I’ve had 2 pits, the one I have now is 3 years old and loves my 2 year old daughter. She rides him like a horse and climbs, bounces, pulls his tail etc… He’s very gentle and careful with her. He plays rough with me and anyone older and kinda bites hard. But he just licks and pretends to bite her with his mouth open. My other pit didn’t like kids and would growl and go into another room. dogs are like people and have different personalitys. Some are nice some are mean. Pits were bred to be a mass of muscle with powerful jaws and are, so if they want to do damage they are more then capable and know how instinctually. If your going to have a pop gun laying around that’s one thing but if you want a real gun laying around you need to be cautous and watchout. Alot of dogs are mean but if a small dog attacks not much damage is done while larger breeds can be lethel. Pits are very smart and easy to train. Mine closes 2 doors on his way in after I let him out. They do have to know who’s boss and that certain lines most never be crossed.
My other pit got into many fights and never lost. Any dog gettng on his turf that was close to his size or larger paid the price. Smaller ones ussually were befriended or pinned down with his paws if they attacked. If you’ve ever tried to get a dog out of a pits mouth you know what they’re capable of. Most of the times the dogs wanted to fight and would of hurt him if they could but they just lost. If I was a dog I wouldn’t mess with a pit. They don’t deserve the reputation they’ve got but they can be dangerous. The owner of any dog needs to know what they’re doing and be careful espcially Larger breeds.
It is my opinion that any animal can be dangerous, regardless of it’s upbringing.
I have two cats and a dog. Both cats have been agressive towards me in varying circumstances, but when it comes down to it they know I am the big cat around here.
My dog is Chow/Shep/Lab. He has the best of all three breeds. He has shown me agression before but I put a stop to that immediately.
In dogs, it’s very true that the “pack” is in a household situation includes the people. It is very important that all responsible dog owners not only assert their Alpha status but should NEVER allow agressive behavior to happen.
I have known little dogs like cocker spaniels and big traditionally lovable dogs like black labs to be vicious. My ex neighbor’s cocker attacked my dog and bit him in the same damn ear that my brother’s black lab did. I coulda really hurt that little blonde crappy dog. In fact I think I did when I ripped the little shit off my dog by his head.
So it is my opinion that it is rarely the breed but it’s in the animal. The animal must be trained correctly and the breeding (mom and pop)need to have excellent temperaments to have a good dog.
One last thing, someone mentioned wolfhybrids. Wolves and Wolf Hybrids are not for the average family. If you look at all the wolf rescue orgs popping up all over the country, you will understand why. Wolves are not housepets.
Umm, no, Handy. Show me a cite and I’ll consider it. Otherwise, thanks for playing.
-andros-
And you carry a lighter because. . . a pit bull might come up to you and demand a light for its cigarette?
I believe they like to be called Inuit and I’m sure they would take offense to being known as ‘biters’.
{I love this thread}
But, so I’m not just sniping, let me weigh in with life rule #438:
If you have never learned how to own and train pets in a formal manner (from a class, book, or someone who really knows what they’re doing) then you should not own pets. I believe the owners should be licensed, not the pets.
Peace.
ShiningNight:
Oh, good! You are qualified to respond directly to the Subject line of this message thread. 
If your wondering TIM, No, I didn’t
ever intentionally let my dog fight.
We had a bitch dog living next door
and whenever she got in heat dogs
would go thru our yard to get to her.
Hence the fighting. I guess she was
his girl. I don’t believe in fighting them even though some do love it. I
did always think it would be neat to
muzzle them and put mits on there
front paws and let them wrestle. When they fight they usually start out
upright then one manages to throw the other down. It would be neat to give
points and wrestle them. Also TIM as
a person who’s owned ps and is fairly capable of training them I guess I am as “qualified” as anyone. Ozzy, The
one that got into fights and died of old age at 17 knew about forty commands including: close door, remote, light off, tv guide etc…
he also used it in the back corner of the yard within 5 feet of fence where the whole yard wasn’t a mine field and wouldn’t go out an open gate unless commanded or touch your food even if you set it on the floor without being told he could.
Also, If you want to use a lighter
against a pit you better use wd-40
or starting fluid to give it a little punch.
These Web-tv keyboards suck. ps=pits.
in the prevous post.
I’m not sure what this means. If it is a reference to the derivation of the the word “Eskimo” (something like “eater of raw meat”), that derivation has been questioned in recent years. The last I saw was that the word probably meant something more like “wearers of snow shoes.” (It can be a minefield trying to derive “original meanings” in languages that did not have any written records.)
This goes back to what Cecil covered very thoroughly in that what a people calls themselves is often *not<\i> what that people calls themselves.
In the case of “Eskimo,” that was the name that the Injuns who lived farther south called them (“those ‘northern’ guys that wear snow shoes,” or the other definition–“those ‘northern guys who eat raw meat’”). “Inuit,” which they use to denote themselves just means “people” or “us guys.”
My sister has a Pit Bull (American Short-haired terrier) and its the nicest dog I know. He plays with cats and even played with my friend’s lizard.
Um, folks, the Eskimo is a type of dog. Little, pure white, yappy, sharp teeth, pointy ears and snout.
I hardly think anyone would seriously bring up Inuits in a conversation about dogs.
Try www.methodicalmagic.com/eskie/ or www.rentatek.com/personal/Eskie/Eskie_home.htm
for some obsessives.
-andros-
Moriah, I know you were joking, but I wasn’t sure about Mjollnir.
Mjollnir: Sometimes it is difficult to get the “tone” of a post. Were you making a joke about the name American Eskimo, or are you being serious? In case you were being serious, American Eskimos are a breed of dog!They are also sometimes known as Spitz.
I sincerely apologize.
(In best Arthur Carlson voice), "As God as my witness, I had no idea that there was a dog called “Eskimo.”
OK, there, no more piling on please. Please keep the gloves up, or the ref’s gonna deduct points.
Nope. The lighter is for the dogs eyes if it attacks my son.Maybe lighter fluid would help.
Guess Andros and I were on the same track at the same time!
“Love given when it is inconvenient is the greatest love of all. Kindnesses that are shared at a high cost to oneself are the most dear.”
Don’t know who said it, but I like it.