Do you think pit bulls are dangerous?

[Bobby Martnen]

I don't. I just think they're misunderstood and often poorly trained.

[TheForeigner]

I don't. I just think they're misunderstood and often poorly trained.

They are a menace to people. Usually assholes have pitbulls and like to intimidate people with them.

[Bobby Martnen]

They are a menace to people. Usually assholes have pitbulls and like to intimidate people with them.

But that's a problem with the owners, not the dogs. A lot of pitbulls are friendly. Are you a cat person?

[TheForeigner]

But that's a problem with the owners, not the dogs. A lot of pitbulls are friendly. Are you a cat person?

Yeah, I have a cat and am a cat person.

[Bobby Martnen]

Yeah, I have a cat and am a cat person.

Do you dislike all dogs, or just pit bulls?

[Annie999]

They are potentially dangerous, yes. That’s why regulations are needed to make sure pitbulls are owned only by people cappable of training them properly.

[Bobby Martnen]

They are potentially dangerous, yes. That’s why regulations are needed to make sure pitbulls are owned only by people cappable of training them properly.

But do you agree that they can be very sweet dogs if trained properly?

[Annie999]

But that's a problem with the owners, not the dogs. A lot of pitbulls are friendly. Are you a cat person?
It doesn’t matter a lot of pitbulls are friendly. If a poodle attacks you just kick him away, if a pitbull attacks it might kill you. Its the potential danger that makes these dogs forbbiden/regulated in many countries.

[Bobby Martnen]

It doesn’t matter a lot of pitbulls are friendly. If a poodle attacks you just kick him away, if a pitbull attacks it might kill you. Its the potential danger that makes these dogs forbbiden/regulated in many countries.

I mean, if we're really being honest, I love dogs more than humans, so I'd rather risk humans be hurt than dogs be hurt. No dog has ever stabbed me in the back or stood me up or deceived me.

[TheForeigner]

Do you dislike all dogs, or just pit bulls?

I like dogs too.

[TheForeigner]

I mean, if we're really being honest, I love dogs more than humans, so I'd rather risk humans be hurt than dogs be hurt. No dog has ever stabbed me in the back or stood me up or deceived me.

You are a jackass.

[Bobby Martnen]

You are a jackass.

That's not very nice. I'm not asking for you or anyone else to feel the same way I do, just stating that I feel this way.

If I had the choice between me getting shot or my dog getting shot, I'd choose to get shot. It's hard to lose a dog, I went through it recently.

[TheForeigner]

That's not very nice. I'm not asking for you or anyone else to feel the same way I do, just stating that I feel this way.

If I had the choice between me getting shot or my dog getting shot, I'd choose to get shot. It's hard to lose a dog, I went through it recently.

You said you prefer people being hurt by dogs, rather than dogs be hurt!:picard1:

[Bobby Martnen]

You said you prefer people being hurt by dogs, rather than dogs be hurt!:picard1:

I'd rather be hurt by a dog than hurt a dog. I know most people don't feel the same way.

[TEUTORIGOS]

I don't. I just think they're misunderstood and often poorly trained.

I don't like them because a lot ghetto negroes and ghetto people in general seem to prefer them and all it could take for a well trained one to flip out once and you either a major problem or a possible deadly situation (maybe this mostly applies to kids).

[Kivan]

Yes. A woman in my neighborhood died because of this kind of dog. Not all people know how to train and discipline this kind of dog, and they have an unpredictable behavior, even when they are well trained.

[Bobby Martnen]

Yes. A woman in my neighborhood died because of this kind of dog. Not all people know how to train and discipline this kind of dog, and they have an unpredictable behavior, even when they are well trained.

There is a risk to everything in life.

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

They are a dog breed that I usually associate with people from lower social stratus and for some reason they are more commonly found in getthos and more troublesome neighborhoods.

Usually a dog for people who looking tough and/or having a living weapon is more important than having and caring for a pet.

[Taiguaitiaoghyrmmumin]

I don't. I just think they're misunderstood and often poorly trained.Agreed. The thing is pitbulls are just extremely powerful. And they get a reputation for being guard dogs. People also tend to abuse them and use them for dog fights. Which is why they get a bad rep. But pitbulls are very good dogs

[Voskos]

Not as agressive as a raging OWD Apricity member.

[rhiannon]

Yes. I belong to a few groups who track the dog bites/maulings that happen all over the country and most of them all come to the same conclusion that pit bulls are among the most dangerous dogs to have. They can turn on the people who have loved them...often resulting in mauling deaths of children. I've lost track of the number of cases I've read about.

I personally don't care if adults own pitbulls as long as they don't bring them around children or other animals. People that have children and own these dogs as well are taking an unnecessary risk. If it's a dog they want, there are many other more desirable breeds...including mixed breeds.

Many people have also lost their loving pets (cats or small dogs) to pitbulls...both leashed and unleashed. This has happened in households where the animals all got along until the PB turned. Or, the dog is on a walk and they run across some other hapless dog or cat and go on the attack. These dogs scare the hell out of me. In this state, you can shoot a loose animal on your property...dog...cat....whatever.

I'd never harm an animal of any kind unless the animal was a direct threat to myself or my family members (includes our animals as well).

It bothers me that the pitbull lobby is full of people that feel a pitbull has more rights than other companion animals. It's completely unfair.

I say this as a person who as a tender-hearted 7yo girl, watched her loving kitty die in the jaws of the "family dog" from next door....a dog that escaped their yard to enter our yard and kill our cat. Kinda turned the tide for me.

[oszkar07]

I didnt vote , cause my vote would be intermediate between yes and no, I would say "sometimes".

I was a Pitbull owner for 15 years, my dog wasnever dangerous to humans unless they were a threat to myself and family or our property.
However if Pitbulls are not appropriatly and adequatly socialised with other dogs then they can be dangerous to other dogs as they have a inbuilt natural competitive fighting instinct towards other dogs unless this trait is adressed it can be problematic ...i experienced this first hand when I had a Pitbull.

Otherwise they can be a really wonderfull dog, highly intelligent and very loyal.

Alot of it really depends on the owner, unfortunatly a ,of of Pitbulls are owned by stupid people.

[Gold-Shekel]

They are dangerous as they were bred to be that way.

[oszkar07]

Yes. A woman in my neighborhood died because of this kind of dog. Not all people know how to train and discipline this kind of dog, and they have an unpredictable behavior, even when they are well trained.

If the dog is unpredictable is usually either because the owners have really not done a good job or the dog is neurotic.
Pitbulls are often not neurotic in temperament this characteristic can be found much more so in certain other breads eg Dobermans can often be neurotic much more than Pitbulls.
Pitbulls need a lot of socialisation training from young age around other animals predominatly other dogs.
Pitbulls were bred to fight other dogs not humans so many of them have this inbuilt potential to become agressive with other dogs but unless there owners encourage them to be aggressive towards humans then generally they are not.
Pitbulls like most dogs have some level of guard dog instinct around their owners home or property but otherwise Pitbulls are usually not generally aggressive towards people unless their owners have encouraged this behaviour or have mistreated them.

The problem is many people whom own Pitbulls are idiots who encourage their dogs to be aggressive towards humans and other dogs, some owners abuse their dogs to make them aggressive ...often results in unstable aggro dogs that can be unpredictable and dangerous.
There are also plenty of Pitbulls in families and around lots of people/strangers that have not attacked anyone.
Pitbulls and American Staffordshires are strongly related Dogs but the AmStaffs dont carry the same bad wrap because they were mainly bred to be showdogs whilst their halfbrother Pitbulls were bred to be dog gladiators.

[Marinus]

A decent owner, and decent training will minimise the risk, but as pointed out, other breeds of dogs can be kicked, shoved away if they try to bite you. Obviously Rottweilers, German Shepherds and similarly sized dogs will also likely badly injure you, but they just aren't bred to be as agressive as Pitbulls are, thus you see a lot more Pitbull attacks than other breeds, even though overall other breeds outnumber Pitbulls. Not to mention how many cases there are of Pitbulls just randomly turning on their owner for no reason, even attaking children.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19644273

Also the stereotype of ghetto trash owning Pitbulls, has a lot of basis in reality, there was a study made where Pitbull owners were more likely to be aggressive themselves and more likely to be criminals, than owners of other breeds.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01961.x

[Hulu]

I personally don't care if adults own pitbulls as long as they don't bring them around children or other animals.

They are dangerous for everybody, they are known to attack passersby for no reason at all when talking a walk with their owner. Due to their size owners of pitbulls are not able to contain them and are also prone to attacks themselves a lot of times.

[Teutone]

stupid nigger dog race

Real Europeans only have old and classy breeds.

If you like muscular dogs you can have a Rottweiler or German Boxer instead.

[Mens-Sarda]

Aggression is in their nature, their race was created for guard purposes and dog fighting, breeding the most aggressive dogs for generations. That's why even if they may appear docile, they are always on guard ready to react to the minimum imperceptible gesture that they consider out of place.

[Óttar]

If you walk a pitbull, it might drag your ass down the street and flay your skin off.

[KMack]

Pit Bulls are a very small % of dogs in the USA but they account for most of the deaths and attacks on people.

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

Pit Bulls are a very small % of dogs in the USA but they account for most of the deaths and attacks on people.

https://s14.postimg.cc/4ju5fsnv5/Opera_Instant_neo_2018-05-09_152404_www.dogsbite.org.png (https://postimages.org/)

https://s14.postimg.cc/td3pggeld/Opera_Instant_neo_2018-05-09_152434_www.dogsbite.org.png (https://postimages.org/)

https://s14.postimg.cc/qvry972ep/Opera_Instant_neo_2018-05-09_152454_www.dogsbite.org.png (https://postimages.org/)

https://s14.postimg.cc/fw6qxljpd/Opera_Instant_neo_2018-05-09_152514_www.dogsbite.org.png (https://postimages.org/)

https://s14.postimg.cc/pthrqnz0x/Opera_Instant_neo_2018-05-09_152531_www.dogsbite.org.png (https://postimages.org/)

[RandomGuy20]

When I hear of a child being mauled on the news it usually involves a pitbull. There was also this time when I was a kid a pitbull tried to lunge at me, luckily the owner managed to hold onto the leash :icon_neutral:. I get that some dogs are territorial, but pitbulls are just crazy IMO.

[Larali]

So many wonderful dogs at the animal shelter. Mostly pit pulls, because no one wants them due to the stereotype. They often end up being euthanized. It's tragic.

Only dogs that have been mistreated, or have unmet needs are mean. (i.e. large male dogs need lots of space to run and intellectual stimulation; I have known of these types of dogs becoming "crazy" because they were kept in a small apartment.)

I used to dislike dogs until I adopted one. They are amazing and wonderful creatures.

[Larali]

When I hear of a child being mauled on the news it usually involves a pitbull. There was also this time when I was a kid a pitbull tried to lunge at me, luckily the owner managed to hold onto the leash :icon_neutral:. I get that some dogs are territorial, but pitbulls are just crazy IMO.

It was probably a dog that had been trained to fight, or came from an abusive home, or had been taught to fear people. A lot of pit bulls do come from these environments but it's not necessarily indicative of the dog's true nature. That being said, I wouldn't have any dog around a small child unless I was very familiar with the dog's personality. Even my Chiweenie gets aggressive with my daughter if she plays too rough.

[Senpai]

The sweetest most gentle dogs I've ever come across have been pit bulls, and the meanest have also been pitbulls. It all depends on their lineage and owner. They're becoming much less aggressive than they used to be. My dog is half pit bull, and he's the most loyal, loving dog ever.

[Senpai]

Pit Bulls are a very small % of dogs in the USA but they account for most of the deaths and attacks on people.

Absolute horseshit, lmao.
I live 45 minutes North of you, and every street contains at least 20 of them in my city. Definitely Dayton's most popular dog breed.

[KMack]

Absolute horseshit, lmao.
I live 45 minutes North of you, and every street contains at least 20 of them in my city. Definitely Dayton's most popular dog breed.
most popular breeds usa.
http://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/most-popular-dog-breeds-full-ranking-list/

What are the 10 top dogs in the Dayton area?
#3 pitt bull
https://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/local/what-are-the-top-dogs-the-dayton-area/tkCCVBXdDanKr7PyqiRH8O/

Where are pit bulls banned in the U.S.
More than 937 cities in the US have BSL legislation in place. View detailed lists.

Many cities, including the largest US public housing authority in New York City, ban pit bulls through Housing Authorities.
http://blog.dogsbite.org/2009/04/nyc-housing-authorities-ban-pit-bulls.html

All military bases in the United States ban pit bulls.
http://www.dogsbite.org/legislating-dangerous-dogs-military-bases.php
http://www.banpitbulls.org/where/where-pit-bulls-banned/

[Aodhan]

Yes they are, but because of their owners

[Senpai]

most popular breeds usa.
http://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/most-popular-dog-breeds-full-ranking-list/

What are the 10 top dogs in the Dayton area?
#3 pitt bull
https://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/local/what-are-the-top-dogs-the-dayton-area/tkCCVBXdDanKr7PyqiRH8O/

Where are pit bulls banned in the U.S.
More than 937 cities in the US have BSL legislation in place. View detailed lists.

Many cities, including the largest US public housing authority in New York City, ban pit bulls through Housing Authorities.
http://blog.dogsbite.org/2009/04/nyc-housing-authorities-ban-pit-bulls.html

All military bases in the United States ban pit bulls.
http://www.dogsbite.org/legislating-dangerous-dogs-military-bases.php
http://www.banpitbulls.org/where/where-pit-bulls-banned/

dude, you know the area.. It's trash. Easily over 70% of the pit bulls in Dayton are unregistered. That's blatantly obvious to anyone who's lived here. When you see an owner who is not willing to register their dog, it probably means that they aren't the "ideal" owner of a dog.. they're probably shitty people, shitty people breed shitty dogs man. it's a no brainer.

Also the military is 50 years behind scientifically and sociologically speaking.

[KMack]

dude, you know the area.. It's trash. Easily over 70% of the pit bulls in Dayton are unregistered. That's blatantly obvious to anyone who's lived here. When you see an owner who is not willing to register their dog, it probably means that they aren't the "ideal" owner of a dog.. they're probably shitty people, shitty people breed shitty dogs man. it's a no brainer.

Also the military is 50 years behind scientifically and sociologically speaking.

IDK shit about Dayton except the east side burbs and downtown.

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

most popular breeds usa.
http://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/most-popular-dog-breeds-full-ranking-list/

What are the 10 top dogs in the Dayton area?
#3 pitt bull
https://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/local/what-are-the-top-dogs-the-dayton-area/tkCCVBXdDanKr7PyqiRH8O/

Where are pit bulls banned in the U.S.
More than 937 cities in the US have BSL legislation in place. View detailed lists.

Many cities, including the largest US public housing authority in New York City, ban pit bulls through Housing Authorities.
http://blog.dogsbite.org/2009/04/nyc-housing-authorities-ban-pit-bulls.html

All military bases in the United States ban pit bulls.
http://www.dogsbite.org/legislating-dangerous-dogs-military-bases.php
http://www.banpitbulls.org/where/where-pit-bulls-banned/

According to stats, nearly 50% of Dayton's population is Afro-American. That should explain their popularity.

Pitbulls are never a common choice among police forces or military institutions due to their unpredictability and lower IQ (they have lowest IQ out of the Terrier race\breed). You're more likely to find a Bloondhoud as a police K-9.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b9/aa/e5/b9aae5be03dc3a976e7da4584bb268ac.jpg

[KMack]

According to stats, nearly 50% of Dayton's population is Afro-American. That should explain their popularity.

Pitbulls are never a common choice among police forces or military institutions due to their unpredictability and lower IQ (they have lowest IQ out of the Terrier race\breed). You're more likely to find a Bloondhoud as a police K-9.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b9/aa/e5/b9aae5be03dc3a976e7da4584bb268ac.jpg

The official dog of hood rats all of the USA. They can't take care of their kids same with the dog.

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

Yes they are, but because of their owners

Owners play a roll but you can't change their insticts and unpredictability. Pittbuls were raised out of selective breeding from the most aggressive dogs they could find back in England, for the only purpose of ilegal dog fights.

Certain things like high pitched sounds that might resemble an animal struggling or in pain might be all that it is needed for a pittbull to charge. Take this video as an example, an old lady doing a ice bukect challenge, wasn't even doing any movement that could be perceived as threatening to any normal dog breed, yet the sound of her shriek was all that was needed.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqp9uFGKK-M

[Senpai]

IDK shit about Dayton except the east side burbs and downtown.

The East side is all you need to know, to know. lol

[Heather Duval]

Common news in Brazil:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXU2rSPX-q0

[Heather Duval]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCqYRDHlku4

[Heather Duval]

And I hate all kinds of dogs, I never liked them. I remember when I was like 7 or 8, my grandfather gave me a dog and I found him ugly, I tried to drown him in my plastic pool. I always wanted a cat.

[Gediminas]

Humans creating a hyperagressive monster that now is so unpredictable that we hate and fear them. Lol

Shame the poor dogs have to suffer because of it.

[Senpai]

And I hate all kinds of dogs, I never liked them. I remember when I was like 7 or 8, my grandfather gave me a dog and I found him ugly, I tried to drown him in my plastic pool. I always wanted a cat.

psycho

[Heather Duval]

psycho

I was angry

[Heather Duval]

After that i had one bitch called "estrela". I never cared about her, tho. I love cats, not dogs.

[1R0N M4N XL]

dangerous to other people... yes. ( if untrained).. i have a pitbull.. its sweet to me..

but it has natural fighting killer instinct, that needs to be trained.

[ÁGUIA]

They were selected to be gladiators, so the potential to inflict harm is bigger than let's say a chiwawa.
High energetic, prey-driven, dog-aggressive, playful tend to be part of their character. Contrary to common believe pit-bull are not human aggressive on average, they were bred specifically not to be aggressive toward humans.
The behavior of animals is, in most cases, the simple reflection of the education they receive. Pit-bulls aren't for everybody, they require a specific training, from socialization with other animals, to discipline and including a certain level of physical capacity from the owners.
I like them. They are like the getto kid wearing a cap perceived as a thieve without doing anything.

[Larali]

According to stats, nearly 50% of Dayton's population is Afro-American. That should explain their popularity.

Pitbulls are never a common choice among police forces or military institutions due to their unpredictability and lower IQ (they have lowest IQ out of the Terrier race\breed). You're more likely to find a Bloondhoud as a police K-9.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b9/aa/e5/b9aae5be03dc3a976e7da4584bb268ac.jpg

LOL. Do they have dog IQ tests? WISC-III canine version?

You can teach any dog anything using cheese as a motivator.

[oszkar07]

When I hear of a child being mauled on the news it usually involves a pitbull. There was also this time when I was a kid a pitbull tried to lunge at me, luckily the owner managed to hold onto the leash :icon_neutral:. I get that some dogs are territorial, but pitbulls are just crazy IMO.

I really believe a lot of this has to do with the type of people that own Pitbulls.
Its true that the PB was bred for many years to be a fighting dog for people to bet money on.
But historically they were not bred to be aggressive towards people , imagine when a dog fight is taking place there are lots of people around and each owner has to take his dog out amongst these people , if the dogs were ready to attack anyone then the dogfights wouldnt work.
I dont deny the fact that there has been many attacks on humans by Pitbulls , but a lot of this is because many Pitbull owners encourage their dogs to be aggressive.
Many Pitbull owners are thugs and criminals and aggressive people , dogs are very much shaped by their owners.
Im not defending the Pitbull , it certainly can be a very dangerous dog.
A lot of dogs can be aggressive but the Pitbull is a fighting machine so of course if it attacks then more damage is done compared to othr dogs.
I owned one for 15 years , it never attacked any person ever and many times he was in the house with my elderly Grandmother and was very gentle with her.

[Wrong]

I really believe a lot of this has to do with the type of people that own Pitbulls.
Its true that the PB was bred for many years to be a fighting dog for people to bet money on.
But historically they were not bred to be aggressive towards people , imagine when a dog fight is taking place there are lots of people around and each owner has to take his dog out amongst these people , if the dogs were ready to attack anyone then the dogfights wouldnt work.
I dont deny the fact that there has been many attacks on humans by Pitbulls , but a lot of this is because many Pitbull owners encourage their dogs to be aggressive.
Many Pitbull owners are thugs and criminals and aggressive people , dogs are very much shaped by their owners.
Im not defending the Pitbull , it certainly can be a very dangerous dog.
A lot of dogs can be aggressive but the Pitbull is a fighting machine so of course if it attacks then more damage is done compared to othr dogs.
I owned one for 15 years , it never attacked any person ever and many times he was in the house with my elderly Grandmother and was very gentle with her.
Also incredibly stubborn type, Pitbulls keep fighting/attacking until they themselves get killed.

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

LOL. Do they have dog IQ tests? WISC-III canine version?

You can teach any dog anything using cheese as a motivator.

Certain dogs breeds are more skilful and have better traits/qualities to perform certain tasks. We measure their intelligence by their aptitude to learn new commands and how quickly they respond to them. This is basic cultural knowledge.

[oszkar07]

According to stats, nearly 50% of Dayton's population is Afro-American. That should explain their popularity.

Pitbulls are never a common choice among police forces or military institutions due to their unpredictability and lower IQ (they have lowest IQ out of the Terrier race\breed). You're more likely to find a Bloondhoud as a police K-9.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b9/aa/e5/b9aae5be03dc3a976e7da4584bb268ac.jpg

I think Pitbulls can be quite smart , I read many years ago an article about Pitbulls that were trained by dog trainers to do certain things and the article said the dogs excelled even more than many other breeds.
Terriers in general are a reasonably intelligent dog so even if they really are the less smarter of the terriers that doesnt mean they are not at all smart.
I owned a Pitbull and I can say he was quite smart.
I think the reason they are not chosen to work as Police or military dogs is that they would need too much extra work to reduce the risks of aggression towards other dogs.
Its not because they are not smart enough to learn certain tasks but they have the tradition of what they are bred for and that means they have a tendancy to be dog agressive, becasue Police dogs and military dogs work amongst other dogs , this means the Pitbull wouldnt be the best option to work beside other dogs.
I dont think well trained Pitbulls are unpredictable unless they are a neurotic dog, but certainly they need the right training /handling.
When I was a kid I was attacked by a German shepherd. The dog was owned by friends of my family and the attack happened at a dinner party.
It was unprovoked I was sitting and patting the dog next thing I know he suddenly bites my hand and face , I had to have stitches in my hand, the German shepherd supposed to be a disciplned breed but even they can be unpredictable.

[Larali]

Certain dogs breeds are more skilful and have better traits/qualities to perform certain tasks. We measure their intelligence by their aptitude to learn new commands and how quickly they respond to them. This is basic cultural knowledge.

Okay, but let's be honest. There isn't a huge difference between a dumb dog and a smart dog. There is no such thing as a retarded dog. Even dumb dogs can be trained (like my Chiweenie).

The big factor in whether a dog is loving and well-behaved is how well they are cared for, and if all of their emotional and "intellectual" needs are met. Any dog with unmet needs, or which is treated badly, will have behavior issues, just like humans.

I agree that some dogs might be dangerous when provoked, and there are many dangerous dogs out there. But that may have much more to do with factors besides breed.

[Taiguaitiaoghyrmmumin]

Certain dogs breeds are more skilful and have better traits/qualities to perform certain tasks. We measure their intelligence by their aptitude to learn new commands and how quickly they respond to them. This is basic cultural knowledge.Thats not a particular good way to measure intelligence of a dog to me. Wild wolves and foxes are far more intelligent than dogs. They usually ambush dogs and trick/ decieve other similar creatures. Their wild and agressive nature makes them harder to train though. They dont listen to commands well compared to dogs
In fact the way they tests dogs is more like if a human is intelligent enough to train them fast enough
A better way to measure their intelligence is to test their problem solving skills. Like reaching a treat with obstacles.

[♥ Lily ♥]

No, I encountered two dogs today in the park (who were a cross between pitbulls and staffordshire terriers) who happily played with a very cute and highly popular Boston Terrier that I was walking. (His owner has gone away to Israel on a business trip for a month.) As soon as I entered the dog exercise area with him, all the other dogs came over to greet him, which was nice.

All 8/9 dogs that were in the dog exercise area of the park were off their leads and happily played together in the park. His owner was very talkative and he said they (the pitbull/staffy mixed breeds) were still puppies.

Both of them were friendly dogs though, although quite boisterous and strong whilst they were playing. They were obedient though whenever their owner told them to stop. They were happy for me to stroke them. (Both were females.)

His owner said he had to watch his poodle dog (who was also present in the park and was playing with them) as he said they treat him like a ragdoll sometimes.

Huskies, dalmations, and labradors are all known to be in the top 10 'dangerous' dog breeds that have killed people - but they've not received the same level of negative media press as pitbulls and rottweilers have received in the national media. (I'd like to point-out that sick and disturbed humans have done far worse things and lot more violent things in life to others - than pitbulls or rottweilers have ever done. Should all humans be branded as dangerous?!)

Infact people actually think of dalmations as being gentle - due to the way they were portrayed in a movie. I've often washed, dried, brushed, groomed, and walked large akitas, labradors, and huskies, and they've all been very well-behaved, (except for one husky who jumps like crazy all over the salon and plays too roughly with the other dogs, whose owner needs to take him to a professional dog trainer.)

It's amazing how publicity and the media affects the way people perceive certain dog breeds.

We've also had a rottweiler in the dog and cat grooming and day-care salon I work in, who was very friendly and well-behaved.

The most antisocial dog I've ever worked with though was this deceptively cute and angelic looking pomeranian. I made a video-recording of him with my iPhone to show that looks are deceptive. (His owners paid £4000 for him.) He looks so angelic... but he bit me with his little sharp teeth when I tried to give him a friendly stroke. He snarled a lot. Most of the pomeranians I've worked with love being stroked and cuddled a lot... but not this one.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUt8xhfChak

Also a Lhasa Apso called 'Sasha' looked like a little angel... but her owner said that she was a rescue dog - and she snapped at people a lot. I took some video-clips of her (I've not uploaded them yet,) after she'd been washed, dried, brushed and groomed - and she was given little silky green bows in her hair... she looked so cute... but she growled and snapped if people went near her. She was happy to accept treats though. I think her behaviour was defensive and she was distrusting due to the way her previous owners treated her.

[oszkar07]

Okay, but let's be honest. There isn't a huge difference between a dumb dog and a smart dog. There is no such thing as a retarded dog. Even dumb dogs can be trained (like my Chiweenie).

The big factor in whether a dog is loving and well-behaved is how well they are cared for, and if all of their emotional and "intellectual" needs are met. Any dog with unmet needs, or which is treated badly, will have behavior issues, just like humans.

I agree that some dogs might be dangerous when provoked, and there are many dangerous dogs out there. But that may have much more to do with factors besides breed.

Yes in many ways Pitbulls are abused , even the fact many are used or that the breed was traditionally used for dog fighting is abuse.
The closest breed to the Pitbull is the American Stafforshire Terrier, Am Staffs were bred to be showdogs rather than fighting dogs, they tend to have much better reputation , because the traditional breeders probably treated them much better and didnt encourage them to be aggressive and they weren't abused through dog fighting.

[RandomGuy20]

I remember when I was like 7 or 8, my grandfather gave me a dog and I found him ugly, I tried to drown him in my plastic pool.
wtf

[sean]

I've known some really nice and gentle pit bulls. It all depends on who raised them. Hell, most smaller dogs are far angrier and bite more than big pit bulls but no one cares cause they are small and it doesn't hurt as badly.

However, I believe that given the right circumstance all pits can snap and immediately attack, and due to their nature size, and bite strength they have the ability to kill.

When Ontario banned pit bulls, the number of dog bite incidents went down dramatically.

[Westbrook]

Every single time someone's pit bull goes on a killing spree the first thing the owner says is "HE WAS ALWAYS SO SWEET AND GENTLE!" . Every dog is like that until they're not. I have a mixed breed mutt with one of those breeds being pit bull, and in the whole she is the "sweetest" friendliest, most well-behaved dog I've ever had because I took extensive steps to make sure she would be that way, but there's still been one or two moments where I've seen flashes of the "dark side" in her where she seems like a completely different dog capable of doing terrible things. Every pit bull I've ever met personally has been super friendly, submissive, sensitive, etc but I still know they all have the potential to snap.
But do you agree that they can be very sweet dogs if trained properly?

[Smaug]

They are, as a whole, more dangerous than an ordinary dog. I have a really good friend who has three pitbulls, one is very docile, the other two not so much.