So i have to vent now. Please pardon me...
I have a problem with people who think that just because their pit bulls are dog friendly as puppies then that means they will be friendly as adults. I have a problem with people who think that environment will *always* hold sway over genetics. In other words, "I'm gonna take my pit bull to the dog park and let him run around until he displays aggression! Yeah!"
Basically I have a problem with the people who refuse to see their dogs for what they (potentially) ARE vs this idealistic view that if they socialize the crap out of them, then they will never be dog aggressive, regardless if they come from fighting lines or not. (I especially love the people who have fighting lines dogs who have this mentality.)
These are the same people who by being idealistic vs practical and responsible end up giving pit bulls a bad name because they take their dogs to the dog park, or they leave their bitches alone with other dominant bitches, or they refuse to recognize that dogs are a lot like people -- not all of them like other dogs.
They don't have the common sense to learn dog language to know that a wagging tail = excited dog, not necessarily a happy dog.
Excited dogs can be happy to see their humans and their fellow dogs, but excited dogs can also be dogs that are getting ready to roll a fight out on another dog. There are some pit bulls who when excited often do not growl before getting into a fight, instead they get tense, they drop their heads and they wag their tails.
The mentality seems to be "Oh he's just playing!" Meanwhile their pit bull is actively stalking another smaller dog across the park, neck hair ruffed up, head lowered, tail wagging away, eyes very very intent. That is not play.
Every pit bull rescue organization out there recommends that you do not socialize pit bulls at dog parks. Why? Because pit bulls have been bred for over two hundred years to be dog aggressive. Two years of socialization, doesn't mean you can erase two hundred years of genetics. Pit bulls can go dog aggro anywhere from 10 months to 5 years of age.
It can seem like it happens over night... Petey is fine with dogs, fine with dogs, fine with dogs, then the switch is flipped - maybe over a minor scuffle regarding a toy, maybe over nothing - and Petey becomes dog aggro.
I am not saying people shouldn't socialize their pit bulls with other dogs. Socializing DOES help, but socializing is NOT part of the hardware: socialization is more software, than hardware. Socializing can be completely undone by one bad experience - if a dog gets attacked by one breed of dog, that dog can be scared for the rest of his life by any dog that looks like the dog that attacked him.
However, genetics is hardware because it's buried in every cell of the dog's body. Genetics is what gives the pit bull it's looks, it's fur, the color of it's nose, it's temperment, it's ability to withstand pain, and the stubbornness to finish what it starts. Genetics is what makes a pit bull a pit bull... And until it becomes standard practice across the board to breed dog friendliness into all pit bulls, there will still be the predispostion for a pit bull to be dog aggressive.
For example: My own dog Mojo, is a breed mix of pit bull and something(s) else. He is 4 years old, and apparently dog friendly - save for german shepherds (and mixes there of). He is good natured with humans, has a very high pain tolerance (he runs into walls and bounces off like a ball), is stubborn about certain aspects of his life (thus why I haven't been able to leash train him much yet), and will see things to a finish - whether it's protecting me from dogs attacking (yes this has happened), comforting me until I laugh, or getting me up in the mornings for work.
What Mojo starts in Mojo's world, Mojo finishes.
Mojo is a representative of the pit bull breed simply because of the structure of his face and the color of his nose (red). He may be dog friendly (mostly) but I know that in order to safe guard that friendliness I cannot set him up for failure. Thus he's not allowed to meet dogs who are off leash. We do not go to dog parks (anymore). The only dogs he plays with are dogs that I have watched him interact with and am comfortable that he will respect them (mostly females).
His being a representative of the pit bull breed is another reason getting him back into formal obedience training is so important to me. By being a representative he has to be on his best behavior in public - four on the floor, no nipping, and eyes on me please. When people see a well behaved pit bull they sit up and notice - even when they are deathly afraid of them - they still notice and maybe they think to themselves... "May Pits aren't so bad after all."
This cannot happen in the chaotic messes of dog parks.
Dog parks look GREAT on paper - a fenced in, off leash area where urban dogs can run around and socialize with each other. Doesn't that sound just GREAT?! What a great idea!
The reality is often times much more different.
I have been to several dog parks. Of all the times I've been I have seen the same things happen -
*dogs who do not obey their owners - particularily dogs who do not come when called.
*owners who are drinking their coffees on the other side of the park of their dogs not knowing what the bloody heck their dogs are doing,
*dogs who often times are so confused about their status in life that they bully everyone else,
*dogs who are intact/in heat.. etc.
The problems are endless.
Dog fights happen often when you mix those things together. Most dog owners do not know how to handle dog fights - they do not know the least idea of how to break up a serious dog fight. They ESPECIALLY do not know how to get a pit bull to stop fighting as pit bulls do not fight the same way that most other dog breeds fight.
Pit bulls generally do not spend their time getting in a flurry of rapid bites that cover a wide area of the body. That is how other dogs fight - which is why you should NEVER have your hands near those dogs heads because you will get bit. This is how when a child gets bit by a dog (non-pit bull) they have multiple lacerations over a big area of their body.
Pit bulls on the other hand generally try to get to the face, or the throat and they latch on. Why? Because long, long ago before they became popular as combatants, pit bulls were used to grab and kill bulls for the butchers. They would generally attempt to grab the bull by the throat or the nose and hang on in order to slowly suffocate the bull to death by crushing the nasal passages or the esophagus. (Cheetahs do much the same move on their prey when they are hunting.)
In order to break up a fight involving a pit bull, you need a breaking stick. A breaking stick is a small pole that has been cut down to a wedge shape at one end. And what you do with it is you slide it in behind the back molars of a pit bull's mouth (there's a gap) and twist the stick in order to pry the dog's mouth open and off the other dog. You then grab the pit bull by the nape or the back legs and pull him away from the other dog. (it's best to tie the other dog to something sturdy so it doesn't try to retaliate)
How many novice dog owners do you think would know that?
On the other hand, how many experienced, responsible pit bull owners do you think go to dog parks? Not many. You will see a lot of young pit bull puppies in dog parks, but once a dog lets his true adult feelings be known about other dogs, and an owner goes through their first dog park dog fight...? Most likely they won't go back for a second helping.
I am one of those people who thought she could take her dog friendly pit mix to the dog park. I didn't learn a harsh lesson - there was no torn ears, or vet bills - but I did learn the lesson to not take my adult pit mix to the dog park after the second visit. I also learned to listen to what more experienced people IN the breed had to say about things like true pit bull/dog aggression, how to manage dog aggressive households, and how to properly and safely socialize pit bull type dogs.
I wish more people would take heed of those lessons, those words, those common sense responsible actions of their fellow pit bull owners. Pit Bull rescues and responsible pit bull owners say NO to dog parks for a very good reason - every dog fight or attack by a pit bull lends more fuel to the very public fire of us losing our dogs totally and completely.
It is possible to make the American Pit Bull Terrier illegal to own. It has happened in the UK, it has happened in Germany, it has happened in more than one country - that to own that breed makes you a criminal outside of your society's laws.
I do not want that to happen here.
I love Mojo too much.
I love pit bulls in general too much.
And that's why I say no to dog parks.
(I just wrote this off the top of my brain - with the only stop to look at a dog site was to get the PBRC break stick page. I guess all of that research i did and continue to do pays off sometimes. Eitehr that or I am a total and absolute freak of nature.)
I have a problem with people who think that just because their pit bulls are dog friendly as puppies then that means they will be friendly as adults. I have a problem with people who think that environment will *always* hold sway over genetics. In other words, "I'm gonna take my pit bull to the dog park and let him run around until he displays aggression! Yeah!"
Basically I have a problem with the people who refuse to see their dogs for what they (potentially) ARE vs this idealistic view that if they socialize the crap out of them, then they will never be dog aggressive, regardless if they come from fighting lines or not. (I especially love the people who have fighting lines dogs who have this mentality.)
These are the same people who by being idealistic vs practical and responsible end up giving pit bulls a bad name because they take their dogs to the dog park, or they leave their bitches alone with other dominant bitches, or they refuse to recognize that dogs are a lot like people -- not all of them like other dogs.
They don't have the common sense to learn dog language to know that a wagging tail = excited dog, not necessarily a happy dog.
Excited dogs can be happy to see their humans and their fellow dogs, but excited dogs can also be dogs that are getting ready to roll a fight out on another dog. There are some pit bulls who when excited often do not growl before getting into a fight, instead they get tense, they drop their heads and they wag their tails.
The mentality seems to be "Oh he's just playing!" Meanwhile their pit bull is actively stalking another smaller dog across the park, neck hair ruffed up, head lowered, tail wagging away, eyes very very intent. That is not play.
Every pit bull rescue organization out there recommends that you do not socialize pit bulls at dog parks. Why? Because pit bulls have been bred for over two hundred years to be dog aggressive. Two years of socialization, doesn't mean you can erase two hundred years of genetics. Pit bulls can go dog aggro anywhere from 10 months to 5 years of age.
It can seem like it happens over night... Petey is fine with dogs, fine with dogs, fine with dogs, then the switch is flipped - maybe over a minor scuffle regarding a toy, maybe over nothing - and Petey becomes dog aggro.
I am not saying people shouldn't socialize their pit bulls with other dogs. Socializing DOES help, but socializing is NOT part of the hardware: socialization is more software, than hardware. Socializing can be completely undone by one bad experience - if a dog gets attacked by one breed of dog, that dog can be scared for the rest of his life by any dog that looks like the dog that attacked him.
However, genetics is hardware because it's buried in every cell of the dog's body. Genetics is what gives the pit bull it's looks, it's fur, the color of it's nose, it's temperment, it's ability to withstand pain, and the stubbornness to finish what it starts. Genetics is what makes a pit bull a pit bull... And until it becomes standard practice across the board to breed dog friendliness into all pit bulls, there will still be the predispostion for a pit bull to be dog aggressive.
For example: My own dog Mojo, is a breed mix of pit bull and something(s) else. He is 4 years old, and apparently dog friendly - save for german shepherds (and mixes there of). He is good natured with humans, has a very high pain tolerance (he runs into walls and bounces off like a ball), is stubborn about certain aspects of his life (thus why I haven't been able to leash train him much yet), and will see things to a finish - whether it's protecting me from dogs attacking (yes this has happened), comforting me until I laugh, or getting me up in the mornings for work.
What Mojo starts in Mojo's world, Mojo finishes.
Mojo is a representative of the pit bull breed simply because of the structure of his face and the color of his nose (red). He may be dog friendly (mostly) but I know that in order to safe guard that friendliness I cannot set him up for failure. Thus he's not allowed to meet dogs who are off leash. We do not go to dog parks (anymore). The only dogs he plays with are dogs that I have watched him interact with and am comfortable that he will respect them (mostly females).
His being a representative of the pit bull breed is another reason getting him back into formal obedience training is so important to me. By being a representative he has to be on his best behavior in public - four on the floor, no nipping, and eyes on me please. When people see a well behaved pit bull they sit up and notice - even when they are deathly afraid of them - they still notice and maybe they think to themselves... "May Pits aren't so bad after all."
This cannot happen in the chaotic messes of dog parks.
Dog parks look GREAT on paper - a fenced in, off leash area where urban dogs can run around and socialize with each other. Doesn't that sound just GREAT?! What a great idea!
The reality is often times much more different.
I have been to several dog parks. Of all the times I've been I have seen the same things happen -
*dogs who do not obey their owners - particularily dogs who do not come when called.
*owners who are drinking their coffees on the other side of the park of their dogs not knowing what the bloody heck their dogs are doing,
*dogs who often times are so confused about their status in life that they bully everyone else,
*dogs who are intact/in heat.. etc.
The problems are endless.
Dog fights happen often when you mix those things together. Most dog owners do not know how to handle dog fights - they do not know the least idea of how to break up a serious dog fight. They ESPECIALLY do not know how to get a pit bull to stop fighting as pit bulls do not fight the same way that most other dog breeds fight.
Pit bulls generally do not spend their time getting in a flurry of rapid bites that cover a wide area of the body. That is how other dogs fight - which is why you should NEVER have your hands near those dogs heads because you will get bit. This is how when a child gets bit by a dog (non-pit bull) they have multiple lacerations over a big area of their body.
Pit bulls on the other hand generally try to get to the face, or the throat and they latch on. Why? Because long, long ago before they became popular as combatants, pit bulls were used to grab and kill bulls for the butchers. They would generally attempt to grab the bull by the throat or the nose and hang on in order to slowly suffocate the bull to death by crushing the nasal passages or the esophagus. (Cheetahs do much the same move on their prey when they are hunting.)
In order to break up a fight involving a pit bull, you need a breaking stick. A breaking stick is a small pole that has been cut down to a wedge shape at one end. And what you do with it is you slide it in behind the back molars of a pit bull's mouth (there's a gap) and twist the stick in order to pry the dog's mouth open and off the other dog. You then grab the pit bull by the nape or the back legs and pull him away from the other dog. (it's best to tie the other dog to something sturdy so it doesn't try to retaliate)
How many novice dog owners do you think would know that?
On the other hand, how many experienced, responsible pit bull owners do you think go to dog parks? Not many. You will see a lot of young pit bull puppies in dog parks, but once a dog lets his true adult feelings be known about other dogs, and an owner goes through their first dog park dog fight...? Most likely they won't go back for a second helping.
I am one of those people who thought she could take her dog friendly pit mix to the dog park. I didn't learn a harsh lesson - there was no torn ears, or vet bills - but I did learn the lesson to not take my adult pit mix to the dog park after the second visit. I also learned to listen to what more experienced people IN the breed had to say about things like true pit bull/dog aggression, how to manage dog aggressive households, and how to properly and safely socialize pit bull type dogs.
I wish more people would take heed of those lessons, those words, those common sense responsible actions of their fellow pit bull owners. Pit Bull rescues and responsible pit bull owners say NO to dog parks for a very good reason - every dog fight or attack by a pit bull lends more fuel to the very public fire of us losing our dogs totally and completely.
It is possible to make the American Pit Bull Terrier illegal to own. It has happened in the UK, it has happened in Germany, it has happened in more than one country - that to own that breed makes you a criminal outside of your society's laws.
I do not want that to happen here.
I love Mojo too much.
I love pit bulls in general too much.
And that's why I say no to dog parks.
(I just wrote this off the top of my brain - with the only stop to look at a dog site was to get the PBRC break stick page. I guess all of that research i did and continue to do pays off sometimes. Eitehr that or I am a total and absolute freak of nature.)
I dont think I will go to a dog park either, Chloe has issues with yellow dogs just like mojo has with GSD's and GSD mixes. Every time we go in petsmart and there is one walking by her she snaps at them.
