Dangerous Dog Breeds!

[sugarpop]

yea, I get those breeds mixed up. There are a few of them that look very similar, and I never can remember which breed it is. They all get a bad rap though, from what I understand. And aren't they all related somehow?

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by classicman

Fixed that for ya

[DanaC]

They are related yes. But the American Pit Bull is considered particularly dangerous because of more than just potentially aggressive temperament. The Pit Bull has been bred with a particular jaw shape, and angle of teeth which means it does far more damage when it does bite. There are a handful of dog breeds which this carries through for.

[sugarpop]

There is also that breed, presa canario, which I believe are related somehow. Aren't they more dangerous than pits?

[sweetwater]

In another Reality is Unreal example, many pit bulls are (IMHO) safer, for humans, when they are from fighting lines. Dog fighters did not tolerate an animal that attacked their handlers, so although the dogs were dangerous around normal dogs they could be fairly confident that the human throats were off the menu. Now everybody is keeping pit bulls, usually with no verifiable background on the particular animal's heritage. A loose sleeve may trigger an attack 2 years down the road, or nothing may happen. The dog may kill the neighbor's beagle or wimp and run. It's a canine version of Russian roulette. Fighting lines mean humans are safer, other animals in increased danger. Crap backyard pit bulls mean humans in greater danger, other animals may or may not be. The consequences of guessing wrong - because it probably won't be the owner's face that is destroyed, but a kid's or neighbor's or luckless stranger's - are terrible. But I do think the photo is cute. We call them Bull Terriers in the states and there is also a Miniature Bull Terrier. Personally appealing to me (esp the mini's) for their hardiness, courage, and sense of playfulness, but probably not a breed I'd ever acquire.

[Decca]

Pit bulls, for the record, are a breed TYPE rather than an actual breed. They, plus chows, rottweilers, boxers, bull terriers, bulldogs, and several other (often surprising!) breeds on the national restricted breeds list are part of a family known as "bully breeds", so-called because their stubborn, forceful natures often cause them to "bully" other breeds.

To elaborate on DanaC's post, pit bull type dogs have a special jaw/muscular structure that caused the jaw to lock into place when the dog bites down; while other breeds thrash their heads back and forth after biting to tear flesh from bone, pit bull types are forced to thrash in order for their jaws to unlock. This is why most other breeds will bite down and back off, while pit bulls bite down and fling their heads wildly from side-to-side before letting go. The reason for this locking-jaw mechanism is that pit bull type dogs were bred for fighting thousand-or-more-pound bulls in pits, as a sport... hence the name "pit bull". However, pit bulls were ALSO bred to be very pack-oriented; no single dog can bring down a fighting bull, but a pack of them easily can. This leads into the reason a pit bull can be such a great family dog, but be a hazard to people outside the family. Pit bulls are GREAT at reading body language... and humans are TERRIBLE at speaking "dog"! Many (NOT ALL) dog attacks from this breed, assuming the specific dog in question is neither poorly bred nor poorly trained, come because the dog read a miscue from a human outside its pack, and reacted instinctively to protect its family. It's not necessarily an aggressive reaction; more a protective one.

I worked for a dog rescue in North Carolina before my husband and I were transferred to Hawaii, and one of the main focuses of the rescue was to educate the general public about these amazing breeds, and try to undo the damage caused by drug dealers, "gangsters", and people like Michael Vick who have turned this amazing breed into something to be feared, because of poor training, physical and mental abuse, and poor backyard-quality breeding.

[DanaC]

I personally rather like the pit bull type dogs. I have always liked bull terriers and the like. But I know I am not a suitable owner for such a dog. I think those are breeds that require a degree of competance in training and understanding dogs that i don't really have. And I've had dogs all my life.

[Decca]

@Sugarpop: In response to your question, the Presa Canario is a bully-type dog, and as such is a very forceful and dominant breed. However, they are not NECESSARILY more "dangerous" than other bully breeds, if socialized and trained correctly, just like any other dog from ANY other breed. Pound-for-pound, toy breeds are often more dangerous than the bigger breeds; the reason you don't hear about Chihuahua attacks on the news, however, is that the toy breeds aren't considered "fighting" or "dangerous" dogs... because they're so little and "cute". I have a one-year-old daughter, and I would trust her to a well-trained pit bull or Presa Canario before I'd trust her to any of the "toy" breeds!

[sugarpop]

We have a chow. She is one of the sweetest dogs ever. She would definitely protect us though. She is very wary of strangers, which is good.

I like pit bull and similar breeds as well Dana.

[BrianR]

Decca, I have to take exception to something you said. Pit Bull Terriers do NOT have the ability to "lock" their jaws. They simply have a powerful musculature that applies anywhere from 1000 to 2000 lbs of force in a bite. They do not WANT to let go, they are not "locked" closed and CAN'T!

I have one and he's a big sweetie unless there's a stranger around. He's VERY protective and will defend his territory and loved ones to the death. I personally witnessed him try to tear through a screen door to attack a fully-grown black bear which was on my porch a few years ago. He had no idea what the thing was, only that it was on HIS porch and he wanted it gone! Me, I was reaching for the shotgun behind the sofa.

And that dog in the picture looks like a Staffordshire Terrier to me.

[DanaC]

Nope. English Bull Terrier. Look at the head shape. It's very distinctive.

[Decca]

BrianR, I sit corrected. Trying to remember who it was told me about the locking jaw... it was either the co-owner of the rescue I worked for, or possibly our vet. But it's very possible I was misinformed, in which case thank you for setting me straight.

[lookout123]

I have a Pit Bull who is an absolute sweetheart. She is our second as we had a male for years until he passed away. The first one was the smartest dog I've ever had. Absolute lover for family and friends but if he didn't know you, you were not getting anywhere near my wife and not even within eyesight of lil lookout when he was a baby.

our current girl is a pretty big wimp. the only time she has shown any backbone is on a morning walk when we stumbled across a pretty good size diamondback. she wouldn't let my wife move in any direction but backwards. she snapped and snarled at the snake while forcing mrs L away.

We've had rottweiler's, labs, boxers, and german shepherds but the pit bulls have been the most family friendly of them all. 2.0 rides our girl now as she is his best friend.

[BrianR]

You are correct Dana, thanks. I was confusing the two.

The only one I remember was on the TV show Baa Baa Black Sheep and I somehow switched the labels in my mental picture file.