Pit Bulls attack beach jogger

[rietrot]

The best qualities for their purposes. Pit-bulls were bred to be fighting dogs, aggressive, savage, high pain threshold, devastating bite technique. That is what they were bred for. Sure, mixing that with something that has an even stronger predator instinct, or a much shorter fuse, can produce something even more dangerous than a Standard Pit-bull. BUT it is the Pit-Bull breed that has the major problem of being engineered into such a dangerous animal.

It is the Pit-Bull base that is the problem. Some unfavourable cross-breeding can be even worse, but only because it is being cross bred with a Put-Bull. It is not the cross-breeding that is the flaw. As there are many cross-breeds that come out with absolutely lovely temperaments, because the two base breeds are bred as companion dogs to begin with.

There is nothing wrong with a normal everday family owning a pitbull as a family pet and/or guard dog.
If you believe they are only savage fighting dogs, you are ignorant to all their other qualities.

 

[konfab]

Here are a few things for your "Defenders" to get right quickly.
Trying to say that, "Oh it was a Pit-bull type cross-breed not a pure Pit-bull" is complete bull****. The argument here is over the Breed, which boils down to its genetic traits. So Cross-breed will still contain plenty of genetic traits. Trying to defend pit-bulls by claiming that only PUREBREEDS are true bastions of what a pit-bull is, that is complete rubbish.

The things that make pit-bulls dangerous, the unpredictability, the bite pattern, the aggressiveness. Those are traits that are well know and documented. And if an attack happens, that is savage, or unprovoked, etc... And the dog is identified as having pit-bull genes, then unfortunately but also justifiably, the blame falls on the pit-bull heritage of that animal.

Final thought:
Selective breeding is a real thing that matters and makes a difference. Border-Collie are fantastic sheep herders because they have been bred to do this job. Nobody disputes that fact, nobody is going to enter a pit-bull into the national sheep herding contest and expect anything other than last place.
So why do people suddenly downplay the significance of selective breeding when it comes to aggressive traits? It is a dangerous narrative to put out there.

The biggest factor will always be how the people who raised the dogs. To use your example, a pit bull that has been trained to herd sheep will be better than a Border-Collie that wasn't trained.

Genetics causes risk factors, not certainties.

People need to look after their dogs properly. And part of that is to make sure they cannot leave the yard, and if they do, it is on a leash.

 

[SoulTax]

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The biggest factor will always be how the people who raised the dogs. To use your example, a pit bull that has been trained to herd sheep will be better than a Border-Collie that wasn't trained.

Genetics causes risk factors, not certainties.

People need to look after their dogs properly. And part of that is to make sure they cannot leave the yard, and if they do, it is on a leash.

It is a factor, but not the single biggest. And genetics do not just cause risk factors. Risk factors are things like Down-Syndrome or not. Traits are things like Pointy nose, sharp jaw line, olive skin. Those things can be accentuated or dulled at random for each individual, but they are there whether you like them or not. The Traits that a Pit-bull has been bred to have, are there in varying degrees.

I am not saying they are all stone cold killers waiting to pounce. Many Pit-bulls are lovely dogs in lovely homes. But even in those lovely homes, it takes a neighbourhood kid to tease the dog at the gate while you are at work. Or the postman that antagonises the dog just by walking and touching his property, etc... These events that are out of your control, can potentially spark an episode that forces the pit-bull use its more sinister traits.

The traits are always going to be there under the surface. It is just a factor that you have to be realistic about when you choose a Pit-bull as a pet. You take that risk with all dogs to varying degrees. Pit-Bulls, being fighter breeds are just higher on the risk scale. It is just the reality of it.

 

[cupcake]

It is a factor, but not the single biggest. And genetics do not just cause risk factors. Risk factors are things like Down-Syndrome or not. Traits are things like Pointy nose, sharp jaw line, olive skin. Those things can be accentuated or dulled at random for each individual, but they are there whether you like them or not. The Traits that a Pit-bull has been bred to have, are there in varying degrees.

I am not saying they are all stone cold killers waiting to pounce. Many Pit-bulls are lovely dogs in lovely homes. But even in those lovely homes, it takes a neighbourhood kid to tease the dog at the gate while you are at work. Or the postman that antagonises the dog just by walking and touching his property, etc... These events that are out of your control, can potentially spark an episode that forces the pit-bull use its more sinister traits.

The traits are always going to be there under the surface. It is just a factor that you have to be realistic about when you choose a Pit-bull as a pet. You take that risk with all dogs to varying degrees. Pit-Bulls, being fighter breeds are just higher on the risk scale. It is just the reality of it.

This is true alot of factors are out of your control and all dog's have the potential to snap and be aggressive just as all humans do too. The thing with a Pit-bull and other power breeds is that the damage is extensive so the owners have to be really responsible and unfortunately it is often the aggressive type human that are attracted to the " bully" breeds and that combination is very bad.

 

[airborne]

I love dogs and can get on with just about any dog but a friend had a Pitbull and there was no getting on with it, it would switch from friendly to crazy without any warning. It listened to him and he didn't seem to have any problem controlling it but that seems to be the issue with the breed, they are too territorial and aggressive with strangers.

They are very difficult to completely socialize, there's always that hyper aggressiveness lurking in the background. Alsatian/German shepherds are also like that but to a lesser degrees, they get aggressive but their bite instinct isn't as quick.

An Alsatian would still be barking where a pitbull would have already ripped a chunk out of your calf muscle and be jumping at your jugular.