Pit Bulls. Are they bad dogs or are they what their owners make them.?

Answer 1

Most of them are really great dogs. However, there are some that give all the rest a bad name. Just as in any other society, you can't lump them all in one description.
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27 years ago, I didn't know much about pit bulls, and that they needed to be raised and trained differently than my German shepherds and Poodles. One was given to my kids when they lost their grampa. I had no idea where he had been bred or what his parents were like, or his early socialization. He did harm my 3 year old daughter, without provocation. No, he wasn't left alone with her, and he had never been hit or abused in any way..but, she said, "Go away, Chunky, I'm coloring' and he grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her, shaking her like a rag..I sure wouldn't have another around small children..I don't know of another breed that would do that..
It was my fault for not teaching him that it was NEVER appropriate to put his mouth on a human. I had been too busy just teaching him not to eat the garden hose, the swimming pool and the house siding. He was only 7 or 8 months old when he harmed my daughter..

Answer 2

The answer is double edged I believe. On one hand the way a dog is treated and trained has so much to do with their behavior. However, there has been a lot of "bad breeding" in pit bulls. They have been bred to encourage aggression. They are also wildly powerful dogs with tremendous bite power. Also studies have been done that show that Pit Bulls sense of touch is much more sensitive than other dogs so a vigorous scrubbing and rubbing can over stimulate them, it's comparable to someone holding you down and tickling you.
If you do your research and buy a pit bull from a reputable, responsible breeder and take care to properly train and handle your dog and treat it with lots of love I think they can make good pets. I have seen some really sweet pits. But if you buy a pit bull without looking into the background of the breeder and/or treat your dog poorly you have a dangerous unpredictable missile on your hands. But I think it's important to say that any dog when mishandled and mistreated can be dangerous as well as the fact as much as I consider my boys members of my family they are still animals. When people ask me if they bite I always respond, that they have teeth but they are friendly.

Answer 3

Both. Behavior is both learned and inherited. See what the mother dog's temperament is like to get an idea of what you will be starting with. After that, it's up to the owner to maintain and improve.

The thing that most people don't understand or forget about Pit Bulls is that they were not bred to give warning signs. Most dogs will growl, bare teeth, raise hackles, etc when they want someone or something to back off. Pits WERE bred to fight so giving a warning sign to an "opponent" would be counterproductive. That is why it seems like Pits just "turn" on thier owners without any warning.

Answer 4

BOTH!!
There is a reason that those owners have the breed of dogs that they do.

I'm a duck hunter, I wonder if that might be why I have a Labrador.
I'm also a rabbit hunter, do you think that might be why I also have Beagles??

Most breeds were developed through selective breeding to perform a particular job, and they look the way they do because 'form follows function".
As the breeds name implies Pit Bulls were originally developed to fight other dogs in a pit. This gives the dogs a predisposition that makes it easier to train them to be vicious. Just like I have Labs & Beagles because they have a predisposition that makes it easier to train them to retrieve duck or hunt rabbits.

So the only difference is that I could train a Pit to take your leg off in half the time it would take with a Beagle.

Answer 5

As with ALL animals, they are what you make them. I have a cousin who has a pit bull. He is loving & gentle, because she & her husband have always laid down the law with him from the time he was a pup. He was very well socialized, scolded as needed, played with & loved. He was also taken to obedience classes. Just be sure that you do NOT get a pup from a backyard breeder, agressiveness can be bred & if backyard breeders are breeding for money & not the love of the breed, looks & temperment.....Who knows what you can end up with....Could be a perfectly decent dog when it is properly socialized & trained, or it could turn out to be one that turns on YOU!!!
Also, do NOT buy from pet stores. These animals are bred in puppy & cat mills for profit ONLY. The breeders doNOT care what types of health problems they are breeding or what kind of temperment they are breeding as long as the morons at the pet stores keep coming back for more puppies & kittens...
You want a "good" dog, go to a breeder who breeds no more than three different breeds. Preferably who has chosen to breed a single breed so they are knowledgeable & can answer any & all questions you may have. You will be able to see the pup's parents & interact with them to see how they act with strangers, etc.

Answer 6

Pit bulls are often dog and animal aggressive. This can not be trained or loved away, it can only be managed. this does NOT mean that pit bulls are people aggressive. and it does not mean they are bad dogs. just like a cat might go after a mouse, a pit bull might go after another dog. pit bulls are supposed to be people friendly. look at it this way, say a dog fighter has a dog. he puts his dog in a fight, but then needs to pull him out. the dog knows the difference between the other dog and his handler. if fighting pits were vicious people biters, there wouldn't be two many handlers with all their fingers would there?

Answer 7

It is possible to get a mean dog regardless of breed. Temperament can be a direct cause of the owner, pit bulls get a bad rap because of people who raise them to be fighters or guard dogs. I would be careful with them around children and smaller animals just in case.

Answer 8

ALL dogs are what their parents and their owners make them. Pit Bulls can be sweet, wonderful dogs that wouldn't hurt a flea; they can be highly aggressive and unpredictable. The same goes for any dog - I have met some truly scary Golden Retrievers who I wouldn't go near if you paid me.

Answer 9

Bad owners, though breeders should get some of the blame. Too many lines have been bred for aggression or just bred with whatever came along. The breeding can be corrected easily enough, and even a poorly bred dog can be trained and be a good dog.

Answer 10

There is no such thing as a bad dog. They learn from their owners. Pill Bulls can be the sweetest dogs if trained properly.