People with Pit Bulls: Please Convince Me ;)

[expatpumpkin]

I have a shih tzu. He weighs 15 pounds and couldn't win a fight against a bunny rabbit.

He's been growled at several times by pit bulls: once at the vet's office, twice in the street. Once he was actually aggressively LUNGED AT, but the owner was able to control his dog. (And yes, I KNOW they were pit bulls and not some other breed.)

No, he did nothing the provoke these incidents. He was honestly minding his own business and not barking at them, etc. He is very mild-mannered, and not a "yappy" little dog.

I know there are absolutely lovely, sweet, docile, friendly pits out there. I've met some. But I am terrified of unknown ones. Why? Because one bad "accident" or "misunderstanding" could very well end my dog's life. They are very powerful dogs and I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to protect him.

For what it's worth, I'm also weary of basically any large dog. But I pick him up and cross the street when I see a pit bull or similar breed. Since I just don't know if they're friendly, I can't take the chance.

If you were in my position, would you take the same precautions?

[kellbell191]

Eh I don't trust any dog I don't know with my dogs. But I also know how to read dog body language. My beagle mix has been attacked by a pit and a border collie. The border collie attack was much worse. I've also met enough bully dogs to realize that 99% of people couldnt identify a pit as a pit if it bit them on the ass, me included. My English bulldog beagle fostered looked rather pittie actually.

[patches31709]

Jul 9, 2012 19:25:56 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

If you were in my position, would you take the same precautions?

My short answer is no. To clarify better, I don't let me dog on leash near any dog we don't know, be it a lab, shih tzu, or a pittie. So maybe my answer is yes, but I don't agree with you because of breed alone.

Also, no other breed of dog has ever lunged at you while walking?

[bullygirl979]

Jul 9, 2012 20:10:41 GMT -5 patches31709 said:

Jul 9, 2012 19:25:56 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

If you were in my position, would you take the same precautions?

My short answer is no. To clarify better, I don't let me dog on leash near any dog we don't know, be it a lab, shih tzu, or a pittie. So maybe my answer is yes, but I don't agree with you because of breed alone.

Also, no other breed of dog has ever lunged at you while walking?

ITA. I don't let my dogs near ANY dog of ANY breed that I don't know. I have a pit mix and a rat terrier mix. You want to know who starts the fights? The rat terrier. Every time.

I think people are so quick to pass judgment on pits. You see a pit lunge at your dog and you assume it is dangerous and will kill your dog because it's so aggressive. You see a lab lunge at your dog and you assume it just doesn't have any training and is ill behaved. The same action, 2 different responses. And by "you" I don't mean you specifically OP.

ETA: My neighbor has 2 small dogs as well, both under 10 pounds. If all 4 dogs are out in our respective yards, the 3 little dogs try to attack each other and act like they are going to kill each other. What does the 60 pit do? Runs away and hides. It is totally priceless to witness. Bottom line: an ill behaved/ill tempered dog is an ill behaved/ill tempered dog no matter what the breed is.

[redheadbaker]

I'll skip over the "pit bulls aren't a breed" speech.

My first thought is that pit bull-type dogs are terriers. All terriers (from Airedales to rat terriers) were bred to hunt. That means they have a prey drive (some have a stronger drive than others). It is possible they mistook your dog for "prey."

The second thing is what someone else already mentioned above. They could just be dog-reactive. My ex's dog (a lab) barked and lunged if he saw another dog (out on a walk, while sitting in our front window, while driving in the car). He wasn't aggressive. Once he got to meet the dog, he was perfectly friendly.

Or you could have met a dog-aggressive pit bull-type dog. They do exist (just as a dog of any other breed could be dog-aggressive). It does not mean that all pit bull-type dogs are vicious.

[mrsjrd23]

Jul 9, 2012 22:17:57 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

I'll skip over the "pit bulls aren't a breed" speech.

My first thought is that pit bull-type dogs are terriers. All terriers (from Airedales to rat terriers) were bred to hunt. That means they have a prey drive (some have a stronger drive than others). It is possible they mistook your dog for "prey."

The second thing is what someone else already mentioned above. They could just be dog-reactive. My ex's dog (a lab) barked and lunged if he saw another dog (out on a walk, while sitting in our front window, while driving in the car). He wasn't aggressive. Once he got to meet the dog, he was perfectly friendly.

Or you could have met a dog-aggressive pit bull-type dog. They do exist (just as a dog of any other breed could be dog-aggressive). It does not mean that all pit bull-type dogs are vicious.

:Y: :Y:

[mariesd]

I don't have a pit bull or have any experience with pit bulls, but I believe dogs of all breeds and sizes and even temperaments can get into fights with each other. I always cross the street when I see someone else walking their dog, because I know my dog will want to play with the other dog (or worse) and I want her to focus on her walk. I don't ever need to pick my dog up, though -- the leash lets her know where I want her to go. I would caution against picking up your dog -- that might teach her to be afraid of large dogs. (And might cause her to lash out in fear against one someday).

I have a 14-lb westie mix, and she lunges at other dogs she sees. I have no idea if she wants to play or fight. She's growled at other dogs too. In fact, I dog-sat for another dog this weekend (an aggressive 5-lb jack russell terrier) and they got in several skirmishes, despite being generally friendly with each other. So I'm generally cautious around all other dogs, but not afraid of any particular size/breed.

[nital]

My dog has been bitten by another dog, and is very fearful of other dogs as a result. He, unfortunately, has gone into barking frenzies when dogs scared him. One time it was simply that the he didn't see the other dog, and he turned a corner and there was another dog right there.

I think picking up your dog and crossing the street is overkill, but I do not allow other dogs to approach mine when they are on leash.

[calico]

There are many different reasons why a strange dog would lunge or snarl at your dog. You have to realize that not all dogs get along with every dog they meet for whatever reason. I would recommend learning more about dog body language b/c all lunges do not always mean that the dog is agressive. My extremely submissive pittie mix sometimes lunges if she is crazy excited to meet another dog.

You also have to be careful about the energy that you're giving off when you encounter a situation with another dog.

[yellowumbrella]

Any large breed dog could injure your dog in one bad "accident" or "misunderstanding" so for you to pick one breed to run away from serves no purpose.

I'm wary of most unknown dogs that are out on the street, in the vet, etc. regardless of breed and I don't generally let my dogs greet them.

[kellbell191]

I ask everyone with another dog on the street if their dog is friendly before I walk my dogs by or let them approach.

[audienceofone]

Redheadbaker-My H does that lecture too. He did it to me the other day when we were talking about a friends new puppy that is supposedly a pit bull(no one can tell what he is yet). I stared at him blankly and said "I know. We've had this talk before."

OP, I wouldn't take the same precautions as you. I would feel like I was teaching my dog to be afraid of bigger dogs. THough I would keep a tight leash and at least move away so they can't greet each other.
I have 2 big dogs and I don't let them approach other dogs on leash until I ask first, which I really only do in the pet store. Then it is usually a tight leash, sniff and go. I did let my boxer get into a playing thing with a great dane pup in the store one day on leash. We had a little group watching because it was pretty funny with their limbs and clumsiness.
My parents have an 8 pound Yorkie who I worry about more with other dogs than I do with mine. On leash, she is nasty. We learned we had to pick her up and get her view away from the other dog for her to calm down. She does not like other dogs in her house at all. As long as she is left alone, she will get over another dog there. My boxer learned fast to just leave her alone on her chair and they did fine. She will tolerate my Uncles dog and actually likes my Aunts Jack Russel since they have been around each other for years. As she's gotten older, she has gotten more mellow. She's 13 or 14 now. She also hates new male humans in her house. She snapped at just about every male that walked in the door. It would take her a few visits before she would actually go up to him. Though she is an absolutely daddy's girl. Her and my dad make an odd picture.
Any dog can be the one to be vicious. It doesn't matter if it's a pit bull type dog or a little yorkie.

[aerowife2010]

Jul 9, 2012 19:25:56 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

If you were in my position, would you take the same precautions?

I have a 15 pound Bichon and a 60 pound Pit mix and the Bichon is more "aggressive" than the Pit is. When the two of them are playing, the Pit will just lay on his back and let the Bichon climb all over him.

That being said, I would take precaution around ALL dogs that you do not know, but not because of the breed. We had one woman who was screaming in PetSmart for us to keep the Pit mix away from her dog. But guess whose dog was sitting there quiet as can be, minding his own business while the other dog was snarling and lunging?