Pitt Bulls Violent by Genetics or by Upbringing?

[Gib Lover]

Yes pits are more aggressive. Just look at how many kill children, and elderly people each year. It's genetics. The same people claiming it isn't genetics, I got a question for you. Would you feel safe around a full size grizzly bear even though you raised it since birth? I doubt it, because you know it would maul your face off.

Uh, I think comparing a pitbull to a grizzy is being a bit intellectually dishonest and more than a little bit of a false equivalency.
Literally millions of people raise pitbulls without being mauled once, 30 or so die a year based on the last 2 years.

[ParanoiD84]

Yes pits are more aggressive. Just look at how many kill children, and elderly people each year. It's genetics. The same people claiming it isn't genetics, I got a question for you. Would you feel safe around a full size grizzly bear even though you raised it since birth? I doubt it, because you know it would maul your face off.

More agressive then what? The Caucasian Ovcharka is far more agressive and is many small dogs to just they can't do any serious damage to you, well the Caucasian Ovcharka can but not many people get those for family dogs.

You are 650 times more likely to die from walking over the street then to be attacked and killed by a dog, there is millions of pitbulls out there that never hurt anyone.

[Darsithis]

I think part of the reason why people argue against genetics so vigorously is because they want to believe that training can give 100% control over an animal, and that by introducing genetics into the conversation they perceive that it takes the onus of responsibility away from the owner in regards to an animal's behavior. I think we can state that genetics are a factor while also stating that owners have a responsibility to treat their animals well and train them properly.

You do make a good point. This is a level of fear, even that I recognize in myself, when people bring up genetics when it comes to dogs.

[Cilraaz]

The breed is not more violent than other breeds, but it's stronger than many other breeds. If you want to ban all dogs that have the potential to do major harm, you need to outlaw the breeding of all dogs bigger than a beagle.

Bullmastiff for example:

That's actually an English Mastiff, not a Bullmastiff. Also, fun fact, an English Mastiff has a bite force of around 550 psi. An Amstaff is around 230 psi. German Shepherds are around the same. Rottweilers are around 330 psi.

Edit: Fixed a typo. 230, not 320.

http://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-do...bull-myths.php

Quoting dogsbite.org in defense of anit-pit bull sentiment is like quoting Alex Jones in defense of conspiracy theorists. Dogsbite.org is run by an anti-pit bull activist. It's inherently biased.

[Collegeguy]

Depends on what your measuring as aggressive. A pit is more aggressive in an attack and more likely will go for the kill due to their breeding. But they not more aggressive to reach an attack phase as other breeds.

So yes their attacks are well documented as very aggressive and determined.

[sarahtasher]

Just saying that in Canada, a law to ban pitbulls recently failed because it was hard to find a legal definition of ''pitbulls'' (it's a type of dog more than a specific breed). Therefore, determining their exact genetics is hard-after all, to take a French example, Milou/Snowy is genetically quite close (late 18th century ?) to a bulldog (most breeds being crosses between terriers and bull-baiting dogs)

[Gib Lover]

Oh I actually didn't know that the Montreal ban got suspended, good for them.

[Kagonos]

So much BS anecdotal evidence in this thread. My brother <insert why pittbulls are nice here> my friend and his family <insert why pittbulls are nice here>. Here are the statistics. [url]http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2015.php

Your entire post is predicated on BS anecdotal evidence.

[TirielWoW]

LOL! Pitbulls certainly are known for incredibly offensive flatulence.

I wasn't aware of this, but this honestly explains the death farts mine has on occasion.

It's freaking chemical warfare.

[Citizen T]

This is another example of you placing your opinion over fact.

Pits and related breeds are not inherently more violent due to genetics. The issue is a combination of: people breeding them for fighting/defense, people not understanding that despite their peaceful nature, they are powerful dogs that can kill, and three, morons who think saying hi to a dog is thrusting their hand in its face.

None of that is genetic and all of that is social.

This is mostly true but not entirely. Pit Bulls were originally bred for dog fighting but that has mostly been bred out of them. The problem exists in that there is no real way to know if any particular pit bull has a strong or weak lineage to these lines. This does not make them more aggressive to humans though. As dog fighting animals that became aggressive to their handlers would have been put down and not bred.

All dogs (not just pit bulls) should be treated as individuals not as groups - just the same as people. Behavior is not just genetics and not just environment/experience - it is a complex mix of both. I love dogs. I have played rough house with a 100 pound pit bull that was as playful as a puppy and would never hurt anything and I've seen pit bulls that were raised right but were still very aggressive and should have been put down in my opinion. Even so, I've seen the exact same things in other dog breeds as well. No breed should be banned/restricted based solely on the breed. A ban/restriction debate could be made based on the size of the animals as at some point they can be deadly if they attack regardless of the breed.

[sarahtasher]

Yes pits are more aggressive. Just look at how many kill children, and elderly people each year. It's genetics. The same people claiming it isn't genetics, I got a question for you. Would you feel safe around a full size grizzly bear even though you raised it since birth? I doubt it, because you know it would maul your face off.

Actually, yes, a cub that have been raised amongst humans would be more likely to attack them than wild one, because of familiarity with humans . A black or grizzly bear (less for polar bears), like wolves, is in normal circumstances afraid of humans and will only attack in fairly specific circumstances (a sow with her cubs, being startled...) They get dangerous when they are too used to humans (for instance because of garbage bins)

[Gib Lover]

Right but a fair number of pitbull related fatalities are by the family dog. So unless a lot of pits were abused and it never came out, there is more to it than just upbringing and training.

Then again like I said earlier in the thread, literally millions of people own pits in NA that don't get mauled.

[Kryos]

I wasn't aware of this, but this honestly explains the death farts mine has on occasion.
It's freaking chemical warfare.

Less cheap cereals in the dog food (more real flesh - yes, it's more expensive), no dairy products and make sure he doesn't eat too fast and exercises (for intestinal motility). No more deadly poison gas attacks at night.

[TirielWoW]

Less cheap cereals in the dog food (more real flesh - yes, it's more expensive) and make sure he doesn't eat too fast and exercise (for intestinal motility) helps.

We don't feed him cheap food.

I maintain that he unleashes the death farts on purpose when we don't give him a treat.

[Kryos]

We don't feed him cheap food.
I maintain that he unleashes the death farts on purpose when we don't give him a treat.

Many treats sold by the industry are also bad for their digestion.

[TirielWoW]

Many treats sold by the industry are also bad for their digestion.

He begs for milkbones.

Or to have coconut oil added to his food.

I'm not joking when I say my dog is a spoiled brat.

[Independent voter]

There's cattle dogs that are aggressive by nature



If you get a call saying your Queensland Heeler just bit someone, you know it's true. I don't see why pitbulls can't be bred to be aggressive.

[Varitok]

Yes, I have. The dogs are generally more aggressive than other dog breeds even when not abused or mistreated.

Funny, ive been around a few pitbulls myself since my uncle owned some and they are extremely friendly.

[bladeXcrasher]

Its almost like pitbulls aren't know as nursery dogs...

[bladeXcrasher]

When i was younger our newfie beat the shit out of our pit, or my friends pits that where both the sweetest dogs, or that sweet little puppy for sale at la pulga...its almost like people that fight dogs make them that way. Guess i have just been lucky.