Are Pitbulls really devil dogs?

Question

When a pitbull attacks someone and it hits the news, the media always show pictures of a raging Pitt, snarling and foaming at the mouth etc. Do they make good pets, or are Pittbulls like that ?

Answer 1

pit bulls are orgiginally a fighting breed. they have a natural tendency towards aggression but only when it is engouraged and trained to do so will it fully use that ability. also when owners don't properly instil good dicipline into a pit bull, stafordshire terrier or pit bull terrier, do they seem to attack out of nowhere. a pit bull can be a great family dog but is not a dog for a novice owner.

Answer 2

The APBT is not a devil dog. I have one that lovers everyone especially kids. No special training it is just natural.
The problem with all the news reports is they say it was a pit bull. What does that mean? There are three breeds that are generally considered as a pit bull, The American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Stafordshire Terrier and the Starfordshire Bull Terrier, which one was it? There are a number of other dogs that are mistaken to be a pit bull.
There are many other dogs that bite more then a Pit. Who wants to read in the paper that a Rat Terrier bit the neighbors kids?
My APBT is the sweetest dog I have ever had.
My devil dog is a Chi/Rat terrier mix. If you do anything to hurt or scare him he will bite.

Take a look at this and see if you can pick the APBT.

http://animalsunlimited.net/meds.htm

Answer 3

As it's already been said, pit type dogs are actually very good with people. You do need to be careful with them around other animals as they have the instinct bred into them to attack.

Pitbulls are not the only breed with a bad reputation. Rottweilers are also currently known for their aggressive nature. Since these breeds are popular, as well as being large and have the looks of a "tough" dog, they are more often bred and trained to actually BE "bad" dogs by their owners. But if you look back 30 years, the same was said about Dobermans and German Shepherds.

In most cases, it's the owner, not the dog or it's breed that is the problem. However...being a veterinary technician for the past 25 years, I can give you my own opinion as to which breeds tend to be more aggressive than others. Many Chows and Shar Peis tend to be very aggressive, even attacking their owners. And more than 50% of the time, a Chihuahua or a Miniature Pinscher will be an extremely nasty little dog.

Answer 4

Pit Bulls are GREAT Dogs, as with any dog or breed it all depends on their training, breeding and owners. Our family Pit Bull is the sweetest most loving dog you will evere meet, he is actually a big chicken. But my young Lab terrorizes him day and night and the Pit Bull just puts up with it. I also have doggie get togethers which includes 8 to 12 Pit Bulls, 5 to 8 Rotties, 1 Dobbie 5 GSD and 10- 12 Labs. Not once in 5 years have we had a fight. All these dogs were raised, trained and socialized in the correct manner. The News media can be the biggest bunch of nonsense. Everyday in the US there are hundreds of dog attacks or bites and many never involve a Pit Bull. But we never hear about them on the news because the story they made was about Pit Bulls. It is fair and biased coverage. Pit Bulls are really great dogs and family dogs. There are NO BAD DOGS only BAD PEOPLE/OWNERS.

Answer 5

I'm on the band wagon with everyone else. Wonderful dogs with the right home setting. I had a yearling for about 6 months, never once seen ANY aggression out of him. My G/F had an infant son, and the dog loved him.

He was "passively" protective. If a stranger came to the door, he didn't lunge barking and growling...but sit infront of me and stare at the person till I made a friendly reaction.

But, I was working 2 jobs, and had 0 time to effectively spend with him training. So we figured it was better for him to go to a friend.

From my reasearch, the dogs were breed to be DOG aggressive but not MAN aggressive. Think about it, there were 3 people in the dog fighting pit (2 owners and the Ref), you only wanted the dog to focus on the other dog. They were also breed for what is known as "Gameness", its something along the lines of fearlessness, couragous, determination...not blood-lust. Gameness allows the dog to ignore things like pain/heat/exhaustion in the fight, but also is a positive trait for a home companion.

Give a Pit good training, lots of love, and lots of exercise (strength testing). Don't Ignore, taunt or provoke them.

The media does have bad taste for Pits, could be because they are popular in urban/ghetto culture. Just look at how Michael Vick is getting drug over the coals (not saying he's innocent, but in the affairs of the world today, this is NOT news worthy). There are so many other dogs with a dark past and aggresive tendecies...Chows, Dobs, Rots, Sheps, Akitas. Lets look at German Shepards...wonderful dogs today, but how many Jewish prisoners did they kill in WWII?

Just food for thought.

Answer 6

They can make wonderful pets! The sad thing is: 95% of the time it's the owner's fault. People either mistreat these dogs or don't train them. You MUST train them from a young age so you can keep control (just like with any dog).

Some of the sweetest dogs I've ever met were pit mixes. It's sad: if you look at rescue sites and shelters, usually over half of the dogs are at least part pit bull. Overall: it's us, not them.

Answer 7

I have answered similar questions before.... Pitbulls are not devil dogs... My sister has a pitbull and it is the sweetest and smartest dog I have ever encountered. There are things to take into consideration however when it comes to getting a pitbull. First it is very important to make sure that the mother and father of the pit are not brother and sister..... they closely breed these dogs sometimes to make them mean for fighting. Also, that someone hasn't already abused the dog or taught it to fight.......like I said....... my sisters dog has been in the family for 13 years now, and she is a great dog

Answer 8

AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIERS, not pit bulls ( that can be any type of "pit type dog" there is no such thing as a pit bull, its just a generic term for many breeds that fall under that category.)

They are wonderful family dogs, if raised properly in a loving secure home, free from abuse, bought from a reputable breeder, and neutered at a young age, they are nothing like the dogs you see on the news.

American pit bull terriers are not naturally human aggressive. They WERE bred to be dog aggressive, but most are just fine with other dogs of the opposite sex.

If you are seriously looking to own this breed, they are not for just anyone. Owning an American pit bull terrier is more than just owning a dog. You need to always show that your dog is not the monster the media makes him/her out to be. Obedience training is a must. If you see an out of control lab at the pest store, people think, oh! how cute! If people see a out of control APBT at the pet store, they automatically think he/she is aggressive and going to hurt someone.

So i beg you, reseach, research, research before you decide on owning an apbt.

Also, there are thousands upon thousands of pit bull type dogs in the shelters, they need homes too.

And to that poster above, their is nothing different about their jaws/bite than any other medium to large sized dog. Its all a myth.

Answer 9

The Pitbull was breed to protect and hunt...and over time became more and more aggressive. With basic training and a watchful eye the dog may never attack. But somethimes their instinct to hunt and kill is so deep inside them that good dogs can go bad. Always keep your dog on a leash...no matter what breed!

Answer 10

Pits are the product of their surroundings, and are man made. They like all dogs will become what you teach them and treat them. My brother had a pit female that was the most sweetest dog in the world. My boxer could be made mean, my mixed female could be made mean. Pits are good dogs in general, they just need direction and stability and to be treated with love and affection just like all animals.
There are bad apples just like kids though that no matter what you do they are just bad. And they ruin the bunch for everyone else