Pit Bulls?

[Amon Ra Reptiles]

I know this is an old thread but.... I figured I'd give my thoughts.
I love the breed and they do make wonderful pets. I'm a member of the pit-bull chat forum. This is by far the most educational forum for this breed. The people there are 100% devoted to the breed. There are threads on care and training, weight pulling,showing, breed history, ect. Also sections for the different bully breeds ( Am staff, bull terriers, APBT, am bullies, ect ).
I have to disagree with the " it's all in how you raise them "..... " the owner makes them mean and dog aggressive " This is false. It's in their blood. It's what they were bred for for 100s of yrs. I didn't read past the first page but I did see one person state the truth. They are not naturally human aggressive and the trait of HA is a trait that is strongly frowned upon . A lot of breeders will cull HA dogs. That's one trait the breed should never have. They were bred to be like stated pit dogs. If they were HA the owner wouldn't have been able to separate the two dogs. Dog fighting is not what it used to be. I DO NOT at all agree with fighting dogs! But the media and todays idiot breeders and fighters have made the breed frowned upon. It's complicated to understand and I didn't really until I became a member of pit bull chat.
They are a hyper breed for the most part and need a lot of attention and exercise. They love people and make good pets for a family setting. As I said being dog aggressive is in their blood and some are and some are not. But with any new bully breed you need to watch them with other dogs. They also have a high prey drive. So make sure a new addition will be ok with cats lol.

This is Kylie. She is an American pit bull terrier. Besides being crazy lol shes the sweetest dog!

[Miss Tuniwha]

I will chime in.. no, I didn't read up on the entire thread

I have a pit.. he was a rescue.. he is now almost 6 years old..

He does great with cats, other dogs, even my bird..

Only downfall is they have a LOT of energy, so he would get too excited sometimes and topple small kids..

[Amon Ra Reptiles]

Actually you are debating on FOUR different dogs/breed.
There is the Staffordshire Terrier, American Stafforshire Terrier, American Pitbull Terrier, and now also the American Bully.
They are all different and have different standards.
There IS NOT a "pitbull" per say, it is a blanket term that covers A LOT of bully breeds as those listed above and include Mastiffs, Corsos, and Shar Pei.
Looks may be close but dna and blood are not. Its all about whats in the mix

Thank you!!! Someone with a know-how of the breeds and how they are DIFFERENT. They are all different. An APBT looks way different than a staffie.

This is a true APBT

Picture is from Stillwater kennels.

This is an American bully

Picture is from bullybros kennels

This is what poor back yard breeding has done to the breed. These dogs are nothing but eye candy for people with a poor knowledge of what a APBT should be. These dogs have horrible joint problems. They can't be active because they can't move and get around properly. They can't breath right. The blue coats have skin issues...... I'll stop now lol

This is an Am staff

Picture is from sbigstaff.com

Staffordshire bull terrier

Picture is from massiesstaffys.com

Credit was given to the breeders of each dog.

See big difference in the breeds.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Thank you!!! Someone with a know-how of the breeds and how they are DIFFERENT.

Thank you, I didnt make up my screen name because it was cool It was given to me and I have kept it for almost 20 years now

[Redneck_Crow]

A friend of mine when I was a kid had a pit that was amazing. Babysat kids. Never started a fight with another dog.

However.... let there be a ground hog, possum, or a coon and Patty turned into Satan, only less genteel. She was one heck of a varmint dog (back in the sticks where nobody cared what breed they were if they could do the job) and not so good but still OK on squirrel too.

[Bennydog]

Best dogs ever.. Great with kids.. Had them since i was a baby.. raise them right like anything and they will be loyal and loving to the end... The meanest most agressive devil dogs I ever had were Min Pins,,,

Abby and my new pup Rocket checking out my son Declan..they are best friends now!


pup

[Serpentine]

I love Pit bulls but they are banned in my area, however mixes are allowed, so I got a mix he's a pit/beagle. He was nippy at first with the kids, luckily my kids were older and we would correct him together. I've always believed it's the owner that makes any breed 'bad' and not the dog's breed itself. However they are very powerful dogs, therefore could cause a lot of damage so proper training is a must! You have to be the leader, not the dog and consistancy is the key with anything really... even when you're tired!

Sorry for the weird pic, but there's no other pics of Buster (the brindle colored one) on this computer

[Jazi]

Old topic, reply to an old post, but re: AmBullies it's really all structure structure structure. Personally, I don't see healthy dogs in the Pocket, XL, and Extreme variety, but Standard and Classic do have very nicely structured dogs that aren't hippos and aren't as prone to problems with their backs, hips, and joints. For comparison...

Standard


Pocket


XL


Extreme


Classic


All images taken from the ABKC official website; theabkcdogs.org. None of these dogs are particularly my cuppa... technically pit bulls as a whole aren't really my cuppa as I tend to prefer the larger German working breeds, but having worked with an ex-fighting dog I was rather forced to learn the difference between the breeds. Speaking of...



This is Baby, a dog that my sister got about 6 years ago. She's an APBT/AmStaff mix that was purposely mixed in an attempt to obtain a better fighting dog by her previous owners, who were street-level fighters that had absolutely no idea what they were doing (A: AmStaffs aren't good fighters, B: breeding for both dog and human aggression = bad fighting dog, C: neglecting, starving, and beating their dogs to make them "meaner" = bad fighting dog, all of which any actual dog fighter knows, not that I support those either). She "wouldn't fight" and was used as bait instead, my sister heard the dogs going at it and bravely went over to give her neighbors an earful. They in turn dumped all the puppies on her in an attempt to get her to not call the police. She took the pups and rehomed all but one, but called the police anyway

It's covered up well in this picture, and the scars aren't nearly as bad as one who spent their whole life in the ring, but her chest, jowls, muzzle, and ears are rather torn up under the thin fur. We've managed to work out most of her dog aggression out to the point where she's just reactive in certain circumstances, and she was never human aggressive, just a bit fearful, which she's managed to overcome in her 6 years in a good home. My nephew and their other dog can get in her face, play rough, even bug her while she eats (my nephew likes to freak his friends out by putting his face very close to her when she's eating... she backs up and waits for him to be "done" at her bowl) and she takes it all without a growl but with lots of buttwiggles and kisses.

I currently use her alongside my parents' dog as a therapy animal for my mom's special ed students... nothing better than having a low-functioning autistic kid open right up to a pit bull's adoration.

[mrkrec]

Me and my girl Sassy... She is Pit Bull/ American bulldog mix..