Poll: What do you think of the breed pitbulls?

[MrFalconfly]

A hideously ugly dog breed.

Although I am sure some are nice and friendly they have also been stained with a reputation of being aggressive (my opinion on that matter is that it isn't the dogs but the owners fault. Irresponsible dog owners are dangerous not the dogs themselves).

 

[Brandon237]

I think they were bred for violence, but that doesn't necessarily mean they ARE violent. Are they more likely to lash out than most other breeds, probably yes.

This mostly, my parents are vets and they tend not to like rotweilers, pitbulls, staffies of any kind because of this. There is also a big problem in that owners who want their dog for more than friendly petting and being part of the family tend to get them and train that aggression into them. That said it is the owners of aggressive dogs more than the dogs themselves to blame in a good number of cases.

I also feel sorry for many of these new "man-guided" breeds as they tend to have a LOT of medical complications. Any pure-breed dog is more susceptible to this, but the newer, more heavily selectively bred ones especially.

 

[JochemHippie]

Breed is fine, if a dog bites the blame is always with the owner.

The consciousnesses are just more dire if a dog like a pitbull goes berserk then a Jack Russel

 

[Ziggy109]

I have nothing against pitbulls. I have a bullterrier (which is kind of similar because they were bred for the express purpose of bloodsports), but she is the kindest, friendliest dog you'll ever meet. The only person she ever bit was my dad, because he wanted to see what she'd do if he pretended to hit me, lol.

 

[MetalMagpie]

People create violent dogs (intentionally or not). The breed just defines how easy it is to make a dog violent, and how much damage it can do when it attacks a person.

Connected story:

I used to take my dog to an obedience class run by a guy who specialised in training German Shepherds (specifically, police dogs). One day, a woman came along with a huge German Shepherd that was completely out of control. It absolutely adored her, but would savage any other human or dog that came near. She was desperate for help. She had a fiancé who wanted to move in with her! The trainer marched up, grabbed the dog by its collar before it could bite and literally threw it to the ground. Then he planted his foot on its neck and kept applying pressure until it surrendered. When he took his foot away, it stayed lying on the ground. Dog dealt with, he started on the owner.

"Your bloody dog thinks he's your bloody alpha male. Unless you want everyone who comes into your house to do what I just did, you'd better teach your dog his place. Don't let him eat before you do. Don't let him enter a room before you do. Keep a choke chain on him whenever he's around people and give him a proper yank if he so much as starts growling. If he gets above himself, put him on the floor. Do all of that, and you might actually keep him. Because right now you've ruined that dog. And if I was a truly honest man I'd say he should be destroyed before he seriously hurts someone."

She was crying when she left.