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Unwrapping Pit Bulls
Unwrapping Pit Bulls
Learn how the modern Pit Bull came to be, and how it came
to be maligned.
by Karen Peak
contributing writer
July 12, 2004
Never in recent history has there been a breed so maligned
as the grouping of dogs called pit bull. Lower case "pit
bull" is a generic term for any of several breeds and
any mix of dog that is medium to larger in size, short haired,
stocky and squarely built. The breeds often lumped into this
generic term are: American Staffordshire Terrier, American
Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier
and its smaller "sibling" the Miniature Bull Terrier. The
Am Staff and APBT are basically the same breed. They came
from the same stock – descending from dogs found in Great
Britain. When the American Kennel Club recognized the breed,
the name was changed to Staffordshire Terrier and later to
American Staffordshire Terrier to reduce confusion with the
Staffordshire Bull Terrier (a smaller breed) and to try and
separate it from the APBT. The American Pit Bull Terrier is
the United Kennel Club recognized version of the Am Staff.
The breeds that have become the APBT and Am Staff were originally
what is called a "Catch dog." Catch dogs were used by farmers,
butchers and hunters to grab and hold cattle or hogs or larger
game like wild boar and bear. Eventually, people began to
brag about the way their dogs could work and started holding
events such as bull and bear baiting. The dogs were judged
on how fast they could grab and hang, the tenacity in which
they worked, etc. Dogs that were strong, tenacious, had a
desire to work, courageous as well a good with humans were
bred.
The dogs were never developed to be human aggressive. It
would be dangerous for a farmer, butcher or hunter to have
a catch dog that was human aggressive. The owner has to be
able to step in and remove the dog without worrying about
risk to self. Eventually the dogs were pitted against each
other. When the "sport" of dog fighting became popular, temperament
was still key. A dog that could not be safely managed by the
handler was risky and eliminated from the breeding program.
The dogs were not bred to be aggressive to humans!
So, where did things start to go wrong? As with just about
everything, popularity was the beginning of the problem. During
the early part of the 1900's, the American Pit Bull Terrier
and Am Staff became very popular in the United States as companions.
"Petey" from "Our Gang" was an APBT dual registered with the
United Kennel Club and American Kennel Club as Lucenay's Peter.
John Steinbeck owned a Bull Terrier. The original Nipper ("His
Master's Voice") was a pit bull-fox terrier cross. Helen Keller
owned an APBT. President Woodrow Wilson had a dog that won
many awards for him. Who can forget "Spuds MacKenzie," a Bull
Terrier? Most recently a Bull Terrier is the mascot for the
Target store chain. Stubby, an American Pit Bull Terrier from
World War I is thought to be the most decorated war dog from
that time. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall owned a pit bull-type
dog: "Harvey." Unfortunately, popularity brings about bad
breeders and bad owners. Just look at what has happened to
the Dalmatian thanks to Walt Disney.
In the past decade or two, the breeds grouped into the heading
"pit" have surged in popularity worldwide. The Bull
Terrier and Mini Bull have not been as heavily coveted by
the general public but are still feeling the backlash from
the popularity of their cousins. The strong build and impressive
looks of these dogs have made them popular status symbols
with the wrong type of owners. These wrong owners may become
bad breeders.
Human males (predominantly), to show their machismo, use
cars, clothing, guns and now powerful looking dogs as both
status symbols and weapons. A minority of under-educated people
began breeding the dogs they felt were the most courageous
and tough. However, these humans failed to understand courage
is NOT how fast a dog will fight or attack or how human aggresisive
they can make it but how confident the dog is while working.
A few bad people started breeding dogs that were overly dog
aggressive and now human aggressive. Human aggression and
dog aggression are two separate traits in dogs. Sadly, these
people are a very visible minority in the world of the "bull"
breeds. It is this visible minority that is the reason lawmakers
call for breed bans.
What is the best environment for one of these dogs? First,
the owner must NOT be looking for a dog as a status symbol.
These people have no business owning any living creature.
These are the people that are intentionally breeding poor
temperaments in these dogs. Second, the home must NOT be looking
for something to keep outside all day like a sentry. These
people should get an alarm system installed. A well-bred one
can also make a terrible sentry. It is more likely to beat
someone to death with a wagging tail or drown in kisses! The
various breeds lumped into "pit" thrive on human
companionship. The best home for one of these dogs is with
someone who has more than an hour or two a day to devote to
a dog. A home where the dog will be properly chosen from a
good breeder, trained and socialized. The best home is one
where the dogs will be given a "job" to utilize their desire
to work. These dogs can excell in Agility, Flyball, Weight
pulling, and Obedience competitions. Some of these dogs are
even being used as drug detecting dogs and search and rescue
dogs.
The breeds of dog lumped into the generic pit bull heading
are a wonderful, hardworking, affectionate, devoted and even
silly group of dogs. They are not the best dogs to take to
your local dog park. They may not start a fight but neither
will they back down from a perceived challenge. If a group
of dogs is chasing a ball and the pit wants it, the pit will
get it. If another dog approaches a pit in a menacing way,
the pit will often rise to the challenge. Owners have to realize
this and understand that these dogs are great with humans
but may not be so with other dogs. However, this trait is
found in many dogs, not just these few breeds. Understanding
the background and temperament of any breed of dog is vital
to being able to properly manage the dog.
These dogs are not the vicious killers the media and many
lawmakers want us to believe.
The problem is strong dogs that have strong work drives are
falling into the wrong hands. A very visible minority of people
who have no business at all owning another life is destroying
the public perception of these breeds. This is where we end
up with problem dogs: when any breed or cross of dog falls
into the hands of the wrong owners.
- Karen Peak
From Karen Peak of West Wind Dog Training, http://www.westwinddogtraining.com.
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