A friend of mine owns a 5-year old Pit Bull who is the sweetist dog I have ever met - seriously. He is so affectionate and loving. He constantly wants to be petted and loved. And in return he rubs all up on you and lets you know he loves you.
Like most Pit Bulls these dogs are extremely intimidating in appearance and can be aggressive. But this Pit, named Chico, has never shown any sign of aggression and never even really shows much interest when meeting a total stranger. He will walk right up to anyone it seems.
Should we be concerned that he may just snap one day and try and attack someone?
2006-09-10 17:03:51 · 22 answers · asked by AnthonyPaul 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
For the most part no... Pitt human aggression almost always has to be triggered by abuse... While there have been incidences of Pitts 'snapping' and killing their owners, virtually all of them have been caused by severe cases of abuse and neglect...
Pitts are no more prone to attack (people) than other breeds... they just happen to cause a lot more damage when they do because of the nature of the way they fight... they tend to not let go and to not stop until the other animal (or human...) is dead, whereas a large majority of other breeds will stop long before death...
Do not be concerned, a well trained and cared for Pitt is no more harmful than a chihuahua... the human aggression problems lie almost exclusively with poor ownership.
I would like to see emily validate her claim on doberman's brains, that is a ridiculous theory... Emily, I will give you $100US cash if you can show me one verifiable study published in a nationally recognized scientific journal proving your point.
2006-09-10 17:09:17 · answer #1 · answered by tripforyou 5 · 4⤊ 4⤋
You better check the local laws about owning a pit. While each individual dog has its own personality, this is one of the breeds that has gotten a bad rep. If for some unknown reason Chico gets aggressive he may have to be put down. I know that is not what you want so take care when he is out. There are some idiots that provoke aggressive behavior in animals too, but even if this was the case, the dog would pay the price. Good luck with Chico, he sounds like a great pet.
2006-09-11 00:14:59 · answer #2 · answered by need2knw 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Ok, just figured my two cents might be worth a mention: I have a puppy, a 6 mo old Am Pit Bull Terrier. (red nosed) and she is the funniest, quirkiest and loving animal I have had. I also have a 6 yr old Shepard who is also a very, very sweet dog and couldn't be more perfect than she already is. When my husband told me he wanted to bring home a "pit bull" puppy, my reaction was like most of the public and I said no instantly. But, we got her anyway so I did all I could to research the history of these dogs and why they were called "pit bulls" and what they were bred for and how they came to be the dogs we know now. Pits were specifically bred NOT to be human-agressive & in fact they were euthanized in the 1800's if they showed any agression to a human at all. They are touchy feely and feel the need to have 24/7 human companionship. Unfortunately, they have received a bad rap in the media because the APBT is not recognized by the AKC, but the other "Bully" dogs are (there are 5 total) causing the undesirables in our society to abuse the use & breeding of the APBT because they can be purchased cheap (unlike the AKC dogs) and mis-bred into mean, oversized, agressive dogs and used for the "sport" (& I use this term loosely) of dog fighting. These are the dogs (and in some cases, their offspring) that have been reported in the media giving pit bulls a bad name. If you really want to know the full story and history about these wonderful companions, then I reccomend the ASPCA web site as well a couple books that are specifically about APBT. One in particular is cited below.
2006-09-11 03:04:10 · answer #3 · answered by smys21 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I do not think they have anything to worry about, ANY dog can turn from loveable to vicious if provoked, but they do not just snap from nice to mean. ALL dogs have certain personalities and there are some that just do not want to be nice to anyone because they were never socialized as a pup, and not use to anybody, nor do they like anybody. I had a poodle that was just as loving as it could be and one day he turned on me for no apparent reason, he went from loving to vicious in a matter of a second, it turned out the dog had a brain tumor from when he was abused all his life and too many hard blows to his head, so therefore it was not his fault he had a medical problem that caused it so he did not do it because he just snapped due to personality problems.
Pits are no differant than any other dog, and if raised and trained right they are very loyal loving pets, too bad they have had such a bad reputation, it is due to being trained to be mean and raised this way, if your friends dog recieves nothing but loyal caring and love it will be fine.
2006-09-11 10:48:09 · answer #4 · answered by badgirl41 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would not be concerned simply because the dog is a Pit Bull. However, I would be concerned because of a couple of other behaviors you mention that I would watch.
1. He constantly wants to be petted and loved
If he is demanding to be petted, then he needs to learn leadership. Without the proper leadership (and if he demands attention, then he doesn't have the proper leadership yet) he can define his own rules ... and by defining his own rules that might trigger a form of either dominant or fear aggression.
2. He rubs all up on you
This doesn't necessarily mean that is his way of telling you that he loves you. He might be trying to leave his scent on you as a way to indicate to other animals that he was there first. Or he might be trying to tell you that you belong to him. This can be a dominant behavior, which you want to have under control. Especially with a Pit Bull because of the breed prejudice.
3. He doesn't show much interest when meeting a total stranger.
This may mean that he is being aloof rather than shy, and when a dog is acting aloof that can indicate he is not interested in interacting with people. Left that like long enough and it can develop into either dominant or fear aggression.
You, your friend and this dog need to attend a good positive reinforcement training class so you can learn proper leadership and control techniques. Call your local Humane Society to find out where you can find these positive reinforcement classes. Pit Bulls can be great dogs, but in inexperienced hands or from a bad breeder they can become out of control.
2006-09-11 00:31:04 · answer #5 · answered by Noirewolf 2 · 2⤊ 3⤋
No. I'm not a big pit bull fan, because I think most owners are just interested in the intimidation factor, but I've met some lovable and very sweet pit bulls. I have a doberman, and I've had people tell me the same thing about her (it's bred in her, that aggressive instinct will show up, etc.) BS. My dog is 12, I've had her for 11 years, she's a sweetie. Even people that don't like dogs, or are afraid of the breed, like her. I have 3 cats, they aren't worried either.
2006-09-11 00:11:54 · answer #6 · answered by warriorwoman 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Thing is, Pit Bulls could be a very good dog. However the dogs parentage is from fighting dogs. They were breed for natural aggression instincts.
Pit Bulls could become a loveable breed in the future if people start breeding out the aggressive traits. The Bulldog, now known as a very kind and loveable breed, was redeemed in a very similar way.
Personally I think pit bulls are very cute dogs, I just wish they had a better temperment.
2006-09-11 00:12:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
Insert dog into you question, instead of pit bull. Now how can one answer such a question, containing many variables and pertaining to another species. You do the best you can with all your dogs; remembering they are their own agents and sometimes have an agenda that will vary from yours. You will hear a lot of BS on this question; its the owners fault; its the dogs fault, but regardless of what behaviorist trainers think, their methodologies have been shown to be more incidental, than causal. We are just beginning to understand dog behavior, so be good to your dog, train him as well as he or she will allow, and hope for the best.
2006-09-11 00:44:16 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
i have 2 pit bulls and there is no need to worry, u treat them with love and respect , they will do the same for u. if u don't train them to be aggressive then they won't be aggressive. too many ppl say they have been attacked by pit bulls for no apparent reason, but there is always a reason ANY dog would attack, i have almost been bitten by more Chihuahuas than by pit bulls
2006-09-11 00:22:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Certain breeds (pit bulls, German shepherds, Rottweilers, Dobermans, and others) are more likely to be aggressive.
However, any dog can snap or change behavior. This can happen if the dog was neglected, abandoned or abused. It can be because of an illness, because the dog was teased, or for no apparent reason.
I was bitten by a calm breed of dog while I was petting it. Suddenly, it turned around and bit me for no reason at all.
Th concern with pit bulls is their strength. They were bred to be fighters.
2006-09-11 00:16:52 · answer #10 · answered by ne11 5 · 2⤊ 3⤋