Are pitbulls really vicious dogs, I say yes ...?

Question

I have owned two in the last three years. Raised them properly, made sure they got used to all situations, ie... other dogs and people and still I wouldn't trust them.

To the people I offended, be easy, I have studied up on dogs in general and was just qurious if other people have the same feeling as I. I'm not trying to say pits are worst than the next breed. It's My experience with them that has swayed my opinion not other peoples horror stories. My first dogs where pits.

Answer 1

If you've already made up your mind, then why do you care what other people think? The definition of raising a dog "properly" is to make sure it is well-trained and NOT a menace. There are two likely scenarios:

#1 You got dogs that were genetically so aggressive from fighting bloodlines that nothing you did would have made any difference.

#2 You didn't raise and socialize them properly. Terriers are a challenge to train and definitely not a breed I'd recommend for your first dogs.
Did you read some great books on training and behavior? (Try not to pick books randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also!) These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com
What All Good Dogs Should Know – Volhard http://www.volhard.com/
Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins
Dog Tricks : Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers by Haggerty and Benjamin
Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor
Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard
Dog Problems - Benjamin
Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan
Do you watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel? Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

Answer 2

It is the IRRESPONSIBLE PIT OWNERS out there that have given this breed the worst rap! It's not the dog, it's the human beings that have taught and raised these dogs to fight and attack.

NO DOG and I mean NO DOG is born vicious! It is merely how you raise and care for them... PERIOD!

Any pit attack you read, see or hear about, don't look at the dog - look at the owner! It's ashame when an attack happends the dog is put down. I really think it's the owner is to blame for neglect and possible abuse (or improperly training the dog that showed any signs of aggression or on the other hand, not taking care of the problem in the beginning to eliminate any future problems.)

Answer 3

I don't think so and I've never owned one nor will I ever.But it's only because they need alot of exercise and I know I could'nt keep up with the dog.
I take my neighbors pit to the dog park with my dogs and keep him for at least 2 hours to play here every day and he's still anxious to go when she returns from work.
I've owned many different breeds and I can tell you from personal experience that no dog can be trusted ever.They're entitled to have a bad day just as we are but they have very limited abilities to let us know how they feel or what they want or need.And I believe if more people would educate themselves and their children about how they should act around any dog there would be far fewer accidents.

Answer 4

I own 2 red nose pits and their personality differs a lot. It is true that it depends a lot on how you raise them, HOWEVER, you really have to look at the blood line. There are some lines that are much more aggressive than others. Generally speaking, females are more aggressive though and is the case in mine. She is great around people, but don't let another living creature in her sight or they won't live for long. My male is completely opposite. He acts like a lab.....full of energy, loves to play, and whenever he meets someone new, all he wants to do is jump up and down and have them throw a ball. You can take ANY dog from a poodle to a st. bernard and train them to be viscious attack dogs. If a dog already has a tendency to be aggressive due to bloodline, there is a lot you can do to curb that aggressiveness and keep it under wraps. Mainly, you need to know your dogs limits. If the dog doesn't like other people or is very protective, take care to keep it away from those situations.

Answer 5

Ithink it really depends on the bloodline of the pit. I have had three pits, and none of them were agressive towards people. Towards other animals yes they were, and cat haters they were, but loved people to death. I am not saying i trust them fully because they do have a really bad reputation of being vicious. I love dogs, but when it comes to any big dog i respect the fact that they can turn at any time. All dogs can bite and be mean, but some are worse than others. The rott doesn't have the best reputation and mine was the sweetest, chows are bad also, they can be vicious, but mine was sweet toward people and mean toward other animals. I think if the pit is socialized alot with other people when they are pups then they are like any other dog and will just love you to death, but if they are not socialized they are like any other dog they will be mean.

Answer 6

I had a boyfriend many years ago who had a pitbull and bought him when he was a puppy. He had the dog for ten years and it was as sweet as a lamb to everyone it knew.

Then one day, I ran into my ex years later and asked him how he was, etc.-all the small talk. Then I asked him about the dog. He said that a few months back (the dog was about 10 years old by then), the dog saw the mailman and repeatedly bashed his head against the double-paned glass window until it broke through and he tore after the mailman, but didn't get very far because of the damage he'd done to his head. Needless to say, the dog had to be put down.

My ex also had other pitbulls and told me he'd had problems with them all turning mean in one way or another around the same age.

So if I put that together with my personal experience with them, I'd have to say it's probably not wise to own one, even if you have experience with them.

Answer 7

We have had many come through our shelter, and I can only think of less then 5 that were actually aggressive, and those were only towards other dogs. I am far more likely to be bitten by a small dog then a pit in my experiences. If you are not comfortable with the dogs, you are probably making them nervous since they can pick up on your emotions and read your body language. It might be better to pick a breed you are comfortable with.

Edited to add, the number one dog on bite lists in this area is the lab.

Answer 8

I've got a year and a half old pit. Had him since he was 6 weeks old. He has slept with my baby girl everynight since. Viscious?... Depends on how you look at it. My 3 year old can take the food out of his mouth with no problem. But someone try to touch that 3 year old and they're history. REAL possessive! A pit can be trained just like any other dog. Pit's are only viscious when you train them to be that way. I can get a poodle to be viscious. It's all about how you raise them.

Answer 9

To a point I would not trust any dog pit or pug 100% around kids,they are just animals with the emotional control of small children and react with emotion and cause hurt unintentionally. I would not own a pit myself because I do not have the strength or experience to deal with a problem should one arise. I think they have been given a bad rap due to bad owners, bad breeding and a lack of education of potential owners. Just my opinion.

Hope that helps ~A~

Answer 10

As someone who fought a my ****** neighbor's pit bull when it attacked my Yorkshire Terrier (all three pounds of her), yes I say they are vicious. He didn't have the animal on a leash in his front yard. I walked out of my front door and it murdered my sweet little dog. I would vote without hesitation for the destruction of the Pit Bull breed.

My idiot neighbor went and bought another pit bull and it tears apart the fence. I'm sure if it actually gets a chance to get ahold of a child or dog it will attack and probably kill too.