Because of a lack of knowledge or information, some people say that Pit Bulls are dangerous, aggressive and they often attack people and even their owners. But, these are just myths or accidents that happen once or twice and shouldn’t be used to describe the whole breed. Because Pit bulls are typically large, muscular and intimidating in appearance, they are often bought by people who want a mean, scary dog or by thug-types who want to impress their friends with an aggressive dog. When these irresponsible owners watch the dog age and do not get aggressive behaviors naturally, they begin abusing and neglecting their dog until it becomes aggressive and violent. But, in fact, the Pit Bulls are one of the friendliest and dedicated companions a human can have if they are, as any other dog, probably trained and loved by the owners. The term Pit Bull is a generic term used to describe dogs with similar physical characteristics. Usually a “Pit Bull” is considered one of several breeds including the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, or any mix thereof. In some parts of the world, the American Bulldog and Dogo Argentino are also classified as a “Pit Bull-type” dog, despite major genetic differences. Any dog that is mixed with a “bully breed” may also be called a “Pit Bull” including those that are descended from the English Bulldog, French Bulldog, Boston Terrier and Cane Corso. The Pit Bull is not a distinct breed which may make it difficult for experts to identify and while mixed breed dogs are often labelled a “Pit Bull” if they have certain physical characteristics such as a square shaped head or bulky body type, visual identification of mixed breed dogs is not recommended by the scholarly community. All pit bulls were created with similar cross-breeding between bulldogs and terriers, but each individual pit bull breed has a distinct history. Most experts agree that today’s pit bull is a short-coated dog characterized by a wide skull, powerful jaws and a muscular, stocky body. But there is great variation in the pit bull’s appearance. Typically 35 to 65 pounds, some weigh as little as 25 pounds, while others tip the scales at 80 pounds or more. Some have bulkier frames and colossal skulls; others have leaner, more muscular bodies. All are strong and athletic. With their impressive stamina and staunch work ethic, pit bulls enjoy a variety of activities, including agility, disc dog competitions, flyball, and freestyle and competition obedience. They often excel in weight-pulling contests and schutzhund. Some pit bulls work cattle in herding trials, and some still function as hunting dogs. But, as any dog breed, they very loyal friends and guardians. With a lot of love and devoted training the Pit Bulls are friendly and playful, not dangerous and aggressive as shown. So, look at those cute faces and brake the negative myths.
MYTH: A Pit Bull that is aggressive toward other dogs is aggressive toward humans.
FACT: It is very important to know that dog-aggression and people-aggression are two distinctive traits and should not be confused. So, unless a Pit Bull is poorly bred or purposefully trained to attack humans, they generally love people. The truth is that they one of the most loving, loyal, friendly and dedicated companions a human can have.
MYTH: Pit Bulls don’t feel pain
FACT: The truth is that as any other living creature, Pit Bulls feel pain too. These breed are “people pleasers” and have it ingrained in them to finish a task no matter the level of discomfort or pain.
MYTH: It is better to adopt a Pit Bull puppy instead of an adult.
FACT: It’s a fact that puppies are adorable, but, they grow up, eventually. Puppies are cute and funny, but the temper and personality develops when they are more mature, so the true face of a Pit Bull you can see as the get older. Dog-intolerance and dog-aggression are traits that do not develop in some dogs until they are fully mature. It is possible that the cute little puppy you adopt who is friendly with all other dogs may not like other dogs at all later in life, even dogs she has grown up with and lived with for her entire life. Both nurture (environment) and nature (genetics) play a role in determining a dog’s mature personality. This doesn’t mean that Pit Bull puppies should not be adopted, but if you want to know how big your dog will ultimately be and how she will act around humans and other animals, you may want to consider adopting an adult.
MYTH: Pit Bulls are all inherently vicious.
FACT: This is a stereotype that is biased toward generalizing and condemning an entire breed based on the actions of a few bad people. The truth is that each dog should be evaluated by his own merits and not by his breed. A corollary truth is that there truly are no bad dogs, only bad people who train them bad and wrong.
MYTH: Pit Bulls turn on their owners
FACT: As any other dogs, the Pit Bulls don’t perform behaviors or act out for no reason. Generally there are a few factors that contribute to a dog, of any breed, acting out, such as lack of socialization, poor training and sometimes, even disease. These factors could be brewing for a long time and have just gone unnoticed by the master.
MYTH: Pit Bulls have locking jaws.
FACT: Pit Bulls do not have any special physical mechanism or enzyme that allows them to “lock” their jaws. If you compare a Pit Bull skull to a skull of any other dog breed, you can see with the naked eye that both skulls share the same characteristics and general bone structure. However, one personality trait of the Pit Bull breed is determination. Whatever Pit Bulls do, they do it with a great deal of enthusiasm, and it is this trait that can make it seem like they have a locking jaw when they bite down on something and are determined not to release it.
Pit Bulls Myths and Facts - Loving Pets Or Dangerous Monsters?
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