Hi All,

I have spent all day wondering wether i should post this , and wether it would be of intrest to anybody , i decided to post as i have been on and off the forum all day reading up about the bandog debate.

TRUTH

It is not a dog for anybody.
Apart from an understandable bias that would lead us to say that the APBT is the best dog ever, it is fair to say they are not suitable for everybody.

It is not a killer dog.
Although misinformation by a great number if mass media, NO such equation as a dominant dog = killer dog is to be considered vaild. APBTs are not by nature inclined to attack men, women and least of all children.
If this has occurred , there may have been different reasons : it has not been appropriately brought up ; it exagerated in instinctively protecting its territory , or its owner.

A dog suitable for work.
Its remarkable balance between agility , light wieght and power , makes the APBT an excellent working dog , in the US for instance , although many are the difficulties , it is used as a therapy dog.

Close relative to the Am Staff.
History tells you that these two breeds are essentialy the same. Their division only occured in 1936 with the rise of a dog for shows (Am Staff), whereas the APBT still remained bound to fighting in the pits.

THE MYTHS

Blocking Jaws
There are no dogs with such a problem. this belief arises from the fact that for centuries Pit Bull ancestors were taught to block cattle with their mouth. They just feel innate "pleasure" in biting and also have an highly efficient. Thats It.

APBTs attack any other animals
Like any othe fundamentally dominant breed, APBTs can as well show aggressiveness towards other spieces. This occurs when , for instance, two male subjects are put in the same place, or if this sort of behaviour is shown from an early age. This type of aggressiveness should not be mistaken for a natural gameness , that is aggressiveness arising when in the pit. If socialized since its a puppy, APBT can behave towards any other animals as any other dog.

APBTs attack without warning
APBTs warn about their intention to attack by giving out some specific signals , but the ability and wish to show continuous signals have been eliminated in some subjects of the breed.
Warnings represent a waste of time for dogs earning their living through fighting. Mating to minimize a threatening behaviour has been used.

APBTs kill too many people.
In lists of most biting breeds the APBT is not among the first places. But if an APBT bites somebody, it is immediatley news ; if it is another breed of dog , it hardly intrests somebody.
HELEN.

Most people on this board are aware of the pro's and cons for owning any bull breed, (or rotty) and the mis information surrounding them.
By far the most dangerous and most damaging combination any of the "killer/devil dog" breeds is when crossed with a poor specimen of the human kind

Thank you for putting your view so clearly and with little emotion. Not knowing anything about APBT's or if it comes to it very little about any of the bull breeds except the Staffie.

Would take issue with anyone who said that any dog was the worse for biting people, you would need to take so many other factors into account, numbers in the population, owners, and provocation, to come to any sensible conclusion with regard to the likelihood of any particular breed of dog to bite over any other breed. A toy dog bite will hurt but unless infected will not cause a lot of damage, were as a large powerful dog bite is worthy of note and loved by the press.

hi helen good post nice to know not all people beleive in the rubbish that a certain breed of dog is a human killer.
do you own a pitbull?if so what lines?

Hello pynadeth,

I am in the uk so it would be against the law for me to own one.

However i do like them. :)

HELEN.

hi all,
knowing absolutely nothing about the American Pit Bull i do know this there is no scientific evidence to support that the Pit Bulls bite power is 2000 pounds per square inch (around 900 kg x 6 cm ).
experts stress that no breed bites harder than others , breeds like Rottwielers or Akitas tend to have a higher bite power than German Shepards or Dobermans, American pits are definitely the most tenacious breed,but it does not necessarely mean that they have the most powerful bite.
Jane.

Why is everyone so "fascinated" by this breed -
no -one starts to investigate the bite power of other breeds or how other breeds interact with humans etc etc .
I think its time to let it rest and leave the fascination of pitbulls behind

Lels right again. There are other boards for discussing this topic further.

Sorry to say this, but although I am not interested in APBT, I cant see that anyone else has the right to say what others can talk about. This thread is calm and causing no problem, so, Mick & Lel, if you don't want to talk about a subject don't join in.

As the board is a discussion Forum I wasnt trying to tell people what they can and cant talk about:(
The point I was trying to make is that every aspect of the Pitbull seems to come under some form of scrutiny while other breeds do not. :(
Maybe if the Government had done half as much research we wouldnt have the haphazard Dangerous Dogs Act and we would have some form of Dangerous Owners Act or the like instead :(

Suppose I was finding it of interest because I don't usually read threads on the APTB because they become just mud slinging, this one is calm and I find the way different people view the breed of interest. Be it any breed being discussed in detail I would find it of interest.

Have to wonder myself why it should be deemed necessary to try and measure the bite or the frequency, it can only ever be subjective and never scientific, but it does say something of the feelings about the breed and the sort of people who like them, by the fact that these details, accurate or not, are quoted with some pride or may be fear. Not all owners or admirers, of course, that assumption would be just as unscientific.