Post by APBT Answers on Sept 19, 2007 18:46:33 GMT -5
Arn't Those Dogs Mean?
This is something that I wrote for our club newsletter August 2007.
It is how to answers those common questions Pit owners get about their dogs and their temperaments, ect.
I’m sure this question or some other negative reaction is something most of you have experienced. The negative stigma this breed has is strong, it is our duty to be responsible Pit Bull owners in order to combat this stigma. What do you do when faced with something like this? Many owners’ reaction might be to become upset or angry. In these situations it is important to keep our cool. You do not want them to say, typical Pit Bull owner, as mean as their dogs. Some people are sincere in their questions and not trying to be rude. A little education can go a long way, sometimes that’s all it takes to change a mind or at least add some doubt to the media lies. Some people are narrow minded and will never be moved, you must simply get over it and move on, they are not worth the effort. There are many questions like the above that has been asked of me. Below are some ways I’ve responded.
Don’t they get mean and snap?
No. No dog of any breed “snaps”. There are always indicators of a bad temperament leading up to a bite or attack. A lot of people ignore them or think their dog will never really seriously injure someone. Other owners miss signs because they are unaware of them. They don’t even realize an imbalanced temperament or see a big problem. When properly bred, trained and socialized the APBT is a great stable dog, a very trustworthy breed.
Isn’t it dangerous to let children around them?
I trust my child around my dogs 100%. APBTs have been around children since the beginning. For centuries most breeders have culled human aggression from their lines. Now we have a breed that is naturally human friendly. Long time breeding has made a dog that is stable around children. They are also very tolerant of ear and tail pulling, pinching and hard pats of a child due to their high pain tolerance. They enjoy the affection.
Those dogs aren’t good for anything but killing!
This is a truly narrow minded view, but back up your side with facts. Many APBTs are well adjusted family pets, others are heroic life saving dogs. There are APBTs who are K9-Officers, these dogs help fight crime. The #1 United States Customs dog was an APBT rescue named Popsicle. Some APBTs are Search & Rescue dogs, which is a life saving duty. I’m certain there are many people who are very grateful that these APBTs saved their lives.
These dogs have very important jobs and show that they are good for far more then killing, quite the opposite actually. There are other accomplished APBTs, while they may not be life savers they are not killers either. This includes service dogs, show champs, weight pull champs, agility titled, obedience titled and well rounded family companions. I would say none of these things remotely resemble killing.
Don’t you worry about them eating your neighbors’ pets?
It is true that some APBTs are dog aggressive or have high prey drives, but to say all are like this is a blanket statement. Even dog-aggressive Pit Bulls have different levels and types of dog aggression. There are also other breeds that are known for being dog aggressive like the Akita, Tosa, Chow, Bull Terrier, and number of others. This doesn’t mean they will savagely maul every dog they meet. A lot of dogs don’t like other dogs in their space, they will fight for their territory, we are talking about natural canine instincts. Other dogs will fight when challenged, yet another instinct natural to canine and other species. You have some dogs that are dominant and like to be in charge, if the other dog won’t back down a fight might ensue. These behaviors are not unique to the APBT.
Prey drive is present in many dogs of almost every breed. Prey drive is a natural dog instinct as it is for many animals, it’s the reason your pet cat kills a rabbit or bird. There are many other breeds that also have high prey drive levels like Jack Russell Terriers, Rat Terriers and Coonhounds, these breeds have been known to kill small prey animals. In some cases prey drive can be good for a certain job even though that job doesn’t require killing small animals. It is really unfair to single out one breed. Prey drive doesn’t mean a dog will kill any small animal without discretion; they won’t kill your pet cat (part of the pack) but might go after a skunk that tries to enter your property.
As an owner of this breed I can say that in my experience they are not crazed killers. I have many times taken my dogs to run and play with my friend’s dogs, they get along and have a great time like any other breed. I have almost always had cats around and usually it’s the cat attacking or bullying the dog. I have sold pups that have gone to multi dog homes where they enjoy their canine companions. One female in particular lives on a nice ranch with Llamas of which spit and chase her, they don’t like to be messed with. This same girl plays with the Golden Retriever from the next ranch over and spends days at Doggie Daycare playing with all the small dogs there.
The key with any dog no matter the breed is socialization at an early age, followed by proper training. Expose them to many different people, places and other animals. Many dogs misbehave around horses, bark and growl at them, this is because they haven’t seen a horse before. If you raise your dog right you will save yourself a lot of trouble.
One question that caught me off guard was: How do you keep them from becoming mean?
The man who asked this wasn’t trying to offend me. He sees my dogs, how great they are with his kids and how they play with his 2 dogs and how that is totally different from what he sees on TV.
I simply answered: You Don’t. Followed by something like: They are friendly by nature. When bred right they are super friendly and just want attention. This breed is very much a people breed. Bad dogs are made, one way or the other, whether that’s poor breeding or poor training and usually it’s a combination of both.
Really the goal of answering anyone, no matter the question is to do it tactfully and with knowledge. You will get people to listen to you much better then getting upset and flustered. You might even sway a few minds that way.
This is something that I wrote for our club newsletter August 2007.
It is how to answers those common questions Pit owners get about their dogs and their temperaments, ect.
I’m sure this question or some other negative reaction is something most of you have experienced. The negative stigma this breed has is strong, it is our duty to be responsible Pit Bull owners in order to combat this stigma. What do you do when faced with something like this? Many owners’ reaction might be to become upset or angry. In these situations it is important to keep our cool. You do not want them to say, typical Pit Bull owner, as mean as their dogs. Some people are sincere in their questions and not trying to be rude. A little education can go a long way, sometimes that’s all it takes to change a mind or at least add some doubt to the media lies. Some people are narrow minded and will never be moved, you must simply get over it and move on, they are not worth the effort. There are many questions like the above that has been asked of me. Below are some ways I’ve responded.
Don’t they get mean and snap?
No. No dog of any breed “snaps”. There are always indicators of a bad temperament leading up to a bite or attack. A lot of people ignore them or think their dog will never really seriously injure someone. Other owners miss signs because they are unaware of them. They don’t even realize an imbalanced temperament or see a big problem. When properly bred, trained and socialized the APBT is a great stable dog, a very trustworthy breed.
Isn’t it dangerous to let children around them?
I trust my child around my dogs 100%. APBTs have been around children since the beginning. For centuries most breeders have culled human aggression from their lines. Now we have a breed that is naturally human friendly. Long time breeding has made a dog that is stable around children. They are also very tolerant of ear and tail pulling, pinching and hard pats of a child due to their high pain tolerance. They enjoy the affection.
Those dogs aren’t good for anything but killing!
This is a truly narrow minded view, but back up your side with facts. Many APBTs are well adjusted family pets, others are heroic life saving dogs. There are APBTs who are K9-Officers, these dogs help fight crime. The #1 United States Customs dog was an APBT rescue named Popsicle. Some APBTs are Search & Rescue dogs, which is a life saving duty. I’m certain there are many people who are very grateful that these APBTs saved their lives.
These dogs have very important jobs and show that they are good for far more then killing, quite the opposite actually. There are other accomplished APBTs, while they may not be life savers they are not killers either. This includes service dogs, show champs, weight pull champs, agility titled, obedience titled and well rounded family companions. I would say none of these things remotely resemble killing.
Don’t you worry about them eating your neighbors’ pets?
It is true that some APBTs are dog aggressive or have high prey drives, but to say all are like this is a blanket statement. Even dog-aggressive Pit Bulls have different levels and types of dog aggression. There are also other breeds that are known for being dog aggressive like the Akita, Tosa, Chow, Bull Terrier, and number of others. This doesn’t mean they will savagely maul every dog they meet. A lot of dogs don’t like other dogs in their space, they will fight for their territory, we are talking about natural canine instincts. Other dogs will fight when challenged, yet another instinct natural to canine and other species. You have some dogs that are dominant and like to be in charge, if the other dog won’t back down a fight might ensue. These behaviors are not unique to the APBT.
Prey drive is present in many dogs of almost every breed. Prey drive is a natural dog instinct as it is for many animals, it’s the reason your pet cat kills a rabbit or bird. There are many other breeds that also have high prey drive levels like Jack Russell Terriers, Rat Terriers and Coonhounds, these breeds have been known to kill small prey animals. In some cases prey drive can be good for a certain job even though that job doesn’t require killing small animals. It is really unfair to single out one breed. Prey drive doesn’t mean a dog will kill any small animal without discretion; they won’t kill your pet cat (part of the pack) but might go after a skunk that tries to enter your property.
As an owner of this breed I can say that in my experience they are not crazed killers. I have many times taken my dogs to run and play with my friend’s dogs, they get along and have a great time like any other breed. I have almost always had cats around and usually it’s the cat attacking or bullying the dog. I have sold pups that have gone to multi dog homes where they enjoy their canine companions. One female in particular lives on a nice ranch with Llamas of which spit and chase her, they don’t like to be messed with. This same girl plays with the Golden Retriever from the next ranch over and spends days at Doggie Daycare playing with all the small dogs there.
The key with any dog no matter the breed is socialization at an early age, followed by proper training. Expose them to many different people, places and other animals. Many dogs misbehave around horses, bark and growl at them, this is because they haven’t seen a horse before. If you raise your dog right you will save yourself a lot of trouble.
One question that caught me off guard was: How do you keep them from becoming mean?
The man who asked this wasn’t trying to offend me. He sees my dogs, how great they are with his kids and how they play with his 2 dogs and how that is totally different from what he sees on TV.
I simply answered: You Don’t. Followed by something like: They are friendly by nature. When bred right they are super friendly and just want attention. This breed is very much a people breed. Bad dogs are made, one way or the other, whether that’s poor breeding or poor training and usually it’s a combination of both.
Really the goal of answering anyone, no matter the question is to do it tactfully and with knowledge. You will get people to listen to you much better then getting upset and flustered. You might even sway a few minds that way.