Is a purebred pit bull less likely to attack vs. a mixed breed pit bull?

Question

Is owning a pit bull with young children and a toddler safe? The yard is small, they own a much smaller chihuahua mix as well as a cat. Should there be concern if the pit bull is a purebred? Or is it true that only mixed breed pit bulls are giving purebreds a bad name?

Answer 1

First, it does not matter whether the dog is of a mixed breed or a full blooded Pit Bull. Temperament is different in each and every animal and it depends on the breeding situation, the genetics, etc.

As for being around children, as long as the owner is responsible and knowledgeable, this should not be a problem. I have owned two pit bulls and they grew up around my son (they were both puppies when we got them) with no problems. If anything, I had to reprimand my son more just to let him know to not be so rough. As for being around other animals, again it should be based on the age of the dog and what social skills he has.

Answer 2

Mixed Breed Pit Bulls

Answer 3

Its based on fear of the unknown anyone who has smarts about any breed of dog knows that aggression is based upon genetics, training and the socialization of the dog with other people, pets, and remember that temperment in breeds do allow for less or more agression in the bloodline so choose a dog carefully by research on the breed.And for those who think its the pitbull or bully breeds well the truth is not even close based upon 15 year study CDC has compiled ample data on dog attacks in numbers and here they are as follows German shepherds
Cocker spaniels
Rottweilers
Golden retrievers People would never say the Lab or retriver and they are both in the Top six and thats the reality.And APBTs are the most decorated service dog in history in any part of the U.S. miltary and they are some the most advanced therapy dogs one could have in treatment but the media cant sell the 1000s of feel good stories they can only push the 7-9 bad one a year.And pitbulls account for 1-2 deaths a yr nationwide out of the 39 that occur and thats a fact ........And they are some of the best family dogs you can own but YOU MUST get one from great bloodlines this means a family without fighting history at least 4 generations removed or more. And all dogs when with children MUSTbe supervised..And never keep any dog on a chain.

Answer 4

It's hard to say exactly what their temperament and personality will be. To get a good example your roommate should meet the pup's parents. But even then, there could be traits that are passed down through the bloodline that might skip a generation. I own two American Bullys. They do not have huge basketball heads, and they are not beefed up. The size of the dog depends on what dogs are in it's bloodlines....though sometimes you can get a pup that looks nothing like it's parents, size wise. Both of my bullys have great personalities. They are very energetic and love everyone they come into contact with. My oldest, a 2 year old male, has some game in him, so he loves to chase squirrels and other small animals. My other is a female, and she's still just a baby, so I can't say for sure if she has any game in her or not. She loves playing with my ferrets, though. Neither shows any signs of aggression towards other dogs or humans. You are right that genetics plays a part in a dog's mentality and temperament. So, the most important thing is to meet the parents to make sure they are friendly and sound. Both of my dogs have skin allergies and have to eat high quality, grain-free food. Otherwise their hair will fall out! Also, my youngest is allergic to flea bites. They both have dry skin, as well, so I supplement their diet with Omega 3 (fish oil) and bathe them in a dog shampoo that contains green tea extract. Baths are limited to once a month, at the most. I don't condone supporting a BYB. But if your roommate has her mind set, just be sure that she does the proper research before getting a pup.

Answer 5

I've had 3 pit bulls and they were the greatest dogs EVER. They have gotten a bad rap because some very stupid individuals that use the dogs natural defenses to make them fight each other. Like every living thing, the pit bull has the ability to fight if they are put in those situations. Pit bull are wonderful protectors and are really smart dogs. You CAN'T train any dog to be good family dogs then take them out and also train them to be killers just for the sake of entertainment. They just don't learn that way. They will instintually protect but when you train them to fight you could confuse them.

Now, it would depend on what other type of dog the pit bull is mixed with. Dogs have different temperment and while a mixed dog could be loved and train, it might take a lot of time learning the dog. The dog might not be good around children until you completely know the dog.

Answer 6

Where do I begin....

First, any dog can attack. I don't think that there is any dog in the world that is safe to leave young children and toddlers alone with. Not Pitt Bulls, Not Labs, Not Chihuahuas, NOT ANY DOG!!!

If the owners of the Pitt Bull raise it right, monitor its behavior, teach their children how to behave around the dog, there should be no problems.

The problems that occur come from irresponsible owners who aren't caring for their children or their dogs properly!!

“Many communities and cities believe that the solution to prevent severe and fatal dog attacks is to label, restrict or ban certain breeds of dogs as potentially dangerous. If the breed of dog was the primary or sole determining factor in a fatal dog attack, it would necessarily stand to reason that since there are literally millions of Rottweilers, Pit Bulls and German Shepherd Dogs in the United States, there would have to be countless more than an approximate 20 human fatalities per year." -- http://www.fataldogattacks.com/...

Also, check out this website. It gives you some valuable insight on the Pitt Bull. http://www.workingpitbull.com/

Answer 7

There is really no such thing as a "purebred" pit bull. It is a "performance breed" that has been developed to be aggressive toward other dogs through testing in illegal "pit contests."

Pedigreed American Pit Bull Terriers are typically registered with the American Dog Breeder's Association (ADBA) which was formed specifically as a registry for dog fighters. The United Kennel Club (UKC) was also started as a dog fighting registry but has subsequently renounced that practice and years ago opened it's books to other breeds. The closely related Amstaffs registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC) have been bred from the same original stock, but solely for conformation, without "game testing" and dog fighters now consider them only cousins of the pit bull.

Pit Bulls will often tolerate other animals that they were raised with and sometimes even other dogs that are not threatening, particularly of a different gender. They are not human aggressive by nature, though there are exceptions and almost any dog can be made human aggressive.

It is true that crosses are more dangerous than "pure" pit bulls because the mixes have "fighting tools" (e.g., athleticism and strong bite with scissoring teeth) but may not have the stable temperament that has also been part of the performance criteria in developing the breed.

In my opinion, cross-breeding should be discouraged and encouraging aggression should be punished.

About your specific question though, a couple of problems remain with kids. Sometimes a dog will not recognize a small child as human putting the child at risk in the "other animal" category. Pit bulls have also been known to bite when excited/frustrated about some other animal... like a dog they can see out the window. Another concern is that pit bulls have been bred to "skip" threat displays so when they attack it is without warning.

They should never be left unattended with small children. Something that is true of most larger dogs.

Aloha

Answer 8

Well, breeding plays a part in temperament, but either way your chances are that the dog will be headstrong... but not human-aggressive. In the past, Pit Bulls were bred for performance, not apearance (I think it's a shame that that ethic has left many breeders), and aggression towards humans quickly bred out of the genes. That's not to say that all Pit Bulls are friendly, but rather that they are not by nature human-aggressive.
Owning a dog and a toddler is an iffy thing. So many parents leave dog and child unsupervised, and unless the dog is very patient, pain-tolerant, loving, loved, has a history of dealing well with children and has nerves of steel (that's a lot to ask of anyone!) it's a bad idea to let a child be alone with a dog. If there is at least one parent home at all times, then chances of tragedy are slim.
Mixed-breed and pure breed should not be judged for aggression on parentage, but rather on individual performance. If the dog is patient and tolerant with children, then just don't worry about breeding. Pit Bulls do not "turn" on their owners (in the stories, someone ALWAYS leaves a crucial detail out, such as a history of aggression or an action that hurts/threatens the dog).
Leave breed out of the question when judging a dog's behavior. Judge him solely on how he behaves.

Answer 9

Yes, its as safe as owning another dog, and it doesn't make much difference whether they are purebred. Your biggest concern will be that they are high-energy, especially as puppies, and might be to rambunctious for very small kids. If you raise a pit as part of your family it won't attack your kids--it might just play a little rough or bounce into a toddler and knock him over. I would only try letting it share its house with the other dog and the cat if it is a puppy and will grow up with them, unless you give them a chance to meet before you decide to adopt it.

The dogs involved in the most attacks each year varies--usually according to the popularity of the breed, and is a lot lower than most people think. Dogs killing people is so rare it usually makes the news no matter where in the country it happened--its something people fear so the papers make a sensation out of it.

Answer 10

well if you look into the history of the pit bull you will learn that it was bred to be strictly animal agressive. In the olden days the other team actually had to wash and handle the other teams dog prior to a dogfight They wanted to assure themself that the animal can be handled without fear of getting injured..
By nature most pit bulls are not people agressive.
When you cross an animal agressive dog such as a pit with a naturally people agressive dog such as a Rott, GSD, Dobie, Chow, etc, chances are that they will be more people agressive
And that is what can result in huge problems
.
I have owned and have bred them (before the breed became so bad and diluted by back yard breeders who don't have a clue to as what they are doing, all they care about is dollar bills ), and I always advise people against crossing pits with anything other than a registered temperamentally sound Pit or Am Staff.
They are extremely good family dogs, I never had any problems, mine love children , but I would never leave them unsupervised.
Pit bulls are very athletic and need lots of excercise, I feel such pity for dogs that are chained up or in a pen 24/7, but as long as they have food and water animal control will not do anything about it