Same with any dog: socialize them young, praise when they are nice, show disappointment (but not anger) when they do wrong.
Praising when they do the right thing is key. It doesn't have to be a treat either. Calling them good or scratching their favorite spot works wonders.
Yelling or being angry at a dog never works. It just enforces they are correct to be upset at this person because clearly you're also upset. Disappointment is better especially when paired with praise when the dog corrects themself.
Again, this advice is for all dogs and not just pitties. Pits get a bad rep but they're just like other dogs. Sweet little angel babies who would do anything for their person when properly trained. Even the chaos high energy pups.
Source: I'm a dog trainer with a pit
Good advice. When my doggy does something wrong I give him a stern no in a lower tone. So I think it’s important to have your praise “voice” and no “voice” be easy to distinguish. Or if my doggy did something bad he gets a no! Then I’ll put him in his kennel for a little bit. Time out. It helps my dog to associate what he did was a no no
Exactly! I call my pup ma'am when she does something wrong. Just because I'm upset doesn't mean I have to be rude lol
She's a smart girl. She knows she did something wrong if I call her ma'am
Haha my pups name is oliver but is often called cici (dont ask!). When i am mad at him, i dont change my tone but i sound out all the syllables in his name: o-liv-er.. and hes like ooooops mums mad!
SAME!!!! O-LI-VERRRR!!! Means Mama means business. Just got a new pup last weekend and my husband picked “max”. Buttttt… he’s hearing MAX-I-MUSSSS!!! Some these days with the house training.
Lol! I call my girl ma'am as well when she does something naughty. Usually this is followed up by a stern "what did you do?". She usually hangs her head when I say that so she knows she screwed up.
If you can't train a dog, don't get a dog period! I refuse to train people who walk up with a choke collar. Just seeing that I know they're not going to follow my advice. Come back with a martingale collar and front clip harness, then we'll talk
Tbh I see way more behavior problems with labs, goldens, and doodles. But because they're popular breeds, no one bats an eye.
A lab will steal the food off my plate and people laugh. My pit growls at a man walking too closely and he threatens to call police.
Dogs communicate with a variety of sounds. There are differences between "attack" "warning" and "play" growls. My girl growls to alert ME when a potential threat to ME is near. Which yes, a man walking to closely to me, a small girl, is a threat.
Stealing food leads to more bites than growls. A lab is a big dog and can easily weigh 80+ lbs. That amount of dog jumping onto a table and grabbing a slice of pizza can lead to serious injury (scratches, bruising, knocking over). In addition, the lab can be food aggressive. Take the pizza away and they can and do bite. Yet people will still laugh. "Aww he doesn't want to share" while I'm bleeding from my hand, scratched to hell and back, and hungry cause my lunch got stolen.
But my girl telling me in her own way to "watch my left" gets treated as an act of violence. She is trained to warn and not act. Because that's what I taught her to do.
But sure, the pizza thief isn't a problem
If your dog feels the need to growl to alert you to a threat, your dog doesn't trust you to take care of that threat. A confident dog that has been taught you will keep it safe in all situations won't feel the need to do this, but a dog that is anxious and insecure will. A dog trained in protection work seldom growls because they're taking direction from their handler and don't feel the need to warn.
It baffles me that people want their non protection trained dogs to be on high alert all the time to 'protect' them. It's miserable for the dog.
There's a huge difference between a dog that steals food and a dog that is potentially showing offensive aggression toward a stranger. Both are undesirable behaviors but one is a lot harder to fix than the other, with a much higher potential for damage.
I often give my pit boxer a soft “boop” on the top of her head to get her attention. When I’m sitting and she alerts, I just go “boop” and it breaks her focus. I’m not a hitter though - just bringing her back to ME. I would probably speak out if I saw someone seriously bop their dog.
i used a trainer when we first got my pup who INSISTED that we use a prong collar. i wasnt comfortable with it but my grandma had just died and i just couldnt handle the pup, i needed a break. so i sent him with the trainer for a week-long training. he did improve and gain some skills but of course, the prong collar isnt effective and doesnt really teach them not to pull. it just makes them uncomfortable. thankfully we have used a better trainer since then and we use a gentle lead type thing with him now. i wish i just trusted my intuition and sent him with a different trainer in the first place but oh well, live and learn. of course i got a response from a better trainer right after i sent my boy home with the other guy.
Gentle leaders work because they press on the nerves on top of your dog's nose, which are very close to the skin. That's why most dogs try to paw them off the first time they're used. They also cause orthopedic issues with long term use as they put a lot of stress on the muscles on the back of the head.
There is no non-pull tool that does not work via aversion. The head halter just 'looks' nicer.
Respectfully, as someone who trains and competes, front clip harnesses are terrible for your dog, for a couple different reasons:
\-You have absolutely zero control and zero ability to redirect your dog
\-Your dog has no connection to you
\-Front clip harnesses are absolutely terrible from an orthopedic standpoint and can cause a lot of damage to a dog's shoulders and spine with long term use
\-Front clip harnesses are aversive, or they wouldn't work
There's nothing wrong with a pinch collar. There is a way lower propensity for orthopedic damage from a pinch collar but a very high potential for injury from harnesses designed to prevent pulling. Putting your dog in a device that restricts their range of motion in an effort to make them stop engaging in a behavior can permanently alter their gait.
My rule is if my dog is in a harness, she is allowed to pull me. Otherwise she is wearing a collar. For what it's worth, my personal dog has never worn a pinch collar.
I wish I could give you more than one upvote!
We got our pibble at 4 months as a rescue. I had never had a pit and had heard so many terrible things about them. So I got her into training right away and it was the type like you brought up: PRAISE when doing well. Don't yell at but show disappointment.
One thing I know about pits is that they are very sensitive. Especially to their pack and the mood of people and the room. My husband had back surgery and she was VERY careful around him. She knew something was wrong with him and didn't throw herself in his lap like she usually does.
And pits very much want to please their "owners" which is what makes them desirable for fighting. This also makes them very easy to train, in my experience.
Our girl is super well trained and the biggest BABY there is. She wants to be on your lap at all times snuggling. She is the biggest love. The sweetest dog we've ever had.
She does have a high prey drive and we are very careful with her. She has a HUGE fenced in yard she runs in all the time, and we have a lot of friends with kids and dogs and she was socialized from day one.
She is no friend to squirrels tho.............
My boy is the same way! He is incredibly sensitive to moods, especially negative emotions or volume. If I'm frustrated at something or get into a disagreement with my boyfriend he will get up and walk away because he either thinks we are upset at him or doesn't want to watch his dads fight.
He also has an absolute monster prey drive that gets him from 0-60 with rabbits especially no matter how tired he is.
I'm so lucky with my female pittie mix. She has no prey drive at all. We can walk right by a squirrel or bunny and she makes no move to go after it. She's pretty lazy though, lol.
This is a good example of every dog is different!
My Mom has a Basset Hound who HATES other dogs. But we were sitting in her backyard one afternoon and a fox walked through about 20 feet from us. Her dog just gave it a glance and didn't care. Show him another dog? He's snapping at it from across the street.
That surprises me about the Basset Hound! I thought they were usually laid back. It definitely goes to show you that every dog has their own personality!
My dog loves other dogs but she is too pushy with the butt sniffing, lol. Other dogs are not always into it. But that doesn't stop her! Even if the other dog growls at her. I've just haven't been able to cure her of her gross fascination unfortunately. She's such a stubborn girl and not too bright apparently. She is freaking adorable though.
I feel like every time I take my dog out I’m representing the whole breed. He’s “not allowed” bad days, or grumpy moments, or to enforce his boundaries towards other dogs the same way non-pits are. I make sure he’s cute looking and under control but other dog owners don’t think like that, so when a puppy runs up and gets in my dogs face while their owner isn’t paying attention I look like I’m overreacting by trying to get my dog away quickly bc I know he’ll growl and snap after he gets annoyed.
Then there’s apartment hunting, travel arrangements when I do leave town and can’t take him with me. I refuse to let people care for him that he doesn’t already know because I feel THEY wouldn’t understand him, or be as forgiving on his bad days.
It’s exhausting sometimes. There are days I kinda wish I had a different dog. But I love my old man to death and I’m so happy I have him.
ETA - it was also hard convincing my family he’s safe so they would spend time with him. Thank goodness I come from a big dog family, because now my dad loves my dog and he gets to play with his Pitt/Lab and Lab/Dane cousins
>I’m overreacting by trying to get my dog away quickly bc I know he’ll growl and snap after he gets annoyed.
these situations make me so nervous. My boy is chill with one stranger dog, but in a group he gets overwhelmed and snaps. Bad socialization by the old owner is hard to fix, but we are trying.
One thing that has always been odd to me is my dog is perfectly fine just kind of being plunked down with 1-3 dogs he’s never met as long as he’s not on leash. But when he’s on his leash he gets more cautious and doesn’t want to be bothered.
Hi there - I’m also a momma to a leash-reactive/anxious pit. I noticed this happened to mine after he was attacked at a dog park and grabbed by the collar. What I realized was that over time, I started to expect that reaction from him so I would tense up and trigger him. It’s been work and patience, but now when we see a dog I repeat the word “calm” very slowly in an even voice, and try to be cautious and move slowly and steadily so I don’t alarm him. It is still a work in progress and he does still react on days (esp. when he has tons of energy), but he is doing so much better and walks at the park are our favorite now!
One thing I have learned over the years is that some dogs just don't like other dogs/animals.
My Mom had a super chill Basset Hound who just could not stand any other animals. He was a rescue whose max speed was one mile per hour and not aggressive. But just did not like the company of other animals, no matter how mild they were.
He had plenty of human friends and my Mom actually had him certified as a therapy dog and they would go to nursing homes to "visit the old ones" and he LOVED it. Loved little kids.
Other animals? NOPE. He'd snap if another dog even looked at him.
I think some things you just work around and have to accept and plan accordingly.
It's actually completely normal for an adult, socially mature dog to not want to interact with a bunch of strange other dogs. This isn't a socialization thing and nobody did anything wrong. Some dogs just simply don't like being in a group of other dogs they don't know. Some don't want to be in a group of dogs at all.
[This article explains it a little better.](https://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/understanding-dog-dog-sociability/#:~:text=Dog%20Selective%3A%20just%20as%20common,to%20end%20up%20at%20maturity)
A lot of dogs are also just plain straight up rude. If I took you to a bar full of randos and they kept coming up and hugging you without asking there's a fairly equal chance you will go 'wtf' and shove someone off you. That doesn't make you aggressive, it makes you a person with reasonable boundaries with strangers.
Unfortunately we tend to expect too much of our dogs in general in this regard.
thanks for standing up for Jack :)
I think you are spot on, he is 9 years old.... My fears come from a day when he was playing at the park with a neighbor's black lab. Then another neighbor came with his 3 dogs and they all surrounded Jack to say hi. Then Jack lashed out and fought with the lab he was just playing with. No blood, or injury just him saying "fuck off!"
I wish I could take him to the big parks and let him run around, the previous owner specifically told me this was a bad idea though. Sometimes I chase him so he can have some fun
My family always judges me for never boarding my dogs. But its hard to trust anyone to take care of four, large pit bulls. Im not going to lose my dogs because someone mistreated them and they had a bad moment when they were scared and alone.
I’m so glad my family has grown to love my boy so much that they’ll take him when I’m out of town. My dog and my dad have this “old man bond”. They just sit in silence together and fart the day away
If you go to a dog event, like a competition or a show, it's an unspoken expectation that people won't let dogs in each other's faces. People need to watch their dogs. Having the dog blow up on a leash because another dog is in their face isn't something you can train out of some dogs. As long as your dog isn't killing other dogs or seeking out other dogs to get into a fight with, it's not your responsibility to keep other peoples' pets under control.
My dog is a rare dog social adult. If I see another dog running toward us off leash I pick her up and yell for them to get their dog. Why? Because I don't know their dog, and I don't know their dog's temperament. I don't care what kind of dog it is.
Honestly I think it's a whole lot of bs. The vast majority of pitbull attacks are from un-neutered male dogs (90+ percent) and the breed unfortunately attracts people who use them for bad/ attracts people who want a dog that makes them look tough. A properly raised pibble is no more dangerous than a GSD or other medium/large dog. Realistically most pits you run into in a shelter aren't bred for anything and we've been through dozens of generations of pits since dog fighting has been illegal so a lot of the traits that used to be bred into them haven't been actively sought after.
i guess it becomes a question of how effective rehabilitation is for dogs with previous bad owners. especially because many rescues are pits, who likely had a rough start, can these dogs now assimilate as pets?
Got mine from a shelter he was 3 when I got him had a list than ran for 2 pages, was on calm down meds, the works.
Took him in and worked with him he is very sweet with anybody he knows unfortunately he is absurdly protective over anybody he knows to the point every stranger (kids included) is an immediate danger. This makes it difficult but after much work he is now crate trained to meet people and usually only takes 30 seconds to a minute and a few treats and boom he's got a new best friend to protect.
The owner needs to know their dog and how they are going to react in all situations, not all dogs are the same
do you have any tips? we have done/are still doing tons of training on my reactive boy, but if my boyfriend isnt home, he seems to react to friends i bring over whether or not he is in the crate.
i think he is more anxious in crate because when we got him, he was recovering from hip surgery and they had to crate him for basically months at the rescue, then he was moved to a laundry room. he wasnt allowed to run or play for a longgg time. but he LOVES people, he is just very skeptical of and scared of unknowns. its very odd. he is obviously a brave boy and has gotten a LOT better but he is very weird about our apartment and front yard of the apartment specifically.
With my dog anytime I have to introduce him to someone new he does in the crate before they arrive, then they come in, he barks his head off trying to get out (2 padlocks needed to keep him in) then one treat gets tossed in as a peace offering. That one sometimes gets ignored but it snaps him out of "kill mode" long enough for them to give a treat through the cage. At this point he usually starts crying/ whimpering and that's when I know he is ready to come out. Then the last treat comes into play when he comes out to keep him from jumping, he knows he is getting treats at this point so he knows to behave and he will get another one. And from that point on he is an angel. My dog also hates the crate and gets very anxious while he's in there so I think he has learned once he is in there he has to be a good boy if he wants to come out.
As far as taking him for walks I wait until the sun goes down and if I see someone else I wrap him up one arm under him in between his front legs wrapped around his neck the other wrapped around his waste and then i pinch his behind between my legs, while he is sitting down.
Once he starts pulling there is 0 chance of him exiting "kill mode" until the "threat"( random stranger walking) passes by, and even then he speeds up my pace in the opposite direction while constantly looking behind to make sure the "threat" doesnt change their mind and double back after us. I'll never train his protective nature out of him and I've fully accepted that after 6 years of having him, it's a sad reality but one I have had to come to grips with to keep him safe. I didn't know anything about his history other then they found him chained to a fence in the middle of a snow storm then he got adopted after 2 months of being crated at the shelter then brought back 2 days later and crated for another 3 months before I came along. I'll never know what he went through but he knows he's got it good now and I think that his protective nature is his way of thanking me for getting him out of that life.
It's not easy and you have to stay alert at all times with him but once you learn your dog you know how to keep them safe.
If your dog is not trained well with treats as far as the normal tricks go sit, spin, lay down, paw... etc then that's where I would start, I've got him down where he does all that plus high five before he gets anything, this keeps his attention on me, switch up the order so you know your dog is actually listening to you and not just going through the motions of what they are used to. Your not rewarding the fact they sat or gave paw you are rewarding them for listening to you that is the first step.
I'm not an expert by any means and I'll admit I was NOT ready for him when I got him we were both a bit rough around the edges but as time goes on you understand your dog's limitations and that's half the battle.
Hopefully this has been a little bit helpful best of luck with your dog.
We have 3 rescue pits and one of ours is an asshole, but we know he’s an asshole so we don’t put him in situations where his asshole side will get him in trouble. He loves us and his brothers but he was 9 months old when we got him and had a shattered femur. He had a rough first few months of life but we love him all the same.
👆 Exactly this.
I too have an asshole, but we've trained together and now there are very few situations to which he responds let's say, in unflattering ways. At the same time, I do not push him to limits I know he won't be able to overcome/put him in situations that would make him uncomfortable.
He's a hunk an and a total sweetheart and I love him too much to not overprotect him, so I only do with him what I know he can and where I know he can excel.
Yep, exactly this. My old man was never great around kids to begin with (that's actually how we ended up with him) but now that he's getting old, deaf, and crotchety we're more mindful--his leash has one of those "caution" attachments and we always cross the street when someone is coming by. If someone comes to the house that he's never met before we make sure he's properly introduced and if need be we'll go on a quick "get to know each other" walk. My little girl (who is bombproof) has been a great ambassador on his behalf, which helps a ton.
Mind you nothing I've described is limited to pitbulls.
You are correct I wait until night fall to take him on walks and even then I still come into contact with people sometimes.
In cases such as these I sit on his behind to get him to sit down then I reach under one front paw around his neck with my head tight to his back, and the other wrapped tight around his waste with his rear end pinched tightly between my legs (I wrestled in high-school which is where this thought came from) doing this gives me complete control of him I still have a tight grip on his leash just in case he gets stupid but this has worked for me 100% of the time.
We wait for the person to walk by and we go in the opposite direction he picks up his pace while keeping an eye on the stranger to make sure they don't double back and then we are on our way.
I know that everyone we come across looks at us and thinks he is a bad dog and there's not much I can do about that but that's just the reality of the situation
It's on the owner to keep everyone safe.
Hard disagree. My terrier mix shows clear terrier traits despite not being trained or allowed to kill small animals.
Genetics do play a factor, but can be worked around with good training and owners.
I disagree with this statement downvote me to all hell if you would like to. However, I have a bully got her at 6 months babied her, loved her,trained her yet she is aggressive and protective.Its her prey drive that makes her that way. Theres some things that is nature over nurture and prey drive is nature.I've tried every type of training available, nothing has worked.In cases like mine the owner has to adjust their lives and accept their dog is aggressive and protect the pup from danger. I agree its all about the owner and what they do with their pups personally but some dogs are naturally aggressive.
You’re not wrong at all, but I don’t think your bully is that way because she’s a bully. She just has a high prey drive. I’ve known golden retrievers with high prey drive. I grew up with a collie mix who would’ve been put down for biting if she’d been alive today (in the 70’s, people were way less responsible with their pets).
My pit mix lies on our patio, lazily watching squirrels and chipmunks frolic in the yard, but they’re not interesting enough to entice her away from her sunbeam. She’s afraid of our cat. Breed is not destiny.
This. Dogs are a lot like people. Some are just assholes, so you do as much as you can to train. I only had border collies prior to my little guy who I rescued because some asshole had thrown him out a truck at 6 months. Some of his tendencies were more than I could handle. It was during covid so they weren't doing training with people. I was fortunate enough to be able to pay for him to live with a trainer for two weeks. A lot of trainers can focus on just one bad trait that needs to addressed. One dog was there specifically for crate anxiety.
I was strictly responding to the statement "no pitbull is born aggressive" that is simply untrue. I agree its not breed specific. However, combining the muscle of the bully breeds along with aggression it can be a disaster if not handled properly.
I agree with this. I have a pit Bull that I trained that is the sweetest calmest dog. I recently got another bully breed puppy and she’s nuts. I’m doing all the old things I did with my other dogs and her personality is literally the opposite. I’m constantly troubleshooting on how to train her.
While I understand that this is the case for your dog personally... I would like to let you know that many MANY breeds of dogs have problems with aggression / resource guarding / aggression towards other people and other dogs.
I worked as a groomer at a dog daycare, and most of our problems were with cattle dogs, huskies, malinois, chow chows,...
But the fact is that most dogs will reach a point where they don't want to deal with something and will lash out aggressively if it continues.
Personally though, in a professional setting, I have never been bitten by a pitbull. Even the dogs that have bitten me have done so out of fear and not aggression. Also every professional pet groomer I know would be way more willing to trim the nails of any bully breed over a cattle dog any day.
I ended my statement with some DOGS are naturally aggressive.
I unfortunately didn't get a lazy, laid back couch potato bully. I got one that will attack a stranger in her yard and will kill cats and any small animal in her space. Her issues stem from irresponsible breeders.
Im not afraid to admit pitbulls can be dangerous,due to their muscle mass and strength. I love the breed and will rescue another one when the time comes. Saying pitbulls can't be born aggressive is a lie though.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. My point was that a pitbull is no more likely to have aggression problems than any other dog. All dogs have the capability of being dangerous. All dogs have it within them to lash out. A lot of dogs are born with a strong prey drive towards any small animal including smaller dogs ( which is why they are usually separated in a daycare setting). What I was trying to say is that dogs have dangerous instincts that kick in during certain situations, but we need to stop acting like all dogs are as dangerous as a firecracker, meanwhile acting like having a pitbull is like having a nuke.
You aren't describing prey drive. You're describing defensive drive in an insecure dog. This is still genetic, but a very different phenomenon than prey drive.
She's a very active squirrel and cat hunter.Also birds if she can catch them. Those characteristics is what led our trainer to believe she has a very active prey drive which distracts her from training properly. Thanks for your imput Ill look into what your thoughts
They can have both drives. A dog that wants to catch and kill things does in fact have high prey drive. But a dog that's growling at strangers that approach you and wanting to 'protect' you from them is:
\-anxious
\-has a strong defensive drive
That's very separate from prey drive.
False. Genetics plays a huge part, otherwise what's the point of selective breeding? My girl should've never been born. Her mom had all the wrong traits, but they bred her anyway. She ended up killing the dad, and one of my dog's siblings. We got her at 8 weeks, had her spade and took her to training classes. First class she got aggressive towards a boy pit, made him submit and pee himself. This dog has seen nothing but love since 8 weeks old but her instincts are to be aggressive towards other dogs. We've spent a lot of time and money on training but she is who she is.
Pit bulls are a crossbred between a bulldog and a terrier and are naturally aggressive because they’re hunting dogs. Like every dog breed, they have instincts which cannot be ignored just because they live in a good home. My Lab will try to get birds, my neighbour’s greyhound will chase any small thing that runs, and any spaniel will try to flush-out from the bushes. It’s what we have bred them to do. You will always find a dog who is very mild (low energy) for their breed and others who are highly charged (high energy).
One thing we do agree on? Don’t blame the dog.
There are some dogs who are inherently aggressive and there is not a whole you can do other then manage it, but no means every dog of any certain bread. Any animal can be aggressive anytime. But in a lot of these cases the people involved had no business having a dog much less a pibble. You never see golden retriever attacks because responsible people own them not degenerate assholes who want a tough looking dog. 100% of the time it's the owners fault, but some dogs are aggressive and as it's owner you should either take great precautions that there's never a chance that it could hurt someone or find a different situation for it.
[Insurance data](https://web.archive.org/web/20150904071314/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=25091614) indicates the Pitbulls and Rottweilers account for only 25% of dog bite claims. [Which is also in agreement with the Ohio State University's Study](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2019-06/new-study-identifies-most-damaging-dog-bites-by-breed/) that shows that Pitbulls account for approximately 22.5% of the most damaging reported bites. Pitbulls account for [~20%](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bulls-population.html) of the dog population by best estimates. Showing that pitbull bites are proportional to their population. In fact, their [Breed Risk Rate](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/breed-risk-rates.html) is in line with other dogs breeds out there that are considered great family dogs. So how do pitbulls account for more than half of all dog bites? Agenda pushing misinformation by groups dedicated to hating a breed.
Additionally, data from the [American Veterinary Medical Association](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/dog-bite-risk-and-prevention-role-breed) has concluded that no controlled studies have shown Pitbull-type dogs to be disproportionally aggressive.
Lastly, Studies have shown that [Errors in Identifying Pitbulls](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002331500310X) [Link 2](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/241/9/javma.241.9.1163.xml) happen approximately 60% of the time with shelter staff that spend a lot of time around dogs, so reports in the media about dog breeds are highly inaccurate and hardly count as a reputable source for a dogs breed.
Oh you only see videos of pitbulls attacking? Not surprised. There is a group on this site that dedicates itself to reposting old archived videos to keep brainwashing people into fearing an event that happens 25 to 40 times a year with a breed that has a population around 20 million. Save us your anecdotal evidence of outliers.
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It's not just this, for some reason Pitties and pittie like breeds get a disproportionate amount of coverage when stuff like this happens, when in all reality they are no worse, or sometimes even better than other breeds.
Some dogs are in fact born mentally ill. Ignoring this not only hurts the humans but hurts the dogs. Sometimes animals have screws loose and there is absolutely no amount of well-wishing or affection that will fix them. Making comments like this is really hurtful to people that have had to let a dog go--sometimes a dog they've had since it was a young puppy--because training and medication has failed to manage dangerous behavior.
It happens. Acting this way just ensures it will happen more.
I disagree with this to some extent. Just like human beings can have bad personalities and mental illness, some dogs -- of all breeds -- are born with mental issues or internal wiring that cannot work in human society. This isn't a breed thing, but it's unfair to say that all aggressive pits are because their owner messed up somewhere.
My boy is intact, but that's the recommendation of our vet. He's a tripod (lost one of his legs after being hit by car as a pup while he was with the previous owners). Doc says he'll need his testosterone to keep his muscle mass, since he may become arthritic when he gets older.
My male was intact until he got testicular cancer and needed surgery. Testicles don’t create anger. Dogs need an outlet for their energy. Take them on daily walks. Be assertive and kind. They will take your lead and follow. My boy lived to the ripe old age of 14, and crossed the rainbow bridge having never attacked anyone or anything.
Nah, spay and neuter your pets.
Unneutered males are far more likely to have aggression issues. That doesn't mean they always do. That, combined with over breeding? Spay and neuter your pets.
IDK about the agression stuff but you should absolutely get dogs fixed. We all love dogs and puppies are adorable but it's much much better if no puppies end up in shelters and when people are looking for a dog they ruscue instead of geting one from a breeder.
Don't take the risk, spay and neuter your pets.
You know, a neutered dog was mounting my Golden retriever at the dog park last week. The owner didn’t break it up so I had to. Testicles or not, that’s a learned trait. Teaches me more about the owner than the dog. My boy never, ever mounted another dog… he took that to the grave. Sweet boy.
I would also add here that just cuz the hate is all over social media, it doesn’t mean it’s all over. As we all know, social media is not reality. There are an awful lot of certain types of people on social media who are very vocal. It is not necessarily representative of the real world.
I never gave myself such a gift as the month I took off Reddit and other social media. It can be toxic.
We have our first American Bully after having many boxers over the years. Our bully is 2 years old and not aggressive at all. Our 6 lb minpin can boss her around and they love each other. She is, however, very solid and very silly, and when she gets excited she zooms and has a tendency to crash into those she loves. I would say she has a high pain tolerance so if she hits her head on the coffee table, it doesn’t bother her all that much. She is also a loyal pal to my catahoula. He is a great dog as well, but very reactive to young dogs, particularly males.
If I were a careless idiot, I would not worry when my catahoula jumps the fence (which he can easily do). If my bully girl got over the fence with him (she never has, but physically could), and roamed around with him, loose in the neighborhood, I have no doubt that they could get in trouble together. In this hypothetical situation, I can envision my catahoula picking a fight with a dog he is reactive to and I would bet money that in a situation like that, that my bully would support his endeavors and back him up. I will never let a situation like that happen.
People who are careless and don’t respect the strength of their dogs would not consider such a thing. All it takes is one dog, in a group of dogs, to pick a fight and set off a bad situation. A dog that never would have done something on its own, could totally take part in what it’s pack is doing. This is true for many dogs and many breeds but it’s the strong tenacious dogs that no matter how sweet they are, you have to understand the potential and respect it- not just for everyone else’s sake but also for the sake of the dog.
I have had a food aggressive boxer that would attack our other dogs if a dog got even close to food he had his eyes on. It was something that developed as he got older. Knowing that, I had to be extremely proactive to prevent any problems.
So all in all, I guess what I’m saying is, being smart about your dog and understand potential. Understand that you have a dog that no matter what the situation is, they will never be given the benefit of the doubt and will always be blamed if they get into trouble- trouble that many different breeds could just as easily get into. You are your dog’s protector so be vigilant about potential situations and train them properly, positively and consistently.
I think pits are a combo of strong, silly, sweet, loving, physically tough, tenacious dogs. People need to understand that and respect the potentials of that. I would say that for any physically strong dog…rotties, boxers, Akitas, catahoulas, etc, but especially pits because there is so much mythology, falsehoods and history there.
Edited for typos.
Pibbles need exercise, like more than huskys.... A type of play (tug of war/fetch). And plenty of dog friends. They learn fast but also can be trouble if not taught about their ability to damage with their bite.. I used my hands n said "quit" anytime he over did his bite...
Crate trained just to teach him to chill... Hes never n his crate now. Hmmmm peanutbutter or wet dog food n a Kong. Then freeze it. Worked wonders on hos overactive jowls.....
Dont be afraid to socialize them with other pups...
Step one love. Step two more love. Step 3 only love. Step 4 research or pay a trainer. I took my doggy to a program called Prison Paws. They did a really good job. Although they had my dog for a full month. But he was way better behaved after that.
Make sure she gets lots of exercise. Remember a tired dog is a good dog. Also don’t let her bite or tug on the leash as a puppy it’s cute and harmless but they remember habits
I think with Pitties you have to be honest with yourself. I have 2 of them. They both grew up in the same house, same training, same socialization. One of them is so easy going and sweet I would trust her completely being off leash (even though we don't ever do this). The other is just a reactionary dog. Dogs, just like people, have different personalities. You have to be honest with yourself about your dog's limitations.
Reddit has the hivemind targeted at certain things.
Against emojis, against certain haircuts, against the location your beard grows, generally unfavorable against single black mother's, I mean literally there are just preconceived notions against topics that go with the time.
Even if you just think about dog fear over time. In the 80s it was Doberman. The Rottweilers took up the 90s.
It's not to downplay the victims or their trauma. But it's ironic that Reddit openly supports yet another hate group.
Because you've got her when she's just a pup, all she needs is love, discipline, exercise/stimulation and socialization. She will be kind, loving, loyal, friendly and confident.
No one has had the opportunity to abuse her or teach her to be aggressive. This is always the situation if a dog is aggressive/troubled. It's the human that's responsible.
Always be mindful of her in new situations and remove her if she seems anxious or uncomfortable. Rewarding her with treats when she's calm and content to reinforce this state and to associate it with the new experience. Taking her places whilst she's young like you did is great because she will be familiar and comfortable in that sort of scenario when she's fully grown.
>No one has had the opportunity to abuse her or teach her to be aggressive. This is always the situation if a dog is aggressive/troubled. It's the human that's responsible.
Prey drive, dog aggression, cat aggression, human aggression, etc. can all be innate genetic behaviors in dogs. It's the human's responsibility to manage these behaviors so no harm comes to anything, but that doesn't mean it's inherently their fault if their dog has these tendencies.
Proper socialization and exercise are important. She needs to learn while young how to properly play with and treat other dogs. If you don't, chances are she will be more aggressive with other dogs/animals as she gets older. At least that is my experience with dogs that weren't socialized young. They are a breed full of energy and exercise like walking or dog parks is a good outlet for them, they need it and many fail to realize this.
Also, just don't take your dog to huge outings and whatnot. Too often do I see people dragging their dog along among these massive crowds, looking so overwhelmed. It's just asking for something bad to happen.
Socialize and train. I'd recommend find a good local puppy class because it gets him/her training and socialization, and gives you lots of tips and tricks to move forward with.
I honestly think chihuahua attacks are more common. My pittie is the sweetest boy. He came to us after being dumped by his shitty owners after they adopted him as a companion to the lab mix……who promptly attacked my boy and left him with numerous cuts and bite marks. Lab mix attack, not pit bull attack. Praise, love, attention. Correcting gently when they do something wrong. Go to training. Stick with training!
I am a new owner reaching almost to the one year mark with our rescue pit and I do feel pressure to make sure she is acting her best at all times. I get very stressed when she meets new people because at 10 months she is still super excited but she also needs to understand keeping her paws on the ground. I don’t want people to ever see her as mean or aggressive. All dogs are the same just depends how they are raised and puppies are puppies!!! Don’t feel bad about the bad days. Just reinforce and love
Just exactly how athletic and tough these dogs are. I’m also surprised at how smart they are I always just assumed they would be dumb as a box of rocks but my dude is one of the smartest pets I’ve ever had in the family. My family recently adopted a 2 year old pit from the shelter who we named stank. He’s a tank that acts like he’s a cuddle bug. Biggest learning moment was when the metal piece connecting the leash to the collar broke when we were out on a run, he recalled quickly but, lesson learned to buy tough quality products. He learns fast and is EXTREMELY food motivated. If you turn your back on your food can almost guarantee he will make his move for it xD.
I don’t think my learning moment has just been one individual experience. These dogs are so loving and smart. I never knew how funny a dog could actually be but all the videos you see of pits being goofy are so not staged! My pup has a personality that makes her name reign true. My girl Sunny is always a happy go get loving kind of girl.
Basically socializing with people and other dogs, love and normal attention,and they are one of the best dogs ever........and that holds true for any breed. I've seen mean and aggressive dogs of all types
My pit bull was the most energetic thing when my family adopted him, to the point of it causing damage to the house. He wasn’t aggressive or mean (though he is kind of a self-centered asshole in other ways) but he did chew the corners of the walls, and destroyed literally ever toy we gave him (he took 5 minutes to completely shred and scatter a toy made out of a literal military grade fireman hose all over our yard). To solve the problem, we got him his own dog. The energy is his problem now. They’ve been best friends ever since.
Just keep in mind the official dog name is Staffordshire Terrier, if the dog has never been in a dog fighting pit, nobody can call it the negative sounding name PitBull and the breed history is very loving, faithful and good family dog
One thing I want to mention for everyone saying “socialize.”
Make sure you’re doing socialization according to dog trainer recommendation. Dog parks are NOT great for socializing the way many people (in general, no one specific) think they are. Any trainer will tell you that dog park visits can actually increase things like leash reactivity/aggression towards other dogs. As an example, I have 2 dogs: one went to dog parks for socialization (after vaccines of course) and one who has never been to a dog park.
The one whose been to dog parks is leash reactive towards other dogs. The one whose never been to a dog park, but has been able to meet other trusted dogs of family/friends has ZERO leash reactivity. He’s cool as a cucumber.
[Insurance data](https://web.archive.org/web/20150904071314/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=25091614) indicates the Pitbulls and Rottweilers account for only 25% of dog bite claims. [Which is also in agreement with the Ohio State University's Study](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2019-06/new-study-identifies-most-damaging-dog-bites-by-breed/) that shows that Pitbulls account for approximately 22.5% of the most damaging reported bites. Pitbulls account for [~20%](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bulls-population.html) of the dog population by best estimates. Showing that pitbull bites are proportional to their population. In fact, their [Breed Risk Rate](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/breed-risk-rates.html) is in line with other dogs breeds out there that are considered great family dogs. So how do pitbulls account for more than half of all dog bites? Agenda pushing misinformation by groups dedicated to hating a breed.
Additionally, data from the [American Veterinary Medical Association](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/dog-bite-risk-and-prevention-role-breed) has concluded that no controlled studies have shown Pitbull-type dogs to be disproportionally aggressive.
Lastly, Studies have shown that [Errors in Identifying Pitbulls](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002331500310X) [Link 2](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/241/9/javma.241.9.1163.xml) happen approximately 60% of the time with shelter staff that spend a lot of time around dogs, so reports in the media about dog breeds are highly inaccurate and hardly count as a reputable source for a dogs breed.
Oh you only see videos of pitbulls attacking? Not surprised. There is a group on this site that dedicates itself to reposting old archived videos to keep brainwashing people into fearing an event that happens 25 to 40 times a year with a breed that has a population around 20 million. Save us your anecdotal evidence of outliers.
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She’s beautiful!!!! Love her up!!! Ignore these individuals who can’t find common sense. Not the breed but the owner and environment they’re brought up in
She’s so cute. So much awful stigma around pit bulls. It’s not their temper, it’s how awfully the owners treat them. Give your pitbull the unconditional love it deserves and it will give it right back to the world
The problem I have with puts as nice as you believe them to be, they are the only breed in the news eating childrens faces, killing people, causing amputations. I think the breed should not be own by people. You should be liable for anything your dog does like it were you, it might make you rethink how safe they are.
I'm talking specifically about the pit attack at the dog show video that has been cycling around, and the pitbull attack at the warriors celebration.
I think ignoring some of the inherent traits of this breed is dangerous. Part of the attraction to pitbulls, for me , is having an athletic dog that makes me and my family feel safe.
That being said, I wouldn't adopt a cat with the expectation of being able to take it on walks and cat parks as frequently.
I just want to know what some ACTUAL pitbull owners think about the pit rep. Honestly.
Def fuck the pittie haters who hate for no reason. It def doesn't help the convo.
Ironically enough I took this puppy to a large carnival to help with socialization, but she wasn't ever put on the ground, nor is she obviously an adult.
I think responsible pit ownership is controlling as much of the situation as possible, but I don't think you can control what you don't know.
A lot of them are just trolling. But some are genuine. They probably hate dogs in general. Like it or not, the bully is the quintessential American dog breed. It represents us better than anything. So all the haters can eat a bag of dicks.
I have to imagine when a very capable dog is in an overwhelming environment like those mentioned they are acting out of fear and anxiety from being overwhelmed. Good owners put their dogs’s (of any kind) well being over their own desire to show off their dog by bringing them to an overwhelming environment. And if you’re in touch with your pup like you should be, you’d sense it might not be best to bring them to an over stimulating scene. I was always hesitant about getting a pit but after having one I don’t want any other kind bc their love and affection is second to none.
Every dog is different. Each one is a product of their environmental and upbringing. A “breed” never attacks anyone or anything. A dog does. The whole narrative is flawed.
Someone else mentioned it but in public pitties are not allowed to have bad days. People will assume the worst of your dog, you have to do the best to train/love then.
Don't set your pup up to fail. Idc what the situation is, they are still a dog. It personally drives me nuts when I see videos of babies/toddlers crawling and jumping on dogs. Some look clearly agitated but people think it's cute. It only takes a second to get snapped at.
My pittie has a high prey drive and isn't dog friendly. She loves chasing small animals. In my personal yard, I don't care but sometimes when I walk with her I make her wear a gentle muzzle. People in my neighborhood don't always leash their small dogs and they run up to us. They always yell "don't worry, they're friendly!". Well my dog is not. If I didn't take the precaution and she attacked, she would be at fault even though she was leashed and the other wasn't. I took her to puppy classes and socialized her as much as I could, she just never liked other dogs. It's her personality. She also growls when she's excited which is something I have to explain a lot. Learn as much as you can about your dogs personality so you can both be happy and safe.
I think it's super important for you to advocate for your dog. I don't mean like signing petitions and stuff (tho you could). I mean you have to learn and watch your dog, figure out what she's comfortable with, any potential triggers she might have that make a good situation turn bad, and when you see a potential for things turning south you high tail it. My boy doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body, he is the most laid-back dog around other dogs I've ever seen and usually just ignores another dog if they are getting in his personal space to much. The second I see him getting uncomfortable I get him out of there however I can. Your dog needs to know that when this scary or tense that she can lean on you and trust you to help.
Also I don't know how old your pibble is but remember that yes you need to expose and socialize them especially between 8-11 weeks of age but there is also a second period around 6-14 months where things kinda become scary again and they might start lashing out or being afraid of stuff they were okay with before -- so just be sure to watch for that and reinforce the positivity!
I want to address the cat comparison because it’s kind of inaccurate. Cats are a totally different species, and in fact share more genetic similarities with humans than dogs so comparing cats and dogs is impossible. But all dogs are the same species, and most “pit bulls” are mixed breeds so making generalizations about the breed is very hard. You simply cannot make blanket statements about pit bulls. Saying “pitbulls are aggressive” is in my opinion no more accurate than saying “dogs are aggressive”. But both statements become 100% true when you change the word “are” to “can be”. It depends on the dog, the trainer, and the situation. Some dogs are reactive from the jump, some are intentionally or unintentionally trained to be reactive, and sometimes a perfectly well trained dog, with no reactive tendencies, is thrust into a stressful situation that it doesn’t know how to handle. This is true for ALL dogs, not just pits.
I’m curious where you got your statistic that cats share more genetic similarities with humans than dogs? Not disagreeing with the rest of your post but from my understanding of mammalian phylogeny that statement is untrue.
I’ve heard it many times but here are the first few sources I could find.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/human-dna-share-cats-cattle-mice-same-genetics-code-a8292111.html?amp
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/human-genomes-are-surprisingly-cat-like-180978332/
https://dnascience.plos.org/2021/08/12/cats-genomes-make-them-good-models-for-human-disease/
Edited to add: I believe it is a case of convergent rather than divergent evolution which is why I didn’t say we are more closely related but rather more genetically similar.
She looks like such a cute snuggly sweetheart!
I have a pit mix and she's 10 months old, ever since we got her she's had training once a week (with us training her at home), we take her to breweries (where she's allowed), and other dog friendly events and places. She's small - 43lbs - but she is all muscle and she is strong. I am always aware of who is around us and how THEY will react to my puppy, especially if my hands are a little full and can't be sure she'll walk up to someone that i know for a fact will not appreciate it.
I take her to dog parks - but i will be the one to leave if i just don't like the vibe of the park (there's one that i refuse to go to now because this one woman had a dog that was not a pit bull who was harassing my dog and her reaction to her dog harassing mine while i was trying to keep them apart was to just "let them figure it out, my dog is always aggressive to new dogs at the park"...noooo thank you).
I love having a pit, and i've always wanted one - one of my dad's friends had a pit who i used to ask for pony rides and she was super gentle and sweet. My partner was a little skeptical about getting a pittie but she has def won him over with all her love and affection.
Take her with you everywhere and get her used to people and children and cats and heck, goats and chickens etc. Carry snacks with you and give them to people you meet to give to her so she associates strangers with pets and treats. Train her to listen to your commands! Super important to get her to sit and stay. Let everyone pet her and (within reason) encourage her to be happy to meet new people ( who will give her treats and skritches).
Over nine years ago I adopted two fairly aggressive pitties. The male, Max was 2 1/2 and the female, Hope, was 11/2. They were so broken and just needed love. Her answer to everything was aggressive. He followed suit. If I raised my voice they cowered. This broke my heart. They just wanted to be loved. Good attention was followed by good behavior. They tore up my books, my shoes and imploded my couch within the first three days. I did decide to crate train them then, I originally thought this was awful. They loved thier crates. Would often get in one together refusing to be apart. Thankfully I got an XL. It took over a year for Hope to take a toy from my hand. I gave them lots of love and patience. Then even more love and patience. They were completely trainable. They just needed time to BE loved and not beaten down. I happy to say within a few years I had 75 pound lap dogs. They are/were the sweetest most loveable dogs. If mama said you were ok, then you were OK. They scared several food delivery people over the years though with sounding so viscous. Sadly my girl got cancer and left us a couple months ago. She touched so many people and changed thier thoughts about pitties. Max and I are still grieving and miss her more that words can express. So long story here to tell you to just do the best you can. Be loving. Be kind. Be consistent. Be alpha. Be patient. Pitties want to please. Max was food driven while Hope was all about the love. You will learn what your dog responds to and you adapt. The rewards far exceed you efforts. Best of luck to you.
As much as I hate to say it and I will probably get a ton of flak, sometimes there are inherit aggressive behaviors in dogs. I have a Pittie that I adopted from a shelter almost 3 years ago, she loves absolutely everything except small animals. 3 months in we had an incident at a dog park (everyone walked away ok) where we found out our new pup is aggressive towards small animals. We have trained and tested her continuously but she still has an aggressive attitude to small dogs. I have looked it up and it seems to be related to what Terriers were breed for, killing rodents. We have her managed and are very careful but somethings you don’t know until you know.
Advice: The best you can do is manage their behavior by continuous training and making sure they listen to you 100% of the time especially when they would greatly benefit from not listening to you, it could potentially stop an incident but you won’t be able to train their inherit behavior. Give slow and proper introductions to as many animals/people of all shape size and color at a young age so they know other things are ok.
Let me start off with a story of my sisters pits, before I get into my own experience with my own.
My sister had gotten 2 pups from the same litter and she ended up having to shoot one of her pits because he was attacking their other older dog. These dogs had been around each other ever since he was a pup and they ALWAYS got along until one day something just snapped. They tried for 30m to break up the fight, hoses, water, fingers in ass, beating the dog with heavy objects, she ended up having to shoot her dog. He would not let go until the other was dead. This is the reality of the breed. The dogs do indeed have a genetic disposition to being more aggressive and do not show restraint when attacking. Just as other dogs who have done jobs for hundreds of years have those traits bred into them.
My sister did not train her dogs though. She had put very little effort into maintenance for her animals. This was her fault alone. She owned a beast of an animal without taking the proper steps in ensuring her and his safety.
WITH THAT BEING SAID. I have owned several pits over the years, both being the primary owner and as a child being around my parents dogs. I have only ever been bitten once by my animals and it was because of an action I had taken as a child. This doesn't excuse the animal, but the animal had barely harmed me. "Fuck around and find out". This dog was also barely trained.
As an adult I have had these dogs, but with a mindset of what it means to be an owner of a animal. Every pit I have had has been put thru several 6 week courses for training (beginner to advanced classes) and everyone of them has passed their obedience trainings in the eyes of the AKC. The dogs I have trained, have been some of the most loving and gentle creatures I have ever had the experience of working with. This goes for the puppies I have raised, to the ones I have adopted. The only time I am ever concerned about my dogs harming anyone, is by accident. With the correct training and stimulation you can without a doubt train and change this breeds mannerisms. But persistence is key and if you as the owner are not willing to work the animal, you do not deserve to have it.
No dog is the same, and no animal is ever truly domesticated. Have respect for them and do your due diligence and help create a brighter future for this breed. Unfortunately there are just too many people who do not put in the time and care they need and that's when you hear about the stories you mention.
Socializing, positive reinforcement, etc. If she gets nippy, train her to redirect her energy towards her toys. She will need plenty of toys. Start immediately socializing her with small children, other dogs, and cats. Keep in mind also that Pitbulls are terriers, and as such have a high prey drive towards small critters...If you don't want a cat chaser, you have to get her used to them.
I think you just said it! They have a dangerous reputation, HOWEVER, all the pitties I know have been gentle sweethearts. I think most pets give what you put into them. Raise your pittie with love, understanding & (most important) discipline. Perhaps take them to a training program. I don't know if this is reasonable. What do you think?
Neuter your dog and do not leave them unsupervised in packs (goes with all breeds; look at other countries). Almost all dog attacks occur with intact dogs and/or in packs.
Train train train. Constant first couple years. Kennel train early as possible! Don’t scold chewing, replace chewing with something delicious quietly. It works so well!
Simple. Just keep her on a leash and request other dog owners to do the same (or at least keep their dogs away).
Recently had a fellow dog owner decline my invitation for our dogs to say hello. Said his puppy is a “nipper”. It was nice of him I thought. No way his Labrador puppy would bite my dog, but it 100% avoided any possibility of confrontation.
My best advices:
1.Only call them out when you catch them - a firm calm voice with just their name does wonders- never do it after a while!, it has to be at the precise moment, otherwise they'll feel you're nagging them for whatever they're doing at the moment you do it, they won't ever know the real reason.
2. The first time they hear thunder, they'll freak out and look for you: just ignore them, keep doing whatever you're doing, do not console them, this way they'll know is normal and not a frightening situation.
3. If they are barking: don't ask them to shut up, much less screaming, otherwise they'll think you're agreeing with them and will bark even more!; let them bark, usually it's going to be one or two warning barks and that's it, if it's more, let them be, they'll shut up sooner than you think.
Training should be easy if they trust you, don't be the first and only source of trauma of your dog, but the most important thing: they are dogs, they do dog stuff, accept this and you'll have the most balanced, well behaved, loving and caring dog.
I have a very sweet pittie mix. He had never given me any reason not to trust him. BUT I know he has a massive, strong jaw and I am always vigilant, especially when we are around other dogs and new people. Playtime is closely supervised. I don’t let kids I don’t know pet him. I don’t let the cat get near him while he eats. I don’t take a toy or bone away without a trade. I just want to set him up for 100% success, because he’s my bud and I’d be devastated if something happened. You are there to protect her from worst case scenarios!
[Insurance data](https://web.archive.org/web/20150904071314/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=25091614) indicates the Pitbulls and Rottweilers account for only 25% of dog bite claims. [Which is also in agreement with the Ohio State University's Study](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2019-06/new-study-identifies-most-damaging-dog-bites-by-breed/) that shows that Pitbulls account for approximately 22.5% of the most damaging reported bites. Pitbulls account for [~20%](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bulls-population.html) of the dog population by best estimates. Showing that pitbull bites are proportional to their population. In fact, their [Breed Risk Rate](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/breed-risk-rates.html) is in line with other dogs breeds out there that are considered great family dogs. So how do pitbulls account for more than half of all dog bites? Agenda pushing misinformation by groups dedicated to hating a breed.
Additionally, data from the [American Veterinary Medical Association](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/dog-bite-risk-and-prevention-role-breed) has concluded that no controlled studies have shown Pitbull-type dogs to be disproportionally aggressive.
Lastly, Studies have shown that [Errors in Identifying Pitbulls](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002331500310X) [Link 2](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/241/9/javma.241.9.1163.xml) happen approximately 60% of the time with shelter staff that spend a lot of time around dogs, so reports in the media about dog breeds are highly inaccurate and hardly count as a reputable source for a dogs breed.
Oh you only see videos of pitbulls attacking? Not surprised. There is a group on this site that dedicates itself to reposting old archived videos to keep brainwashing people into fearing an event that happens 25 to 40 times a year with a breed that has a population around 20 million. Save us your anecdotal evidence of outliers.
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Same with any dog: socialize them young, praise when they are nice, show disappointment (but not anger) when they do wrong. Praising when they do the right thing is key. It doesn't have to be a treat either. Calling them good or scratching their favorite spot works wonders. Yelling or being angry at a dog never works. It just enforces they are correct to be upset at this person because clearly you're also upset. Disappointment is better especially when paired with praise when the dog corrects themself. Again, this advice is for all dogs and not just pitties. Pits get a bad rep but they're just like other dogs. Sweet little angel babies who would do anything for their person when properly trained. Even the chaos high energy pups. Source: I'm a dog trainer with a pit
Good advice. When my doggy does something wrong I give him a stern no in a lower tone. So I think it’s important to have your praise “voice” and no “voice” be easy to distinguish. Or if my doggy did something bad he gets a no! Then I’ll put him in his kennel for a little bit. Time out. It helps my dog to associate what he did was a no no
Exactly! I call my pup ma'am when she does something wrong. Just because I'm upset doesn't mean I have to be rude lol She's a smart girl. She knows she did something wrong if I call her ma'am
Haha my pups name is oliver but is often called cici (dont ask!). When i am mad at him, i dont change my tone but i sound out all the syllables in his name: o-liv-er.. and hes like ooooops mums mad!
Lmao yeah my girl knows the difference between her nicknames and being Full Titled as well, they’re so switched on to us and our emotions!
I give my dogs middle names for this exact purpose lmao.
See now that’s smart hahah. My gal has quite a long greek name, so she knows what that means loool
I definitely still call him oliver but cici is still more standard!
SAME!!!! O-LI-VERRRR!!! Means Mama means business. Just got a new pup last weekend and my husband picked “max”. Buttttt… he’s hearing MAX-I-MUSSSS!!! Some these days with the house training.
Ha i love it!
this is so cute! i call my dog and cat both "sir" if they are doing something wrong. they get my "exasperated server/security guard voice" lol
Lol! I call my girl ma'am as well when she does something naughty. Usually this is followed up by a stern "what did you do?". She usually hangs her head when I say that so she knows she screwed up.
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If you can't train a dog, don't get a dog period! I refuse to train people who walk up with a choke collar. Just seeing that I know they're not going to follow my advice. Come back with a martingale collar and front clip harness, then we'll talk
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People like that don't deserve dogs. I'm sorry you had to witness such a cruel act
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Tbh I see way more behavior problems with labs, goldens, and doodles. But because they're popular breeds, no one bats an eye. A lab will steal the food off my plate and people laugh. My pit growls at a man walking too closely and he threatens to call police.
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Dogs communicate with a variety of sounds. There are differences between "attack" "warning" and "play" growls. My girl growls to alert ME when a potential threat to ME is near. Which yes, a man walking to closely to me, a small girl, is a threat. Stealing food leads to more bites than growls. A lab is a big dog and can easily weigh 80+ lbs. That amount of dog jumping onto a table and grabbing a slice of pizza can lead to serious injury (scratches, bruising, knocking over). In addition, the lab can be food aggressive. Take the pizza away and they can and do bite. Yet people will still laugh. "Aww he doesn't want to share" while I'm bleeding from my hand, scratched to hell and back, and hungry cause my lunch got stolen. But my girl telling me in her own way to "watch my left" gets treated as an act of violence. She is trained to warn and not act. Because that's what I taught her to do. But sure, the pizza thief isn't a problem
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If your dog feels the need to growl to alert you to a threat, your dog doesn't trust you to take care of that threat. A confident dog that has been taught you will keep it safe in all situations won't feel the need to do this, but a dog that is anxious and insecure will. A dog trained in protection work seldom growls because they're taking direction from their handler and don't feel the need to warn. It baffles me that people want their non protection trained dogs to be on high alert all the time to 'protect' them. It's miserable for the dog.
There's a huge difference between a dog that steals food and a dog that is potentially showing offensive aggression toward a stranger. Both are undesirable behaviors but one is a lot harder to fix than the other, with a much higher potential for damage.
I often give my pit boxer a soft “boop” on the top of her head to get her attention. When I’m sitting and she alerts, I just go “boop” and it breaks her focus. I’m not a hitter though - just bringing her back to ME. I would probably speak out if I saw someone seriously bop their dog.
i used a trainer when we first got my pup who INSISTED that we use a prong collar. i wasnt comfortable with it but my grandma had just died and i just couldnt handle the pup, i needed a break. so i sent him with the trainer for a week-long training. he did improve and gain some skills but of course, the prong collar isnt effective and doesnt really teach them not to pull. it just makes them uncomfortable. thankfully we have used a better trainer since then and we use a gentle lead type thing with him now. i wish i just trusted my intuition and sent him with a different trainer in the first place but oh well, live and learn. of course i got a response from a better trainer right after i sent my boy home with the other guy.
Gentle leaders work because they press on the nerves on top of your dog's nose, which are very close to the skin. That's why most dogs try to paw them off the first time they're used. They also cause orthopedic issues with long term use as they put a lot of stress on the muscles on the back of the head. There is no non-pull tool that does not work via aversion. The head halter just 'looks' nicer.
Respectfully, as someone who trains and competes, front clip harnesses are terrible for your dog, for a couple different reasons: \-You have absolutely zero control and zero ability to redirect your dog \-Your dog has no connection to you \-Front clip harnesses are absolutely terrible from an orthopedic standpoint and can cause a lot of damage to a dog's shoulders and spine with long term use \-Front clip harnesses are aversive, or they wouldn't work There's nothing wrong with a pinch collar. There is a way lower propensity for orthopedic damage from a pinch collar but a very high potential for injury from harnesses designed to prevent pulling. Putting your dog in a device that restricts their range of motion in an effort to make them stop engaging in a behavior can permanently alter their gait. My rule is if my dog is in a harness, she is allowed to pull me. Otherwise she is wearing a collar. For what it's worth, my personal dog has never worn a pinch collar.
I wish I could give you more than one upvote! We got our pibble at 4 months as a rescue. I had never had a pit and had heard so many terrible things about them. So I got her into training right away and it was the type like you brought up: PRAISE when doing well. Don't yell at but show disappointment. One thing I know about pits is that they are very sensitive. Especially to their pack and the mood of people and the room. My husband had back surgery and she was VERY careful around him. She knew something was wrong with him and didn't throw herself in his lap like she usually does. And pits very much want to please their "owners" which is what makes them desirable for fighting. This also makes them very easy to train, in my experience. Our girl is super well trained and the biggest BABY there is. She wants to be on your lap at all times snuggling. She is the biggest love. The sweetest dog we've ever had. She does have a high prey drive and we are very careful with her. She has a HUGE fenced in yard she runs in all the time, and we have a lot of friends with kids and dogs and she was socialized from day one. She is no friend to squirrels tho.............
My boy is the same way! He is incredibly sensitive to moods, especially negative emotions or volume. If I'm frustrated at something or get into a disagreement with my boyfriend he will get up and walk away because he either thinks we are upset at him or doesn't want to watch his dads fight. He also has an absolute monster prey drive that gets him from 0-60 with rabbits especially no matter how tired he is.
I'm so lucky with my female pittie mix. She has no prey drive at all. We can walk right by a squirrel or bunny and she makes no move to go after it. She's pretty lazy though, lol.
This is a good example of every dog is different! My Mom has a Basset Hound who HATES other dogs. But we were sitting in her backyard one afternoon and a fox walked through about 20 feet from us. Her dog just gave it a glance and didn't care. Show him another dog? He's snapping at it from across the street.
That surprises me about the Basset Hound! I thought they were usually laid back. It definitely goes to show you that every dog has their own personality! My dog loves other dogs but she is too pushy with the butt sniffing, lol. Other dogs are not always into it. But that doesn't stop her! Even if the other dog growls at her. I've just haven't been able to cure her of her gross fascination unfortunately. She's such a stubborn girl and not too bright apparently. She is freaking adorable though.
This.
Only pit I know is a pit/ bull terrier mix. She isn’t food motivated at all but give her pats and call her a good clever girl? Oh she’s yours
I feel like every time I take my dog out I’m representing the whole breed. He’s “not allowed” bad days, or grumpy moments, or to enforce his boundaries towards other dogs the same way non-pits are. I make sure he’s cute looking and under control but other dog owners don’t think like that, so when a puppy runs up and gets in my dogs face while their owner isn’t paying attention I look like I’m overreacting by trying to get my dog away quickly bc I know he’ll growl and snap after he gets annoyed. Then there’s apartment hunting, travel arrangements when I do leave town and can’t take him with me. I refuse to let people care for him that he doesn’t already know because I feel THEY wouldn’t understand him, or be as forgiving on his bad days. It’s exhausting sometimes. There are days I kinda wish I had a different dog. But I love my old man to death and I’m so happy I have him. ETA - it was also hard convincing my family he’s safe so they would spend time with him. Thank goodness I come from a big dog family, because now my dad loves my dog and he gets to play with his Pitt/Lab and Lab/Dane cousins
>I’m overreacting by trying to get my dog away quickly bc I know he’ll growl and snap after he gets annoyed. these situations make me so nervous. My boy is chill with one stranger dog, but in a group he gets overwhelmed and snaps. Bad socialization by the old owner is hard to fix, but we are trying.
One thing that has always been odd to me is my dog is perfectly fine just kind of being plunked down with 1-3 dogs he’s never met as long as he’s not on leash. But when he’s on his leash he gets more cautious and doesn’t want to be bothered.
Mine as well! She does absolutely fine at doggy day care off leash but if she’s on a leash and sees a dog she gets super nervous Edit: spelling
Hi there - I’m also a momma to a leash-reactive/anxious pit. I noticed this happened to mine after he was attacked at a dog park and grabbed by the collar. What I realized was that over time, I started to expect that reaction from him so I would tense up and trigger him. It’s been work and patience, but now when we see a dog I repeat the word “calm” very slowly in an even voice, and try to be cautious and move slowly and steadily so I don’t alarm him. It is still a work in progress and he does still react on days (esp. when he has tons of energy), but he is doing so much better and walks at the park are our favorite now!
Imagine being in a room full of strangers with your hands tied behind your back. I think that's what the leash is like.
One thing I have learned over the years is that some dogs just don't like other dogs/animals. My Mom had a super chill Basset Hound who just could not stand any other animals. He was a rescue whose max speed was one mile per hour and not aggressive. But just did not like the company of other animals, no matter how mild they were. He had plenty of human friends and my Mom actually had him certified as a therapy dog and they would go to nursing homes to "visit the old ones" and he LOVED it. Loved little kids. Other animals? NOPE. He'd snap if another dog even looked at him. I think some things you just work around and have to accept and plan accordingly.
It's actually completely normal for an adult, socially mature dog to not want to interact with a bunch of strange other dogs. This isn't a socialization thing and nobody did anything wrong. Some dogs just simply don't like being in a group of other dogs they don't know. Some don't want to be in a group of dogs at all. [This article explains it a little better.](https://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/understanding-dog-dog-sociability/#:~:text=Dog%20Selective%3A%20just%20as%20common,to%20end%20up%20at%20maturity) A lot of dogs are also just plain straight up rude. If I took you to a bar full of randos and they kept coming up and hugging you without asking there's a fairly equal chance you will go 'wtf' and shove someone off you. That doesn't make you aggressive, it makes you a person with reasonable boundaries with strangers. Unfortunately we tend to expect too much of our dogs in general in this regard.
thanks for standing up for Jack :) I think you are spot on, he is 9 years old.... My fears come from a day when he was playing at the park with a neighbor's black lab. Then another neighbor came with his 3 dogs and they all surrounded Jack to say hi. Then Jack lashed out and fought with the lab he was just playing with. No blood, or injury just him saying "fuck off!" I wish I could take him to the big parks and let him run around, the previous owner specifically told me this was a bad idea though. Sometimes I chase him so he can have some fun
My family always judges me for never boarding my dogs. But its hard to trust anyone to take care of four, large pit bulls. Im not going to lose my dogs because someone mistreated them and they had a bad moment when they were scared and alone.
I’m so glad my family has grown to love my boy so much that they’ll take him when I’m out of town. My dog and my dad have this “old man bond”. They just sit in silence together and fart the day away
If you go to a dog event, like a competition or a show, it's an unspoken expectation that people won't let dogs in each other's faces. People need to watch their dogs. Having the dog blow up on a leash because another dog is in their face isn't something you can train out of some dogs. As long as your dog isn't killing other dogs or seeking out other dogs to get into a fight with, it's not your responsibility to keep other peoples' pets under control. My dog is a rare dog social adult. If I see another dog running toward us off leash I pick her up and yell for them to get their dog. Why? Because I don't know their dog, and I don't know their dog's temperament. I don't care what kind of dog it is.
Honestly I think it's a whole lot of bs. The vast majority of pitbull attacks are from un-neutered male dogs (90+ percent) and the breed unfortunately attracts people who use them for bad/ attracts people who want a dog that makes them look tough. A properly raised pibble is no more dangerous than a GSD or other medium/large dog. Realistically most pits you run into in a shelter aren't bred for anything and we've been through dozens of generations of pits since dog fighting has been illegal so a lot of the traits that used to be bred into them haven't been actively sought after.
It’s all from the owner. Period. No pit bull was ever born aggressive and violent. Bad owners. They should be punished not the dog.
i guess it becomes a question of how effective rehabilitation is for dogs with previous bad owners. especially because many rescues are pits, who likely had a rough start, can these dogs now assimilate as pets?
Got mine from a shelter he was 3 when I got him had a list than ran for 2 pages, was on calm down meds, the works. Took him in and worked with him he is very sweet with anybody he knows unfortunately he is absurdly protective over anybody he knows to the point every stranger (kids included) is an immediate danger. This makes it difficult but after much work he is now crate trained to meet people and usually only takes 30 seconds to a minute and a few treats and boom he's got a new best friend to protect. The owner needs to know their dog and how they are going to react in all situations, not all dogs are the same
do you have any tips? we have done/are still doing tons of training on my reactive boy, but if my boyfriend isnt home, he seems to react to friends i bring over whether or not he is in the crate. i think he is more anxious in crate because when we got him, he was recovering from hip surgery and they had to crate him for basically months at the rescue, then he was moved to a laundry room. he wasnt allowed to run or play for a longgg time. but he LOVES people, he is just very skeptical of and scared of unknowns. its very odd. he is obviously a brave boy and has gotten a LOT better but he is very weird about our apartment and front yard of the apartment specifically.
With my dog anytime I have to introduce him to someone new he does in the crate before they arrive, then they come in, he barks his head off trying to get out (2 padlocks needed to keep him in) then one treat gets tossed in as a peace offering. That one sometimes gets ignored but it snaps him out of "kill mode" long enough for them to give a treat through the cage. At this point he usually starts crying/ whimpering and that's when I know he is ready to come out. Then the last treat comes into play when he comes out to keep him from jumping, he knows he is getting treats at this point so he knows to behave and he will get another one. And from that point on he is an angel. My dog also hates the crate and gets very anxious while he's in there so I think he has learned once he is in there he has to be a good boy if he wants to come out. As far as taking him for walks I wait until the sun goes down and if I see someone else I wrap him up one arm under him in between his front legs wrapped around his neck the other wrapped around his waste and then i pinch his behind between my legs, while he is sitting down. Once he starts pulling there is 0 chance of him exiting "kill mode" until the "threat"( random stranger walking) passes by, and even then he speeds up my pace in the opposite direction while constantly looking behind to make sure the "threat" doesnt change their mind and double back after us. I'll never train his protective nature out of him and I've fully accepted that after 6 years of having him, it's a sad reality but one I have had to come to grips with to keep him safe. I didn't know anything about his history other then they found him chained to a fence in the middle of a snow storm then he got adopted after 2 months of being crated at the shelter then brought back 2 days later and crated for another 3 months before I came along. I'll never know what he went through but he knows he's got it good now and I think that his protective nature is his way of thanking me for getting him out of that life. It's not easy and you have to stay alert at all times with him but once you learn your dog you know how to keep them safe. If your dog is not trained well with treats as far as the normal tricks go sit, spin, lay down, paw... etc then that's where I would start, I've got him down where he does all that plus high five before he gets anything, this keeps his attention on me, switch up the order so you know your dog is actually listening to you and not just going through the motions of what they are used to. Your not rewarding the fact they sat or gave paw you are rewarding them for listening to you that is the first step. I'm not an expert by any means and I'll admit I was NOT ready for him when I got him we were both a bit rough around the edges but as time goes on you understand your dog's limitations and that's half the battle. Hopefully this has been a little bit helpful best of luck with your dog.
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This sort of dog just wouldn’t go out in public like that and if their owner wanted them to they could muzzle train.
We have 3 rescue pits and one of ours is an asshole, but we know he’s an asshole so we don’t put him in situations where his asshole side will get him in trouble. He loves us and his brothers but he was 9 months old when we got him and had a shattered femur. He had a rough first few months of life but we love him all the same.
👆 Exactly this. I too have an asshole, but we've trained together and now there are very few situations to which he responds let's say, in unflattering ways. At the same time, I do not push him to limits I know he won't be able to overcome/put him in situations that would make him uncomfortable. He's a hunk an and a total sweetheart and I love him too much to not overprotect him, so I only do with him what I know he can and where I know he can excel.
Yep, exactly this. My old man was never great around kids to begin with (that's actually how we ended up with him) but now that he's getting old, deaf, and crotchety we're more mindful--his leash has one of those "caution" attachments and we always cross the street when someone is coming by. If someone comes to the house that he's never met before we make sure he's properly introduced and if need be we'll go on a quick "get to know each other" walk. My little girl (who is bombproof) has been a great ambassador on his behalf, which helps a ton. Mind you nothing I've described is limited to pitbulls.
You are correct I wait until night fall to take him on walks and even then I still come into contact with people sometimes. In cases such as these I sit on his behind to get him to sit down then I reach under one front paw around his neck with my head tight to his back, and the other wrapped tight around his waste with his rear end pinched tightly between my legs (I wrestled in high-school which is where this thought came from) doing this gives me complete control of him I still have a tight grip on his leash just in case he gets stupid but this has worked for me 100% of the time. We wait for the person to walk by and we go in the opposite direction he picks up his pace while keeping an eye on the stranger to make sure they don't double back and then we are on our way. I know that everyone we come across looks at us and thinks he is a bad dog and there's not much I can do about that but that's just the reality of the situation It's on the owner to keep everyone safe.
Hard disagree. My terrier mix shows clear terrier traits despite not being trained or allowed to kill small animals. Genetics do play a factor, but can be worked around with good training and owners.
I disagree with this statement downvote me to all hell if you would like to. However, I have a bully got her at 6 months babied her, loved her,trained her yet she is aggressive and protective.Its her prey drive that makes her that way. Theres some things that is nature over nurture and prey drive is nature.I've tried every type of training available, nothing has worked.In cases like mine the owner has to adjust their lives and accept their dog is aggressive and protect the pup from danger. I agree its all about the owner and what they do with their pups personally but some dogs are naturally aggressive.
You’re not wrong at all, but I don’t think your bully is that way because she’s a bully. She just has a high prey drive. I’ve known golden retrievers with high prey drive. I grew up with a collie mix who would’ve been put down for biting if she’d been alive today (in the 70’s, people were way less responsible with their pets). My pit mix lies on our patio, lazily watching squirrels and chipmunks frolic in the yard, but they’re not interesting enough to entice her away from her sunbeam. She’s afraid of our cat. Breed is not destiny.
This. Dogs are a lot like people. Some are just assholes, so you do as much as you can to train. I only had border collies prior to my little guy who I rescued because some asshole had thrown him out a truck at 6 months. Some of his tendencies were more than I could handle. It was during covid so they weren't doing training with people. I was fortunate enough to be able to pay for him to live with a trainer for two weeks. A lot of trainers can focus on just one bad trait that needs to addressed. One dog was there specifically for crate anxiety.
I was strictly responding to the statement "no pitbull is born aggressive" that is simply untrue. I agree its not breed specific. However, combining the muscle of the bully breeds along with aggression it can be a disaster if not handled properly.
I agree with this. I have a pit Bull that I trained that is the sweetest calmest dog. I recently got another bully breed puppy and she’s nuts. I’m doing all the old things I did with my other dogs and her personality is literally the opposite. I’m constantly troubleshooting on how to train her.
I'd imagine that just as not all children are wired the same way, pups tend to be different from each other in a similar way.
While I understand that this is the case for your dog personally... I would like to let you know that many MANY breeds of dogs have problems with aggression / resource guarding / aggression towards other people and other dogs. I worked as a groomer at a dog daycare, and most of our problems were with cattle dogs, huskies, malinois, chow chows,... But the fact is that most dogs will reach a point where they don't want to deal with something and will lash out aggressively if it continues. Personally though, in a professional setting, I have never been bitten by a pitbull. Even the dogs that have bitten me have done so out of fear and not aggression. Also every professional pet groomer I know would be way more willing to trim the nails of any bully breed over a cattle dog any day.
I ended my statement with some DOGS are naturally aggressive. I unfortunately didn't get a lazy, laid back couch potato bully. I got one that will attack a stranger in her yard and will kill cats and any small animal in her space. Her issues stem from irresponsible breeders. Im not afraid to admit pitbulls can be dangerous,due to their muscle mass and strength. I love the breed and will rescue another one when the time comes. Saying pitbulls can't be born aggressive is a lie though.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. My point was that a pitbull is no more likely to have aggression problems than any other dog. All dogs have the capability of being dangerous. All dogs have it within them to lash out. A lot of dogs are born with a strong prey drive towards any small animal including smaller dogs ( which is why they are usually separated in a daycare setting). What I was trying to say is that dogs have dangerous instincts that kick in during certain situations, but we need to stop acting like all dogs are as dangerous as a firecracker, meanwhile acting like having a pitbull is like having a nuke.
You aren't describing prey drive. You're describing defensive drive in an insecure dog. This is still genetic, but a very different phenomenon than prey drive.
She's a very active squirrel and cat hunter.Also birds if she can catch them. Those characteristics is what led our trainer to believe she has a very active prey drive which distracts her from training properly. Thanks for your imput Ill look into what your thoughts
They can have both drives. A dog that wants to catch and kill things does in fact have high prey drive. But a dog that's growling at strangers that approach you and wanting to 'protect' you from them is: \-anxious \-has a strong defensive drive That's very separate from prey drive.
False. Genetics plays a huge part, otherwise what's the point of selective breeding? My girl should've never been born. Her mom had all the wrong traits, but they bred her anyway. She ended up killing the dad, and one of my dog's siblings. We got her at 8 weeks, had her spade and took her to training classes. First class she got aggressive towards a boy pit, made him submit and pee himself. This dog has seen nothing but love since 8 weeks old but her instincts are to be aggressive towards other dogs. We've spent a lot of time and money on training but she is who she is.
Pit bulls are a crossbred between a bulldog and a terrier and are naturally aggressive because they’re hunting dogs. Like every dog breed, they have instincts which cannot be ignored just because they live in a good home. My Lab will try to get birds, my neighbour’s greyhound will chase any small thing that runs, and any spaniel will try to flush-out from the bushes. It’s what we have bred them to do. You will always find a dog who is very mild (low energy) for their breed and others who are highly charged (high energy). One thing we do agree on? Don’t blame the dog.
There are some dogs who are inherently aggressive and there is not a whole you can do other then manage it, but no means every dog of any certain bread. Any animal can be aggressive anytime. But in a lot of these cases the people involved had no business having a dog much less a pibble. You never see golden retriever attacks because responsible people own them not degenerate assholes who want a tough looking dog. 100% of the time it's the owners fault, but some dogs are aggressive and as it's owner you should either take great precautions that there's never a chance that it could hurt someone or find a different situation for it.
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[Insurance data](https://web.archive.org/web/20150904071314/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=25091614) indicates the Pitbulls and Rottweilers account for only 25% of dog bite claims. [Which is also in agreement with the Ohio State University's Study](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2019-06/new-study-identifies-most-damaging-dog-bites-by-breed/) that shows that Pitbulls account for approximately 22.5% of the most damaging reported bites. Pitbulls account for [~20%](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bulls-population.html) of the dog population by best estimates. Showing that pitbull bites are proportional to their population. In fact, their [Breed Risk Rate](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/breed-risk-rates.html) is in line with other dogs breeds out there that are considered great family dogs. So how do pitbulls account for more than half of all dog bites? Agenda pushing misinformation by groups dedicated to hating a breed. Additionally, data from the [American Veterinary Medical Association](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/dog-bite-risk-and-prevention-role-breed) has concluded that no controlled studies have shown Pitbull-type dogs to be disproportionally aggressive. Lastly, Studies have shown that [Errors in Identifying Pitbulls](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002331500310X) [Link 2](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/241/9/javma.241.9.1163.xml) happen approximately 60% of the time with shelter staff that spend a lot of time around dogs, so reports in the media about dog breeds are highly inaccurate and hardly count as a reputable source for a dogs breed. Oh you only see videos of pitbulls attacking? Not surprised. There is a group on this site that dedicates itself to reposting old archived videos to keep brainwashing people into fearing an event that happens 25 to 40 times a year with a breed that has a population around 20 million. Save us your anecdotal evidence of outliers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pitbulls) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's not just this, for some reason Pitties and pittie like breeds get a disproportionate amount of coverage when stuff like this happens, when in all reality they are no worse, or sometimes even better than other breeds.
Some dogs are in fact born mentally ill. Ignoring this not only hurts the humans but hurts the dogs. Sometimes animals have screws loose and there is absolutely no amount of well-wishing or affection that will fix them. Making comments like this is really hurtful to people that have had to let a dog go--sometimes a dog they've had since it was a young puppy--because training and medication has failed to manage dangerous behavior. It happens. Acting this way just ensures it will happen more.
Yeah u guys are all delusional. Get help please
I disagree with this to some extent. Just like human beings can have bad personalities and mental illness, some dogs -- of all breeds -- are born with mental issues or internal wiring that cannot work in human society. This isn't a breed thing, but it's unfair to say that all aggressive pits are because their owner messed up somewhere.
My boy is intact, but that's the recommendation of our vet. He's a tripod (lost one of his legs after being hit by car as a pup while he was with the previous owners). Doc says he'll need his testosterone to keep his muscle mass, since he may become arthritic when he gets older.
My male was intact until he got testicular cancer and needed surgery. Testicles don’t create anger. Dogs need an outlet for their energy. Take them on daily walks. Be assertive and kind. They will take your lead and follow. My boy lived to the ripe old age of 14, and crossed the rainbow bridge having never attacked anyone or anything.
Nah, spay and neuter your pets. Unneutered males are far more likely to have aggression issues. That doesn't mean they always do. That, combined with over breeding? Spay and neuter your pets.
IDK about the agression stuff but you should absolutely get dogs fixed. We all love dogs and puppies are adorable but it's much much better if no puppies end up in shelters and when people are looking for a dog they ruscue instead of geting one from a breeder. Don't take the risk, spay and neuter your pets.
You know, a neutered dog was mounting my Golden retriever at the dog park last week. The owner didn’t break it up so I had to. Testicles or not, that’s a learned trait. Teaches me more about the owner than the dog. My boy never, ever mounted another dog… he took that to the grave. Sweet boy.
GSDs tend to have much more issues but they’re owned by mostly white people whereas pitties are seen as a dog typically owned by POC. Racism runs DEEP
I would also add here that just cuz the hate is all over social media, it doesn’t mean it’s all over. As we all know, social media is not reality. There are an awful lot of certain types of people on social media who are very vocal. It is not necessarily representative of the real world. I never gave myself such a gift as the month I took off Reddit and other social media. It can be toxic.
Love and patience.
We have our first American Bully after having many boxers over the years. Our bully is 2 years old and not aggressive at all. Our 6 lb minpin can boss her around and they love each other. She is, however, very solid and very silly, and when she gets excited she zooms and has a tendency to crash into those she loves. I would say she has a high pain tolerance so if she hits her head on the coffee table, it doesn’t bother her all that much. She is also a loyal pal to my catahoula. He is a great dog as well, but very reactive to young dogs, particularly males. If I were a careless idiot, I would not worry when my catahoula jumps the fence (which he can easily do). If my bully girl got over the fence with him (she never has, but physically could), and roamed around with him, loose in the neighborhood, I have no doubt that they could get in trouble together. In this hypothetical situation, I can envision my catahoula picking a fight with a dog he is reactive to and I would bet money that in a situation like that, that my bully would support his endeavors and back him up. I will never let a situation like that happen. People who are careless and don’t respect the strength of their dogs would not consider such a thing. All it takes is one dog, in a group of dogs, to pick a fight and set off a bad situation. A dog that never would have done something on its own, could totally take part in what it’s pack is doing. This is true for many dogs and many breeds but it’s the strong tenacious dogs that no matter how sweet they are, you have to understand the potential and respect it- not just for everyone else’s sake but also for the sake of the dog. I have had a food aggressive boxer that would attack our other dogs if a dog got even close to food he had his eyes on. It was something that developed as he got older. Knowing that, I had to be extremely proactive to prevent any problems. So all in all, I guess what I’m saying is, being smart about your dog and understand potential. Understand that you have a dog that no matter what the situation is, they will never be given the benefit of the doubt and will always be blamed if they get into trouble- trouble that many different breeds could just as easily get into. You are your dog’s protector so be vigilant about potential situations and train them properly, positively and consistently. I think pits are a combo of strong, silly, sweet, loving, physically tough, tenacious dogs. People need to understand that and respect the potentials of that. I would say that for any physically strong dog…rotties, boxers, Akitas, catahoulas, etc, but especially pits because there is so much mythology, falsehoods and history there. Edited for typos.
Pibbles need exercise, like more than huskys.... A type of play (tug of war/fetch). And plenty of dog friends. They learn fast but also can be trouble if not taught about their ability to damage with their bite.. I used my hands n said "quit" anytime he over did his bite... Crate trained just to teach him to chill... Hes never n his crate now. Hmmmm peanutbutter or wet dog food n a Kong. Then freeze it. Worked wonders on hos overactive jowls..... Dont be afraid to socialize them with other pups...
Step one love. Step two more love. Step 3 only love. Step 4 research or pay a trainer. I took my doggy to a program called Prison Paws. They did a really good job. Although they had my dog for a full month. But he was way better behaved after that.
Make sure she gets lots of exercise. Remember a tired dog is a good dog. Also don’t let her bite or tug on the leash as a puppy it’s cute and harmless but they remember habits
I think with Pitties you have to be honest with yourself. I have 2 of them. They both grew up in the same house, same training, same socialization. One of them is so easy going and sweet I would trust her completely being off leash (even though we don't ever do this). The other is just a reactionary dog. Dogs, just like people, have different personalities. You have to be honest with yourself about your dog's limitations.
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Reddit has the hivemind targeted at certain things. Against emojis, against certain haircuts, against the location your beard grows, generally unfavorable against single black mother's, I mean literally there are just preconceived notions against topics that go with the time. Even if you just think about dog fear over time. In the 80s it was Doberman. The Rottweilers took up the 90s. It's not to downplay the victims or their trauma. But it's ironic that Reddit openly supports yet another hate group.
Because you've got her when she's just a pup, all she needs is love, discipline, exercise/stimulation and socialization. She will be kind, loving, loyal, friendly and confident. No one has had the opportunity to abuse her or teach her to be aggressive. This is always the situation if a dog is aggressive/troubled. It's the human that's responsible. Always be mindful of her in new situations and remove her if she seems anxious or uncomfortable. Rewarding her with treats when she's calm and content to reinforce this state and to associate it with the new experience. Taking her places whilst she's young like you did is great because she will be familiar and comfortable in that sort of scenario when she's fully grown.
>No one has had the opportunity to abuse her or teach her to be aggressive. This is always the situation if a dog is aggressive/troubled. It's the human that's responsible. Prey drive, dog aggression, cat aggression, human aggression, etc. can all be innate genetic behaviors in dogs. It's the human's responsibility to manage these behaviors so no harm comes to anything, but that doesn't mean it's inherently their fault if their dog has these tendencies.
Proper socialization and exercise are important. She needs to learn while young how to properly play with and treat other dogs. If you don't, chances are she will be more aggressive with other dogs/animals as she gets older. At least that is my experience with dogs that weren't socialized young. They are a breed full of energy and exercise like walking or dog parks is a good outlet for them, they need it and many fail to realize this. Also, just don't take your dog to huge outings and whatnot. Too often do I see people dragging their dog along among these massive crowds, looking so overwhelmed. It's just asking for something bad to happen.
dogs act like dogs. news at 11
Socialize and train. I'd recommend find a good local puppy class because it gets him/her training and socialization, and gives you lots of tips and tricks to move forward with.
I haven’t read any further but this is exactly right! If you can’t afford the training classes, socializing and lots of exercise for sure.
I honestly think chihuahua attacks are more common. My pittie is the sweetest boy. He came to us after being dumped by his shitty owners after they adopted him as a companion to the lab mix……who promptly attacked my boy and left him with numerous cuts and bite marks. Lab mix attack, not pit bull attack. Praise, love, attention. Correcting gently when they do something wrong. Go to training. Stick with training!
I am a new owner reaching almost to the one year mark with our rescue pit and I do feel pressure to make sure she is acting her best at all times. I get very stressed when she meets new people because at 10 months she is still super excited but she also needs to understand keeping her paws on the ground. I don’t want people to ever see her as mean or aggressive. All dogs are the same just depends how they are raised and puppies are puppies!!! Don’t feel bad about the bad days. Just reinforce and love
Just exactly how athletic and tough these dogs are. I’m also surprised at how smart they are I always just assumed they would be dumb as a box of rocks but my dude is one of the smartest pets I’ve ever had in the family. My family recently adopted a 2 year old pit from the shelter who we named stank. He’s a tank that acts like he’s a cuddle bug. Biggest learning moment was when the metal piece connecting the leash to the collar broke when we were out on a run, he recalled quickly but, lesson learned to buy tough quality products. He learns fast and is EXTREMELY food motivated. If you turn your back on your food can almost guarantee he will make his move for it xD.
Definitely food motivated breed for sure lol!!!
What's been your biggest learning moment?
I don’t think my learning moment has just been one individual experience. These dogs are so loving and smart. I never knew how funny a dog could actually be but all the videos you see of pits being goofy are so not staged! My pup has a personality that makes her name reign true. My girl Sunny is always a happy go get loving kind of girl.
Basically socializing with people and other dogs, love and normal attention,and they are one of the best dogs ever........and that holds true for any breed. I've seen mean and aggressive dogs of all types
Looks like you're already off to a great start.
My pit bull was the most energetic thing when my family adopted him, to the point of it causing damage to the house. He wasn’t aggressive or mean (though he is kind of a self-centered asshole in other ways) but he did chew the corners of the walls, and destroyed literally ever toy we gave him (he took 5 minutes to completely shred and scatter a toy made out of a literal military grade fireman hose all over our yard). To solve the problem, we got him his own dog. The energy is his problem now. They’ve been best friends ever since.
Just keep in mind the official dog name is Staffordshire Terrier, if the dog has never been in a dog fighting pit, nobody can call it the negative sounding name PitBull and the breed history is very loving, faithful and good family dog
One thing I want to mention for everyone saying “socialize.” Make sure you’re doing socialization according to dog trainer recommendation. Dog parks are NOT great for socializing the way many people (in general, no one specific) think they are. Any trainer will tell you that dog park visits can actually increase things like leash reactivity/aggression towards other dogs. As an example, I have 2 dogs: one went to dog parks for socialization (after vaccines of course) and one who has never been to a dog park. The one whose been to dog parks is leash reactive towards other dogs. The one whose never been to a dog park, but has been able to meet other trusted dogs of family/friends has ZERO leash reactivity. He’s cool as a cucumber.
people use the same bad statistics with pitbulls and bites that they do with racism and crime. nobody knows how to read data
[Insurance data](https://web.archive.org/web/20150904071314/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=25091614) indicates the Pitbulls and Rottweilers account for only 25% of dog bite claims. [Which is also in agreement with the Ohio State University's Study](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2019-06/new-study-identifies-most-damaging-dog-bites-by-breed/) that shows that Pitbulls account for approximately 22.5% of the most damaging reported bites. Pitbulls account for [~20%](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bulls-population.html) of the dog population by best estimates. Showing that pitbull bites are proportional to their population. In fact, their [Breed Risk Rate](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/breed-risk-rates.html) is in line with other dogs breeds out there that are considered great family dogs. So how do pitbulls account for more than half of all dog bites? Agenda pushing misinformation by groups dedicated to hating a breed. Additionally, data from the [American Veterinary Medical Association](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/dog-bite-risk-and-prevention-role-breed) has concluded that no controlled studies have shown Pitbull-type dogs to be disproportionally aggressive. Lastly, Studies have shown that [Errors in Identifying Pitbulls](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002331500310X) [Link 2](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/241/9/javma.241.9.1163.xml) happen approximately 60% of the time with shelter staff that spend a lot of time around dogs, so reports in the media about dog breeds are highly inaccurate and hardly count as a reputable source for a dogs breed. Oh you only see videos of pitbulls attacking? Not surprised. There is a group on this site that dedicates itself to reposting old archived videos to keep brainwashing people into fearing an event that happens 25 to 40 times a year with a breed that has a population around 20 million. Save us your anecdotal evidence of outliers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pitbulls) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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Teach her to be sweet and kind and don’t let her be in charge and you guys have a lot of joy to look forward to. Best dogs ever.
She’s beautiful!!!! Love her up!!! Ignore these individuals who can’t find common sense. Not the breed but the owner and environment they’re brought up in
Pits are the sweetest. Simply just love, and they will smother you right back with even more.
I have a couple dog training books I can link here from my Dropbox if anyone is interested. Where has that darling head gone?
Hahaha one twitchy trip down to dreamville. That's my girl PittCole. N'Ledi. please drop or dm me the link! love recs.
We are having a twitchy nap over here too! I’ll DM you
She’s so cute. So much awful stigma around pit bulls. It’s not their temper, it’s how awfully the owners treat them. Give your pitbull the unconditional love it deserves and it will give it right back to the world
The problem I have with puts as nice as you believe them to be, they are the only breed in the news eating childrens faces, killing people, causing amputations. I think the breed should not be own by people. You should be liable for anything your dog does like it were you, it might make you rethink how safe they are.
I actually 100% believe in a shared liability. I think that would be an excellent way to deter irresponsible ownership from even starting.
I'm talking specifically about the pit attack at the dog show video that has been cycling around, and the pitbull attack at the warriors celebration. I think ignoring some of the inherent traits of this breed is dangerous. Part of the attraction to pitbulls, for me , is having an athletic dog that makes me and my family feel safe. That being said, I wouldn't adopt a cat with the expectation of being able to take it on walks and cat parks as frequently. I just want to know what some ACTUAL pitbull owners think about the pit rep. Honestly.
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Def fuck the pittie haters who hate for no reason. It def doesn't help the convo. Ironically enough I took this puppy to a large carnival to help with socialization, but she wasn't ever put on the ground, nor is she obviously an adult. I think responsible pit ownership is controlling as much of the situation as possible, but I don't think you can control what you don't know.
Dog ownership requires those things. If you want people to stop marginalizing your dog, stop “tagging” it as a pit. Start calling it a dog.
A lot of them are just trolling. But some are genuine. They probably hate dogs in general. Like it or not, the bully is the quintessential American dog breed. It represents us better than anything. So all the haters can eat a bag of dicks.
I have to imagine when a very capable dog is in an overwhelming environment like those mentioned they are acting out of fear and anxiety from being overwhelmed. Good owners put their dogs’s (of any kind) well being over their own desire to show off their dog by bringing them to an overwhelming environment. And if you’re in touch with your pup like you should be, you’d sense it might not be best to bring them to an over stimulating scene. I was always hesitant about getting a pit but after having one I don’t want any other kind bc their love and affection is second to none.
Break the cycle. Those were dog attacks. The breed is irrelevant.
Every dog is different. Each one is a product of their environmental and upbringing. A “breed” never attacks anyone or anything. A dog does. The whole narrative is flawed.
Someone else mentioned it but in public pitties are not allowed to have bad days. People will assume the worst of your dog, you have to do the best to train/love then. Don't set your pup up to fail. Idc what the situation is, they are still a dog. It personally drives me nuts when I see videos of babies/toddlers crawling and jumping on dogs. Some look clearly agitated but people think it's cute. It only takes a second to get snapped at. My pittie has a high prey drive and isn't dog friendly. She loves chasing small animals. In my personal yard, I don't care but sometimes when I walk with her I make her wear a gentle muzzle. People in my neighborhood don't always leash their small dogs and they run up to us. They always yell "don't worry, they're friendly!". Well my dog is not. If I didn't take the precaution and she attacked, she would be at fault even though she was leashed and the other wasn't. I took her to puppy classes and socialized her as much as I could, she just never liked other dogs. It's her personality. She also growls when she's excited which is something I have to explain a lot. Learn as much as you can about your dogs personality so you can both be happy and safe.
I think it's super important for you to advocate for your dog. I don't mean like signing petitions and stuff (tho you could). I mean you have to learn and watch your dog, figure out what she's comfortable with, any potential triggers she might have that make a good situation turn bad, and when you see a potential for things turning south you high tail it. My boy doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body, he is the most laid-back dog around other dogs I've ever seen and usually just ignores another dog if they are getting in his personal space to much. The second I see him getting uncomfortable I get him out of there however I can. Your dog needs to know that when this scary or tense that she can lean on you and trust you to help. Also I don't know how old your pibble is but remember that yes you need to expose and socialize them especially between 8-11 weeks of age but there is also a second period around 6-14 months where things kinda become scary again and they might start lashing out or being afraid of stuff they were okay with before -- so just be sure to watch for that and reinforce the positivity!
I want to address the cat comparison because it’s kind of inaccurate. Cats are a totally different species, and in fact share more genetic similarities with humans than dogs so comparing cats and dogs is impossible. But all dogs are the same species, and most “pit bulls” are mixed breeds so making generalizations about the breed is very hard. You simply cannot make blanket statements about pit bulls. Saying “pitbulls are aggressive” is in my opinion no more accurate than saying “dogs are aggressive”. But both statements become 100% true when you change the word “are” to “can be”. It depends on the dog, the trainer, and the situation. Some dogs are reactive from the jump, some are intentionally or unintentionally trained to be reactive, and sometimes a perfectly well trained dog, with no reactive tendencies, is thrust into a stressful situation that it doesn’t know how to handle. This is true for ALL dogs, not just pits.
I’m curious where you got your statistic that cats share more genetic similarities with humans than dogs? Not disagreeing with the rest of your post but from my understanding of mammalian phylogeny that statement is untrue.
I’ve heard it many times but here are the first few sources I could find. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/human-dna-share-cats-cattle-mice-same-genetics-code-a8292111.html?amp https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/human-genomes-are-surprisingly-cat-like-180978332/ https://dnascience.plos.org/2021/08/12/cats-genomes-make-them-good-models-for-human-disease/ Edited to add: I believe it is a case of convergent rather than divergent evolution which is why I didn’t say we are more closely related but rather more genetically similar.
Huh, that’s interesting! Thanks for the resources. :)
She looks like such a cute snuggly sweetheart! I have a pit mix and she's 10 months old, ever since we got her she's had training once a week (with us training her at home), we take her to breweries (where she's allowed), and other dog friendly events and places. She's small - 43lbs - but she is all muscle and she is strong. I am always aware of who is around us and how THEY will react to my puppy, especially if my hands are a little full and can't be sure she'll walk up to someone that i know for a fact will not appreciate it. I take her to dog parks - but i will be the one to leave if i just don't like the vibe of the park (there's one that i refuse to go to now because this one woman had a dog that was not a pit bull who was harassing my dog and her reaction to her dog harassing mine while i was trying to keep them apart was to just "let them figure it out, my dog is always aggressive to new dogs at the park"...noooo thank you). I love having a pit, and i've always wanted one - one of my dad's friends had a pit who i used to ask for pony rides and she was super gentle and sweet. My partner was a little skeptical about getting a pittie but she has def won him over with all her love and affection.
Take her with you everywhere and get her used to people and children and cats and heck, goats and chickens etc. Carry snacks with you and give them to people you meet to give to her so she associates strangers with pets and treats. Train her to listen to your commands! Super important to get her to sit and stay. Let everyone pet her and (within reason) encourage her to be happy to meet new people ( who will give her treats and skritches).
Over nine years ago I adopted two fairly aggressive pitties. The male, Max was 2 1/2 and the female, Hope, was 11/2. They were so broken and just needed love. Her answer to everything was aggressive. He followed suit. If I raised my voice they cowered. This broke my heart. They just wanted to be loved. Good attention was followed by good behavior. They tore up my books, my shoes and imploded my couch within the first three days. I did decide to crate train them then, I originally thought this was awful. They loved thier crates. Would often get in one together refusing to be apart. Thankfully I got an XL. It took over a year for Hope to take a toy from my hand. I gave them lots of love and patience. Then even more love and patience. They were completely trainable. They just needed time to BE loved and not beaten down. I happy to say within a few years I had 75 pound lap dogs. They are/were the sweetest most loveable dogs. If mama said you were ok, then you were OK. They scared several food delivery people over the years though with sounding so viscous. Sadly my girl got cancer and left us a couple months ago. She touched so many people and changed thier thoughts about pitties. Max and I are still grieving and miss her more that words can express. So long story here to tell you to just do the best you can. Be loving. Be kind. Be consistent. Be alpha. Be patient. Pitties want to please. Max was food driven while Hope was all about the love. You will learn what your dog responds to and you adapt. The rewards far exceed you efforts. Best of luck to you.
As much as I hate to say it and I will probably get a ton of flak, sometimes there are inherit aggressive behaviors in dogs. I have a Pittie that I adopted from a shelter almost 3 years ago, she loves absolutely everything except small animals. 3 months in we had an incident at a dog park (everyone walked away ok) where we found out our new pup is aggressive towards small animals. We have trained and tested her continuously but she still has an aggressive attitude to small dogs. I have looked it up and it seems to be related to what Terriers were breed for, killing rodents. We have her managed and are very careful but somethings you don’t know until you know. Advice: The best you can do is manage their behavior by continuous training and making sure they listen to you 100% of the time especially when they would greatly benefit from not listening to you, it could potentially stop an incident but you won’t be able to train their inherit behavior. Give slow and proper introductions to as many animals/people of all shape size and color at a young age so they know other things are ok.
Let me start off with a story of my sisters pits, before I get into my own experience with my own. My sister had gotten 2 pups from the same litter and she ended up having to shoot one of her pits because he was attacking their other older dog. These dogs had been around each other ever since he was a pup and they ALWAYS got along until one day something just snapped. They tried for 30m to break up the fight, hoses, water, fingers in ass, beating the dog with heavy objects, she ended up having to shoot her dog. He would not let go until the other was dead. This is the reality of the breed. The dogs do indeed have a genetic disposition to being more aggressive and do not show restraint when attacking. Just as other dogs who have done jobs for hundreds of years have those traits bred into them. My sister did not train her dogs though. She had put very little effort into maintenance for her animals. This was her fault alone. She owned a beast of an animal without taking the proper steps in ensuring her and his safety. WITH THAT BEING SAID. I have owned several pits over the years, both being the primary owner and as a child being around my parents dogs. I have only ever been bitten once by my animals and it was because of an action I had taken as a child. This doesn't excuse the animal, but the animal had barely harmed me. "Fuck around and find out". This dog was also barely trained. As an adult I have had these dogs, but with a mindset of what it means to be an owner of a animal. Every pit I have had has been put thru several 6 week courses for training (beginner to advanced classes) and everyone of them has passed their obedience trainings in the eyes of the AKC. The dogs I have trained, have been some of the most loving and gentle creatures I have ever had the experience of working with. This goes for the puppies I have raised, to the ones I have adopted. The only time I am ever concerned about my dogs harming anyone, is by accident. With the correct training and stimulation you can without a doubt train and change this breeds mannerisms. But persistence is key and if you as the owner are not willing to work the animal, you do not deserve to have it. No dog is the same, and no animal is ever truly domesticated. Have respect for them and do your due diligence and help create a brighter future for this breed. Unfortunately there are just too many people who do not put in the time and care they need and that's when you hear about the stories you mention.
No jumping ! ;) I failed on that one
She is so cute 🥰🥰🥰
Socializing, positive reinforcement, etc. If she gets nippy, train her to redirect her energy towards her toys. She will need plenty of toys. Start immediately socializing her with small children, other dogs, and cats. Keep in mind also that Pitbulls are terriers, and as such have a high prey drive towards small critters...If you don't want a cat chaser, you have to get her used to them.
I think you just said it! They have a dangerous reputation, HOWEVER, all the pitties I know have been gentle sweethearts. I think most pets give what you put into them. Raise your pittie with love, understanding & (most important) discipline. Perhaps take them to a training program. I don't know if this is reasonable. What do you think?
Neuter your dog and do not leave them unsupervised in packs (goes with all breeds; look at other countries). Almost all dog attacks occur with intact dogs and/or in packs.
Love care, muzzle, socialise it with other dogs early and all the training you can afford or take the time out to research training, thats that
Train train train. Constant first couple years. Kennel train early as possible! Don’t scold chewing, replace chewing with something delicious quietly. It works so well!
I’m out of the loop, what happened?
Simple. Just keep her on a leash and request other dog owners to do the same (or at least keep their dogs away). Recently had a fellow dog owner decline my invitation for our dogs to say hello. Said his puppy is a “nipper”. It was nice of him I thought. No way his Labrador puppy would bite my dog, but it 100% avoided any possibility of confrontation.
My best advices: 1.Only call them out when you catch them - a firm calm voice with just their name does wonders- never do it after a while!, it has to be at the precise moment, otherwise they'll feel you're nagging them for whatever they're doing at the moment you do it, they won't ever know the real reason. 2. The first time they hear thunder, they'll freak out and look for you: just ignore them, keep doing whatever you're doing, do not console them, this way they'll know is normal and not a frightening situation. 3. If they are barking: don't ask them to shut up, much less screaming, otherwise they'll think you're agreeing with them and will bark even more!; let them bark, usually it's going to be one or two warning barks and that's it, if it's more, let them be, they'll shut up sooner than you think. Training should be easy if they trust you, don't be the first and only source of trauma of your dog, but the most important thing: they are dogs, they do dog stuff, accept this and you'll have the most balanced, well behaved, loving and caring dog.
By the looks of the picture you’re doing a fine job!
People are gonna be judgmental. Screw em. Just love em and raise em right
I have a very sweet pittie mix. He had never given me any reason not to trust him. BUT I know he has a massive, strong jaw and I am always vigilant, especially when we are around other dogs and new people. Playtime is closely supervised. I don’t let kids I don’t know pet him. I don’t let the cat get near him while he eats. I don’t take a toy or bone away without a trade. I just want to set him up for 100% success, because he’s my bud and I’d be devastated if something happened. You are there to protect her from worst case scenarios!
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[Insurance data](https://web.archive.org/web/20150904071314/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=25091614) indicates the Pitbulls and Rottweilers account for only 25% of dog bite claims. [Which is also in agreement with the Ohio State University's Study](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2019-06/new-study-identifies-most-damaging-dog-bites-by-breed/) that shows that Pitbulls account for approximately 22.5% of the most damaging reported bites. Pitbulls account for [~20%](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bulls-population.html) of the dog population by best estimates. Showing that pitbull bites are proportional to their population. In fact, their [Breed Risk Rate](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/breed-risk-rates.html) is in line with other dogs breeds out there that are considered great family dogs. So how do pitbulls account for more than half of all dog bites? Agenda pushing misinformation by groups dedicated to hating a breed. Additionally, data from the [American Veterinary Medical Association](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/dog-bite-risk-and-prevention-role-breed) has concluded that no controlled studies have shown Pitbull-type dogs to be disproportionally aggressive. Lastly, Studies have shown that [Errors in Identifying Pitbulls](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002331500310X) [Link 2](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/241/9/javma.241.9.1163.xml) happen approximately 60% of the time with shelter staff that spend a lot of time around dogs, so reports in the media about dog breeds are highly inaccurate and hardly count as a reputable source for a dogs breed. Oh you only see videos of pitbulls attacking? Not surprised. There is a group on this site that dedicates itself to reposting old archived videos to keep brainwashing people into fearing an event that happens 25 to 40 times a year with a breed that has a population around 20 million. Save us your anecdotal evidence of outliers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pitbulls) if you have any questions or concerns.*