GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - Over recent years, pit bull terriers have made many headlines in the media - mostly for the wrong reasons. Many times these dogs are the culprits in incidents where humans and animals are mauled.
But why does this breed have such a bad reputation? Are they really dangerous dogs? Local animal behaviourist George van Huyssteen explains.
Understanding the breed
To understand the pit bull terrier, we need to go back in history. Dogs as pets are a relatively new concept, as they were generally bred for a purpose and to assist humans.
Border collies were bred for herding sheep, the Jack Russell to hunt rats and other vermin and the German shepherd's job was to protect flocks from predators. Because of selective breeding, these dogs became experts at what they did, and they enjoy it.
In the case of the pit bull, things become complicated. These dogs were bred for one single function: to fight other animals (bull-baiting and later dog-fighting).
To achieve this, people started to cross-breed old English bulldogs with dogs within the terrier group. They wanted a dog that reacted very quickly to other animals but not to their handlers, and thus bred dogs that showed very high tolerance towards humans but very low tolerance towards animals.
Handlers had to be able to separate their dogs while fighting without being bitten themselves.
Selective breeding
The dog becomes the best he can be for his function, and in the case of the pit bull, they became powerful and muscular, with a very high threshold for pain. Back then, any pit bull showing aggression towards humans was not allowed to breed, and many were culled.
The breeders knew that these dogs could cause extreme harm should they become human reactive. Because of their high tolerance towards humans, and their very high threshold for pain, people back then trusted these dogs, and often these dogs were left alone with children.
They were named "nanny dogs", which is another factor contributing to what is happening today. Children should not be left unsupervised with any dog, especially a powerful breed.
When these dogs react, they do it extremely fast, and by the time a human might be able to react, it will be too late.
Why the maulings?
In the 80s, a certain magazine placed an article regarding the breed, and the stage was set for huge problems to come. These dogs became very popular, and unfortunately, with popularity, novice owners who did not know of the rules for breeding these dogs, started producing.
Dogs that showed lower tolerance towards people were now being bred. To make matters worse, owners believed that they needed a firm hand because these dogs were so tough in the fighting pit.
Today, some people still believe in the pack theory and that their dog must be at the bottom of their 'pack' at home. And although many still believe that their dogs are trying to dominate them and the human should be the pack leader, research and science have debunked this theory and shown that punitive training methods might lead to aggression in dogs.
Specific breeds enjoy doing what they were designed for.
It is the same with the pit bull. Once pit bulls engage in a fight, it is very hard to separate them. This is simply because they are doing what they were bred to do, expressing the hypertrophied segment of their predatory motor pattern, which is kill-bite. Genetics are at play here, and that is one thing you cannot change.
Lack of socialisation
This is another problem. Because you cannot change genetics, the only shot you have is to socialise these dogs as much as possible with as many people as possible. Unfortunately, even if you socialise these dogs with other animals during their critical period, they might still react to another dog one day.
There will never be a guarantee that a pit bull will get along and live in peace and harmony with another dog.
Therefore, poor ownership, poor breeding, aversive training methods, and outdated beliefs that you should dominate a dog, are responsible for what is happening worldwide.
These dogs are working dogs and not for everybody. Today, responsible breeders still attempt to keep their dogs human-friendly, but backyard-breeding is a real problem as the dog's temperament is never known.
Should you really want a pit bull, it would be best to contact the American Pit Bull Federation of South Africa (PBFSA) for guidance.
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