Pit bull - History
The ancestors of modern pit bulls, English and French bulldogs, and other related breeds were powerful mastiffs bred for farm work. Specifically, these dogs accompanied farmers into the fields to assist with bringing bulls in for breeding, castration, or slaughter. The dogs, known generally as bulldogs, protected the farmer by subduing the bull if it attempted to gore him. Typically a dog would do this by biting the bull on the nose and holding on until the bull submitted. Because of the nature of their job, bulldogs were bred to have powerful jaws, muscular bodies, and the resolve to hold onto a violently-struggling bull, even when injured.
Eventually these dogs' purpose inspired the widespread practice of the bloody sports of bull-baiting and bear-baiting. Bulldogs are believed to have been bred with terrier breeds to produce a more muscular, compact, and agile dog for these competitions. The resulting dogs are known as bull-and-terrier breeds, and modern examples include all pit bull-type dogs. In Elizabethan England, these spectacles were popular forms of entertainment. However, in 1835, bull-baiting and bear-baiting were abolished by Parliament as cruel, and the custom died out over the following years.
In its place the sport of dog-fighting gained popularity. Dogs were bred for specific traits useful in the dog-fighting ring, refining the agility, gameness, and power already present in the bull-and-terrier breeds. They were also bred to be intelligent and level-headed during fights and unaggressive toward humans. Part of the standard for organized dog-fighting required that an owner be able to enter the ring, pick up his dog while it was engaged in a fight, and carry it out of the ring without being bitten. Dogs that bit their owners were culled. As a result, Victorian fighting dogs (Staffordshire Bull Terriers and, though less commonly used as fighters, English Bull Terriers) generally had stable temperaments and were commonly kept in the home by the gambling men who owned them.
Pit bull - Characteristics
Pit bulls are medium-sized (males range 45-85lbs, females 30-80lbs), solidly built, short-coated dogs that require little grooming. They have an affectionate disposition, and are noted for their attachment to their masters as well as for their confident and intelligent temperament. Pit bull breeds are typically devoted and sociable, and are happiest when in the company of their human companions.
Pit Bulls are extremely athletic and energetic dogs, and require a great deal of exercise if they are not to become destructive. Although they can be short, they have extremely high muscle density and are generally capable of executing a standing four-foot-vertical jump. Pit bulls have also been bred to have a very high tolerance for pain. For example, the United States Postal Service, which equips its letter carriers with a pepper spray, notes that many capsaicin-based dog-repellent sprays can have little or no effect on an attacking pit bull.
Pit bulls were historically bred to display dominance aggression toward other dogs—a relic of the breed's dog fighting past. A pit bull displaying the correct breed temperament is friendly towards humans, but at the same time protective over its territory. Some believe this behavior is desirable in family pet for protection from intruders.
Supporters of pit bulls argue they can make good pets. Good breeding practices may help to minimize agressive behavior. Most pit bull advocates recommend getting a pitbull as a puppy so the owner has more control over the socialization process, and can more easily train it away from harsh or unacceptable behaviors.
The American Temperament Test Society, Inc. (ATTS) breed statistics as of December 2004 show an 83.4% passing rate for the American Pit Bull Terrier and a 93.2% passing rate for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, as compared to an 81% average pass rate for all dog breeds. The testing process is not a direct measure of agression. Some of the tests used by ATTS may give a passing grade to agression toward humans considered appropriate for the situation, such as a stranger advancing toward the dog and handler in an threatening manner. Other parts of the ATTS test battery gauge response to unfamiliar situations such as walking on slippery surfaces or hearing nearby gunshots.
Pit bull - Dog fights
In the United States, pit bulls are the breed of choice for dog fights, due to their incredible strength and dog-aggressive tendencies. Although dog fighting is illegal in the U.S., it is still practiced, and is usually accompanied by gambling. People who train pit bulls to fight usually prepare them for fighting by having them pull weighted sleds and run on specially designed treadmills. Often the codeword "game bred" is used to indicate that a pit bull has been bred especially to fight. Although when most pits are "game bred" it indicates that the dog's ancestors were bred for fighting but the dog itself is not for fighting; it's just as strong but is human and pet friendly. Nonfighting "game bred" dogs are usually used for breeders who participate in weight pulling, hunting, springpole, and other athletic sports. Breeding human or dog aggressive pit bulls is sometimes associated with the hip hop culture, which consider it a status symbol to own the toughest dog. [6]
The term game-bred may be used as a code for a fight dog, but sometimes referring to a dog that is game simply means a dog that is very determined to complete a task, be it a race, weight pull, or unfortunately even a fight.
Pit bull - Debate
The extent to which banning a particular breed is effective in reducing dog bite fatalities is contested. Some people maintain that pit bull attacks are directly attributable to irresponsible owners, rather than to any inherent defect in the breed itself. Other people believe that the pit bull terrier is a breed that, although not inherently dangerous, needs a particularly knowledgeable and committed handler and should not be freely available to novice owners. Still others maintain that pit bulls as a breed are invariably more unpredictable and dangerous than other dogs even when properly trained, and have no place in society.
Pit bull terriers are popular with irresponsible owners who see these dogs as a symbol of status or machismo, as these owners often do not socialize, train, or desex their pets. These are all factors that have been shown to contribute to increased likelihood of dog aggression, and may partially explain why pit bulls feature so heavily in dog attack statistics. Some people argue that banning the pit bull will simply result in irresponsible dog owners seeking to own other large breeds with similar temperaments (such as the Dobermann, Rottweiler or German Shepherd Dog), resulting in an increased occurrence of dog bites from these breeds. Others argue that the Pit Bull has a particular appeal to the irresponsible dog owner because of its smaller size. An unruly pit bull can be restrained on a leash by an average adult, where a larger breed would easily overpower the owner's restraint.
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