The other day i was watching my niece's pitbull "Buddy", he was such a nice dog sweet lovable affectionate. You can tell all he wanted was attention. I would lie on the couch and all he wanted to do was be by me lick my face. I took him back to my niece's house the next day. My niece lives with my sister and my sister has a German Shepard. Well yesterday my sister calls me crying saying that Buddy attacked the German Shepard. That it all happened while my sister and her dog were just sitting on the couch, and buddy came out of nowhere and attacked the shepard. He bit a little of the ear off and some bite marks on her face. My question is why did this gentle nice pit do this. We never imagined, he would play with the shepard just fine. It's like he turned all of a sudden. Also is it true that once a pitbull gets a taste for blood he always wants that taste. I wanted the pit now i'm having second thoughts, i have 2 kids and i don't want to danger them.
Answers:
The taste of blood is myth. Pit bulls are a fighting breed and have been bred over many generations for that purpose. They also are jealous of their owners and other dogs. Highly protective and will strike at a moments notice. Personally I think they are wonderful dogs but need close control and attention when around other people and other animals.
This blood line has a historical line of breeding with the intention of fighting and exhibiting aggressive behavior towards other dogs.
When a trait like this is specifically bred for, it can be difficult to get rid of the desire or mentality to exhibit that trait. Sort of like - terriers and their obscession with rodents. They were bred to hunt them - so often it can be difficult to house the two together because terriers just have a strong desire to hunt rodents :/
This isn't always the case though - I know plenty of pit owners who have no problems with their dogs being aggressive.
Though for the most part these dogs are part pit - not full.
That's a really horrible situation though and it can definitely be tough to recover from something like that - no one wants to see their pets get injured or injuring another animal.
Pits don't always get along with other dogs.
And there is no truth to the taste of blood thing.
This dog could be very unstable, maybe he does not like other dogs. Because of Pit Bulls' histories, once they get the taste of blood, some dogs of this breed attack more often. Any breed of dog is capable of slipping into the "red" or "attack" zone, not only Pit Bulls. Are you sure that the Pit Bull did this, and not a different dog?
Thats their nature. Unpredictable. He already shows agression, why would you want him around children? Think about it! So for all the people that says its the owners fault, read over the question above....
Dont worry he is probally just bad with other dogs some dogs are good with other dogs and some are bad with other dogs. And all the bad things aboout pitbulls are not true they justhave a bad reputtation
pitts are freindly unless trained to be aggressive
Are you sure your getting the whole story? Maybe the Shepard did something and they didn't see it? I have a female pitt and my 2 year old son just lays all over her. When she gets tired of it she just gets up and goes lay on the couch. She also let our 5 week old pekingese puppies chew and crawl all over her. And about the blood thing, the person who told you that needs to be b*@ch slapped!! They are the reason people are so afraid of them. I have had several pitts throughout my life and never had a problem with any of them. At all. He could have been jealous because he wasn't getting any attention. Like you said all he wanted to do when he was with you was be loved on. Maybe your niece isn't giving him the attention that he needs.
No, it's not true that they get the taste for blood. First of all, pitbulls may have aggression toward other dogs, but that does not mean they will toward humans. Years and years of breeding these dogs, they did not breed dogs that showed human aggression. Even the most tenacious fighters could not show human aggression because the owners had to be able to get into the pits in the middle of the fight and pull out their dog.
Secondly, dogs rarely attack for no reason. Dogs give subtle hints that the other dog probably refused to listen to. For example, if a dog has a toy, or in this case a position on the couch, they will stare the other dog down in a way of saying "mine" If the other dog refuses to listen, then it will escalate. Humans rarely see the subtle signs, but I assure you the other dog did.
Also, fights are commom in multiple dog households. I have four very gentle, well trained dogs, but we have to do our fair share of fight prevention.
Think of it this way. Humans can say things like "this is mine, please leave it alone." Or "get out of my seat, or else!" All dogs can do is growl, bite and fight if the other chooses to challenge their authority.
In the situation where dogs are fighting, you need to establish yourself as the one in control and quickly. The two dogs are fighting for control. It is normal and does not mean he is a mean dog.
If you get HBO, watch this week's episode of "Real Sports". They do a very interesting story on dog fighting. It's often difficult to watch - I had to close my eyes several times.
Anyway, although the story is really about dog fighting, the viewer will learn how temperament is bred into these dogs (all pitbulls) and how temperament has been with these animals for many generations. Such temperament doesn't just disappear, and unfortunately, something triggered this behavior that was deeply rooted in your niece's dog.
Dogs can be the most friendly things to people. If the dogs are battling for dominance...then of course they would fight. I have three small dogs and they fight too. I know it is not as serious as two big dogs going at it, but a fight is a fight. If you do not get a dog.I think you could own the pit just fine if it is the only dog in the home. Besides, you could be his only hope. Please do anything you can to save this dog from being euthanized.
1 Pitts are generally animal aggressive NOT human aggressive
2 body language and vocal communication too high pitched to hear could have (and likely DID) pass between the two dogs, unnoticed by the humans.
3 the Pitt is most likely highly possessive of your sister and didn't like the other dog being near her.
4 NO DOG, no matter what breed, "gets a taste for blood" that makes them want blood. ALL dogs like raw meat/blood, it is part of their natural diet they will not just start trying to eat people/pets because they have tasted blood once. If that was true everyone who gave their dog a bit of raw beef would be chewed to ribbons!
5 perhaps it isn't a good idea to take in Buddy (I am unclear if you want to keep Buddy as a pet or if you are/were just interested in getting a Pitt) as he has shown himself to be aggressively possessive and that could be dangerous to you/your children BUT that doesn't mean that some other Pittbull might not be a good fit for your family!
Sounds like something happened there in between maybe something your sister missed?? It could be that he was just playing a little too rough. Pit bulls are one of my favorite breeds and I know this from experience from friends and family they need to be well trained right from the second you get them, no letting him nibble on your finger when a puppy, teach him right away that this is wrong. I also know that something usually triggers them to get upset like maybe another dog or child hurting him by mistake or teasing him.
I know 2 Pit Bulls that are the nicest dogs i have ever met.
Pit Bulls are being ban from where I'm from (Ontario) :(
Good luck!
Lets Save The Pit bulls!
Check out Animal Planets The Dog Whisperer, he has many Pits that live together with other dogs in the same yard. My father raised Pits, my brothers teethed on them, we had three all together in the same house. Save the Pits! they are awesome dogs.
It's true that pits can be animal/dog aggressive and it's also true that once a fight happens...odds are greater it'll happen again. However, it's not 'blood lust'...that's absurd. Anyhow, pits are not the only breed that can be animal/dog aggressive. Most of the experienced pit breeders and owners I know, say to never leave them unsupervised with other animals. They say that even if the pit doesn't start it, it's not in his nature to ignore it and he will likely finish it. So, it's better just to keep them apart when you can't closely supervise. There are many animal/dog aggessive breeds living safely with other animals, you just have to know your breed and use common sense. The biggest danger is thinking it's *all* in how you raise/train your dog and that breed doesn't matter at all. How you raise and train a dog matters, *a lot*...but that will not override breed traits that have been bred in for hundreds and thousands of years.
ETA:
The one poster who said animal aggression and human aggression is not the same is correct!
The one poster who lets her two year old and other dogs bother her pit is not being responsible. No matter the breed, this shouldn't be allowed. That's exactly how 'accidents' happen and it's the dog who gets blamed...but it's really the owner at fault. I guarantee you that the dog has given plenty of warning signs that she's not pleased before having to move out of the way (up on the couch, no less...seriously, doesn't sound good), but they were all ignored...not good at all. BTW, a good website about signs: http://www.doggonesafe.com/dog%20communi...
all pitbulls are naturally agressive towards other dogs no matter how you raise them, i have a pit, shes as sweet as can be, i can let her play for hours with anybody even a small child but i would never trust her to play with another dog off of her leash for long periods of time, just because im cautious about her biting or starting a fight, even thow she has never been agressive.
Although you do have to be careful with from whom you purchase a pit puppy, they are good dogs. He probably attacked because he felt challenged. Just because you don't see it, does not mean the dogs aren't doing it. They communicate with every little bit of body language. It's not just a pit bull thing. That's crazy. It's any dog. Any dog can get ticked off. Take my husky, she turned on my husky pup and shattered her bottom jaw. She sweet as sugar to me and my husband.
Ask yourself this? Do you want to even take 1% chance that this dog will bite your kids.
I know pits are a popular breed. People always say there pit is so loving....but so did you. Dog on dog aggression ( for no apparent reason can grow). Can you truly control your dog? If so get him evaluated. If not give him up. Remember pit bulls and rotts are responsable for 50% of human k9 fatalities.
I know pit owners will say diff. but that stat is from U.S. Center for Disease Control.
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