are staffie/pit bull type terriers dangerous? is it true that they have killer instinct towards small animals?

Question

how come they are usually ok with humans?

Answer 1

They are only as dangerous as their owners. They can have killer instinct towards small animals, just as a golden retriever can.

Answer 2

This is NOT true at all! Some of the gentlest dogs I know are pit bulls. I'd much rather have to deal with a pit bull at the vet clinic than a little yappy dog that's been spoiled rotten...they have a tendency to nip, and though theyre small, it still hurts. Unfortunately, some people decide to rasie their dogs to be fighting dogs, and this has ruined the reputation of the breed. There is no bad dog...only bad owners. If you raise a pit bull right, they'll be fine. I also have seen some very nice bull terriers. They're qute muscular, and can be a handfull, but the ones I've worked with have the sweetest personality. I also believe the laws to outlaw pit bulls in some ares are a load of **** and are not based in fact AT ALL.

Answer 3

They are only dangerous is the are taught to be that way. I have 2 English Bull Terriers and they are the most loving and loyal dogs i have ever had, and ive had a few different breeds.

I have an 8 month old son who they both absolutly adore, they will play with him, fall asleep beside him - people think bad of these breeds as the only press they gets is all bad - when a lab bites someone or something, you dont see it flashed over the news, but if a terrier breed does, all hell brakes loose and people start calling them dangerous, vicious, killers etc - its not on really.

But the answer your looking for is no they havnt if they are trained properly. Any dog can have 'killer instinct' if trained to be that way - not just terrier breeds

I would like to thank the others on here who have said the same.

Answer 4

You'll find that all meat eaters have a killer instinct and dogs are no different regardless of their breed. The key to having a dog that doesn't bhave badly towards other animals is to train it properly. This includes staffies, pitt bulls, and all those other so called "bad breeds". If you want your dog to be friendly towards other animals and children they must be socialised from a very early age. Make sure they are introduced to friendly dogs (on a lead at first so that they can be controlled) as soon as possible (usually after they are vaccinated). Introduce them to other species of animal very carefully. Although dogs can grow up to tolerate some animals, it is usually wise not to introduce them to small animals such as rats, guinea-pigs etc. Even if the dog is being friendly towards the animal, they can accidently kill or hurt a very small animal by playing to rough, also the body language between species varies dramatically and often two different animals cannot understand each other which causes fear (particularly with cats who are not used to dogs).

Puppies can play very rough! They don't realise that a playful nip on the neck to a puppy is a fatal bite to a small animal. Dogs can get over excited when they play and this can cause the most friendliest of dogs/puppies to accidently kill or hurt another animal. My friend's dog accidently killed a cat- he chased it for fun and it ran out in front of a car and got killed. The dog never chased a cat after that incident (dogs have a guilty consience too). We almost had an incident with my mum's puppy- a 6 month old lurcher is quite big and very leggy. He could have caused some serious harm when he planted his front paws heavily down on the floor to invite the 3 month old kitten to play- the kitten nearly got squashed. Luckily we saw it coming so an accident was prevented. The dog didn't mean any harm, he just was just being friendly.

Staffies are usually good with people because (like most dogs)they have been socialised with people from a young age. They are used to humans. What some dogs aren't used to is small humans- children often bahave differently to adults. A puppy that is raised with children in the house is more likely to be tolerant of children. One that has never been introduced to children as a puppy, may find it very difficult to adjust particularly if the child does not have any respect for the dog. ie pulls its tail etc.

Answer 5

Terriers have been bred for generations to kill "vermit" or fight.. they were chosen to be more agressive and determined...
the Pits were bred to fight BULLS in an arena.. bulls are rather large, agressive, and dangerous.. so any dog that is selected would have to be very tenatious.. and wont back down.. it needs to have a death grip and NEVER back down from a challenge..

with humans - what happens is the human must be the pack leader in order for the dog to respect it.. on occassion though the dogs encounter people who do not fit in or who make what the dog determines are "challenging" behaviors towards its position in the pack.. so the dog simply sends a signal.. it doesnt realize people cannot fight back to the same extent another dog would so rather than the looser backing off the looser is the person and is badly hurt..

Answer 6

all terriers have a strong prey drive towards smaller creatures.It's what they were bred for. I don't personally know of any small furry humans so I guess this answers your question.
I have kept, shown, bred, groomed and done rescue for over 20 years. I also keep free range rabbits and guinea pigs I also breed and show bantams. I have fostered litters of puppies here and can tell you hand on heart that you can never trust a terrier 100% with small furries. I have socialised litters of cute terrier pups here, introduced them to the bantams etc and all is well for most of the time. However, I can guarantee that one day when my back is turned there is a bloodbath as instinct takes over. I would not class myself as a bad dog owner. I do not encourage aggression. Out of allt he dogs I rear, only the terrier types show this . Now, I will not have a terrier on my property because they simply cannot be trusted.

Answer 7

I wouldn't say they are dangerous but if you consider the history of breed you will know what they were bred for and why. Of course many today have been bred to enhance the aggression trait by irresponsible owners. A reputable breeder will breed those traits out over generations of breeding. I have four dogs, American Pit Bull Terrier, Shar Pei Pit mix, American Bulldog Pit mix and a Basset Pit mix, three females, one male. They were all shelter dogs slated to be euthanized but after finding they had great dispositions, I took them home. They get along great with each other and my cats. The APBT evens helps me with orphaned kittens by cleaning them and sleeping with them. Granted if a squirrel or rabbit comes in my yard they would try to pounce on it. In fact I had an opossum in the yard and they could have torn it up, but they were more curious than aggressive. Which proves, aggression is a learned behavior from unscrupulous people.

Answer 8

Dogs have a pack instinct and generally tend toward attacking other animals. The exceptions are when dogs, cats, rabbits etc all live in the same house and generally they learn that they need to co-exist as the Daddy dog says so - the man or woman of the house.

If a dog is reared from a puppy in a loving environment, it will be a softie unless it has mental health problems, but you should in all honesty spot that from miles off long before anything bad occurs.

Answer 9

I have a dog from the local rescue centre,he is a labrador/staff,
He had a bad past before i saved him.
He was originally from Wales,a boy hit him over the back with a stick and the dog went for him
do you think this is a dangerous dog?
The boys mother wanted the dog either put to sleep or removed from the home so the owner had the ndcl take him away rather than being put to sleep.
The dog was moved to Ireland and spent many months in the ndcl having behavioral treatment.
A man eventually took the dog and trained him to fight,
do you think this dog is dangerous?
The police and rspca stopped this man from training dogs to fight and again the dog was moved,this time to liverpool and again the dog had to go through alot of behavioral treatment
When i went to see about getting a dog there was this black x dog with a history report posted on his kennel and an explanation of why he was there.
On the report it stated the dog bit(yet the dog had never bitten anyone,only an attempted bite on some one who had hit him over the back with a stick).
I have had my dog for 9 years now and have never ever had a problem with him.
He has never bit or attempted to bite anyone.
Its not the dog thats dangerous,its the owners who inflict this sort of nasty behaviour to the dogs.
My dog is a great dog who is treated with the respect he deserves,he makes a great pet and loves me to bits and i also love him.
Do you think this is a dangerous dog?

Answer 10

Pitbull breeds were originally bred to be non-human aggressive. A "sound" well bred pit bull or "staffie" will not be human aggressive.

Dog and animal aggression is common and typical of the breed, as they were bred for bull baiting, dog fighting, and terriers (which are bred into it) are small game hunters.

I have two pitbulls myself and work with them at a local shelter.

http://www.libertydogtraining.com

Answer 11

"Never trust a pit bull not to fight...
It is not a hate of other dogs that causes pit bulls to fight, but rather an "urge" to do so that has been bred into the dogs for many generations. Pit bulls may fight over hierarchic status, but external stimulus or excitement can also trigger a fight. Remember that any canine can fight, but pit bulls were bred specifically for their drive, intensity, and determination to win.

Pit bull owners must be aware of the remarkable fighting abilities these dogs posses and always keep in mind that pit bulls have the potential to inflict serious injury to other animals. A pit bull may not even be the one starting a conflict, but he has the genetics to finish it. Remember that pit bulls are almost always blamed no matter who initiated the hostilities, and often end up paying the price...as does the owner!

That said, some pit bulls get along great with other pets and may live happily with other dogs without incident. We just can't assume that this is true for all of them, or take for granted that pit bulls getting along with other pets today will do so tomorrow. Pit bull owners must have common sense and make sure they don't set their dogs up for failure by putting them in inappropriate situations.

Every negative incident involving a pit bull adds to their reputation and jeopardizes our right to own these great dogs. Keep your pit bull out of trouble!"

That is a quote from http://www.pbrc.net/breedinfo.html, which is the pit bull rescue site.

I think they are inherintly dangerous, and it's not just my opinion.
" It is not a hate of other dogs that causes pit bulls to fight, but rather an "urge" to do so that has been bred into the dogs for many generations". It's what their own rescue group says.

You have to know how to handle this type of dog, and do lots of research on them.