We took our American Pit Bull Terrier, Villlain, to be temperament tested today by the ATTS:
http://www.atts.org
He passed with flying colors!
As the owner of a pit bull, I feel it's important to show that this is a wonderful breed and that they are not the dangerous killers that the media and urban legends make them out to be.
I am so proud that he passed!
American Pit Bull Terriers can be some of the sweetest most gentle dogs. EVERY dog has the ability to be mean, even vicious if mistreated, abused, and even TRAINED to attack. EVERY dog also has the ability to be a sweet, loving, companion to any family. It is all in how we humans treat the animal that will dictate how the animal will treat us.
Congrats on Villain passing with flying colors.
I agree that dogs tend to be products of the enviroment that they are trained in. I remember people asking if Sadie girl is a Pittie. (Honestly, we don't know. She is a mutt from the rescue league.) One lady freaked at me while at a farmer's market. How dare I bring an obviously viscious dog to the market where children were. And how stupid was I to bring a dog that needed to be walked with a muzzle. Huh? I wasn't the one with children wandering up to strange dogs and patting them when the owner was not looking and the dog's head was turned. She got a lovely education in the Halti/Gentle Lead collar and good ownership and respect for breeds. Her children learned to talk to the owner before petting and "introducing" themselves by letting the dog sniff them first.
I also remember an incident at a large ren faire that a gentleman (in garb) had his American Standard on a short leash. The dog was being very good and preening under the praise of what I pretty dog I thought he was. When suddenly, a very young child (2-3 YO) comes out of no-where and is going to hug the 'oggy. The owner slowed the child down. The mother let out this SCREAM of terror. I think it came out that she had been attacked by a pittie and was quite terrified of any type of dog in that category. The owner had a very nice chat and the child got to pet the nice 'oggy. The mother still was nervous, but you could tell she was glad that the dog's owner was really good with her child and explaining the breed.
gingerzing, it might interest you to know that pit bulls used to be called "nanny dogs" because they were so good with children.
I remember back when DH and I moved up to Maine, the first day while moving, we took a break and walked up the street to a restaurant for some lunch. We were sitting outdoors and a young woman came by with her big white adorable pittie, so we stopped and asked if we could give her doggie some special love, as we try to do with every dog we see out in public, and she was kind of shocked. Total strangers wanted to give her Pit Bull love and weren't afraid and weren't giving her shit for having the dog out in public! She actually thanked us, and then she told our waitress that she'd buy us dessert! Quite an introduction to our new home of Portland, Maine!
anastasia, sadly that happens all too often. I believe that pit bulls are the "n******s" of the dog world, because that's how they are perceived and treated. When I walk him, people give us dirty looks, or they pull their children and dogs away like we have the plague. Not everyone is like this, but many people are. One time I was at a park to meet up with my walking group. I was swimming my dog, and a lady went up to my friend (not knowing it was my friend) and said, "Be careful: there are pit bulls loose over there!" My friend stared her down and said, "I know. That's my friend's dog."
Sometimes people see me (petite white female) walking this dog, and they get a confused look on their face, and they ask, "What kind of dog is that?" It's obvious they have bought into the stereotype that only gangstas own pit bulls, so therefore I must be walking some other kind of dog that only LOOKS like a pit bull.
I notice it even more now that we have Lilly, because she's so much smaller than Villain and is only half pit. People will come right up to her and pet her, let their kids pet her, let their dogs sniff her, but they completely ignore Villain.
I'm glad that most of the pit bull-haters from the Old Board are gone. I had some very irate online discussions here with people who thought the entire breed should be exterminated. If you don't find that concept of euthanizing an entire dog breed disturbing and frightening, then substitute the word "blacks" or "Asians" in that sentence.
I don't blame people for being nervous around pit bulls if they had a bad experience with one (and yes, there are some bad owners out there who deliberately train these dogs to be vicious), but many people who hate pit bulls have never even met one. I have had at least 4 different people tell me that they hated the idea of pit bulls until they met mine. He is truly a breed embassador.
That's great- congrats to you and Villain!
I know when we walk the boys and Harley starts to pant he has a "Pit Smile" and people tend to pull away, which is fine, because Oscar (the cute fluffy teddy bear of a dog) is NOT stable.
So when kids run up and want to pet Oscar (because he looks like a stuffed animal!) I have to tell him that he isn't a very nice doggy, but we're working on it. Harley, however, LOVES attention, but parents freak out and say "No- they aren't petting THAT one!"
Uhm, I'm telling you which of my dogs is kid-friendly, I can't help it that your kid wants to pet the fluffy one and not the uber-friendly one who wags his tail at EVERYTHING.
It's always going to be a problem as long as there are irresponsible dog owners and ill-informed people who set off unstable dogs.
It takes responsible owners like you to show people it's NOT the breed, it's the individual dog and the individual owner. Good for you!
you can blame a lot of this on the media as well. any other kind of dog attack, and it barely is a blip on the radar of news crews if that much, but if its a pit bull, OH MY GOD!!!!! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!!!! It is every top story, and the most heinous thing EVER. and of course, it is the dogs fault, they never mention the condition the animal was forced to live in, how the animal was treated, etc etc.
I think the psychology behind the fear is in the physical power of the breed. Our neighbors in Tulsa had a teeny tiny Yorkie who was not socialized or exercised very much, so he was a typical insecure vicious little guy who growled and barked and nipped at you if tried to pet him. The thing is, he weighed 4 lbs and was physically incapable of killing a toddler or adult or doing any real harm to me or my dogs if we go too close. In fact, he'd calm down when you called his bluff and would start behaving better when he realized he couldn't scare you with his teeny tiny teeth and weak jaw muscles.
So some asshole makes his Pittie or his Rottie into a vicious scary ego-stroking "guard" dog, and that's a dog that CAN physically kill or severely injure you or your dog as you walk by. Our neighbor in New Orleans got a Rottie puppy and I watched him deliberately turn that dog into most vicious dog I've ever seen. Chained to the porch day in and day out with a huge industrial chain, smacked around and never shown love, brutally treated, he was a time bomb waiting to go off with all the kids on that street. I, personally, was terrified, he showed me on more than one occasion that if he could get at me, he'd kill me, and he weighed more than I did, I wouldn't stand a chance. Does that mean I think all Rotties are evil? Absolutely not, I've met some fantastic Rotties. But some people will take these powerful and intense and intelligent breeds and they make them vicious and they can do a ton of damage, far more than that mean little Chihuahua or Yorkie yapping out there.
Since I'm aware that jerks will use these powerful breeds to satisfy their sad needs for intimidating people, I do tend to be more watchful when those powerful breeds are at the dog park. Not because the breeds are evil, but because sometimes jerks will misuse these breeds and they can kill or severely injure my dogs if they decide to fight. If my Pug gets in a territorial fight over a ball with a Yorkie, I'm not going to be as fearful as if it were a Pittie, only because the Pittie is so powerful and can easily kill her. But it's not because I think Pits are bad, it's that under an irresponsible asshole dog parent they are physically powerful enough to cause severe damage.
Two of my neighbors have pits and they are both very friendly and sweet. It makes me very sad to see the gang-bangers walking around with their pits and the huge chains they put around their necks. It's good that people like you, CFS, are trying to rehabilitate the image of pit bulls.
Congratulations!! I am sure it means more to you than Villain (cute name BTW) because now that he has this behind him, you will always be proud and happy knowing he "officially" has a good temperament.
That is interesting that they are called nanny dogs.
Mom and dad lived across the street from a guy who raised and trained rotties (had two, but would sometimes be training 1-2 others). He would let the two that was his help keep his little kids in the yard by being between the kids and the street and herding them back to the parents -who were always outside with them! you know, parenting. The female was so well trained that he could get her to come in the middle of a squirrel chase.
One of the two dogs would always bark a few times to Mom when she would get the mail or be in the front for something and Mom would say "It's just me. Be a good dog and be quiet." One day, my mom came home from work and went to get the garbage bin. And the guy was out with the female. The dog decided to cross the street (very residential) and greet Mom. The guy was worried that Mom would freak out, and upset that the dog didn't come back to him even through she was the better trained. Nope. It was like the dog wanted to meet Mom since they had spoke often. So Mom held out her hand and the dog sniffed it. Then Mom had bent down to pet the dog (the owner was next to the dog by this point) and the dog licked the one side of Mom's face. It was very funny. He said it was rare people even would greet the dogs.
Oddly the dog never came back over on her own and still barked out a greeting to Mom every morning.
Opilies Wrote:Congratulations!! I am sure it means more to you than Villain (cute name BTW) because now that he has this behind him, you will always be proud and happy knowing he "officially" has a good temperament.
LOL! I'm sure you are right...I don't think he understands enough to care about it.
BTW, we didn't name him Villain. DH's ex-roommate had bought him as a puppy and wanted a big tough bad dog. He is one of those people who gives the breed a bad name. Well, Villain didn't have the "bad dog" personality, so the guy didn't want him anymore and sold him to Mark.
gingerzing Wrote:That is interesting that they are called nanny dogs.
Mom and dad lived across the street from a guy who raised and trained rotties (had two, but would sometimes be training 1-2 others). He would let the two that was his help keep his little kids in the yard by being between the kids and the street and herding them back to the parents -who were always outside with them! you know, parenting. The female was so well trained that he could get her to come in the middle of a squirrel chase.
One of the two dogs would always bark a few times to Mom when she would get the mail or be in the front for something and Mom would say "It's just me. Be a good dog and be quiet." One day, my mom came home from work and went to get the garbage bin. And the guy was out with the female. The dog decided to cross the street (very residential) and greet Mom. The guy was worried that Mom would freak out, and upset that the dog didn't come back to him even through she was the better trained. Nope. It was like the dog wanted to meet Mom since they had spoke often. So Mom held out her hand and the dog sniffed it. Then Mom had bent down to pet the dog (the owner was next to the dog by this point) and the dog licked the one side of Mom's face. It was very funny. He said it was rare people even would greet the dogs.
Oddly the dog never came back over on her own and still barked out a greeting to Mom every morning.
Cute story! Sounds like they were good parents AND good owners.
Congrats to you & Villian CFS and YES I know that a Pitt can be as sweet as candy
I know that ANY dog can be raised to be mean.
Hell, I could have raised our Misty may she
to be vicious If I wanted to. But I didn't
I feel so bad for these poor dogs who get a bad rap cause of their
%$#^ stupid ass owers who don't know squat about raising a dog to be sweet and kind.
Well that is my
FWIW
