I disagree.
I think, since pit bulls were breed to fight and kill, have a sort of "kill-switch" that, when triggered for whatever reason, causes them to attack to kill, and cannot be readily called off from that attack, like most dogs can, even if they were not trained for that.
Just my opinion, but I think that explains why pit bulls have been known to attack even family members or people they know, and why they are disproportionately involved in serious dog attacks.
The idea that pit bulls are just another dog, ignores the statistics.

Statistics show what you want them to show. At one point german shephards were the villain. Rottweilers, boxers, dobermans. It is pitbulls turn right now. No dog wants to fight, fight means injury and potential death. Only humans are that stupid.

What are the commonalities? Dogs get popular for whatever reason and dumb people go out and get them. They have no idea how to handle these dogs. These are all large breed dogs that require a lot of work and dedication. These are not toys or decorations. It is backyard breeders and irresponsible rescue organisations that do not match perspective owners properly that are at fault.

There is no "kill" switch. There is definitely a dumb selfish human factor.

One big issue I have is with owners of small dogs. They have zero control over their dogs and believe it is completely fine for their dogs to harass everyone and everything since they can do no damage. Guess who is at a disadvantage now?

 

I think, since pit bulls were breed to fight and kill, have a sort of "kill-switch" that, when triggered for whatever reason, causes them to attack to kill

I agree, dogs, as a specie, have been proven to lack the ability to reason, they are highly instinctive animals.
This was shown in an excellent scientific documentary on different Animals in general, and their ability to reason.
See my link back in #12

 

Watch this movie. Find out how it was made. Then make your claims.

How we treat animals speaks loudly for what we are.

 

Even if all else were equal (and I don't agree that it is) pit bulls can do a lot more damage when they attack (including killing) since there jaw muscles are much stronger than most other dogs (you just have to look at their head and jaws to see that), and they tend to bite down and not let go.

 

The bulldog is (not that stupid looking UGA mascot English bulldog) a relic here in Georgia and still bred for its purpose. Not fighting but catching free-roaming hogs and cattle. Before fence laws were enacted hogs and cattle ran free. Their ears were notched (branded) by their owners and a book of brands was kept in the courthouse. Even today in the swamps here there are both feral hogs and cattle. I know guys who regularly run their bulldogs in the swamps to catch hogs and cattle, pen them up, and corn feed them to fatten them up for slaughter. Or, even better, the wild feral hogs are sold to buyers for stock to supply the game ranchers catering to hunters and the hogs can fetch an unbelievable price going up into 4-5 figures for a big boar. But, these bulldogs are NOT pets, they are working dogs kept penned until taken out to hunt. They are bred for great stamina, unyielding ferocity, and strong jaws for holding onto their prey until their master can rope it. Nothing pet about them.

 

The bulldog is (not that stupid looking UGA mascot English bulldog) a relic here in Georgia and still bred for its purpose. Not fighting but catching free-roaming hogs and cattle. Before fence laws were enacted hogs and cattle ran free. Their ears were notched (branded) by their owners and a book of brands was kept in the courthouse. Even today in the swamps here there are both feral hogs and cattle. I know guys who regularly run their bulldogs in the swamps to catch hogs and cattle, pen them up, and corn feed them to fatten them up for slaughter. Or, even better, the wild feral hogs are sold to buyers for stock to supply the game ranchers catering to hunters and the hogs can fetch an unbelievable price going up into 4-5 figures for a big boar. But, these bulldogs are NOT pets, they are working dogs kept penned until taken out to hunt. They are bred for great stamina, unyielding ferocity, and strong jaws for holding onto their prey until their master can rope it. Nothing pet about them.

That is exactly the problem when people start to get working dogs as pets. If you are not going to provide your dog with an outlet it needs, you have an unhappy caged animal.

I got my husky from SPCA when she was 2 or 3 yeara old. She was picked up from a reservation with 6 puppies. She was a wild dog. Hyper, did not know how to play, much like a small puppy in her behavior but a full grown dog. She would play with me not knowing how to moderate her biting, we would play "mouthing" games but I had to wear heavy jackets. It took me a long time to get her to learn to adjust her behaviour, but she learned. She is very affectionate and gentle now. Cats and porcupines she will probably never get over, she started out a bit too late and is just a bit too stubborn. I also taught her to swim. Took 1 year as it is not a common trait in huskies.

p.s. No one in their right mind would dispute that a large dog will inflict more damage than a small one. Question is where does responsibility lie? I want to draw another parallel, but it might be viewed as political...

 

I know people with rotties, pits and German shepherds and have never been bitten by them. I know people with chihuahuas, poodles and even cats, and have been bitten by them. I can find no reputable evidence that certain dog breeds are instinctive biters. Biting and fighting are learned traits in dogs as in humans.

 

Animals, Domestic dogs particularly, when faced with an unfamiliar situation become confused and do not know exactly how to deal with it.
I can name many where otherwise calm dogs that are the pet of the family can become very unpredictable in their behavior in certain situations.

 

Give me a big dog anytime over what I call yappers that can't even bark like a dog should. One of the most vicious dogs I ever knew was a Cocker Spaniel... Another mistake people make is trying to make a pet out of hounds. I will except Bassets to that, but a hound's instinct is to range and trail game while "bugling" and then bark when it is cornered or treed. God help any cats in the neighborhood. But, yes, a lot has to do with the pet owner not having a clue as to how to treat, much less train the animal.

 

Biting and fighting are learned traits in dogs

Nope, it's instinctive from puppyhood. Mamma will readily nip her pups if they do something she doesn't like. Pups rough house play biting and wrestling with each other. That's not the problem. The problem is aggression and lack of proper training. And bulldogs and terriers are very aggressive. Not to their master but to any invaders of their territory. Even my Labradors will bark like crazy with the hair up on their back anytime someone they don't know enters "their" yard. But with Labradors they are also wagging their tails happy to have someone new to play with and soon to be your best friend. "Does that dog bite? No, but it will lick you to death!" Not an aggressive bone in their body which is why they are the number one pet breed in the US. That said, I was given a Labrador that a friend of my parents was getting rid of because "it bit the veterinarian." His name was Nick but I called him Saint Nick because he was one evil devil of a dog. I got him too late to change his nature and something or someone had obviously abused him to make him that mean. He would snap from being a "nice" dog to an aggressive in your face snarling menace that was going to shred you with his fangs. I shed no tears when he got himself run over chasing cars and finally caught one.

 

Any dog can become aggressive when there’s a reason. I lost my first dog when his cataracts became so bad, he couldn’t recognize the family. One night, as I was placing his food on the floor, my hand startled him and he left a gash in my arm. I had two at the time and a few years later, my wife had a baby. The second dog became jealous and attacked me when I was holding the baby.

But they were miniature schnauzers and the injury was minor. If they had the same physical characteristics as a pit bull, I might not have been so lucky.

 

I know people with rotties, pits and German shepherds and have never been bitten by them. I know people with chihuahuas, poodles and even cats, and have been bitten by them.

Are you really trying to equate a chihuahua with a pit bull?

It's not the bite per se, that's the problem, it's how big the animal is and how much damage they can generate when they bite (certainly a pit bull is near the top of that list for dogs).
A chihuahua, poodle, or cat may bite, but I seriously doubt than any have ever maimed or killed a human (unless perhaps by an infection from the bite).

 

Any dog can become aggressive when there’s a reason. I lost my first dog when his cataracts became so bad, he couldn’t recognize the family. One night, as I was placing his food on the floor, my hand startled him and he left a gash in my arm. I had two at the time and a few years later, my wife had a baby. The second dog became jealous and attacked me when I was holding the baby.

But they were miniature schnauzers and the injury was minor. If they had the same physical characteristics as a pit bull, I might not have been so lucky.

First example with older dog, is where the issue is known and predictable. You either work around it or put the dog to sleep.

Second scenario could be resource guarding, but then why did it bite you? It is most likely fear of the baby/changes. Fear aggression is very common, both in dogs and humans...

 

A Dog wants, first and foremost, to be part of, and contribute to, a Family.

When ignored, and left to their own devices,
they can become destructive, and even dangerous.

If a Dog "Senses" that nobody else is "in-charge", and being the leader of the Family,
they will immediately, and automatically, take charge themselves,
and then do what ever they deem appropriate.
This even applies to Chihuahuas.
You Grandma's Chihuahua will rip your face off, because Grandma is never "in-charge" of the situation.
The Chihuahua is the only one taking-charge of that Family, ( as far as he's concerned ).

I've spent over ~30-years with a Weimaraner sleeping in my bed.
The only problem ever created by any of my Dogs was from "Separation-Anxiety",
in other words, the Dog got pissed-off because he was not taken on a trip with the rest of the Family.
The Dog was "invalidated" as part of the Family.
It's like telling a 7-year-old kid that he can't play with the other kids and has to stay in his room.
Being a hyper-active, super-smart, Hound,
they have to have at least 1 hour of vigorous exercise everyday,
whether You feel like it or not,
( preferably 8-hours or more with swimming involved if possible ).
If they don't get this exercise,
they will come up with their own form of entertainment,
entertainment that You may not appreciate very much.

Highly protective of children, without any formal "training".
Favorite pass-time ...... peeling the fuzzy-skin off of a Tennis-Ball.
Knows the difference between at least ~30 different words.

If they are treated like a member of the Family,
and allowed to contribute to it,
they will become exemplary Citizens, and be welcomed, and well behaved, in any environment.

This doesn't happen by "accident".
People with character-flaws will have Dogs with character-flaws.

A Dog is not a "Toy" that You pull out of a box when You want to be entertained.
.
.
.

 

Always loved and wanted a Weimaraner. Excellent retrievers and field dogs with a demeanor even more laid back and reserved than a Labrador.

dog became jealous and attacked me when I was holding the baby.

That's a bit odd. Most dogs are very protective of their human pups. We just had our 4 grandkids here from Pittsburgh ages 1-10. They both amused and abused him badly and he loved the attention as bad as it got sometimes with the one-year-old's tail pulling and trying to push him around and all the squirt gun attacks but then he is a water dog. He wore himself out trying to keep up with that rowdy pack and misses them now that they have gone home.

 

Even if all else were equal (and I don't agree that it is) pit bulls can do a lot more damage when they attack (including killing) since there jaw muscles are much stronger than most other dogs (you just have to look at their head and jaws to see that), and they tend to bite down and not let go.

Hi,

Yes very powerful dogs hard to believe until you've been with one and fed it and all.

The two things we dont read about i dont think make it even worse. They have fairly large paws and their teeth are very short and their legs and shoulders are strong as well as their neck . They are all muscle. This gives them the ability to hold something down with force with their two front paws and rip it apart with their jaws and teeth. Their teeth are so short that there is no way on earth they will ever break off when ripping something apart unlike other dogs and sharks. I saw my friends dog rip apart a piece of tough carpet (or something like that). Ripped it to shreds and only took a minute or so. Apparently that dog seems to like to do that.
Never saw a dog built like that before.
I read that they were bread to grab and hold prey for their owners so the owner can then come and get or kill the prey animal. I have no doubt whatsoever that they could easily do this and then some.

It's amazing that all that is on the table but it does depend on their temperament if they are going to attach and why they might attack. The dog i was with was a really friendly animal. I wouldnt want to get on his bad side though

 

hi,
I guess you know the derivation of the name and purpose of a Pit Bull dog.?

E
https://animalfoundation.com/whats-going-on/blog/pitbull-breed

 

In other words, they are mongrel mutts!

 

That's a bit odd. Most dogs are very protective of their human pups.

He may have been protective. He attacked ME as I was holding the baby. He may have seen me as threatening the child.

 

Are you really trying to equate a chihuahua with a pit bull?

Not at all. But you and a couple others seem to think they, pit bulls and other so called rouge breeds are the way they are from birth, breeding. If that is so why do/did they have to be trained to fight? They may nip at each other, especially when young/pups to establish hierarchy in a pack or the mother may do it to teach a pup to behave. But to actually fight and kill one another that is a human training them to do what they want them to do.

It's not the bite per se, that's the problem, it's how big the animal is and how much damage they can generate when they bite (certainly a pit bull is near the top of that list for dogs).

So then you seem to be implying that they can't moderate the bite? I've play ed with a friends pit bull and he never even broke the skin of my hand when I would force the toy from his mouth. It still comes down to how they are trained. Even retrieving dogs have to be trained to "soft mouth" the thing they retrieve.

From my experience with dogs it's always been the owner/human that taught them their bad behavior.