Discussions
Your opinion on pit bulls.. Good Pets?
Posted by someoneelseisnew • 6/17/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: good pets, pit bull
We have had a pitbull for almost 2 years now. She showed up on our doorstep with ear infections, worms, and other problems. she was severlly mistreated and ran away from her first owners. our other dog, Jade, a 110lb American Bulldog (also know as a quote unquote "mean breed" took hjer in instantly and they acted like sisters ever since.
here is a picture of them on my blog playing tug of war together: andreasphotoblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/tug-of-war.html Gretel the pitbull is on the left, and Jade the american bulldog is on the right.
Recently, my (bear with me) fiance's aunt's stepson's child was attacked by a pitbull in his neighborhood. The aunt came over and went on a rant about how no one should own pitbulls and they should all be put down.
It was very hard to be quite while she said this, because I love my dog so much. I knw she has recently felt all kinds of emotions, but that was such a general statement.
So, I open this dicusssion to see who out there has pitbulls, had pitbulls, and what you think? Are they good pets waiting to go bad? I don't think so...
I think it has a great deal to do with the owner and how the pet is raised... Even so, my pit Gretel showed up full grown, came from a horrible household and loves everyone. We leave her alone with cats, rats and children with no worry. Is that wrong?
So, pitbull expierences: what do you think:
Ps, there are some more pics of our beautiful pitbull on the blog if you're interested...
User Comments
-
Pitbulls, like all animals, have the capability of being a ruthless and vicious animal. It's truly a product of their training, I believe.
Friends of our in our old neighbourhood had 2 Pitbulls and they were the gentlest of beasts ... but, that was because of the way they were treated.
I've seen the news reports of Dobermans or Rotts mauling and/or killing, but they're not labeled like Pitbulls. It's an mystique that will haunt this breed forever thanks to those idiots (ya, I'm talking about you Michael Vick) who fight them for sport. -
hey, i'm from georgia.. you don't have to tell me!
-
I love pits.
I have one that is 105lbs and he is fantastic with the baby-
Dere you go!
-
he's huge!
-
-
Great dogs. -
I have a blue pit and she will lick you to death, but that's about it. -
Pit Bulls are the most misunderstood dogs in the world. They are truley the best dogs out there. I have worked with them for years and have a bait dog whom I found in a dumspter with a screwdriver in its chest and she is completely rehabbed.
There are grim statistics out there regarding pits, but that is mostly because 80% of the general public cannot even identify one. Don't believe me? Here is a little test www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html
Due to so many misidentifications (later proven so by vets and pit advocates such as myself) the media has a new villain. I would encourage you and everyone who reads this to check out pitbullsontheweb.com as it is one the best sites out there regarding the subject.
The number one cause of death for toddlers and infants by canine... Jack Russel Terriers. I will not link drop but check my blog and search pit bulls I have written extensively on the subject based on hands on experience in breaking up dog fighting rings in Augusta, my own work with my non profit agency and working with thousands of pit bulls over a ten year span. FYI: 93% pass the tempermant tests that even labs fail. THey are truely bred to please their humans-
yeah i agree with that. everyone thinks we have 2 pitbulls. we have 1 and 1 american bulldog. everyone tells her she's the biggest pit they've ever seen cuz they don't know the breed.
-
-
like with most critters, it depends on the pet and the owner. my friend has pits and they're wonderful big old babies. sweetest things ever. another friend has poodles that attack anything that moves. just like people are different, so are dogs and no one breed is completely bad. it depends on that dog and it's owner. -
I admit, I'm a bit nervous around some of them because I watched my neighbor's leashless pit bull go after another neighbor's Scotty not long ago.
The poor blind and deaf Scotty, I think, didn't even know WHAT had latched onto him. The scotty's owner is elderly, so the whole scene was fairly High Drama at the time.
Now, admittedly, the fault here lies with my neighbor-- for not having his dog on a leash and letting it run free. I understand this particular dog had also been involved in dog fighting in the area-- we have a lot of illegal dog fighting rings here-- and it was trained to be aggressive to other dogs.
It was an unnerving incident, though.
And I'd like to hear from folks here who have a broader knowledge than I do about whether you feel dogs who have been trained for fighting can be deprogrammed from this sort of behavior or not...-
let me know specifically what you'd like to know. As I said, I 've work with them for years. I had one former fighter and she rehabbed nicely, and currently have a dog that was used as bait. She is also competely rehabilitated. I found her in a dumpster, amongst other dead pits, bloody and maggot infested, and now she is a lap dog who lays with myself and the children. She taught my youngest how to crawl. The desire to please in this breed is so great that most can be easily rehabbed if the owner can correctly relay what he/she want from the dog.
-
Cool-- What is considered appropriate ways to reinforce good behavior in the dog?
-
In dealing with a pit, you have to first figure out their triggers. For me I take them to get a temperment test to identify weather its sound, lights, touch or food that triggers it. Once you know the problem, you reinforce accordingly. For example if a dog was beaten, to relax them I give them a small portion of raw steak, first dropping a bit a few feet away and then leave a trail leading up to my hand. When the dog gets to my hand, I lay my other one out flat next to it. If she leans into it or sniffs it, I use my higher pitched baby cooing voice if she stiffens, flinches, growls or shows any other undesireable behavior I place the steak behind my back and puff my chest out and say no in a low, deep voice. The dog will then see that behavior is not what is pleaseing, and I repeat until I get the desired effect. When the dog eventually licks the hand not holding the steak or lays in my lap, the praise lasts for a longer amount of time.
This particular breed wants to please, whatever their problem, if you make it clear using body language and tone what you find acceptable they will learn.
On the other hand you musn't coddle them if they flinch or seem upset as that positive attention to a negative behavior tells them it is okay to be weary and it will be harder to undo that reinforcement. Out of roughly 7000 I have only ever dealt with 3 who were not able to be rehabbed.
I can give more specific advice regarding specific problems, this is just a generalization that I find to be most effective. The reinforcement can vary depending on what you want to see out of them. Dog aggression requires that you ignore them. In pack, if an alpha is displeased with the actions of a member it will either attack or ostracize. Attack is not smart with a pit bull, or any dog for that matter, so not making eye contact and intentionally ignoring it drives the point home. Never yell when they are fighting as it is looked at as barking and supporting their cause, low, deep commands let them know this is not acceptable -
Thank you much for this-- based on what you indicate, I'm thinking the current owner-- of the shouting and swatting variety-- only ended up reinforcing all the negative behaviors.
-
should you ever encounter that dog, see the last edited part from the statement above and it will not bother you. I would say that owner is irresponsible, which unfortunatley is the case more often than not. I don't know how many pits I have pulled due to bad owners only to have the dogs flourish in another environment.
-
All good information. I think too many folks who aren't responsible look at having a potentially-powerful dog like that as a symbol of their own power, when they feel powerless themselves.
The combination doesn't make for the best owners, or parents, either. It's a shame.
-
-
I would also like to point out that this breed is historically the preferred breed in dealing with disabled people. Michael J Fox, FDR, and Helen Keller all have pit bulls whom they rely/relied on for a great deal
-
It is like all animals. It is the way they are raised and in breeding. I have known a lot of people with them that have no problem. They treat them like family. I have also known people that fight them and trat them badly. That is the major diffrence in wheather it will attack you or not, -
I've had my pitbull Socco for 4 years (4 this august) he's gods gift to the world. Never bit or got nasty with anyone, he's a little sweetheart.
He had his balls removed.
The dog in my avatar is not my dog. That's a bulldog and it's just a random picture I found.
Socco is an american pitbull terrier 70 pounds, good boy
-
Pit bulls are soooo cute!
I think they usually are prone respiratory tract infections with high mortality?
-
Those are English Bulldogs
-
-
Pitbulls can be wonderful dogs. They are very loyal and protective. It is all about how they are raised. I live in an area where there are people who got in trouble for raising them as a fighting dog and on the other hand there is a guy who walks his two pit bulls down the street and they are the sweetest dogs. These two pit bulls are great with anybody they meet on their adventures, even the kids.
It is like Rottweilers. I had family members who bred rotties and they are very loving and loyal dogs however people often use a rotties size to make them a mean pooch. My family lost their homeowners insurance because of the reputation of the rottie and nobody else would insure them. They were forced to stop breeding them even though they have had many compliments as to how well the rotties they bred behaved.
Dobermans are the only ones that I can think of that can live up to their reputation even with the most loving environment and that is only because a lot of them are inbred which causes problems and leads to a lot of pain as they get older. Pure bred they too are great dogs.
I like pit bulls but would prefer a rottie, just a personal preference. -
I have a pitt bull named Fluffy; the name did nothing to fool the apartment management....
Add Your Comment
Login to leave a message.
