why is everyone praising pitbulls?

Question

if they are so gentle and it all depends on the owner why don't people have the guts to see how it works and provoke one. i doubt the result would be the same if they provoked a poodle.

( I have nothing against pits who are on the leash and also have a muzzle. I know quite some responsible owners who do this because they say the pits can kill you/or your dog if they feel threatened - that includes sensing that you are afraid of them. so, these are the only kind of people I respect because they treat their dogs in a good way but are always careful for the sake of others' safety.)

i know a provoked dog will attack, I was just asking you about the difference btw. a pit and a poodle, :) or is this something to ignore as well, :)

Answer 1

You are absolutely right; it DOES NOT all depend on the owner: genetics play a HUGE part of the pit bull temperment. Pit bulls weren't bred for human aggression, but dog agression is a problem with pits (and breeds that fall under this umbrella). Human aggression was a very undesirable trait for pit bulls, and it makes sense considering their history. Pit fighters needed a dog that would be viscious in the pit with another dog and win, but that would allow its handler to reach in the middle of a fight without getting bit himself. A pit bull fits this description, and so any human aggession tendencies were bred out.

So to answer your post (not really a question per se), if a pit is threatened by a human, I believe it would defend itself and its handler/family within reason. But, if challenged by another dog, you are certainly right; it would not react the same as a poodle. A pit will accept the challenge gladly, and even if it did not start the fight, you can be sure it will finish it. Never trust your bully breed dog not to fight!

That being said, a responsible pit bull owner need not muzzle their dogs in public; a leash (with good leash manners, of course) will do fine. Supervised play with other dog "friends" is OK too, but generally not a good idea with strange dogs for the reasons stated above.

Also, I recently learned (through reseach) that dog sociability is actually a bell curve of tendencies, ranging from dog social from dog intolerant. So it does depend on the dog and is up to the owner to always have control of their pit bull to ensure their safety as well as the safety of others.

I hope this sheds some light on the situation for you.

Here are some great websites that can give you alot more information and insight. I hope you'll visit them so you learn more about the breed and then form a more educated opinion.

understand-a-bull.com
thehappypitbull.com
badrap.com (maybe org?)

Answer 2

Pitbulls have a HIGH tolerance for pain. This is why they make GREAT family dogs w/ kids. Do people realize that every year there are MILLIONS of pits who die as LOVED FAMILY pets that were never aggressive and never needed a muzzle? Don't say 'oh they were just lucky' .. no, in that case there would have been maybe a couple hundred who died loving family members, not millions.

Yeah, ANY big dog can easily do some damage to a person/dog if provoked. First off you shouldnt be provoking a dog anyway! Big dogs are bigger and weigh more so obviously they are gonna do more damage than a Chi or Dachshund. I'm 5 foot, and if I were to fight a 6 ft person .. who do you think would win? Obviously the 6 ft person because again, they would be bigger than me.

I have seen pits come from being Bait dogs and they want NOTHING more than to just curl on your lap and be near you once they realize how good a family can be. It IS all how they are trained and raised. Its stupid ignorant people who make pits have a bad rep.

Provoke ANY dog and its going to attack you, regardless of breed or size.

Answer 3

As someone with a Rottweiler, I can tell you that even though breed stereotypes (much like those for people) are put in place for a reason, my Rotty has zero aggression, yet my Mom has a dachshund who will rip someone's hand off for getting near her (or my Mom for that matter).

My point being that *any* breed of dog can be mean depending on the nature of the enviroment it grew up in..Also, poodles are generally considered a tempermental breed - and they aren't recommended for homes with children, just FYI. I'd take a pit over a poodle any day.

Answer 4

Here's the thing....In the U.S. everyone generalizes everything it seem, if the see some crap on t.v. hear it from some where they seem to thing that it is truth or fact, instead of actually finding out the facts and getting up off there a@s.I agree that some dogs can be down right killers, but you can't blame the dog....Most of the time they are trained to be like that, or they are inbred and have a genetic malfunction where they just snap.....I have had Rotts and Pitts and yes they wer (so called killers) they might have liked you to death.....But I also put in a lot of time with my animals, I didn't wan't a killer not an agressive dog so I made sure that they were gentile, obediant, social, and just plain babys....If you pput in the time with them they are awesome animals and a great friend......If you don't have the time to take with them and train them (properly) you have no business having a large breed dog at all......My Rotts and Pitts were so gentile, I have done that animal rescue thing most of my life and any time I brought an animal home they would a check and see how bad it was, then see if it wanted to play......Let me telll ya it's funny seeing Rotts and Pitts wrestling with a wiener dog or a cat......

Answer 5

Pitbulls are very dosile and loving dogs. The only reason they have a bad reputation is because people train them to fit that stereotype. I have two big pit bulls that sit on your lap and pretend their poodles. They have never hurt anyone and even get jumped on by kids or stepped on by adults and never cause a problem . They deserve praise for being so well trainned and loving towards their owners

Answer 6

Pit bulls ???Yes I would have to agree,But all dogs can bite and all dogs of that size can kill you or another dog .
And yes its how the dog is raised But they can turn on a dime just like any other breeds not just the pit bull.ANY BREED
So safety first with any large breed with a red flag on there breed and name

Answer 7

I agree with you. People are always saying that pitts are TRAINED to be killers but seriously if the dog doesn't already have aggressive tendencies then it would be pretty hard to create them. Buy a golden retriever and a pitt bull see how long it takes to make a pitt a killer and how long does it take to make a golden a killer? I guarantee you that training the golden will be harder to train by a longshot! Pittbulls do - naturally- have aggressive tendencies. It isn't their fault it's just how they were created. Instead of defending pitt bulls we need to simply accept this fact and maybe we could find a way to REALLY make them friendlier and less hostile.

Answer 8

Poodles are vicious when provoked. Do not confuse kindness with weakness. Why you think they make excellent hunting dogs? Poodles will take on a bear. Pitbulls just run.

Answer 9

you have my agreement and i am sure you will get some losers on her heckeling you.
though i do not muzzle, my pit bull will always be on a leash when out in public and always contained when at my home. he is already trained to sit immediatley when other people or dogs come close.
pitbull owners must always be aware of their dogs body language, always.

Answer 10

Im sick of these pitbull posts.... They are like every other dog out there except they have a bad rap. In all of my experiences, and I have many (i work at a vet clinic) poodles and small dogs have been far worse than any pit bull, rottie, dobie or boxer.