why would you want to have a pitbull? (boerboel, skin, train)

[APBT_Samara]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

then why do i hear of the jaw needing to be pried apart very often? am i imagining all these news stories i've heard/read over the years? maybe alot of you dont watch the news or read the papers? maybe alot of you are actually in denial? maybe i am TOTALLY wrong about pit bulls. i really am not sure but im just believing what i see and read and hear. who could blame me really? I started this thread because i wanted to try to get inside a pit owners mind as to why they would want to take such a risk. maybe pitbull owners are just risk takers in general?

I don't see how hard it is to understand why someone wants a certain breed. Why do you want a Chi? They are yappy, nippy, pee on everything and are closer to the size of a rat or cat then a dog. Some people see the negatives like I mentioned (as these are things I frequently hear about Chis) others see what great dogs they are and wouldn't own another breed. Different strokes for different folks. It seems odd to questions why someone wants a certain breed since what people like/dislike is so subjection and beauty is in the eye of the beholder type thing.


The reason is they don't want to let go. The best way is to open their mouth. My female would let go or stop fighting on command. I've had a few which are close to this also. Like when a dogs charge me and my dog is ready to defend I say no and sit and the dog doesn't do anything. If I ever need to though I will pry my dogs mouth open. That is what being responsible is about. Maybe owners of other breeds should learn how to do the same?

This is true of almost any breed when they have drive and adrenalin going through them. The Lab/Golden was being beat by his owner and still didn't stop attacking until he wanted to. If you read some of the other threads you can find the info.

Here is from another thread.

“To me any medium-large breed can probably do the same amount of damage. Pit Bulls and several other large breeds have a higher pain tolerance but it really seems any dog which has lost it doesn't stop just from being hit if it doesn't want to and if it does it will no matter the breed. Its all dependent on the individual dog. I watched an episode of when good pets go bad. This crazy lady trained her Pit Bull to attack. She had already made the dog attack her landlord. Then AC came there to take the dog and she made him attack the animal control lady. The dog grabbed her arm and shook it. A guy came and hit him with what looked like a pipe, he let go, attacked again and was hit a 2nd time and finally stopped all together. He didn't have to be beat off, just one hit and he let go. So it varies from dog to dog and I don't think any one breed is going to be some super mythical like beast like Pit Bulls are made out to be.”

This thread is over a half dozen pages long, I would think by now you would understand that they do not pose a great risk to their owners or others. For whatever reason you seem to have just set out to attack one breed rather then learn about them/the owners. You have answers. Like you said the OP was to answer something you had been thinking about. That makes sense in a way it is just again odd to single out one breed as potentially dangerous when there are so many. The Bullmastiff involved in a recent attack had to be stabbed to save the ladies life. Doesn't mean all Bullmastiffs are dangerous or mean, but it clearly means many breeds have the potential to either be life threatening or cause serious bodily damage.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

then why do i hear of the jaw needing to be pried apart very often? am i imagining all these news stories i've heard/read over the years? maybe alot of you dont watch the news or read the papers? maybe alot of you are actually in denial? maybe i am TOTALLY wrong about pit bulls. i really am not sure but im just believing what i see and read and hear. who could blame me really? I started this thread because i wanted to try to get inside a pit owners mind as to why they would want to take such a risk. maybe pitbull owners are just risk takers in general?

You might be totally wrong about Pit Bulls, I'm glad you're open to the possibility .

Those stories you hear are not true - they can release their jaws, they don't "lock". Now they may choose not to release, but that can happen with any dog.

Locking jaws is an urban myth that just continues to rear it's ugly head. Now that you know that, you won't be one of the contributors to false information.

Any risk I take is a calculated risk .

[riveree]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

okay, well i was truly wondering why of all the breeds you have chosen a pitbull and i still dont really understand but thanks for the discussion.

You don't? Did you read my earlier response?

I said I like them because they are clean, neat dogs, who have a great sense of humor, are couch potatoes/only need moderate exercise.....these are reasons, good reasons.

[irishmom]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

okay, well i was truly wondering why of all the breeds you have chosen a pitbull and i still dont really understand but thanks for the discussion. i was truly trying to understand and that was the intent of the OP. i wonder about alot of things and sometimes it is easier to just post instead of doing a search. your main point seems to always be that it is the owner that is bad and not the breed. this reminds me of those bumber stickers i have seen that say "guns dont kill people, people kill people". so i guess it all depends on how you look at it.

For the same reason I love Labrador Retrievers some people love American Pit Bulls, why does it matter? I was shocked to hear bad storied about Rotties, because I have known many cuddly goofy ones...that yes I guess if they had wanted to hurt me could have but it never occured to me to be afraid of these big dog clowns...so I wasn't. Then hearing bad press about them, for me, made me think the stories were exaggerated and over played. My Lab is 100 lbs and definitely in her youth (she's a bit old and tired now) could have taken out a person or two is she wanted, her temperment was never as such, she just isn't a biter, not even as a puppy. My sister's Lab however knocked down my son when she was a year old and bit him up all over the back of his legs...I needed to pull her off him. She's a great dog but was poorly trained at the time...now she is older and has had professional training, she is a different dog. So temperment and training are extremely important.

The last CDC data available on dog attacks is from the last census...so it's out of date...but even then the numbers are not as many as you may have thought. http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds.pdf

The media hypes stuff...in the 80's NYC wanted to ban German Shephards because of all the attacks...now they are considered a great breed there and pit bulls need to be banned. The difference? All the creepy criminal elements stop getting Shepphards and started getting Pitbulls. *sigh*

[Mom2Five]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

then why do i hear of the jaw needing to be pried apart very often? am i imagining all these news stories i've heard/read over the years? maybe alot of you dont watch the news or read the papers? maybe alot of you are actually in denial? maybe i am TOTALLY wrong about pit bulls. i really am not sure but im just believing what i see and read and hear. who could blame me really? I started this thread because i wanted to try to get inside a pit owners mind as to why they would want to take such a risk. maybe pitbull owners are just risk takers in general?

What's wrong is that you're getting all of your information from the news. You need to reference other sources for reliable information. The news will print anything if it makes for a good headline, and let's face it, "Pit Bull Attack" stirs people up and makes them want to read the story. Factual information has nothing to do with sensationalism.

So, are you wrong about pit bulls? I'm going to say yes, because of the way you're getting your information. Asking people "why a pit bull" is a better way to get your information but only if you're going to pay attention to what people are telling you. From your posts, it doesn't seem that you're doing that. Not knowing them you're choosing to believe the worst, while people who do know them are telling you differently. No one can "make" you change your opinion, and you are certainly entitled to yours and if it's that pit bulls are horrible beasts so be it. I just hope that you can acknowledge that you don't know much about pit bulls, that not all pit bull owners are crazed criminals and that we have a right to own the breed of our choice. Because it's the people who don't know a darn thing about pit bull dogs or hell, dogs in general, that are creating legislation which tears pets away from their families and sends them to their deaths.

[irishmom]

Originally Posted by riveree

Those stories you hear are not true - they can release their jaws, they don't "lock". Now they may choose not to release, but that can happen with any dog.

What do you guys think of break sticks?

Pit Bull Rescue Central

Just wondering because the two people I do know that own pitbulls don't have these and according to this rescue everyone should. I have never heard of that before.

[Mom2Five]

Originally Posted by irishmom

No I think people would care a bit more if there were some positive press out there from responsible owners. At least there may be more open minded people out there. I go to a lot of dog events and have met many breeds so I actually am not afraid of any breed, but I've seen the best of the best from full breeds to mutts...so I am probably biased on the other side of the issue. I think it has everything to do with the owners and little to do with the dogs themselves.

There's actually quite a bit of positive pit bull press out there. It just doesn't make the headlines.

I've actually had conversations with people, in person, who did not care what facts I gave them about pit bulls, they WANTED to get their info from the news. That is their trusted source and they're sticking with it

[PitBullMommie1206]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

why? considering all the stats about potential harm they could do to other dogs and humans, why would you want one. arent you afraid of lawsuits or harm coming to a loved one? just curious as to why you'd want to take such a risk.

You know, I don't see why I should even waist my time answering this AGAIN! It seems like every time I get on the computer someone else is asking the same questions. Just so you know, there is a search option at the top of the page. You can search for crap like this and it will bring up all of these crazy threads. I'm not sure if you just wanted to start a big argument or what, but I just figured I'd let you know for future reference.

So, now to answer you're question... First of all, I have to say, it's pit bull, not pitbull, two words. Also, "pit bull" isn't a breed of dog, it's a term used to group three breeds, American Pit Bull Terriers (APBT), American Staffordshire Terriers (AmStaffs) and Staffordshire Bull Terriers (Staffie). Now that I have said that, the reason my husband and I own three wonderful APBTs is because they are the perfect breed for us. Just like everyone should do, my husband and I did our research before deciding on what breed to get. We never thought we would end up owning even 1 "pit bull", much less 3! lol! I have owned a Chocolate Lab, a Fox Hound, a Cocker Spaniel, a Black Lab, a Rhodesian Ridgeback/ Rottweiler mix and two Mini Schnauzers, I never thought I was a "pit bull" person! But after doing loads and loads of research, we found out that the APBT was the absolute best breed for us, that's why we own "pit bulls".

My husband and I are very social and we spend quite a bit of time with friends and family. Most of our friends and family have children and own pets, so we needed a breed that was very friendly, great with people, especially children and even strangers. APBTs are one of the most stable, people-friendly breeds in existence, and unlike most of the crap you hear on the news, that's a fact. For hundreds of years "pit bulls" were bred to fight dogs, because of this "pit bulls" do tend to be dog aggressive if they are not properly socialized. However a quality that was never bred into "pit bulls" was human aggression. Human "aggressive" dogs were undesirable as these dogs required extensive handling prior to and during their fights, AND most of these dogs were also family pets, so no human aggression was ever tolerated. Dogs that exhibited human aggression were typically culled, meaning that only human friendly lines were perpetuated and desired. The "pit bull" breeds are actually three of the only breeds that have been specifically bred to be amazingly human friendly. In temperament testing the APBT does better than most popular family breeds such as Golden Retrievers and Beagles. The National Canine Temperament Testing Association tested 122 breeds, and APBTs placed the 4th highest with a 95% passing rate! They are the perfect breed to have around children. As with any breed, no dog should ever be left unattended with children though. APBTs are even known as nanny dogs, or nurse maids dogs, for their love and dependability with children.

My husband and I are also very active, so we needed an active breed, we wanted an intelligent, easy to train and typically obedient breed, we wanted a medium or larger end medium breed with short fur, etc. APBTs are terriers, they are working dogs, so they are active. They need a lot of daily exercise to be happy and healthy. APBTs are additionally one of the most intelligent and easy to train breed of dogs. The trainer of the show dog Lassie has even remarked on how the APBT is his choice of breed for training. And APBTs are the perfect size for us, they are not large breed dogs like so many people seem to think they are! lol! The "pit bull" breeds were bred small for their original purpose, bull baiting and dog fighting, and the original "pit bulls" were around 20-40 pounds. Now an average weight for an APBT is 35-55 pounds, and they should be around 18-22 inches tall. The "pit bull" breeds are small to larger end medium breed dogs. Obviously there are other things we needed in a dog, but those were the main things, and APBTs fit us, our lifestyle, our wants and needs perfectly!

I wouldn't suggest that you believe everything you hear in the media. If you want some good, true info on "pit bulls" I would suggest that you google American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier or Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Here's a website that has some good, basic info on APBTs.. American Pit Bull Terrier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Taken From Text:

When treated well, APBTs typically have sunny personalities. They are very sweet, curious, intelligent, and clownish. They are noted for their outgoing, affectionate, eager-to-please disposition and their fondness for people. They adore attention, often relishing the company of humans and are notorious for their loyalty to their masters, even giving their lives for them... Despite the stereotype, the average, sound-minded APBT is not a threat where children are concerned... APBTs were never bred for human aggression or guarding behavior; generally they only will attack if they perceive an immediate threat to their masters or families rather than seeing every person as an intruder upon their territory. They were originally bred against human aggression because in the pit fighting days the handlers had to be able to handle their dogs as well as treat their wounds, and if necessary, quickly pull the dog out of a fight for various reasons. Any dog that did show the slightest sign of human aggression in that day was 'culled', and therefore, not allowed to carry on its bloodline. For that reason stable examples of the breed are generally not suitable as guard dogs. It is important that APBTs who display any sign of human aggression are not bred, in order to preserve the stable and friendly nature of the breed, and equally important that man aggressive dogs are never kept.

Of course, just like every breed, not all "pit bulls", APBTs, AmStaffs and Staffies, have been properly bred, raised, trained and socialized. Actually, "pit bulls" are the most abused dogs in the US, and probably the world. A lot of people do seem to get "pit bulls" or "pit bull" type dogs specifically to make them aggressive. People will poorly breed two "pit bulls" or "pit bull" looking dogs, or they will buy a pup from a breeder that has done that, and they will just abuse, neglect and torture the poor thing. They will do horrible things to make the dog aggressive and train it to be mean, or they will just completely neglect the dog and not train and socialize it at all. No dog could go through what some of these "pit bulls" go through and still be a good dog! It's unbelievable to me that people don't understand that! I mean, how heartless can someone be?! Some of these dogs are in hell from the very moment they are born, and I promise you, they wouldn't choose that life if the had a choice! It's not the breeds fault that heartless scum are attracted to them because of the way they look! You know, it's amazing to me that so many people hate these dogs and they know absolutely nothing about them! I bet that most of the people that hate "pit bulls" don't know that they are American heros, that the WWI poster dog was a "pit bull" or that American Staffordshire Terrier, Sergeant Stubby, was decorated WWII war hero (he sought out wounded soldiers and caught enemy snipers). I'm sure they don't know that the APBT was once the quintessential icon of American family life, that during the 40's and 50's the APBT was the number 1 family dog, APBTs were used in advertisements for Buster Brown Shoes and much more, APBTs were the only breed of dog to make the cover of Life magazine three times and the second Petey (Lucenay's Peter) from the Little Rascals was a UKC registered APBT, Lucenay's Peter. In 1936 he was cross registered with the AKC as a AMSTAFF. I'm sure that most of the people that hate "pit bulls" don't know that Popcicle, the Number 1 US Customs dog is a rescued "pit bull", that was left to die in a freezer, or that "pit bulls" are currently used and suitable for all types of service work including drug detection, emergency rescue, service and therapy work, military service, and much more.







Oh, and I'm sure that they have never heard all of the good things these dogs have done, like when Dixie the "pit bull" got bit in the face multiple time by a snake and almost died to save "her" children, when Gabby the "pit bull" saved her neighbor, when Buddy saved his elderly owner and her sister from a house fire (that happened right down the road from us ), or when Norton the "pit bull" saved his owner. All of those stories and more are on this website.. Pet PitBull - Positive Press And that's just a few of the wonderful things these dogs have done!

If "pit bulls" were really these vicious, man-eating monsters, how in the world would they be used as police dogs


drug and bomb detection dogs,


search and rescue dogs,




service dogs,



therapy dogs,




and family companions.










My husband and I own three American Pit Bull Terriers. Brooklyn is our 48 pound, 1 year 7 month old, male APBT, Jayda is our 42 pound, 1 year old, female APBT, and Destiny is our 38 pound, 10 month old, female APBT. All three of our fur babies have been properly raised, trained and socialized. They all grew up around tons of different people, children of all different ages, other dogs, cats, our ball python, etc. All of our dogs are extremely friendly, they have never been aggressive to anyone or anything, they have never bit anyone or anything and they certainly have never attacked anyone or anything. Anything, meaning animals or anything else. We take our dogs with us when we go visit friends and family, most of which have children and/ or pets, and a lot of which actually own "pit bulls" as well. "Pit bulls" that are just as friendly and wonderful as our three "pit bulls". We take our dogs to the pet store with us every Saturday because if we don't all of the pet store employees will ask us why we didn't bring them! lol! Even the owners of the pet store (it's a small local pet store) always love to see our pups! We take our pups to the beach a couple times a week to at least go for a nice walk, if not to play for a while. And our dogs have a few playmates that live on the beach, the two that we see the most are Sadie the Golden Retriever and Rio the Boxer. Their owners live right on the beach and they always come down to the beach to play with Brooklyn, Destiny and Jayda, if they aren't on the beach already. Our next door neighbors/ best friends have a 2 year old son and a 3 year old daughter that spend pretty much all day everyday with us and love to play with our pups! In fact, pretty much all of the children in our neighborhood love to come and play with Brooklyn, Destiny and Jayda! And of course, we take our dogs to the vet, and everyone at the vet loves them as well. Our dogs really are sweet hearts! They have even let a complete stranger walk right into our house when we weren't home! If you ask me, that doesn't sound like mean dogs! lmao! The stranger was someone we knew and someone that has permission to get something from our house, but the dogs had never met him and all they did was lick him when he walked in! Our dogs are not perfect by any-means, but they are friendly, smart, sweet, goofy, just all around wonderful dogs! Honestly, after owning APBTs I really couldn't see myself owning another breed ever again. It's funny because before we did all of our research on the breed, I was scared of "pit bulls" myself. Well, I don't know if I would say I was really scared of them, but I didn't particularly care for them and I definitely never imagined I'd own one! When we got our first APBT, Brooklyn, he was 8 weeks old and all of a few pounds. When I would play with him he would chew and growl, you know, all of the things that any normal puppy does when they are playing. But because Brooklyn's an APBT and because I had always hear so many crazy horror stories about "pit bulls", I was actually scared of my own 8 week old puppy! lmao! Obviously I'm over all of that now, but it did take me a while to really understand that "pit bulls" are no different from any other dog.

Here are our three amazing fur babies, Brooklyn's the brindle, Destiny is the tan and white and Jayda is the black and white..



Like any breed of dog, a healthy "pit bull" that is properly raised will remain loving and friendly. In the past 20 years, we have seen some sad examples of poorly bred and badly treated dogs that are by products of irresponsible "backyard breeders" and cruel and abusive homes. These improperly raised, unsocialized creatures can show temperaments far removed from the traditional authentic "pit bulls." Do not confuse these unfortunate misbreds with the HUGE majority of well-loved "pit bulls" in this country that remain solid in temperament, affectionate, trustworthy and friendly to their dying day.

[PitBullMommie1206]

Oh, and here are some "pit bull" myths vs. facts and some commonly asked "pit bull" questions with the true answers. As I already said, you really shouldn't believe everything you hear in the media. Most, if not everything, you hear in the media about "pit bulls" is either twisted around to be insanely over dramatic, or is just completely false! The media says whatever they have to to get their ratings, whether it's true or not.

Myth Vs. Fact

-"Pit bulls" attack more than any other breed: No, the statistical data on dog bites and attacks are inaccurate. Many dog bites are never reported. There is nothing in place to track dog bites in the US accurately. There are 25+ breeds that are commonly wrongly identified as "pit bulls". Those of us who have been involved with the breed for years have trouble identifying them 100% of the time, so, we certainly can’t expect inexperienced people to be able to properly ID a dog. That said, it leads us to believe that many of the bites that claim to be from "pit bulls" are in fact, inflicted by other breeds.

-"Pit bulls" are born to be mean: Not True! "Pit bulls", like all other breeds, are not born inherently mean or bad! They can, like any other breed, become mean through lack of training, abuse, neglect and irresponsible ownership and breeding.

-A "pit bull" that shows aggression towards a dog, will go after people next: No, animal aggression and human aggression are 2 completely different things! There are many types of aggression in the canine world and they are all very different.

-"Pit bulls" have locking jaws: NO! The "pit bulls" jaws are the same as any other breed of dog! Any Veterinarian can verify this is simply a myth.

-"Pit bulls" have a 1800 PSI Jaw Pressure: Wrong again. Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic (Dangerous Encounters: Bite Force, 8pm est 8/18/2005) – Dr. Barr measured bite forces of many different creatures. Domestic dogs were included in the test. Domestic dogs: 320 LBS of pressure on avg. A German Shepard, American Pit Bull Terrier and Rottweiler were tested using a bite sleeve equipped with a specialized computer instrument. The APBT had the least amount of pressure of the 3 dogs tested.

-"Pit bulls" brains swell/never stop growing: This rumor started with the Doberman, and has since been said about game-bred dogs in general. The concept of an animal's brain swelling or growing too large and somehow causing the animal to "go crazy" is not based in truth in any way. Their brains grow at the same rate as any other dog, and the only time that a "pit bull's" brain is going to swell is if it receives a serious injury. If an animal's brain were to grow too big for its head, the animal would die.

-"Pit bulls" turn on people: In fact, no breed of dog does. Dog aggression is nearly always preceded by some kind of warning, and there is always a reason behind the attack. However, many inexperienced owners do not recognize the dog's behavior as aggression, or refuse to acknowledge it as a warning sign. The only exception I can think of is Springer Rage, a rare and controversial neurological condition that manifests itself as a spontaneous attack, followed by confusion, and then a return to normal behavior. "Pit bulls" are NOT prone to this condition. There are individual dogs of any breed that may be more aggressive to others.

Commonly asked questions

-Question: Are "pit bulls" good with children? Answer: Properly raised and socialized dogs are great with children! They are able to stand the rough and tumble play of a toddler. As with other medium+ dogs, "pit bulls" can accidentally knock kids over during play, etc so they should always be supervised. Dogs of any breed should never be left alone with children.

-Question: Are "pit bulls" inherently dangerous to people? Answer: No! "Pit bulls" are no more inherently dangerous to people than other dog breeds. People often assume that "pit bulls" are human aggressive because they were bred to fight animals. This is simply not true! If that were the case then Irish Wolfhounds, Anatolian Shepard's, Great Pyrenees, etc should be considered dangerous to humans as well.

-Question: Do "pit bulls" make good pets? Answer: Yes, but "pit bulls" are not for everyone, just like any other breed of dog. Research should be done on any breed prior to making a decision. The best place for responsible "pit bull" information is Pit Bull Rescue Central Pit Bull Rescue Central. The American Pit Bull Terrier was the #1 family dog in the US during first part of the 20th century. They are Loyal, loving, devoted, funny, and almost human like in their emotions and expressions!

"Pit bulls" bond very fast and very strongly to their humans and need to spend a lot of time with you. If you are not home a lot or plan on keeping the dog in the yard, etc, then a "pit bull" isn’t for you! "Pit bulls" are dominant breeds and require a strong pack leader who is always in control. Obedience and socialization is mandatory with these breeds and should be with any breed.

-Question: Why do we hear so many negative "pit bull" stories in the Media and are they true? Answer: There are a few things that contribute to the negative stories on the news. As often the case, negative stories always seem to get National coverage, where the positive stories only make the local news. The Media is not always very responsible with their stories! I have seen news reports of a dog attack by another breed and, yet the media had a picture of a "pit bull" on the TV while reporting this story. I have seen many "pit bull" attack stories that all used the same picture of the same "pit bull". I’ve read many stories where the reporter obviously hadn’t done any research, when asked about their statistics they choose not to reply.

Every 10 years or so a new breed of dog is victimized by irresponsible owners, breeders, bad media coverage, and now it’s the "pit bull’s" turn. In the 70’s it was the German Shepherd, the 80’s was the Doberman’s turn, the 90’s Rottweilers and "pit bulls" had all the bad press, and now it’s the "pit bull’s" time to suffer again. And, unfortunately, in a few years it will be another breed that will be in the spotlight.

And here are just a few of the websites out there with good, truthful info on "pit bulls"...
Official Pit Bull Informational Site of Diane Jessup
The Most Complete Pit Bull Website for Owners on the Web
Pit Bull Rescue Central
The REAL Pit Bull - Info Center | Advocacy & Rescue | Education | Blog

[donsabi]

The good news that when pit bulls do attack 70% of the attacks are directed at the owners, their families, or other household guests. On the outside pit bulls attack mostly children and the elderly who cannot escape them. Fact is that PB are considered a dangerous breed and are restricted from most rental properties. Most insurance companies will not grant a homeowner/renters policy to the owners of this breed.
To answer the OP, I cannot think of one reason for owning this a PB.
Don