Staffordshire Terriers (pitbulls)

[TxRedMan]

For those of you that don't know, a pitbull's breed name is Staffordshire Bull Terrier. If you ever want to fool your landlord put 'staffordshire terrier' on your lease if you own one and you'll see a nod instead of a scowl that you'd receive if you put 'pit bull'.

wiki

Before I owned a dog (who is now 5 months old) I had been around a few pit bulls. One of them was the sweetest dogs I'd ever been around. His owner was in his early 20's and wasn't aggressive with him, cared for him, and he was always around many people so he was very social. At first I was concerned because of their reputation, but when 'King' rolled over on to his back for a belly rub it was clear this dog was not anything like I had heard described.

I've since been around several pit bulls, and the conclusion I have reached is that they are a sweet dog by nature, confident, and loving. I've been around many breeds of dogs, and I've seen other breeds that are much more dangerous to people in my opinion. Some poodles, for instance, are actually extremely territorial and uber-aggressive. Shetland Sheep Dogs can be very one-person oriented and snap/bite strangers. German Sheperds are often good family dogs but can be taught to be very aggressive and dangerous guard dogs.

A few minutes ago I was walking my dog by the lake. It's a nice day and there were a lot of people at the lake, including a guy who had three pit bulls on chains at a picnic table. They saw my Golden Retriever and started barking and lunging. The owner made no attmeps to calm his dogs and the children nearby were obviously scared of these animals. I assume these are the pit bulls that pose a threat to people, especially young children- many of whom have been killed by this breed.

Californian's (some) have proposed a ban of these animals altogether. I believe that would at some point include euthanizing current house hold pets.

I suppose the point of this thread is, what can be done about this? I don't believe the animal is the problem. I think the problem is uncontrolled breeding by poor owners and idiots/thugs raising these dogs to be aggressive and unstable menaces.

As much as I love animals, especially dogs, and my opinion on this particular breed, I found myself pissed off and a little frightened at the prospect of defending myself and my dog if those three pit bulls had become unchained today.

Thoughts?

[mmbt0ne]

Other dogs may be more aggressive, but an aggressive pit bull can crush bones. A poodle nipping at strangers doesn't quite have the same effect.

I don't know what to do about it other than continue to punish people who let their animals cause harm/damage.

[wdcbooks]

The mythic status given the pit bull's biting power and aggressiveness is a bunch of nonsense. I own a beautifully bred and behaved Male Rottweiler, but he is perfectly capable of doing massive damage if he was so inclined. So are Golden Retrievers and Labs and German Shepherds.

There is a long history of thugs and tough guys owning a certain breed of dog. For decades the German Shepherd was that animal, then the Doberman, then the Rottie, now it is the Pitbull. Breed bans are short sighted because they pretend that the breed is the problem instead of the owner. Any breed of dog can be trained to be aggressive and dangerous.

The worst thing that can be said about Pit Bulls is that they have natural traits which can be dangerous if not controlled. They have a high prey drive and can tend to be territorial and aggressive towards other animals. If you don't know how to deal with that, or don't plan to put some effort into working with the animal then you should not own a Pit.

Think about what would happen if Pit Bulls were banned. Do you really think this:



Or this:






Couldn't do an equivalent amount of damage to a Pit Bull.

The solution is harsh penalties for people whose dogs are aggressive in any way, or are let off leash in public areas. Combine that with education about how to find the right animal for a person's needs and then how to train the animal would go a long way.

[guids]

What is that first dog? I dont really even like dogs, but that is awesome looking. How dangerous are those? esy to take care of?

[Wondercall]

WDC,

Can you post pics of your rottie?

[john voight]

my dad take my pitbull w/ him when he goes hunting for wild boar.

That said he must know something I don't b/c I have always felt my dog was as harmless as they come.

My cousin has a sick pitbull though. He is somewhat nice, but a total [censored]. I would imagine he would have no problem killing a young adult (and possibly a full grown adult) if he was properly trained.

Overall, all my experiences w/ pitbulls have been the same as other dogs. So imo, it is no big deal.

[Queensgrad]

my Aunt has a staffy, and it likes to jump up in your lap and lick your face. It really freaked me out the first time, all those teeth and such a big jaw. But once i really got to know the dog, it was ok.

[danlux]

Pitbulls just have so much damn energy, they never stop moving. My eighbor came over with his and knocked my laptop down and broke it, so I'm biased against them.

I do think however that like any dog, it is how it is trained and treated by the owner. If the pit bull is abused, it will be aggressive towards others. If it is treated right it is a wonderful dog.

[Blarg]

All domesticated animals are bred at least partly for temperament. Usually, the temperament bred for is docility first and foremost, because an animal that attacks you is no good to you.

But there are other things bred for, too. Sometimes they can be very odd and far from the behavior of the dog's ancestor, the wolf. Things like jumping into the water and pulling people ashore, like it can be very hard to get Newfoundlands NOT to do, do not depend on the owner of the dog whatsoever. Neither does the bred-for instinct to point, or retrieve, or herd.

These things can be increased by training, but a great deal of selective breeding has gone into making those traits inherent.

This goes for fighting dogs, too. Even short term-breeding choices can have a strong effect. A dog that dies fighting before breeding is automatically excluded from passing along his genes. But dogs who are simply not winners but still live on, or who don't have vicious or determined enough temperaments, are also consciously left out of breeding decisions as a matter of course by those trying to breed winning fighters. Multiplied over multiple generations, these decisions can result in a very high and peculiar amount of genetic selection. That's the whole point of selective breeding.

So regardless of what anyone feels about a breed or how pretty one thinks it is, whatever, the fact remains that genetics are very much at play. Just because you can make a dog better or worse doesn't mean it doesn't already have inherent tendencies. You can't "train" genes. Even if you thought you knew how.

Anyone who doesn't realize this is not the best owner for this kind of dog. This kind of dog requires people who are thinking and responsible.

[wdcbooks]

[ QUOTE ]
What is that first dog? I dont really even like dogs, but that is awesome looking. How dangerous are those? esy to take care of?

[/ QUOTE ]

The first is the Cane Corso, the second is a Dogo Argentino. Both are uncommon breeds that are favorites of both enthusiasts and your more discerning thugs.