{"id":1063,"date":"2020-04-20T21:21:52","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T21:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitbulltribe.com\/?p=1063"},"modified":"2021-12-04T12:17:26","modified_gmt":"2021-12-04T12:17:26","slug":"aggressive-breed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitbulltribe.com\/aggressive-breed\/","title":{"rendered":"Are PitBulls A Naturally Mean and Aggressive Breed?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you look at a pit bull do you see a wide, goofy grin or a dog on the verge of attack? Either answer has its fair share of supporters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many people that believe that the pit bull\u2019s harrowed past is too great to overcome, while others believe that a pit bull will now and forever be a playful, loving sidekick. So, who\u2019s right? Are pit bulls a naturally mean and aggressive breed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though pit bulls have long been trained and breed for aggression and fighting purposes, they are naturally no more mean or aggressive than any other dog breed. Aggression stems from a mix of genetics, socialization, stress, training and interactions.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Did Pit Bulls Get Their Bad Rap?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every dog breed was bred to perform a specific duty. Poodles were bred to retrieve birds, Saint Bernards were made to be Alpine search and rescue dogs, Yorkshire terriers were bred to hunt rats, and Shih Tzus were bred to be your lap warmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, many of these dog breeds haven\u2019t entirely followed their job descriptions that they were meant to do (except Shih Tzus!). The same goes for the pit bull. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The breed of dogs that we refer to as pit bulls are descendants of the English bull-baiting <\/em>dog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Baiting<\/a> was a sport built purely for entertainment in early England in which dogs were paired against bulls, bears, or other large animals in a fight-to-the-finish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baiting dogs had to be tough, muscular, and tenacious as the object of the sport was to bite and hold the nose or face of the other animal in order to render them helpless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The traits that made a good baiting dog are traits that most pit bull parents truly recognize in their pit bulls of today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once baiting was made illegal in the 1800s, the nature of the fighting turned to dog versus dog instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This switch led to adding quickness and agility into the mix of strength and tenacity. In order to be a good fighter, the dogs also had to be aggressive towards other dogs but not toward people as that would make them more difficult to handle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While dog fighting has continued on since this time, it has had a resurgence in the news in 2007 when Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick<\/a> was sentenced to prison for running a dog-fighting operation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Couple that with thousands of stories of dog attacks on humans involving pit bulls and it\u2019s no wonder that these dogs have developed a \u201cDoesn\u2019t Play Well With Others\u201d reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breed Specific Laws<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In an effort to decrease the number of attacks on humans and other animals, many states have instituted breed specific laws<\/a> that ban or regulate the ownership of certain dog breeds that are considered dangerous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With pit bulls being linked to dog fighting and attacks on humans you can imagine they always make the list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This definitely doesn\u2019t help build the reputation of a friendly, family dog that only wants human companionship that most pit bull parents are familiar with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, breed specific laws actually prevent many families from having a pit bull, no matter what the temperament, and therefore don\u2019t allow for any other judgements of what a pit bull is really like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only information that some people have to make up an opinion on whether pit bulls are naturally more aggressive or mean is based on their history and these laws. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-pit bull people are also more likely to believe some of the myths surrounding this breed, further leading them to accept that these dogs are inherently more aggressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pit Bull Myths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all heard them, whether you believe them or not may sway your impression of pit bulls as a breed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n