Dog Fighting breeds ? Pit Bulls are so nice?

Question

How come the main dog fighting breed is pit bulls ? Why don't they fight German shepherds ? does it have to do with Pit Bulls being vicious killers ? even Chihuahua fights ? why not

Answer 1

Chihuahua fights that would be something to see. I dunno I guess Pit Bulls are solid muscle, they are like tanks and hard to injure

Answer 2

Ok, since no one wanted to answer the question, here it is. Pit bulls were chosen because of the gameness of the breed that is a genetic trait. You cannot make a pit bull fight just like you cannot make any dog do anything he does not have the correct genetics for. No, their jaws do not lock, no their bite is not the stongest bite in the dog kingdom, but, they do have the gameness that was/is so valuable for this sort of activity. And no, people did not and do not feed their dogs gun powder and they do not feed them blood and kittens to make them mean. These dogs had a lot going for them until people, in their ignorance, forgot what the breed was about and started treating it as something it is not. Good question, by the way.

Answer 3

Pitties are truly nice dogs - in fact, at the turn of the 19th -20th century - and up until the 1940's, the Pit Bull Dog was the most popular family pet in the US. A lot of famous people owned pitties - Helen Keller and Laura Ingles Wilder, to name a few.

Sadly, however, as is true with many popular breeds, their past has caught up with them - Fact is, they were indeed bred to fight. This was of course, during the time when blood sport was considered an honorable passtime. Today of course blood sport is considered evil - which it is. But even today, some cultures still revere blood sport - think of bull fights with matadors etc. In the novel, White Fang, by Jack London, White Fang is nearly killed in a fighting pit - against you guessed it - a pit bull. It would have been considered an honorable death - in 1889.

That being said, yes one can breed for temperment as well as confirmation. There is a dog-legend that when Great Danes were brought to this country from Europe to be shown at major shows (early 20th century), they were so powerful and aggressive that several other dogs in the shows were mauled. The breed was banned from the US until their temperment was improved. Today, Great Danes are known for being among the Gentlest Giants of the Dog world.

And Indeed there are a number of lines of Pit Bull that are sweet-natured. Most reputable breeders try very hard to breed for temperment. BUT sadly, backyard breeders who just want to make a quick dollar are not usually so careful; plus
the "underground" prefers aggressive dogs - because they can make lots of money from illegal fighting. So that's what happens - a perfectly wonderful breed of dog gets ruined and banned from society. Rotten luck.

Sadly, despite laws, there is a huge underground network of fighting rings throughout the country. Indeed, that's what drives the business - the excitement of the fight plus the excitement of evading the law. That equals lots of money to be made - at the expense of the dogs, of course.

Answer 4

Pit Bull Terriers were NOT originally used for dog fighting because of their aggression, especially not aggression towards humans. Dogs that displayed ANY human aggression whatsoever were culled from the gene pool by means of a bullet. Pit Bulls are the preferred breed for fighting in Western countries mainly because of ONE trait: "gameness". Gameness is the willingness and ability to keep doing whatever you're called up to do, no matter what-no matter how badly you're hurt, or how badly outmatched you are, to never, ever give up. Gameness is NOT the same as aggression, since there a dogs that are a LOT more aggressive and "fight-crazy' than most Pit Bulls, but as soon as they feel pain, or get hurt, they will quit. Pit Bulls are also preferred traditionally because of their size. They are supposed to be small enough to pick up and carry or hold in the pit, since original dog fighting had set rules and regulations, just like boxing does today, and dogs had to be picked up and held in between "rounds". Most of the people involved were working-class people, who didn't want this huge dog that they had to feed or find space for, and a dog the size of a REAL Pit Bull Terrier was strong enough to handle many tasks, besides just fighting, but small enough to live comfortably in a small dwelling and not cost the owner's annual salary to feed! That is still part of the appeal of the breed for many people who have no interest in fighting their dogs: the size, not too big, not too little, but as Goldilocks would say, "Just Right". Traditionally, most fighting dogs were also expected to be family dogs, and farm dogs, so it was important that their aggession was only for other dogs, specifically, only for the other dog IN THE FIGHTING PIT. Like I said, any that showed even the slightest aggressive tendencies towards humans would be killed, pronto. Today, there are a lot of mutts that are being called "Pit Bulls", dogs that have been crossed with traditiona guard dog breeds, which are naturally suspicious of strangers. The media and the Animal Rights people(who want to eventually ban ALL dogs and cats)push their anti-Pit Bull agenda by calling EVERY dog that bites or attacks a "Pit Bull", no matter what it looks like, and this furthers that perception of all Pit Bulls being "vicious killers". As long as that image is pushed, there will be people who are attracted to that, part of a culture of violence and disrespect for the law and society in general. These types of people have always been around, but now they are popularized with movies, with music and even clothing styles. It's hip and cool to be "gansta", to be "hard" and to be "outlaw", so people who want to follow that trend look for things that they think will make them seem that way, including the dogs that the public perceives at the time as being "vicious killers".

Answer 5

They are not the only fighting breed, just the "American" choice. The Chinese bred Shar-pei's and Chows to fight. Akita's were another. A dog is bred to fight because of temperment and physical conformation. The chow, to much hair and short ears make him hard to injure. The Shar-pei is why they have the wrinkled skin. It's also the reason the pitbull has his ears cut so short along with the fact he is known for his "locking" jaws and pounds per square inch in his bite. I own a pittbull and he lets my grandson do anything he wants to him! While on the other hand I also have owned Cocker Spaniels that I would not trust with him. I have a weimarner right now that would bite you a lot quicker than the pitbull! While a dog is predisposed to certain traits it is the owners fault that they have the viciousness. It is just plain predjudice to judge any animal or person for that matter, based on their race or breed!!!

Answer 6

Unfortunately pits have a bad rap because of ignorant people. They are wonderful, gentle, extremely smart dogs.

To answer your question: they are used for fighting because 1. They have a higher pain tolerance than most dogs. 2. The pressure per square inch of their jaws is more than the average German Shepard. 3. They are resilient. They are very persistent and bred not to give up and to be people pleasers.

That is why ignorant people fight pits and not some other breed.

Answer 7

its funny you mention that . a German Shepherd ran up on my daughter last night. she didn't get hurt she was smart enough to run in our car, had that of been a pit all hell would have broke lose. I'm lucky that my pit wasn't out there, because he would have went crazy if that dog would have hurt his girl.then of course my dog would have been the one in the news, not the Shepherd. my dog isn't violent at all but he loves my daughter and any dog will protect their humans. people shouldn't fight any animal.

Answer 8

Pitt Bulls come from a line of dogs that were used for actual work at one time-they baited bulls during handeling on farms to assist owners in the dnagerous task of moving these animals around the farm. The dogs would not back down if the bull moved on them or the owner. They no doubt saved countless farmers from broken bones or death in this work. Dogs who got a start attacking pulls are going to be a little bit more determined than most dogs-they also got that famous grip from tangles with the bulls. If you dog let go of a mad bull's nose it was setting itself up to get trampled or gored. But if you dog held on and didn't let go-it could avoid that and possibly keep the bull in check.

The problem is that as the country folks moved to cities and went from agricutlure to industry as a means for living, they took these dogs with them and being in search of so called sport started directing the dogs nature to fighting with other dogs. The other popular sports at the time were hunting-for that to be effective you needed land and horses and well bred dogs-not really a sport the common man could take part in. But pitting your dog against another in a fight was not costly and didn't require all those extras. And other peopel could watch and wager on it. Over time, they selected dogs that were very good at fighting other dogs. But they still took those dogs home at night to a family-so a dog attacking the wife or kids would not be tolerated. You end up with a line of dogs that are very good at what they were asked to do-fight and be good with a family during off hours.

Today, people still use these dogs this way. And then you have lots more people who get them and think they can change the behavior of the dog because it is a good puppy. They mean well, but they try to discard hundreds of generations of breeding. These dogs tend to be much more dog aggressive than most breeds. They are built to fight-solid muscle on a compact frame with low center of gravity and very large bite with a lot of force behind it. They have a very high pain tolerance and will push through more pain than most dogs. They are eager to please, so they tend to try harder for the owner even with little positive encouragement.

People want to defend this breed, often with out addressing the real issues or looking at the history. These dogs require a owner with experience with dogs, a knowledge of the history and purpose of the breed, and ability to really work with the dog on social skills while still keeping in mind that they must be careful with the dog in public outings. Sadly, these dogs don't often get owners who commit to these things and result in attacks and injuries.

Answer 9

People train pit bulls to be fighting dogs more than any other dogs. I guess they just like their power. I wish that people would stop training pit bulls to be agressive, because if you haven't noticed- they are killing dogs and people!! I no that not all pit bulls are bad, but the people that train them to be agressive are giving them a bad reputation.

Answer 10

I'm with you,I have a Pit,and he is very sweet.I think the jaw,and it's crunch force make them candidates for winning fights.I have heard Dalmatians have strong jaws also.People have made a cruel sport,where, like chicken fighting,they make money.The Mother of my Pit Bull was fed gun powder to make her mean,she wasn't very mean,so her owner abandoned her,after he half beat her to death.Their is allot of in breeding going on to produce fighters,people are staying off the radar so they can continue their bloody sport.

Answer 11

Pit Bulls are nice my daughter has a pit and shepard australian mix looks and acts just like a pit soooo sweet its only the red nose pit that are mean people tend to judge them by what they have heard she also has a rotwiller german and american he is huge but just a big baby. every dog is different you cannot say pit rotts or anything eles is bad its just the dog not the breed.I have a pug she would fight any dog