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Some pitties (especially show dogs and, IIRC, staffordshire terriers) aren't dog aggressive, true. However, in some dog aggression is inherent and can't be socialized away. But you can train the dog to repress its dog aggression. A lot of pit bull owners don't allow their dogs around other dogs when they aren't there to supervise, though. Even if a pittie is a mild-mannered dog, if another dog starts a fight, the pittie might decide to FINISH it. What I've always heard from pittie folks is "never trust a pit bull not to fight." (This is in reference only to dogs, not humans. Most pit bulls make terrible guard dogs, they're quite friendly.)
A comparison would be greyhounds and rabbits or cats. A greyhound may be tolerant or even friendly towards the family indoor cat, but if it sees a cat outside RUNNING, it will try to run it down and kill it. That's what they were bred to do, after all; chase running game and kill it. And some greyhounds simply can't be trusted around any cats whatsoever.
I agree about the "instinct" thing.
My Elwood was bitten on the face by a Staffordshire, but if it was anyone's fault, it was Elwood's. I have done my best to socialize him from Day One. He is much better than he was, but he gets so excited meeting new dogs, and gives the wrong signals. We met a Staffordshire on the beach, and Elwood got too much in his face too soon.
The Staffordshire bit down on Elwood's eyebrow and would not let go. The owner was freaking out. Finally the Staff disengaged, luckily Elwood got off with a little white scar above his eye.
I was getting my house insurance here in PA, and she asked me if I had any pets...."yes, 4 cats"....and then we got into the conversation that if I had a pit, she wouldn't insure me. I told her I would have a pit FARRRR before I had a chihuahua....mean little boogers!! (in general...)
I think agression can be bred out. The difference between Greyhounds and Pits is that Greyhounds are still bred for sport dogs Pits arent. Havent been (by reputable breeders) in a 100 years or so. If you buy from a breeder that has bred to fight thats that persons problem.
Some people mistake agression for what is just natural in a Terrier, a willingness to get the job done.
My husband and I own two APBTs... It is very hard to find a place to live but we wouldnt trade our dogs for the world! I have owned many different breeds in my life.. 1 cocker spaniel, 1 fox hound, 1 choclate lab, 1 black lab, 2 mini schowzers, 1 Rottweiler and Rhodesian Ridgeback mix and now 2 american pit bull terriers. To me the APBTs have by far been the best all around! Allthough they are a WONDERFUL breed I am not saying they are the best breed 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 www.pbrc.net. 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!... This whole BSL thing breaks my heart! Soo many family pets, police dogs, search and rescure dogs, therapy dogs etc. will be taken from their homes and killed just beacuse of their breed! I was reading where someone on here was saying how pit bulls are horrible dogs and they have so many facts to back it up but then they didnt give any!... well, I happen to know that they arent horrible dogs and I DO HAVE FACTS TO BACK IT UP!!!... first I would just like to say that pit bull is not a breed of dog, its a term typically used to group 3 breeds of dog, the American Pit Bull Terrier (ABPT), American Staffordshire Terrier (AMSTAFF) and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier (STAFFIE)... as far as "pit bulls" being born 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. For hundreds of years Pit Bulls were bred to fight dogs, certain traits were bred into the bloodlines for that purpose, high pain tolerance, high prey drive, etc. 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... I have heard people say well, if the dog is animal aggressive than its probly going to go after humans next... wrong again! 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. If that were the case then Irish Wolfhounds, Anatolian Shepard's, Great Pyrenees, etc should be considered dangerous to humans as well. It has been said that a Pit Bull never met a stranger. They love and adore humans. They want so much to be apart of your family and spend time with you watching tv, walking, driving, etc. I have seen severely abused and neglected Pit Bulls who see you coming and they can't wait to be petted and loved. Even after the abuse, they want nothing more than to be with a family of their own! As with any breed there are exceptions to the normal temperament and behavior. We see this in humans as well, there are good ones and bad ones... okay.. as far as banning pit bulls because they attack more than any other breed.. thats a load of crap! 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..... There are currently 18+ breeds being attacked by breed specific legislation... American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Boxer, Saint Bernard, Great Pyrenees, Dogo Argentino, German Shepherd, Akita, Husky, Wolf hybrids, Bull Mastiff, Chow Chow, Dalmation, Doberman Pinscher, Dogue de Bordeaux, Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Rottweiler... do you think killing all of these breeds will fix the problem??? well it wont! Its just a wet band aid! As soon as they are all gone the bad owners will move on to the next breed and make them mean! Then what are we going to do kill off that whole breed so they can again just move to the next breed untill there are no more dogs left in the world??!! There are ways to fix this problem without killing all of the worlds dogs... 1.Put a stop to leash law violations 2. Strengthen and enforce penalties for dangerous owners (and their dangerous dogs) 3. Crack down on dog fighting 4. Strengthen animal abuse laws 5. Prevent criminals from owning dogs...The following people should not be allowed to own dogs: drug dealers, human or animal abusers, and anyone convicted of a violent offense (assault, rape, robbery, etc.) 6. Regulate breeders...*You don't need to enact breed-specific legislation to make your city a safer place to live*.... as far as all of these stupid pit bull myths, most of them are crap and they really make me mad!.. 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 been bred to not let go, however, their jaws are not locked.... 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. Here are the results of all of the animals tested: Humans: 120 pounds of bite pressure Domestic dogs: 320 LBS of pressure on avg. A German Shepard, American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) 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. Wild dogs: 310 lbs Lions: 600 lbs White sharks: 600 lbs Hyenas: 1000 lbs Snapping turtles: 1000 lbs Crocodiles: 2500 lbs.. Pit bulls shouldnt ever be around children. 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 big 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. The American Temperament Test Society conducts tests every year on thousands of dogs to determine the soundness of their temperament. The American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier routinely and
consistently rank in the average range, and well above many "popular" breeds such as the beagle, collie, doberman pinscher, cocker spaniel and great dane. (Source: American Temperament Test Society) Alfons Estelt of the American Temperament Test Society, Inc., stated the following with respect to pit bulls: "The American Pit Bull Terriers participating in our temperament evaluation have thus far shown a passing rate of 95%. The other 121 breeds of dogs in our tests showed the average passing rate of 77%"....ALL of these myths are cpar! I think its just a bunch of ignorant people that have nothing better to do that make things up and try to rip families appart! I just have one question for you? How do you sleep at night?!?
*If I mad some people mad I really am sorry... that is not what I am trying to do atall.. you just have to understand how frusterating it is to always have people thinking I am a bad person buecause of the breed of dog I choose to own and to have people try to take away my dogs that my husband and I consider to be like your children!.. But if I did make anyone mad I am truly sorry... and please forgive my spelling.. haha
Welcome to the boards pitbull mommie. Im the owner of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, he is my second. Ive put links to all the sites and informed people about what you have just said also. Most people would agree with whatyou have said, there are a select few who want your dogs life and you punished for owning them. Thust far with the forums everybody is open minded and knows what it takes to keeping a dog "good" or making it "mean"
PS, dont forget to add your dogs pics to Pet Pics thread
pit bulls were bred to kill, and as my next door neighbor said after his pit bull ripped my dachshund in half "maybe SAMPSON is dangerous,he is usually such a baby"this is what all pit bull owners think, they think its the owner who makes them mean, well that can excel their traits but they are bred to fight and kill all the love cant take that out of them , can one train a wolf to be loving, yes but can you trust him ? no you cant change genetic 's!
So by that logic you cant trust any dogs ? Domesitcated animals didnt just appear, it took a long time. And dogs fight, they always have, its in their nature. The smaller weaker dog usually wins. Its the same with all animals.
there is no logic to it. it is genetics, some dogs are bred to hunt ,some retrive, etc. the pitbull was bred to fight. all the love wont take years of what was bred into them out. i know your pit bull is different right? isnt that what every owner says after a elderly lady,or a child has been attacked?
love and training wont remove the hostility from them anymore than one can keep a beagle from chasing rabbits....but as i said your dog wouldnt attack anyone or would he?
So by that logic you cant trust any dogs ? Domesitcated animals didnt just appear, it took a long time. And dogs fight, they always have, its in their nature. The smaller weaker dog usually wins. Its the same with all animals.
You can't trust any animal.
That's a fact.
Some dog owners treat their dog like a human. That is a big mistake.
The problem with known ferocious breeds like the pit bull and offshoots thereof is that not only are the breed to kill and maime, but the are tenacios and very strong and will not stop the attack until they are killed or at least knocked out.
The so called "gentle" dogs can be intimidated into stopping the attack and turning away.
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However, in some dog aggression is inherent and can't be socialized away. But you can train the dog to repress its dog aggression. A lot of pit bull owners don't allow their dogs around other dogs when they aren't there to supervise, though. Even if a pittie is a mild-mannered dog, if another dog starts a fight, the pittie might decide to FINISH it. What I've always heard from pittie folks is "never trust a pit bull not to fight." (This is in reference only to dogs, not humans. 
Most pit bulls make terrible guard dogs, they're quite friendly.) 
