To Ban or Not to Ban Pit Bulls?

[Adina P]

How do you feel about Pit Bulls...while the topic has come up before, I wanted everyone to read this article by well known author, Malcolm Gladwell:

http://www.gladwell.com/2006/2006_02_06_a_pitbull.html

After reading his arguments...what do you think?

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

I do too.

[Beverley S. LaLonde]

To start with you start socializing a puppy and training the minute you get the puppy. House breaking, crate traning, the come and
sit and down. Gently and lovingly! Building comfidence, take him to many different places with lots of distractions and noise which builds confidence in a young puppy. Introduce him to many people.Most of the people with pit bulls should not be allowed to have any dog. When their
chained in the back yard or loose without any training etc. Any breed can become aggressive with out all of the above. But most
don't. Go on line to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and read about the Victory Dogs from Micheal S. it is truly heart warming what what love, kindness and TLC can do. These dogs prove it is the people that don't turn animals into a machine.
can do to dogs that were bred to fight. To many people get powerful breeds and do nothing with them. Also watch the Dog Whisper on National Geographis. I bred and showed German Sheperds for years, Had a Rottweiler and they all loved people and other dogs.
A human child if was not allowed to socialize, recieve love and kindness and get exposure to other stimuli and people, share etc. Would also be a problem in the making. Be kind to your dogs and treat them with respect and they will grow up loving people and other animals. I guess it should be mandatory like children must go to school. Train your dogs to be Canine Good
Citizens:-)
be mandatory if you get a dog it has to go through a socializing obed. class.

[Taylor & Huff]

I believe pit bulls can be good... with the proper training. I do still agree that they are unpredictable and there bites can be very bad if they do bite. We let the nice sweet pit bulls play with Huff but if I see and mean looks or tension between them I try to snap them out of it.

[Adina P]

But if you truly believe they are unpredictable that means that you would NOT be able to predict which are 'nice' and which are 'dangerous' regardless of body language. That's the nature of 'unpredictability', right?

[Taylor & Huff]

what I meant by unpredictable is that any dog can snap and it seems that when a pitbull snaps or bites it can be very fatal. Say like if a golden retriever where to bite it wouldn't do quite as much damage. I didn't really mean to put unpredictable, sorry:) Now chow chows are unpredictable dogs. My mom and dad used to have one he was very well socialized and then he just snapped. He became aggressive and started to not like kids. He died just before I was born. He got hit by a car when he ran away...

[Adina P]

A very skilled trainer I know who has been a long time bully breed enthusiast and has trained and/or rehabbed some of the toughest breeds that are popular to 'ban' recently said in a discussion (on a training forum I belong to) that pretty much any good, honest, well bred pit bull IS going to be dog aggressive.  Not because he finds dog aggression attractive or believes in fighting, but just because that is part of the breed.  He is a big pit lover and can handle them.  But he said he believes it is a terrible lie to say "it's all in how they are raised" and that lie actually HURTS the breed and makes it more likely to move toward Breed Specific Legislation. He believes that people need to understand pit bulls and other dogs in order to understand that they need a certain type of handler who can correctly lead and train them to be good citizens in our society.  Just thought I'd throw that out there.  I think what he says makes sense.  And I think to talk about a few pits that are 'just the sweetest dogs ever' while true of those dogs and while true of most good pit bulls doesn't mean that bully breeds and certain breeds don't have some characteristics (when bred true to type) that deem them unfit for certain owners.  The sweetness of a dog RARELY is a predictor of how 'naughty' they can be or how much harm they can do in the wrong hands. 

Now what to do with that I have no idea.  But I am still anti BSL.  I wish there was a way to successfully legislate responsible ownership of dogs, but I don't think that is possible without giving too much power to any one organization.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Pits are not the only breed that has a natural tendency toward dog aggressiveness, and it's interesting that many of them are terriers. (Remember, Pits are terriers) Kerry Blues come to mind.

This is another reason why people need to learn about dogs before they select a particular breed on the basis of superficial appearance alone: size, color, coat, etc., or allow themselves to be influenced positively or negatively by images of certain breeds in popular culture. Dalmatians, Poodles, Pitbulls, St. Bernards...if you haven't met them, spent time around them, studied their history, you don't know anything about them, and you cannot possibly make a good decision for or against owning one.

[GBK]

This is my Mantra Karen!  Do your research, what is the breed standard, and meet and talk to the owners of the breed of dog you "think" you want....  Join the yahoo groups out there and lurk a little to find out what real owners have to say about the puppies, the barking, the trainability, grooming etc.  If someone is in your area, most are nice enough to have a meet up for you to see them up close and get your hands on them.  My breeder friend here in Vegas always asks families who are interested in doodles to come to one of our romps to meet the big variety of doodles in our area. 

[Adina P]

That and dog aggressiveness in dobermans is not considered a fault or 'viciousness' -- it's part of what they are even though they can be amazing dogs to have by those who can handle them.  One reason it baffles me that some people actually purposely breed dobes and poodles together for the casual family pet.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It would only be done by someone looking to make some poodle mix puppies for a quick buck, and a Dobie happens to be the only thing he or she has handy. There cannot be any other reason.

"Oh, my favorite two breeds are _____ and _____, so what could be better than to mix the two together?"

Right.

[Adina P]

It just seems like such a disservice to the two very different breeds.  I guess I still think that retrievers are pretty similar overall making the labradoodle and goldendoodle reasonable combos.  But when the description I've seen of some dobes on dobe-doodle sites describe their breeding dobes and make them sound like any GR or Lab, it makes you wonder.  Really, all you can say about your dog is he's a 'love bug' and so sweet?  But what makes him SPECIAL or breed worthy?  Even dog-aggressive pits and cane corsos and JRT's can be love bugs and sweet.  What does THAT have to do with the mix or breed you are creating?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Amen. Twice.