I'm taking care of a friend's pitbull. Been since Saturday. I've had many breeds of dogs in my life....this dog is the neediest, most in my face dog I've ever been around. He follows me around like a sick puppy all day and cuddles with me everywhere I sit. He doesn't let me close a door with him in the house. He won't try to get in the room, he just has an open door policy. This dog is so funny!


Too bad people that cannot handle them turn them into biting machines... His handler had him on point. He's so cute

Very random and unnecessary, this post is. But I think it's too bad that idiots get a pit that's bred with who knows what and then you hear a pit chewed someone's leg. Or some country bumpkin has three and lets them roam undisciplined. OK, I shall stop being random

I know some lovely pitbulls.

i looooove well-trained pitbulls, they are smart smart dogs

I completely banned pit bulls from the household. Then my son brought home a puppy who was part ridge back/red nosed pit bull. Ends up no ridgeback about her. Anyhoooooww....she had 11 siblings, can't stand to be alone, sleeps on top of you...my little pomeranian/pekinese who's the boss here, has her trained on behavior.

There was this assh*le on Long Island that was arrested over the summer for training a pit bull to fight.

He had another dog with a litter of puppies, and was using the puppies to "train" the pit bull how to maul.

I believe in nurture over nature, but I don't trust that breed one iota. They outnumber all other dog breeds in fatal attacks.

I'd trust a hair cutter at Supercuts before I trusted a Pit bull.

i would not own one or even watch one. their reps deserved or not proceed them and if something happened i KNOW the courts often assume their reps are deserved.

and in some areas they are listed as vicious... so you might check to see if they have any special regulations in your area.

we lived next to one, it chased down and ate their cat

ZombieKitten said:

DanceWme said:

and broke through the fence and mauled the lab next door, and escaped and attacked a schautzer. 9 police cars came one day and took the dog away to be destroyed. I think that says something about the kind of people they expected to be up against!!!

ZombieKitten said:

sad

DanceWme said:

They had to pay a $5000 fine
and I think they have another dog already

ZombieKitten said:

That's a sad story, I would not ever let those people own dogs again.

I know of a golden retiever who did much the same, she killed the family's pet rabbit, mauled their cat which had to be euthanized and bit a little girl who was visiting. These people still have the dog and they have a toddler in the house.

Some pits deserve their reputation, most don't. Some other dogs are vicious too.In a lot of cases it's the breeders and owners who are the problem.

In the US many communities that had ordinances against pitbulls are recinding the laws and allowing them again.

ZombieKitten said:

Well, they'll save money on dog food then

Aren't pit bulls notorious though for having unexpected mood swings and attacking people, even if they are trained to be nice pleasant dogs? Chows are like that as well.

Tom said:

http://premium.thanatos.n...d/pit2.jpg [image of two pit bulls attacking cow - Tom]

click the link to see the conclusion to this pic: http://thanatos.net/bull/

[Warning, graphic images! - Tom]


[Edited 12/28/06 8:51am]
[Edited 12/28/06 8:53am]

Tom said:

I'm not a handler, but those that do, say that you cannot spoil them, treat them like humans, and the master must be very certain that they let the breed know who the alpha dog is (the handler). People that play tug games with them are asking for trouble. They are also very smart and hyper, so that means you need to wear them out and get that energy out or it will turn into a bite situation.

I couldn't do all that. Too much like work. But I had a lab that bit my friend in high school and he had to be destroyed. So I guess it's whatever with any breed.

I really think it's from spoiling dogs and letting them rule the roost. So I don't need to own a pit. I tend to spoil dogs.

Fucking Org bug and for once I forgot to ctrl+c the post

Ok, let's see if I can remember what I wrote...

This discussion has been had and will be had again on this site and in the world, but here's what I believe:

ALL dogs need strong leadership and consistent training, but some breeds crave it more than others to stay stable. For example, Uzie doesn't like kids much but she'll settle for growling at them when she's had enough or they're crowding her, but some breeds might snap and bite instead. I strongly believe that NO dog has EVER attacked a human being without provocation, either in the heat of the moment or previously. Now, what makes my beliefs different from most others, is that I consider provocation to be ANY event in a dog's life where it has been provoked, teased or mistreated in a way that might have a negative effect on it in the future. It might be kids yelling at it, the owner kicking at it, another dog attacking them etc. That's why it's so very important for dog owners to be in control of their dogs at EVERY DAMN MOMENT, to not let kids play with it unsupervised or let unknown people watch it and so on. Now, people who own dogs who've bitten a human will swear up and down that nothing bad ever happened to the dog but it's just not true, just as I cannot say nothing bad never happened to Uzie. If Uzie were to attack a human I would say she's never done anything like it and put her to sleep, I swear I would cos I just couldn't trust her anymore. If she attacked another dog, however, I know it's in self defense as she's been attacked herself unprovoked.

Dogs see the world very differently than humans do, it's also an important thing to remember. Their hearing is so much better than human hearing, humans screaming (and especially kids who scream in higher pitch) will torment the dog's ears without anybody realising it but the dog... ergo, provocation. This is an extreme way of seeing things but it's the one I choose to go with, it's one I've developed during a long period of time.

That's my

ctrl+a, ctrl+c DONE.

KatSkrizzle said:

I'm impressed that you understand that about yourself. You're rare.

People ruin dogs all the freakin' time. And when it's a dog who's strong enough to be lethal, it's such a problem.

Some of the behaviors that you described in your initial post could be dominance behaviors, even though they seem cute. I don't know that for sure without seeing, but it's possible. And a little scary.

People think it's cute when dogs "want to be with them". Often, it's a dog vying for power in the relationship. Humans aren't dogs, and most people don't intuitively know how to interpret dog behavior, so they do things and allow things that send a very clear message to the dog that the dog is the ruler of the universe.

People who know that they are pushovers with dogs should have dogs who are incapable of hurting anybody when they misbehave.

It's hard. Humans living with other species is just probably not a great idea. I say that with a much-loved Rottweiler on the floor next to me here. It's a reality. But it's problematic.

HereToRockYourWorld said:

Teacher said:

That is very interesting. My boyfriend pays him no mind. He pets him here and there, but doesn't allow him on the bed, couch, any furniture. He makes him go away when he gets too needy. And that dog loves him!

I coddle and spoil the dog and it annoys boyfriend. But now I quite understand how detrimental it is when you spoil large and or potentially dangerous breeds. Boyfriend is a bull family kind of dog lover and I know one day we will have pits. You have shed quite a bit of light, Mr Dog Whisperer. This one, well he's so old he'll just gum you. But good info for the future.

Revolution said:

Revolution said:

I don't care much for this breed. I would certainly never allow them around children.

This little pitbull motherfucker my roommate was baby-sitting once was eating the plaster of our KITCHEN WALL! Yelled at his ass but he gave me a look that shut me up but then I realized I'm the motherfucker paying rent and let him know who da' boss was. ...did I mention that I'm typing this with one hand?

Really, though, the dog who actually belonged to us was a pit bull/great dane mix but was a sweetheart. The one we were baby-sitting, though...Damn! There's something in their genes that makes them crazay from the gitty-up.

VoicesCarry said:

or cows... but really. just their rep is enough for me to never have one. no matter how sweet it may be... if some dumb kid down the street gets bit...and they say "oh it was his dog he has a pit bull" you know the cops are going to assume it was my dog.

in fact the dog 3 doors down got out and killed 2 dogs next door to me.. and the cops came to my house to check to see if it was my dog...then the girl next door said 'no it was the other neighbor" (my dog was barking)

the pit was put to sleep and the people had to pay $2000 so they would agree to not sue.

KatSkrizzle said:

Not a dog whisperer, just somebody with experience.

Makes perfect sense about your boyfriend. Dogs usually do love people who set boundaries for them. Sort of like young children. It makes them feel secure.

I have an eight week old pit bull puppy. His name is Troy and he is my little baby. He thinks he is a lap dog. He is so sweet and extremely hyper active!

a story today:

http://www.itv.com/news/i...87ab2.html