Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT
If you speak with any of us at Companion Animal Solutions, follow our blog or work with us, you know the answer to this question. No, we do not believe that Pit Bulls are inherently dangerous. So why am I writing about this topic again?
In September, I got a phone call from a reporter at Q13 News who wanted to interview me on camera about whether Pit Bulls are inherently dangerous. I asked the reporter what had happened and he said, “Don’t worry about it. I just want your professional opinion as to whether Pit Bulls are inherently dangerous”. He also informed me he would be at my office within 30 minutes. You can read the transcript of the interview here. It wasn’t until after the interview aired that I discovered a woman had been horribly mauled by a Pit Bull.
Then about four weeks later, a reporter named Eric Johnson at KOMO 4 News interviewed Dr. Jim Ha, CAAB extensively about canine ethology and behavioral genetics. I highly recommend watching this piece because the reporter interviewed several people and truly tried to give exposure to all sides of the Pit Bull issue. The overall question the piece was trying to answer was the same though. Are Pit Bulls genetically wired for aggression? While we all feel truly awful for anyone injured by a dog, why does every dog attack case involving a Pit Bull illicit the same question from the media? If Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists, Veterinarians, Certified Dog Behavior Consultants and Certified Professional Dog Trainers do not believe Pit Bulls are inherently dangerous, then why does the question keep coming up? In addition to the sensationalism that drives media in America, I believe the question keeps coming up because the issue of Pit Bulls is a complex one and like any complex issue, people end up on opposite ends of the argument without evaluating or understanding the facts.
Prior to their popularity with criminals and others looking for a dog to project a tough or intimidating image, Pit Bulls were known for being family dogs. Greta Kaplan, CPDT, CDBC recently wrote in a report to a client:
Because Pit Bulls were bred to fight with other dogs and had to be handled safely by humans, the exact opposite pattern was deliberately selected for: The dog would not inhibit its behavior toward the other dog, but would completely inhibit any aggression toward the human handler. This selected trait is closely related to why Staffordshire Bull Terriers and the early Pit Bull Type dogs are known as the “Nanny Dog,” considered incredibly safe with children. They are sturdy, insensitive to pain, handling and spatial proximity, and incredibly inhibited when faced with aggressive, threatening or intrusive human behavior.
We know that animal behavior is a combination of nature (genetics) and nurture (learning). We know that genetics plays a part in what people sometimes call “breed specific behaviors”. That’s why when we work a dog behavior case, we use ethology to help us identify why certain behavior is happening but even within a specific breed, dogs can vary widely. When we talk about the ethology of Pit Bulls, the topic begins to veer off course because unfortunately for the breed, they became popular with criminals. Criminals have selectively bred these dogs for generations for dog/dog aggression. Often, dog/dog aggression (or gameness) doesn’t begin to appear until after a dog reaches sexual maturity (six months) or social maturity (18 months). Often, it doesn’t appear at all. The behavior problems we see Pit Bulls for the most are generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, fear and dog/dog aggression. Notice that human directed aggression is not on this list.
In Jim’s interview, he estimated that 20% to 30% of a dog’s behavior is based on genetics. If he’s correct, then that leaves a HUGE area for which nurture or learning is responsible for the behavior we see. In Ray Coppinger’s book Dogs, he makes compelling arguments for how brains develop and how learning takes place that emphasize how adaptable dogs can be if socialized properly per the purpose we want the dog to serve. I’m paraphrasing here but basically one of the points he makes is that if you want a flock guarding dog, choose any village dog with low prey drive and raise it with sheep during it’s critical social period. Viola, you’ve got a flock guard.
If socialization/learning is so important, what can happen when a Pit Bull is isolated and even abused? If a certain societal element or owner wants dogs who are aggressive, we’ll get dogs who are aggressive. Blaming the breed is ludicrous if you look at and understand the facts of how learning takes place. Now don’t think I haven’t worked with Pit Bulls I’ve thought were dangerous, I have. But I’ve worked through behavior problems with hundreds of dogs and I can tell you that a tiny percentage of them (less than 2%) are inherently dangerous and this has nothing to do with their breed. It’s how they’ve been bred, raised and trained (and I’m using the term trained loosely here). There’s a reason we’re so passionate about using scientific, humane training methods (no force, fear or pain please). Abusing a dog and calling it training often leads to anxiety, fear and human directed aggression.
There’s beginning to be some good news for Pit Bulls as a breed. Reputable rescues are working with these dogs and finding responsible homes for them. Most of the Vick Pit Bulls have moved on to have normal lives or even become therapy dogs. A recent piece on the NBC Morning News covered a school for the blind who is raising Pit Bull puppies and training Pit Bulls to be service dogs for blind and developmentally disabled children. Recently, the Seattle Kennel Club wrote an article about one of my favorite owner/dog pairs; Benny the Pit Bull and his owner Mike who is a Seattle Animal Care & Control Officer. I had the honor of working with Benny and Mike and I can tell you from personal experience, Benny’s play manners with my two rough housing Australian Shepherds was beyond reproach.
While we can’t stop irresponsible people and criminals from turning dogs into aggressive, dangerous dogs, we can all hope that the tide is turning. We also hope you’ll take this opportunity to tell us about your experience with Pit Bulls.
pit bulls are not mean or dangerous . its how there owners treat them and trian them . some pitbulls can be the sweatest dog you will ever meet. some dogs that you would never exspect to be mean can be really mean. one day i watcheed a show there was like 10 dogs thtey were pitbullls a guy foreced them to be fighting dogs when some one rescued them and took them for a walk together they were just so happy to be free they did not care that the dog they use to fight was next to them.
This article may be 100% right. But as others have said, I don’t think that’s the biggest issue.
I don’t ever want a pit bull in my house for the same reason I don’t want a mountain lion strolling around my living room. Not because a 250 pound cat won’t be sweet and gentle if raised from a kitten. But because of what it is capable of.
Pit bulls are deceptive. They are small and people think they are cute and precious instead of running away like they would from a wildcat. As someone said above, ANY animal is capable of biting if provoked. Pit bulls are just capable of too much, regardless of their mental state. If my two year old son suddenly decides on a whim to pinch the dog, I would rather we be swabbing a nip on his arm than mourning his lost life.
Great article and very good discussion. I have to say though that eventhough most folks defending the APBT breed make great points, I fear most of them voice their opinion about the matter with their personal pets in mind. Makes sense but not all owners are alike. I for one have a Pittbull which happens to be a great dog. But I honestly still practice great caution when around other folks or out in public. We have to realize that eventhough all breeds can be aggresive, none have the strength and determination our APTs have. Any dog can snap. But an angry Chiuahua is nowhere near as dangerous as an angered Pittbull. Common sense.. Practice it…
I don’t have a pit bull but hearing stories about them makes me think and do research on this type of breed. Some people say they are good and some say they are bad. I do think that anyone that owns or wants to own a pit bull should be educated and if able be trained by a professional to handle this kind of breed in a safe and healthy manner. I believe that all dogs. Actually any animal that is on this earth should be handled in a safe and healthy manner. Animals can be just as dangerous as humans. Dogs and any other animal are just like humans. Some are just born not right in the head. Some are sweet and gentle even if they were or weren’t abused and some have end up being dangerous because of them being abused. Humans have been killed by animals. Humans have been killed by humans and animals have been killed by humans and animals. So, I can’t agree nor disagree I just wanted to share with you’ll my thoughts on the subject.
I think it is stupid to judge an animal by gossip! ALL DOGS at capable of tearing someone’s face off! It’s the risk we take as humans trying to finding compassion, love, affection, and protection in another species. There are crazy people that will do horrible things to loved ones. Should we stop socializing because there are those kinds of people out there? No you become aware of these things And make Your own decision. Don’t fear it because you hear about it. This is why I don’t watch the news! People sit in there homes fearing of the offal story’s people thrive off of. Live your life and have your own opinion! I’m sorry but if you believe that certain breads are just born aggressive or crazy….. Your wrong! Humans are all the same breed and not all are crazy! I 100% believe its all about the way we are raised and trained. There is such thing as a chemical imbalance. But it does not happen within a whole breed! Maybe people get bit because they sit here and worry themselves to death that your thoughts and actions rub off on the animals. They do know when your nervous and guess what they get nervous too!!! I know it’s a little off subject but you really shouldn’t base things off of what other people say! Have your own opinion and maybe have the guys to test your theory out or you can sit in a corner and drive yourself crazy and be in fear of everything based off of what everyone else thinks and says! I have a pit bull named Lola and she is the sweetest dog ever! It is also a good idea to maybe keep some rules for people and your pets! Don’t let your dog get in anyone’s face that they don’t know very well…. Vise versa! What do you do if someone you don’t know very well gets in your face. You defend yourself right? Yeah well so do animals! You should set rules to fit the situation, kids adults, too many people, ect…. Animals really do react almost just like humans do! Think about it! Be smart and think about things and I’m sure whatever dog you get you will love and they will love you back.
Well my two American bull dogs are the biggest babies and then I have a boxer which Ive raised all three from pups. Well my boxer would be the one that is aggressive. She wasn’t raised to be like that. Its due to a young boy who teased her. As she I’d a lot older than the two bull dogs. What makes me sick are the ppl that abuse or like the young boy teased my boxer. I one day looked out the window ( as my boxer was barking) and i find this kid was picking tomatoes out of my garden and throwing them at my dog. I ran out the door I asked the kid would you like it if I threw tomatoes at you. He Ofcourse said no. As I talked to the mom of this boy it didn’t help things at all she wouldn’t believe he even did such a thing. After knowing nothing would be taken care of by his parents. I keep a close eye on the dogs when outside. But this got so bad with the boy that we put a privacy fence up around our place. Also I turned to calling te cops which seemed to help in scaring the boy as a K9 cop who responsed. The cop put a very big scare in the boy.
I got my American bull dogs after this all happened so I thankfully didn’t have this problem while raising them. But my point was pit’s , bull dogs and rot’s are not born mean it startes with the problem of people. The problem isn’t the dog it’s people.
We have two dogs one is a Pit-bull and the other is a Shepard mix we also have three children my youngest being two, I would leave my children with my Pit-Bull way before leaving them with my Shepard, our Pit-Bull is gentle and loving to my children and would do anything for them while our Shepard can not be trusted as she has bitten our youngest in the past. Pit-Bulls are wonderful dogs while they may not do well with other animals they love people.
I am doing a research paper on pit bulls and aggression because my dad is very negative towards them. Out neighbor has a pit bull who has chased several people down the road. He never once bit them and only started chasing them once they had started running away. because I am writting a reaserch paper my teacher has had me reading articles from both sides about how pit bulls behave. I have looked into the ASPCA website and found some very useful facts that say that pit bulls are mostly aggressive against other dogs unless properly socialized but are not naturally aggressive against humans. when they were mainly being used for dog fighting the owners of the dogs would stand in the arena with the fighting dogs and entirely trusted them to not turn on them. If a dog attacked another human then they would be killed because the owners didn’t want to chance their family members getting bitten or having human aggressiveness breed into another generation of pit bulls. These pit bulls were not only fighting dogs but also the family pet. They used to be nicknamed “the nanny dog” because they were amazing with children. Pit bulls have a high pain tolerance and are therefore more tolerant to young children being rough. My parents bought a Shelti a few years ago because they had heard that they were a great family dog. When we got him though, the breeder told us that sheeperds were not great dogs to have with yound children because they are trained to nip at the heels of children to make them go where they want. If you want to own a pit bull then you really should get them at an early age because they have to be socialized with other dogs if they will act friendly around them. yes there are still bad pit bulls but not all of them are. Just like with other dogs, if you raise them right then they can be great dogs. In the town where I live there is a couple who have a pit bull and a golden retriever. When they walk them down town they keep a muzzle and a short leash on the golden retriever but the pit bull has a longer leash.
All I have to say about Pitts being dangerous is BS I havea pitt Bull named cocoa and she has never shown agreesion towards anyone and we got her later in life, she is loving and loves to lick my son all the time she loves both my husband and myself dearly and often thinks of herself as a lap dog..lol I believe that dogs are like people and its all how you are rasied.. if you kick a person long anough or hurt them awwell its only a matter of time before they come back at you its the same with any animal, to say that they are genticly dangerous for their genes is also says that serial killaes are born that way.. I believe that nuture should win out on this one I lvoe my dog and I feel for those who have been attacked but if it was any other dog would there be any outrage then? many other dogs are deem “dangerous but we as owners need to take care of our pets and make sure that they obey and know what is right and wrong.
Humans have been proven to be much more dangerous not only to our own kind, but all other kinds as well. Much more dangerous than American Pit Bull Terriers or other pit bull type dogs have been. So I say we should put ourselves down to keep ourselves safe.
How’s that for a compromise?
I feel the need to insert my short and sweet two cents. all of you people who are bashing dont even own a pit bull. if you did why would you be bashing them? so how the fuck would you know their personality or if they were dangerous or not? from the media? great source guys. half of the “pit bull” attacks ran in media stories aren’t even pit bulls. a study has proven that a golden retriever is more likely to bite you than a pit bull. I have a pit and he is the most wonderful dog I have ever owned. so until you own a pit, don’t judge them based what you see in the media. that only makes you look like a hysterical, close-minded dumbass, which you probably are
I personally find pit bulls to be the sweetest dogs, i have grown up with them and lots of other dogs. one of my pit bulls was rescued from a pit bull fight where she was used as a bait dog and after my mom saved her life all she would do is lick you. no matter who you were she would just love you because she was a good dog. i have been looking at what everyone says and i would like to say for the statistics that say “In 2012, roughly one-third, 32% (12), of all dog bite fatality victims were either visiting or living temporarily with the dog’s owner when the fatal attack occurred” but when i looked for statistics that say what percent of that was just the dog trying to protect the owner since pit bulls have a pertective nature. going way back when, when they used to be known as “Nanny dogs”. they used to always be used for protection and they were trusted. They have been publicly bashed as terrible dogs around the time dog fighting became popular because they have been born and trained to fight and kill other dogs just so some stupid kid can make a few bucks and its wrong. people shouldnt judge a dog(much like a person) based on its past. like people, animals can change and learn to be nice.
Pit Bulls are a sweet, magnificent breed. The propaganda about them being dangerous is completely false. Humans are more extremely dangerous and any breed of dog can be dangerouis too, if not loved, nurtured and treated properly.
We need to put an end to the lies. Pit Bulls are soft , emotional loving babies. I have extensive experience raising and keeping them and never seen this so-called aggression and bad traits in my dogs.
They are seniors now and have small dog companions that they love, protect and adore. They love kids and most people too.
We truly need to stop false myths about this fabulous breed..
Enough is enough! Everyone should experience the gift and blessing of having a wonderful PitBull in the family.. They will steal your heart and make you melt, they are so loving and very sweet!
Anecdotally I would say Pit Bulls are a Higher potential risk than most breeds.I have seen myself sweet loving happy pit bulls whose owners have owned and babied since they were puppies, jump fences and kill other dogs.I have a friends sister whose son adopted a rescue that was sweet and 6 months later nearly killed her one night.She was found outside her home and the loss of blood was so great she suffered permanent brain damage and is in an assisted living.
If you look up the CDC records on fatal dog attacks in the US,you see a majority are pit bulls.With all the hundreds of other breeds to have ONE breed be the majority in fatal attacks is telling.
BEST DOGS EVER!! I rescue starved/abandoned/ abused pit bulls and find them GREAT LOVING FOREVER homes!!! What I DON’T UNDERSTAND is WHY “We the People” have allowed the Government to come in and ban these dogs from being owned in MANY cities and some whole states. I started a Facebook page called Death of America’s Babysitter on Facebook, I encourage everyone to click like and share the page. It is my way of trying to get people together to STOP the IGNORANCE!! We have to come together and change these laws and get justice for America’s Nanny Dog. The sadest part of it all is I have reached out to several Celebs to get them to stand up as well (Tia from Pit Bull and Parolees, Shorty from Shortywood) and I now question why they do what they do, because I get NO RESPONSE. Are they really doing what they do for the dogs, or for their TV shows???? People forgot that this country was built on people revolting and demanding their rights!! WE HAVE TO COME TOGETHER!! Thanks for those who read this.
Not surprisingly, the biggest supporters of pit bulls are owners. I’ve read many accounts of how cute, sweet and non-aggressive these ‘nanny’ dogs are.
It’s just not so. Pit-bulls are inherently dangerous. I realize that you have to go beyond the media hype which sensationlizes dog attacks. When you look at the cold hard statistics, pit-bulls are always at the top of the list for human death and injury from dog attacks. Rottweilers are usually second but a long way behind pit bulls.
I’ve heard all the arguments about attacks not being the dog’s fault. It’s the owner’s fault. Or the arguments about the dog being protective. Or the arguments that pit-bulls were bred to be aggressive to other dogs but not to humans.
Anecdotal stories about your favorite Frisky, Cuddles, Spot or Benny can’t change the dog attack statistics..