Hi, I'm new.. Got three dogs.. But the third... Is a Pitbull.. They can be very dangerous dogs.. Especially if they are agressive like mine is, He likes biting no matter how much he is trained NOT to bite.. Sometimes I feel very scared and over-powered.. I'm so sick of hearing people's pity stories.. These dogs have always been made for fighting, if you want one, its because you like fighting.. Anyone that likes them.. OK! Everyone has their own opinion.. But I'm scared of pitbulls.. In all my life I only saw one that didn't seem agressive as this one.. and this one could be called "ok" ..

are scary, can someone tell me why people have desires to own them as pets? please?

what scares you about pit bulls? is it there reputation, is it the hype from the media or is it that you have had a bad experience with one. Pit bulls are no different than any other dog -they reflect the way they have been handles and nurtured by their owners

I'd be interested to hear what are scary about Pitties as well. Have you had bad experiences with them? I love pitts, rotts and staffies. I personally have had nothing but positive experiences with them.

temprincesa wrote:

are scary, can someone tell me why people have desires to own them as pets? please?

Please dont take this the wrong way as Im not implying anything toward you personally!!!

In the past 25 years Ive been around hundreds of dogs. I remember a time when Doberman's, Rottweiler's, German Shepherd's, English Bull dogs, and even Dalmatian's were thought to be visious ...

Pitt's are no more dangerous than any other breed of dog. They are just the most recent breed to receive a bad reputation. This is ONLY because of a lot of irresponsible owners.

Pittbulls (or any other dog for that matter) are not agressive or visious by nature. Humans make them that way. If you take the time to create a loving bond with the dog, and then train it correctly they are one of the most loyal and gentle dogs on the planet.

My advice is: If you dont feel confortable with a Pittbull, you probably shouldnt own one. They require a knowledgable and well seasoned owner that has the ability to control any situation. If you are not this type of owner, I suggest that you find someone who is. An anxious, fearful or aprehensive owner can loose control of any "power breed" very quickly and someone could get hurt.

Betterdog4u wrote:

temprincesa wrote:

are scary, can someone tell me why people have desires to own them as pets? please?

Please dont take this the wrong way as Im not implying anything toward you personally!!!

In the past 25 years Ive been around hundreds of dogs. I remember a time when Doberman's, Rottweiler's, German Shepherd's, English Bull dogs, and even Dalmatian's were thought to be visious ...

Pitt's are no more dangerous than any other breed of dog. They are just the most recent breed to receive a bad reputation. This is ONLY because of a lot of irresponsible owners.

Pittbulls (or any other dog for that matter) are not agressive or visious by nature. Humans make them that way. If you take the time to create a loving bond with the dog, and then train it correctly they are one of the most loyal and gentle dogs on the planet.

My advice is: If you dont feel confortable with a Pittbull, you probably shouldnt own one. They require a knowledgable and well seasoned owner that has the ability to control any situation. If you are not this type of owner, I suggest that you find someone who is. An anxious, fearful or aprehensive owner can loose control of any "power breed" very quickly and someone could get hurt.

Well said.

My brother has a small scale APBT rescue, and as far as I know, he's only taken in one dog in 9 years that was dog aggressive, and she was actually a Presa Canario/Staffordshire mix. I have seen a gazillion dogs over the years of any given breed that are dog aggressive, simply due to inadequate socialization. In my experience, a dog is a dog is a dog. They're all capable of biting and inflicting damage. I do believe there are breeds that inexperienced or irresponsible people should not own, and the APBT is one of them. I also believe that there are some people that should not own a dog of any breed.

Ann wrote:

.......I do believe there are breeds that inexperienced or irresponsible people should not own, and the APBT is one of them. ......

YES YES YES I totally agree

Well said everyone! I definitely agree. Any dog with teeth can be dangerous and it all depends on the owner to do what they can to make sure they are raising a well balanced dog. The media definitely doesn't do these dogs a favor by concentrating on them when somone is biten.

If your dog is aggressive you should be looking into seeing a behaviorist (not a dog trainer) to help you understand the why and how to's of solving this kind of behavior.

As for you second question to why someone would want one as a pet, unfortunately there are two general answers one good and one bad:

The first type of person will see a pitbull as what it is, a dog that can be trained to be a good companion. These people don't buy into the media hype and are consitent with their training.

The second type of person is the one you should watch out for, which are those inexperienced owners that get a pittie simply to look "tough". These people are no better than people that get rare dog breeds for status symbols. Dogs that unfortunately come under these kinds of people's ownership are usually mistreated, undersocialized and insufficiently trained.

Its not the dogs you should be scared/mad at, its the owners.

I have to agree that any dog can be dangerous. I worked in a boarding kennel for 2 years and have been bitten, and "threatened" by labs, goldens, and yorkies.

Any breed any dog can be vicious or dangerous...and even the gentlest of souls can snap and bite, given the right circumstances.

Can I ask why you have a Pit, if you are scared of them, or think that people only have them for fighting?
Or was it not your choice...as in you entered a relationship, and the other person already had it?

I own one, I know it from experance.. Dog was a rescue and was to be put to sleep... So yeah,.. Think I understand why people feel that way.. people like them because fighting is something that is in their nature...

Most people in Tampa .. in certain areas.. the bad parts of town.. own them to keep cops from finding their drugs... and for fighting.. I HATE IT

The problem with those situations has very little to do with the dog. The problem(s) are most often the owners.

yeah..any dog can be dangerous if not trained properly. it takes time to train any dog.

I personally wouldn't own a pitbull but i have two friends with one each and they are both super sweet and cuddly dogs..although they are lean and full of muscle, then can be super sweet if not perceived in the negative manner that they are by the media.

I was bitten by a german sheppard when i was little and my cousin had his nose bitten off by a doxie accidentally...anything can happen

Ann wrote:

The problem with those situations has very little to do with the dog. The problem(s) are most often the owners.

Totally agree! +2

I met the nicest dog today. He was so sweet and funny! A handsome pitbull with wonderful new owners. They adopted him from the shelter 4 months ago, have taken him to basic obedience training and now have him doing weight pulling. I had Grizz-Bang with me at Petco and he greeted us so nicely, sitting, with a paw waving in the air at us. I gave him some attention and he made funny pig sounding snorts. I complimented the heck out of his owners for doing the right things with him!

Nice!! Sounds like he is headed down the right path!

Ann wrote:

I met the nicest dog today. He was so sweet and funny! A handsome pitbull with wonderful new owners. They adopted him from the shelter 4 months ago, have taken him to basic obedience training and now have him doing weight pulling. I had Grizz-Bang with me at Petco and he greeted us so nicely, sitting, with a paw waving in the air at us. I gave him some attention and he made funny pig sounding snorts. I complimented the heck out of his owners for doing the right things with him!

Very cool. I would love to have one myself, but two is my limit ...