Are pit bulls more aggressive than other dogs?
DeKalb County commissioners are considering a reversal of an ordinance that has tongues wagging in Georgia’s third highest-populated county. County leaders are thinking about removing pit bulls from its list of banned household pets. Commissioner Elaine Boyer, whose district includes a politically conservative area in north DeKalb, raised some concerns about changing the ordinance. “[T]his breed (of pit bulls) is most often associated with aggressive behavior,” Boyer said in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution published July 20. There is no date immediately scheduled to discuss the idea. You don’t have to look far to find some tragic story of a child being horrifically mauled by a pit bull, which is known for its vise-like jaws. There are the frequent media accounts of pit bull dogfighting, which most famously involved former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who pleaded guilty and served prison time for and his role in conspiring in a dogfighting ring. But some counter that this breed of dog is not as vicious as its public portrayal. Many pit bull owners say the dogs are loving animals, which are sometimes trained by owners to be violent. Pit bulls are not the problem, they argue, people are. We wanted to see if Boyer is right. The commissioner, who said she has no position on the proposed ordinance change, explained her initial comments to us via e-mail. “I am an animal lover,” she wrote. “Our family owns small breed dogs, and we have personally never had an encounter with a pit bull. But friends and constituents have told me they have had bad experiences with pit bulls… I imagine even the sweetest puppy of any breed could snap at you if taunted or not trained properly.” In 2008, a team of University of Pennsylvania researchers completed a study of aggressiveness of 30 breeds of dogs. The researchers collected about 15,000 questionnaires for the year-long study. The researchers asked owners a series of questions concerning how their dogs reacted in various situations to other canines and humans they know as well as strangers. The questions included how does the dog react when a stranger arrives. The results found Chihuahuas and Dachshunds were the most aggressive toward both humans and other dogs. Those breeds, however, are smaller and usually inflict less-severe injuries. The findings were a mixed bag for Pit Bull Terriers. The dogs were among the most aggressive toward other dogs, particularly those they didn’t know. Pit bulls, the researchers found, were not significantly more aggressive than other breeds toward strangers and their owners. “(Pit bulls) tended to be on the high side, but there were lots of breeds that were higher,” said James Serpell, one of the researchers. Serpell told us they felt confident with their findings. He acknowledged that some owners may have over reported or under reported how aggressive their dog acted in some scenarios. The results were widely reported by many newspapers. One study of aggression done by a specialist in Australia found the pit bull terrier attacked humans at a higher level than any breed. German Shepherds and crosses were a close second. For nearly 35 years, a Missouri-based group has conducted its own research on canine aggressiveness. The American Temperament Test Society conducts a 10-step exam and has checked out nearly 31,000 dogs, according to its website. The test includes seeing how the dog reacts to strangers,reacts to someone the animal doesn’t know but tries to pet it, how it reacts to loud noises and its response to a stranger who approaches in a menacing fashion. The two types of pit bulls (the American Pit Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier) they’ve studied have aggression scores that are not as bad as boxers, bulldogs, collies, Great Danes, Greyhounds and Shetland sheepdogs. They are in the same range as the German Shepherd and golden retriever. Labrador retrievers scored better than pit bulls. “On an even playing field, a pit bull is no more dangerous than a collie,” said Salliann Comstock, the society’s chief tester and director of operations. Comstock contends pit bulls are trained to be aggressive and argues many people, including some animal shelter workers, mistake other animals for pit bulls. “A small boxer is called a pit bull,” she said. There is some skepticism about the society’s exam. One blogger said the test is geared toward bold dogs who are better equipped to face danger. Some discount dog aggressiveness studies altogether, saying the breeds are often misidentified even by owners. The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control & Prevention once conducted a study of 20 years worth of fatal dog bite data. The study found 66 people died through bite-related incidents involving various types of pit bulls, which was more than any other type of dog. Rottweilers were a distant second, with 39. Rottweilers, though, were involved in 30 fatal dog bites for the last six years of the study while pit bulls were involved in 15 fatal dog bites. The study, however, was from 1979 through 1998. The CDC has not updated that study. CDC spokeswoman Gail Hayes stressed via email that their study does not conclude which dogs are most likely to bite or kill. She also noted that the estimated 4.7 million Americans bitten by dog bites annually result in about 16 fatalities, a ratio of well less than 1 percent. The past studies and research we’ve reviewed shows pit bulls are among the most aggressive dogs. Some breeds, however, have been shown to be more aggressive in each report. However, the widely held perception is that they are dangerous, which was Boyer’s over-arching point. An Associated Press poll done in October found of the dog owners who would support breed bans, 85 percent would outlaw pit bulls. Her statement has merit, but could have used additional context about the breed, which would have put it in a slightly different light. We rate her claim Mostly True.
Not trying to talk anyone out of it, but if you havent had pits before, this is more of a heads up. In my experience, even with the most well trained pit pups, there will be a dog fight in your future. And once it happens, you are resigned to a life of looking over your shoulder for other dogs, trying to keep other dogs away from yours, and really never being able to let your dog off of a leash. It makes traveling with them hard, you cant bring them to family things when there are other dogs, finding a rental home is impossible, and paying for someone else vet bill gets expensive quickly!
Indeed, with no more entertainment in watching dogs fight against bears and bulls, the sport of rat-baiting (which wasnt outlawed at that time) became popular at the beginning of the 20th century. In this sport, several rats were placed in a pit (hence the term “pit” in the word pit bull) and dogs were sent out to kill them. Bets were placed on how many rats a dog could kill in a given time. Fortunately, even this sport was put to an end with the last competition taking place in Leicester in 1912. Dogfighting, even though outlawed as well, remained in vogue because it was easy to clandestinely conduct in small areas compared to the large areas used for bull and bear-baiting. Therefore, it continued to take place in Britain.
Essentially, these three breeds are the same dogs that were just bred for different purposes and have slightly different size standards. For the most part, they simply have different bloodlines. Some dogs are indeed registered with more than one registry. Telling one breed from another is challenging, and even experts at times cant tell if a pit bull is an APBT, an AST, or an SBT. Even DNA testing can be confusing, according to Pit Bull Rescue Central.
The true nature of canines is to avoid conflict. Too much energy would have been wasted in the wild if dogs had to continuously fight against each other. To avoid conflict and use energy for more important functions such as hunting, reproducing and surviving, dogs developed special body signals and vocalizations known as “ritualized aggression.” Humans have forced dogs to become fighting machines just for their own selfish egos and entertainment; something that wasnt there was forced to be created.
Jopin44 I believe that theres more to your story about the 2 pitbulls then meets the eye. Any breed of dog can be aggressive & attack other dogs for reasons bystanders dont know or understand. My heart goes out to the owners of the unfortunate pup that lost its life. However, you cant blame the animals behavior on the breed… the animal acts the way its be raised… for all you know the 2 pitbulls could have been rescued from an abusive home & they could have been trained to fight & practiced on small dogs like the one that was attacked… Im not convinced that you could accurately identify a pitbull given all the breeds that look similar to Pitbulls… Pointy ears on a medium-sized dog doesnt mean its a Pitbull. Aggressive animals have been raised in an abusive home… Animals are conditioned to act the way they do… you cant blame the breed due to idiot humans trying to create a monster…
Your dog may be more prone to negative reactions when she has pent up energy. A tired dog may be more lax and calm. Take a long walk or run before meeting up with any other dogs. This can help eliminate stress.
Verbal reprimands or physical corrections may create negative associations with other dogs. Never use punishment to address your Pit Bull’s responses to other dogs.
Find chances for your dog to encounter other friendly dogs, whether in a training class, on leash at the park, or out in dog-friendly public areas like pet stores. Continue with these experiences throughout puppyhood and well into adulthood.
Make sure your Pit Bull is in a good mood to be meeting other dogs. If she is showing signs of being stressed or afraid, take a step back to where she was last relaxed and try again. Offer treats every time she is behaving calmly and provide plenty of praise before working your way towards other dogs once again.
Watch your dog for signs of stress or fear. Remove him from the situation to calm down if he starts exhibiting these behaviors.