Good reason not to allow Pit Bulls...........

[mjstef]

And other aggressive breeds into campgrounds!!! Heck if they will kill there owners what will they do to a little child?????

[mjstef]

And other aggressive breeds into campgrounds!!! Heck if they will kill there owners what will they do to a little child?????

[georgetown350]

I am a huge dog lover but I dont even trust our lovable 11 year old Lab alone with small children.
To many stories out there all with the same theme of " dog showed no aggression"

[machman72]

I love dogs to, but there are a couple of breeds that just should not exist. They were bred for killing, and I do not care if they "show" aggression or not, it is in their genetic make up to kill.

[NeilV]

Unfortunately most pitbull owners I have met were not capable of discerning what agressive behavior is and some owners are more agressive than their Pitbulls.

I had one Pitbull attack my youngest child and Akita puppy while at obediance class. The Akita put herself between the child and the Pitbull and after the child was safe proceeded to hold the Pitbull pinned to the ground until we gave her the command to release. The Pitbulls owner unbelievably commanded his dog to go back and keep attacking our puppy multiple times even after the trainers asked him to leave. The Pitbull and his owner were eventually expelled from the class and we got a good dog certificate awarded to the Akita for her putting the children first and for her obedience in releasing the Pitbull on command after each attack. The owner of the Pitbull was most upset that a female puppy repeatedly fended off and pinned his male Pitbull then anything eles and showed absolutely no remorse that his dog had tried to attack a child. He finally went his way yelling at his dog about getting beat up by a girl.

Even with our dogs track record through the years of putting herself between children and any perceived danger we still do not leave her unsupervised with young children ever or even older ones that have not associated with and known her for a long time.

[RustyJC]

It's really important for us pet owners to know and understand our breeds. For instance, many individuals will look at Shelties as "little Lassies" and think they will be great with kids, and they usually are. One must always bear in mind, however, that Shelties - Shetland sheepdogs - are bred to be herding dogs, and that herding instinct is still programmed into them. One method they use for herding sheep is to nip at the heels of the reluctant stragglers. For that reason, I really cringe when parents let their kids get down into our Shelties' faces because they always want to hug them. We've had 6 Shelties over the years and haven't had a bad situation arise so far with a child, but if I can't intercept a child before he/she gets down with the Shelties, I'll get right down there with them to manage the situation.

And, yes, I've been nipped roughhousing and playing with them!

Rusty

[TXiceman]

Rusty has a very good point about understanding the breeds DNA programming. Every tried to keep a lab out of a pool? Not possible.

We have had miniature schnauzers for 37 years and they were bred as ratters. If it small and moves, it is fair game to chase. The ears shut down and all that works is the nose, eyes and mouth.

Breeds that have been bred to protect will naturally protect, just don;t get in the situation where you are the object of the protection.

But breeds that have been bred to fight...I don't know what to do to stay out of their way.

Ken

[NeilV]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TXiceman:
Rusty has a very good point about understanding the breeds DNA programming. Every tried to keep a lab out of a pool? Not possible.

We have had miniature schnauzers for 37 years and they were bred as ratters. If it small and moves, it is fair game to chase. The ears shut down and all that works is the nose, eyes and mouth.

Breeds that have been bred to protect will naturally protect, just don;t get in the situation where you are the object of the protection.

But breeds that have been bred to fight...I don't know what to do to stay out of their way.

Ken </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Also important regardless of the breed is the breeder, some mistreat the dogs so badly that sooner or later it is going to surface in their behavior Pitbull or not. Meet the Parents is more than a movie it is something we always strive to do before choosing a new dog. If the temperment of the sire and dame are bad then the chances of getting a puppy with a bad temperment is much much greater.

It is more work when selecting dog and may or may not end up costing you more but it is well worth it. Our dog loves people like her parents and just seems to live for being able to lie down close to our feet and watch eveyone getting along.

Having her to protect my wife and children has been a comfort and so far she has even stood off a pack of coyotes that went after my wife last year. Stood her ground between my wife and the pack and did not run off or after them. The coyotes quickly decided they didn't want to have anything to do with her and bolted.

You have to choose wisely when selecting a dog and even then you can still make a mistake and need to be watchfull.

[hondo122]

People need to stop painting breeds with one brush. American Bulldogs were bred as working farm dogs which included herding cattle and defending the farm from harm. The thing is the owner is responsible for the training. I worked diligently with Zeus on socialization too both people and animals. Those who have met him will agree. But I am responsible enough to not "ever" leave him unattended with a child. I did meet his parents and they too were gentle, the mother allowed my wife to remove him from her care without any fuss.

[NeilV]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by hondo122:
People need to stop painting breeds with one brush. American Bulldog were breed as working farm dog which included herding cattle and defending the farm from harm. The thing is the owner is responsible for the training. I worked diligently with Zeus on socialization too both people and animals. Those who have met him will agree. But I am responsible enough to not "ever" leave him unattended with a child. I did meet his parents and they too were gentle, the mother allowed my wife to remove him from her care without any fuss. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree socialize, socialize, socialize.

While I try not to brand dogs the American Bulldog and English Bulldog have a totally different nature about them when compared to the Pitbull which requires special attention by their owners. Sadly many people who own Pitbulls are not qualified to and only add to the problem.

Then again I guess the same could be said about the Akita which has a 20% stronger bite then a Pitbull and is capable of shearing a phone book in half in one shot. I saw this with my own two eyes one day when kids were throwing things at mine, well at the open window in front of her, and instead of taking off through the window screen after her tormentors she grabbed the nearby yellow pages and bit them in half dropping the remains in front of the kids on the window sill. They got the message and ran off before I could get there, she got to finish her nap undisturbed.

A dogs logic is simple and needs to be groomed by training however even good training does not eliminate the need for proper supervision and vigilance to situations that could go sour.

It is good to see so many responsible dog owners here who don't take their pets for granted.

[Duffy's Mom]

Even small dogs have to be watched. I remember reading that there are no bad dogs only bad owners. If you are not watching your animal, no matter what size or breed, you are not being responsible.