Pit Bulls and the Problem of Dog-Oriented Aggression

Here's what some of our readers have had to say on the subject:

Date: Jul 26 13:58 2000
Subject: The APBT

I used to breed registered Doberman's. I owned 2 males and 3 females. All were of good bloodlines and AKC registered. The dogs were all well socialized and got along well with strangers. The males did not get along at all and while one was in the kennel out back the other was allowed to roam the back yard. Keeping them seperated was the only way to keep them from fighting. This was simple canine behavior in trying to establish dominance.I have had plenty of experience with so called "aggressive" breeds (german shepherds, dobies and rhodesian ridgebacks) and I also trained dogs for guard dogs. I became an owner of my first pit by rescuing him from an abusive owner. That dog was as loving and gentle as any other dog I have ever owned. He also exhibited a typical sort of agression towards other male dogs that showed signs of dominance. With non-aggressive dogs he was just fine. He loved all kinds of other animals and even had his own cat. I could regale you with all sorts of Tiger stories. That dog had more friends than I did. People would actually ask me to bring him over so they could play with him. The major difference I see between pits and other dogs isnt their "heart", lots of other dogs have heart. I think it lies in their strength. Pound for pound they are so much stronger than other dogs that it sometimes seems like they are demons from hell. Unfortunately, the press seems to have blown this all out of proportion and when a bad owner sets his dog on some individual it makes all of us look like bloodthirsy monsters for even owning this fine dog.I do NOT condone the use of pits as guard dogs. At first glance this seems like an ideal job for this breed. Upon further investigation this is not a good idea. Breeders have gone to great lengths to come up with dogs that are not aggressive towards humans; we should respect this. This is just my two cents and can be taken for just that and no more. The biggest difference between my opinion and that of most of the anti-pit crowd is that I actually have had contact with the breed and for the most part they have only the media to rely upon for the formation of their opinions.

U.W.

See a nice memorial to Tiger. Here is part of my response to U.W.:

In general, I do agree with your sentiment about respecting the work that pit bull breeders have done to produce dogs that are friendly with humans. These dogs are definitely not predisposed to be aggressive towards people. For better or for worse, however, they are extremely tractable... And so we get dogs that have been encouraged by their owners to be, contrary to their natural disposition, aggressive towards humans.

I can understand why you would be opposed to training pit bulls as guard/attack dogs. If pit bulls became popular for this purpose, breeding might become more focused on aggressive characteristics, and we would lose what has made these dogs so special. Here, I'm thinking of what has happened with the AmStaffs who, in being bred for conformation to physical standards, have lost much of the personality/psychological characteristics for which we prize pit bulls.

This is the reason for which I still (reluctantly) condone dog fighting, because it one of the main ways in which pit bull breeders have selected for non-aggressivity towards humans. [I'm sure you already understand this, but it is necessary for the dogs to be gentle enough with their humans that a man can safely separate and pick up his dog in the middle of a fight. The average dog would probably become aggressive towards the human who was trying to intervene.] Perhaps there are better ways to select for
non-aggressivity towards humans, but this is the way it has been successfully accomplished for years. I think many people have a hard time understanding how selective breeding for aggression towards other dogs can, as a byproduct, result in selection for non-aggression with humans.

Coming back to the use of pit bulls as guard/attack dogs, I have to say that they have some talent for it. I know that they have been successfully trained not only as police dogs, but also as search and rescue dogs. I am not interested in promoting the use of these dogs as guard/attack dogs, because there are too many amateurs that would end up harming themselves, their dog, or someone else... I really would like to see the public gain a better understanding of the promise these dogs hold to be simple human companions. I find most pit bulls to be more personable that the stereotypical family dog - the labrador - and also infinitely smarter.

More responses from readers:

Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 17:01:19 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Pits...

Hello...

My name is [X]. I am a student in Georgia...A while back, while living on my own, I purchased an American Pit BullDog. She is the most incredible dog I have ever owned. Both her parents were gamedog, as I would settle for nothing less. As for my pit, her names is Sunflower Abigail, Sunny for short. She's 8 months old and is in the final stages of growing, as she is almost at 50 punds, which is where I want her until she goes into being worked hard. She has a big smile, a big heart, and a big lick, but most of all, she is my baby. She shows aggression when needed, and that is what I want. If there is a situation, such as a stranger who seems unfriendly, holding something in their hand, or it is dark and I am a little uneasy, she automatically goes into protection mode. But, in any other situation, she is the crown gem of all the dogs I have ever had. She loves people, loves to play with them, and will do anything to get excercise. As for dog aggresive, unfortuanely, being gamebred, she has begun showing signs, as my vet (who is a pit bull lover and expert and trainer) said she would. But, it is not too bad, as she lives with a 60 pound boxer that my parents own, and they are inseperable. Sunny whines when away from Hannah (the boxer) and loves to do nothing but sleep next to her. But, God help the unknown dog that apporaches me or Hannah when Sunny is off her leash, as she does not stand for other dogs when she is in her territory (which happens to be anywhere she stands without a leash).

When you talk about tree climbing, SUnny is not much of a climber. But, she is a herder. Both her parents were used as herding dogs, as well as gamedogs, and she herds with the best of them. I took her to a cattle field (her fatehr was used also as a catchdog) and she immediate decided it was time to round up anything in site. She loves to herd Hannah around the house, and also me or children. She is, though, a devasting fighter, as she has had only small rolls with other pits, and battles with Hannah for the fun of it. She never quits, and has a bonecrushing bite, as well as absolute heart (she once wrestled with another pit for an hour an a half. WHile I usually would not allow this, they never quit wagging their tails, and would break and roll around together). WHile she is only 8 months, her heart, whether it be a in game, or just being a puppy, shows....And that is why I will never own anything but a pit bull.

Thanks, and God bless your site.

[X]

Date: Fri, 06 Feb 1998 13:51:57 -0500
Subject: TAZ

Hi,

I searched and found your website. What caught my eye was the fact that you wanted to use a pit bull for protection. I've been told by "other" dog owners, that pits are not man aggressive and that they can't be good protection dogs. My husband and his friend have American Bull dogs and are training them for protection. Whenever I ask if I can join in with my pit Tazzi, they laugh and say she's too small (60 lb..) and she's too friendly to people.

My Tazzi's character is just like the cartoon character, the Tazmanian Devil! She absolutely wants to kill any other dogs... all dogs, big, small, any. I went to a training school to learn how to "redirect" this aggression, but to no avail. I have talked this over with a number of people, my vet, for one. He seemed to think that Tazzi's aggression was bred into her and that getting it out would be just a hope at best. I've tried every training trick to dissuade her attacks. Consequently, I don't have much fun with Tazzi. I can't take her anywhere without her pulling the dickens out of me to get at another dog in the park. I can NEVER let her off leash! She's been in two fights already--by accident. The leash link broke (it was new!) and away she went. It was a terrible experience. All this to say, do you think there is any hope that I might be able to get Tazzi to pay attention to me long enough to do protection work? She's a great dog, but just plain black and horrible!

Thanks. [X]


Note from the webmaster: This seems to be a common complaint among owners of pit bulls - their dogs are TOO nice to humans! At the same time, their dogs are always trying to get into fights. These tendencies are a result of selective breeding. As most people familiar with pit bulls know, these dogs were bred to fight other dogs, not people. This explains the paradox of having a dog which is extremely retiring towards people but very aggressive towards dogs. In truth, most pits - even those that seem "too friendly" with humans - will protect their owners when a stranger threatens. But they tend not to waste their time getting aggressive with well-meaning neighbors and children, like many dogs do. So, if it weren't for the problem of keeping pits out of dogfights, they might just be the perfect family pet! As for the fighting, allow me to reiterate: the first couple of months of a puppy's life are crucial - no tolerance for any sort of aggressive behavior, however cute it may seem at the time. If you let it slide beyond that important period, you may have to see a professional trainer... and re-training is always harder than simple training. Better to prevent rather than to correct.

Date: Wed, 04 Mar 1998 04:07:21 -0500
Subject: hello

I felt I wanted to write and tell you what a wonderful job you did with your page. I have had my APBT for 4 1/2 years now and I don't think I can ever have a different breed. He is Texas bred from Gary Hammonds and his bloodline is double alligator. I too, thoroughly investigated the breed when I first saw and heard the TRUTH about the APBT. I found most of the same things you did. I agree with you totally about the attention pits show to "well-meaning neighbors and children" Other dogs partake in a action known as "threat display"(TD). Which to put plainly is a way of fighting with out fighting. Growling, baring teeth, snapping, raising of the hair, and barking are all forms of TD. They use these way to see who is the better dog (person or ect.) so they don't have to fight. A APBT has been bread for fighting so they have no tendency to do such things. There are some instances where they do but, it is not the norm. A APBT who wanted to bark and such would not be a good "Game" dog because of the energy expelled and such. It would have been frowned upon, also frowned upon were people mean dogs. If you had a dog who's tendency was to go after a person it would be hard pressed for someone to be inside a pit with him when he is going. One tends to forget there are three people in a pit along with the dogs. These People mean dogs were selectively not breed unless they were an ace or close to it. This is why you have the present day APBT with his tendency to be people friendly and his attention toward other dogs. My dog is fine around other dogs. I do not in anyway shape or form fight him or TEST him. I know he is game bred and I choose not to find out. I also know that if not for game tested dogs I would not have my dog today so where as it is not my cup of tea I do acknowledge the outcome. Also in response to the first writer about the gun issue. I am a law enforcement officer for the state of NJ and I know that recently there was a Samoyed attack on a young child. Three Samoye's killed this child. Now is it the breed or the owner. If it were a Pit Bull then it would be the dog. I know that people blame pit bulls in attacks on someone or some dog when the true dog was either a mix breed or a totally different type of dog. The term Pit Bull now has become the nickname for a dog who attacks a person or other dog. A picture comes directly to mind of a "MEDIA PIT BULL" who attacked a helpless little poodle. Well this media Pit Bull was none other than a black lab. People assume, invent or GUESS that the dog was a pit. This is not saying that Pits are perfect but I have found that most pits that attack were trained that way, neglected or abused. If a mean person wants to train his dog to be a mean and scary dog he is not going to choose a poodle or Samoyed. He is going to choose a Pit, a Rottie or something like that. Years ago everyone heard bad thing about Dobies and German sheapards. Now that pits are popular they and rotties are the new MEDIA CHOSEN "MAD DOG". The truth is if my dog saw your dog he would either play with him or more likely ignore him. My dog is kind of cocky he knows that he can't get off the leash or over the fence so he wouldn't even worry and if he did he would not see your dog as a threat and all would be well. The only time I ever thought my dog was close to fighting was when my friend brought over his male english mastiff. All 240lbs of him. Well he didn't take it kindly that a 60 lbs male pit was taking his toy from him. My friend says most dogs are docile around "Duke". Well he decided to try and snap at my dog who turned knocked the front legs out from under duke mounted ontop of him and pee'd on this head. Duke was shall we saw docile after that. My dog never opened his mouth but Duke did. This goes to show you that not all Pits are dog mean some are in fact I hear almost 30% are naturally dog aggressive but this is what you must understand going into having a pit as a pet. What you'll get it a friend for live a friend who will go way beyond to please you (which works against him if the owner is a bad person himself).

A pit is not for everyone but they are also not to be banned, blamed or labeled mean. Leave that to the criminals......

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