Rant of the Day...
Another Pit Bull Attack.
In the last few weeks a slew of pit bull attacks have pushed local officials toward a knee-jerk reaction of regulation of the notorious breed. We used to think of the pit bulls (American Bull Terriers or Staffordshire Terriers) as the breed of choice for thugs, gangsters, and general hooligans just as we did Rottweiler and Dobermans in the past. However, as the years went on we began to hear less and less of the Rottweiler and Doberman attacks and more about the pit bull attacks. Sadly, these loving and gentle natured dogs’ reputations were tarnished and shrouded in deception because of media attention and some of the people who chose to own them.
Walking through Oakland not too long ago, a friend of mine spotted an American Bull Terrier (the larger of the two breeds) walking down the street wearing a weighted vest with its’ thug of an owner. This idiot was obviously trying to make his dog look more intimidating by beefing up its body. We can’t assume that he was attempting to make his dog more aggressive, but intimidating for sure.
We’ve all heard recently about the attack in San Francisco that left a 12 year old boy dead. The fact is that a dog, especially a pit bull, does not just turn on its owner. There are however a few possibilities for why this happened. Not knowing the history of the animal I can only speculate based on what I have learned as a pit bull owner.
First:
The animal might have been saved from an abusive home where there was already a tendency toward violence. Either the dog was hit, or starved, or neglected in some way that made it feel like it had to fend for itself. This will make a dog aggressive especially around food or a potential mate.
Second:
Dominance was not established over this dog in the correct way.
A pit bull is a loving, caring, and gentle animal as long as it realizes that it is at the bottom of your family’s food chain. There are several ways to establish dominance that will last the lifetime of your dog. However, if the idea of dominance and ranking order within the family is left in question the dog will always feel that he/she has a chance at gaining alpha status. The keys to establishing dominance are simple as long as you star early:
-Hand feed you puppy one hand full of food from every bowl you feed them for the first month or so. This will show the dog that you are the one providing it with food and it doesn’t need to be protective of the food it gets. Also, it’s a good idea to pick up the food bowl in the middle of the dogs meal. If the dog does not become aggressive, praise him and return the food. If it does become aggressive…
-Another way to establish dominance over your pet is to NEVER tolerate growling that is not associated with play. A happy dog will always growl playfully during a game of tug-o-war. However, a dog that growls outside of this realm is either scared or aggressive; either way, you MUST discourage this behavior. Remember, a small puppy that grows aggressively will become a big dog that growls aggressively… and a big dog will attack. The way to discourage this is simple. When the puppy begins to growl, pick it up and hold it on it’s back with your hands placed in their armpits. With the right positioning the dog will not be able to bit you. It will however most likely yelp, bark, growl, or whine. While it is doing this don’t let go! Hold the dog in place and look directly in its eyes until it looks away from you. Holding a dog in a submissive pose will show it that you are alpha and there is nothing he/she can do about it.
-Another important, yet simple, step toward establishing dominance involves that beloved game tug-o-war. It is very important (if you have a dog that might have a reputation for aggression) to never let the dog win! Hold on to the rope at all cost. If you want to be done playing you must get the rope from the dog, then drop it. If the dog thinks it can get it’s way by using its’ teeth; it will!
Third:
Another possible reason for this dog’s aggression could be torment. The dog attacked a 12 year-old boy whom he was probably trying to establish dominance over. It is highly likely that the boy was tormenting the dog, which had finally had enough and decided to challenge his rank in the pack. I am in no way trying to blame the boy for the dog’s actions, I am merely explaining why this animal might have turned on his own family.
My original intention for this piece was to talk about the problems with holding a specific breed responsible for the actions of a few bad dogs and owners. In Europe the Staffordshire’s are referred to as nurse or babysitter dogs because they are so good with children. I have been a proud owner of a brown Staffordshire named Lola for 4 months now and I wouldn’t trade her for the world. She is gentle, even timid. She is great with people, loves to play, shows no aggression, and even plays with my cat Scully. She is by far the smartest dog I’ve ever know or had and I have no worries about her temperament or personality.
Sadly however, I find myself the position of constant defense of my dog. While looking for a new place to live recently I had to tell everyone I had a “Staffordshire Terrier” or just “terrier” because I knew I would never get a place with “pit bull” on my rental application; people won’t even look at a pit bull. I have know dozens of pit bulls in my life and all but maybe two of them have been amazing, loving, loyal animals. I am more scared of the breeds that I have only seen once or twice that have been aggressive: Dobermans, Akitas, Chows, German Shepherds. However, I know this is my own ignorance.
It’s true that some dogs can be inherently bad at the beginning of their lives, but I don’t believe that a dog will always be evil. I believe with a loving and caring home any animal can be sweet, gentle, and loyal. But it takes patience and understanding of how a dog’s mind works. There are plenty of us out there who are respectable dog owners. We as dog owners, as well as pit bulls as a breed, should not have to pay for the reprehensible actions of the few. Many of the laws that are trying to be passed are “breed-specific”. These are the wrong approach! I am not against mandatory spay/neuter of aggressive dogs, or fining people who leave their dogs unattended in their yards while they’re at work. But let’s make these laws for all dog owners, not just those of us with pit bulls.
In the last few weeks a slew of pit bull attacks have pushed local officials toward a knee-jerk reaction of regulation of the notorious breed. We used to think of the pit bulls (American Bull Terriers or Staffordshire Terriers) as the breed of choice for thugs, gangsters, and general hooligans just as we did Rottweiler and Dobermans in the past. However, as the years went on we began to hear less and less of the Rottweiler and Doberman attacks and more about the pit bull attacks. Sadly, these loving and gentle natured dogs’ reputations were tarnished and shrouded in deception because of media attention and some of the people who chose to own them.
Walking through Oakland not too long ago, a friend of mine spotted an American Bull Terrier (the larger of the two breeds) walking down the street wearing a weighted vest with its’ thug of an owner. This idiot was obviously trying to make his dog look more intimidating by beefing up its body. We can’t assume that he was attempting to make his dog more aggressive, but intimidating for sure.
We’ve all heard recently about the attack in San Francisco that left a 12 year old boy dead. The fact is that a dog, especially a pit bull, does not just turn on its owner. There are however a few possibilities for why this happened. Not knowing the history of the animal I can only speculate based on what I have learned as a pit bull owner.
First:
The animal might have been saved from an abusive home where there was already a tendency toward violence. Either the dog was hit, or starved, or neglected in some way that made it feel like it had to fend for itself. This will make a dog aggressive especially around food or a potential mate.
Second:
Dominance was not established over this dog in the correct way.
A pit bull is a loving, caring, and gentle animal as long as it realizes that it is at the bottom of your family’s food chain. There are several ways to establish dominance that will last the lifetime of your dog. However, if the idea of dominance and ranking order within the family is left in question the dog will always feel that he/she has a chance at gaining alpha status. The keys to establishing dominance are simple as long as you star early:
-Hand feed you puppy one hand full of food from every bowl you feed them for the first month or so. This will show the dog that you are the one providing it with food and it doesn’t need to be protective of the food it gets. Also, it’s a good idea to pick up the food bowl in the middle of the dogs meal. If the dog does not become aggressive, praise him and return the food. If it does become aggressive…
-Another way to establish dominance over your pet is to NEVER tolerate growling that is not associated with play. A happy dog will always growl playfully during a game of tug-o-war. However, a dog that growls outside of this realm is either scared or aggressive; either way, you MUST discourage this behavior. Remember, a small puppy that grows aggressively will become a big dog that growls aggressively… and a big dog will attack. The way to discourage this is simple. When the puppy begins to growl, pick it up and hold it on it’s back with your hands placed in their armpits. With the right positioning the dog will not be able to bit you. It will however most likely yelp, bark, growl, or whine. While it is doing this don’t let go! Hold the dog in place and look directly in its eyes until it looks away from you. Holding a dog in a submissive pose will show it that you are alpha and there is nothing he/she can do about it.
-Another important, yet simple, step toward establishing dominance involves that beloved game tug-o-war. It is very important (if you have a dog that might have a reputation for aggression) to never let the dog win! Hold on to the rope at all cost. If you want to be done playing you must get the rope from the dog, then drop it. If the dog thinks it can get it’s way by using its’ teeth; it will!
Third:
Another possible reason for this dog’s aggression could be torment. The dog attacked a 12 year-old boy whom he was probably trying to establish dominance over. It is highly likely that the boy was tormenting the dog, which had finally had enough and decided to challenge his rank in the pack. I am in no way trying to blame the boy for the dog’s actions, I am merely explaining why this animal might have turned on his own family.
My original intention for this piece was to talk about the problems with holding a specific breed responsible for the actions of a few bad dogs and owners. In Europe the Staffordshire’s are referred to as nurse or babysitter dogs because they are so good with children. I have been a proud owner of a brown Staffordshire named Lola for 4 months now and I wouldn’t trade her for the world. She is gentle, even timid. She is great with people, loves to play, shows no aggression, and even plays with my cat Scully. She is by far the smartest dog I’ve ever know or had and I have no worries about her temperament or personality.
Sadly however, I find myself the position of constant defense of my dog. While looking for a new place to live recently I had to tell everyone I had a “Staffordshire Terrier” or just “terrier” because I knew I would never get a place with “pit bull” on my rental application; people won’t even look at a pit bull. I have know dozens of pit bulls in my life and all but maybe two of them have been amazing, loving, loyal animals. I am more scared of the breeds that I have only seen once or twice that have been aggressive: Dobermans, Akitas, Chows, German Shepherds. However, I know this is my own ignorance.
It’s true that some dogs can be inherently bad at the beginning of their lives, but I don’t believe that a dog will always be evil. I believe with a loving and caring home any animal can be sweet, gentle, and loyal. But it takes patience and understanding of how a dog’s mind works. There are plenty of us out there who are respectable dog owners. We as dog owners, as well as pit bulls as a breed, should not have to pay for the reprehensible actions of the few. Many of the laws that are trying to be passed are “breed-specific”. These are the wrong approach! I am not against mandatory spay/neuter of aggressive dogs, or fining people who leave their dogs unattended in their yards while they’re at work. But let’s make these laws for all dog owners, not just those of us with pit bulls.
posted by Mike | 11:46 AM
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