why do bully breeds have such a bad reputation?can a responsible owner make a good dog?

Answer 1

When someone says ‘lap dog’, what’s the first breed that comes to mind? Something small, right? Its true, the little dogs that weigh less than twenty or twenty-five pounds are most commonly associated with this term. But for me, ‘lap dog’ brings forth the images of a dog weighing more then sixty pounds with a strong, stocky body and a wet tongue. This breed of dog is also known as the Pit Bull Terrier. And though I don’t own a Pit Bull myself, I have nothing but good things to say about them. Most people hear that name and think of the vicious killer they saw on the news last week. But it’s hard to think of them as vicious when this dog is trying to fit its entire body in your lap, thinking that’s the only way it will get its ears scratched. When you hear news of a pit bull attack, it is usually a case of mistaken identity and the only thing that gets accomplished is adding to the terrifying reputation of a misunderstood animal.
One reason people are so terrified of Pit Bulls is because of all the myths surrounding the breed. One fairy tale is that “Pit Bulls don’t feel pain” (Mary Harwelik). Pit Bulls do feel pain, just as much as any other kind of dog. The only difference is that they can tolerate more pain then other breeds. Another myth is “Pit Bulls can hold on with their front teeth and chew with their back” (Mary
Harwelik). Technically speaking, the jaws of this breed do the same things as the jaw of another breed. And as said by many different sources, it is said that Pit Bulls have locking jaws. This is incorrect. Again, the oral cavity a Pit Bull is functionally the same as all the other dogs of the Earth.
An additional myth is that “the brains of the Pit Bull swell, causing them to go crazy” (Mary Harwelik). This cannot be proven. The same thing was said
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about Doberman Pinchers, but when the breed’s popularity started going down, this rumor was dismissed, and later given to the Pit Bull. Finally, people say that a “Pit Bull will ‘turn’ on their owner” (Mary Harwelik). Dogs don’t do anything without a reason. So in order for a Pit Bull to attack its owner, this person would have had to do something to the animal to be deserving of an attack.
Pit Bulls were originally bred to bait the bulls in a bull fight. They are no longer used for this purpose, so some people think the only thing they are good for in this day and age is a fighting dog. This is not true at all. The Pit Bulls of today have many more constructive uses. Some Pit Bulls are used for search and rescue work. Contrary to beliefs, Pit Bulls can be extremely gentle. They are also used for police and armed service work. Pit Bulls are very smart and can be trained to do lots of different things. A few other ways this breed’s skills are applied are in obedience, weight pulling, agility and herding (Mary Harwelik).
The Pit Bull Terrier has a couple relatives. One of them is the Bull Terrier. Colored, white or miniature, this breed is easily distinguishable because their head looks like an egg. The American Staffshire Terrier and Staffshire Bull Terrier are also cousins of the Pit Bull. The American Staffshire Terrier can act like its

cousin, but as with Pit Bulls, its temperament is in correspondence with its bloodline and its training (John Howe). And the majority of Am Staff breeders are more concerned with making a loyal family dog, not a fighting dog.
Most of the Pit Bulls reputation comes from bite cases. But what most people don’t know is that “you are statistically more likely to get bitten by a Labrador or a Cocker Spaniel” (Luiza Mendoza) and “in a seven year study, Pit Bulls accounted for only 1.89 percent of total bites” (Luiza Mendoza). And even those statistics are skewed because usually when people are bitten by a dog,
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they don’t know what kind of dog that bit them, so they just guess. In addition to those facts, something else most people don’t know in that “in a study of over a hundred different breeds likely to bite a person, Pit Bulls were fourth from the bottom” (Luiza Mendoza).
The news and media plays an important role in what people think. When asking certified dog trainer, Terri Mallett, if she agreed with the image of Pit Bulls in the media, she replied no. When asked why, she said “because it’s not presented by anyone who knows what they’re talking about.” And due to the fact that media coverage of Pit Bulls bites has been increasing, many cities have or are in the process of trying to pass laws banning Pit Bulls, but because of Constitutional rights, many of them were declined. However, in cities where it wasn’t approved, other laws were passes making it very difficult to own them. One way to stop a lot of dog bite cases would be to simply enforce leash laws. There are a large numbers of cities in America that ignore or have weak punishments for violators of this law, which leads to a larger number of dog bites. (Mary Harwelik)
There are a lot of people that are afraid to own this breed of dog. And as shelter associate Heather Mehi would agree, owning this breed of dog isn’t for everyone. “They are a wonderful breed of dog, but they are not meant for everyone. They have a strong drive, as with most working breeds, and if not channeled, they can be hard to manage.” Heather is the owner of Pit Bulls herself, and when asked if she researched the breed, she replied, “Yes, read, internet and time spent with the Buster Foundation.” The Buster Foundation being a Michigan based Pit Bull Rescue group.
With any dog, training is a big part of the animal’s temperament. If you train a dog to fight, it will fight. If you train the dog to sleep at a kid’s feet while
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they’re doing their homework, they have a new napping spot. Even dogs with the sparkling reputations can be trained to attack. So, naturally, if a Pit Bull is raised like it should be, in a loving, structured home, it can be an excellent family dog. However, the dogs that are most often seen are not trained correctly. These dogs are often owned by people who should not be in possession of them. As above stated, a lot of Pit Bulls think of themselves of oversized lap dogs.
Countless people are familiar with dog shows. Everyone has an opinion on them. Whether they agree or disagree, they still have an opinion either way. Probably the biggest name in dog shows is the American Kennel Club. The AKC recognizes over a hundred and fifty breeds. The Pit Bull Terrier, however, is not one of them. There cousins, the Bull Terrier and Staffshire Bull Terrier, are all registered breeds, though (John Howe). The American Kennel bans ‘vicious’ breeds, but they don’t name a specific one (Grolier).
The United Kennel Club, however, will allow Pit Bulls Terriers to compete. (John Howe) While they do have strict regulations on the dog’s temperament, only extremely aggressive animals are banned from competition. The UKC is the first organization to recognize the Pit Bull. While most people just call them ‘Pit Bulls’ or ‘Pit Bull Terriers’, official name the United Kennel Club has for this type of dog is American Pit Bull Terrier.
Pit Bulls are not horrible, vicious killers. They are sweet, loving animals that want nothing more then to simply entertain us and be loved by us. But most of all, these animals want to be understood. The trusting, affectionate dogs that just want to curl up into your lap, oblivious to the fact that their paw is digging into your knee, and have their ears scratched or a nice belly rub. They have no control over what their cousins with improper owners do, or what was on the six o’clock news last week; they just want to make you smile. Whenever a Pit Bull
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bite is put on the news, people are shocked and horrified, but they’re just giving in to the image society, poor owners and bad media has created for a loving breed. A breed of dog that animals lovers everywhere know as the American Pit Bull Terrier, family friend and all around goof ball.

Answer 2

Bully breeds have a bad reputation because the media only focuses on the bad that they do. Then, there are the ignorant people who know nothing about these breeds who run their mouths about them. I own a full pit and two pit mixes. The pit is the biggest clown you have ever seen. They are also a very sensitive breed. Please don't listen to the bad things about bully breeds, ANY dog can be mean if they are raised to be that way. I highly recommend that you read "Pit Bulls for Dummies" by D. Caroline Coile, Ph.D. She explains the breed in easy to understand terms and you will come away with a whole new understanding of this breed. Bully breeds are highly misunderstood. They need a special person to raise them to be healthy and happy - they are not a breed that can sit home and do nothing.

Answer 3

Not necessarily. One dog carries the genes from parents, grandparents and great grandparents. Genetic's are VERY important and can be carried for many generations.

People that breed their pets don't know what faults, predisposition for temperament or health, size, color, eye color, height or anything else that they should know.

Let me give you an example of a Back Yard Breeder of Pit Bulls. Each dog is tied to a stake, it has a dog house. There may be as many as 10 to 20 dogs staked like this. They are not fed enough and sometimes they don't have access to water but once a day. They are tormented several times a day and treated with cruelity.

When a ***** is pregnant she too is tormented and that torment affects the pups too. So they are not only tormenting the mom but the pups too. So the pups will have the nasty temperament as the parent.

Breeders that breed for show go to extreams to eliminate those traits. They are trying to creat a dog like 'Buster Brown' and not like what the home breeders come up with. Pits used to be good dogs but now they can be very dangerous,

Answer 4

because they are stubborn dogs that are usually owned by all the people who shouldn't own a dog due to their inexpensiveness. People who aren't patient or willing to train their dog shouldn't own one and unfortunately, like i said, the wrong people buy or adopt them.
with a good owner, they can be excellent dogs!
however being responsible doesn't nessicarily make you a good owner, raising a dog is like raising a child but without the english. there are a lot of inadvertant messages that people give their dogs that make a huge affect on their temperments.
the best advice for anybody who wants a bull terrier or pit bull or american bulldog is to be prepared to give it a lifetime of training and discipline otherwise they will walk all over you and consequently the other people it will come in contact with.

furthermore, although there are other one person type dogs or other dogs that are more inclined to "visciousness" so to speak. Pit bulls especially are dangerous because they have a clamp like jaw that is more dentrimental if bitten by and of course like i said before they are stubborn and not as intelligent as lets say a german shepherd or doberman amongst others.

Answer 5

it isn't the owner that makes a good dog. the bully breeds are already great dogs. but a lousy, misinformed or ignorant owner can sure ruin one. i don't buy that whole "he just turned one day" story, either. maybe the clue is in the response: i never hit him. strong-willed dogs need physical discipline, or you get a case like this, a dog that knows it's superior and has no problem showing it. think about it--how does a mother dog raise her pups? how does the alpha dog in a pack keep his position? through physicality. dogs understand that. and it's a necessary part of raising some breeds.

Answer 6

They have a bad rep because, often times the owners of these dogs abuse them or make them into fighting dogs and the dogs turn on the owners or other people. Most of these dogs can do very well with proper care and I say this because, I had a gratefull rotty from the pound and a new born puppy pit that were sweet loving dogs and never hurt anyone. I think socializing has allot to do with it too.

Answer 7

Bully breeds have such a bad rep firstly because they have been used so much for fighting, secondly because you have to understand the breed before you own them, and thirdly because they are a heavily muscled breed and very strong..you can't use brute strength to pull them away when they are exhibiting dominant and dangerous behavior.
I recomend reading and watching cesar milan before welcoming a new bully breed to your home, and really putting his methods into practice.
You need to make sure they are well disciplined before they exhibit bad behavior not after. Pulling them away from a bad behavior only makes them push forward.(another reason they have such bad reps.) Making sure they know what is bad and unnacceptable bahavior before it happens and understanding how to correct it will prevent them from doing it.

Answer 8

I believe that a responsible owner can turn a dog around. This means that they need to be in touch with behaviorists and/or trainers and they need to do their homework...reading Jean Donaldson, Patricia McConnell, really any positive, reward-based training book that they can get their hands on. It is not an easy road, especially since we all want our dogs to succeed so badly. But I have dog-training friends who have successfully rehabilitated dogs, and it's an amazing accomplishment. Owners of these dogs have got a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, and that's not for everyone.

Answer 9

ANY responsible breeder can make ANY dog a good dog. bully breeds have bad reps because they are the most popular for fighting. however, any pet owner of a bully breed will tell you they are phenomenal pets who are loving beyong all else.

my personal favs are american pit bull terriers (apbt). usually when they attack some one it is because of poor breeding. and often when you hear on the news about a "pitbull" they are referencing a mix breed of medium size and squarish body.

by the way, a lab is more likely to bite you than a bully breed and insurance companies have lower rates for people with bully breeds than people with labs and terriers.

Answer 10

Yes. It is all how the owner trains the dog. The dog wasn't born a mean dog. The owner made the dog mean..

Answer 11

I have had Rottweilers for over 20 years. I have never had a mean one. Protective, yes....mean, no. If you buy one of these dogs and thrown it outside and just feed it they become very territorial and agressive. Mine are raised like children and have never spent a night outside. They are massively intelligent teddy bears. Owners make the difference.