always own a break stick just in case. Dog aggression is VERY typical and common. However most "pit bulls" people have nowadays aren't true APBT if that makes sense. So they're watered down or mixed with something else therefore you may not see it often. But it's something you need to always be prepared for. Not that it's ALWAYS going to happen... but it's known as the "responsible" thing to do as the owner of a bully breed.