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Pit Bull Myths
"Pit Bulls have locking jaws."-
There is nothing
physiologically different about a Pit Bull's jaws that would distinguish them from the jaws of any other breed. The breed's jaws can't
lock any more than a Poodle's can. In fact, there is no
animal--domestic or wild--with jaw-locking capability. Pit Bulls do
have a lot of jaw-strength, however. The wide jaws allow them to
hold onto an object, even dangling mid-air. This is a trait that
comes from the bulldog ancestors of the breed. Jaw strength
was needed in order for a dog to be proficient at bullbaiting, in
which the dog would grab the bull by the nose and hang on until
the enraged animal was subdued.
"Pit Bulls can hold on with their front teeth while chewing with
their back teeth."
Another physical impossibility. Pit Bull jaws are constructed in the same way any other breed's jaws are.
"All Pit Bulls are vicious", or "Pit Bulls are born mean".
No one breed as a whole is bad, the same as no one race of
humans is bad. Much has to do with the individual, it's genes,
upbringing, and training. In the case of Pit Bulls, a breed that
was created to be especially gentle with people, all of the human
aggressive dogs are victims of one or more of the following: poor
breeding, bad training, or irresponsible upbringing. There are
thousands upon thousands of Pit Bulls that are loving, loyal,
safe pets, who will live and die without ever having bitten a
human. They are the proof that this "born bad" idea is fiction,
pure and simple.
"Pit Bulls have more jaw strength per square inch (psi) than any
other breed."
This is pure speculation, as there is no reliable way to test psi
jaw pressure. In testing, many variables come into play (what is
driving the dog to bite, how motivated is the dog, etc ), and it also
has a lot to do with the individual dog, itself. The results vary
greatly.
"Dogs that are aggressive towards other animals are
automatically aggressive towards people."
Human aggression in dogs is entirely different than
aggression directed at other animals. Aggression towards
animals is a natural trait of the breed (as it is in many terrier
breeds, among others). Historically, humans were always in the pit, handling fighting dogs closely, while the animals were in full fight drive. A dog that was a danger to people and prone to biting was not feasible, and therefore carefully selected against.
"Pit Bulls attack more people than any other breed." (Also, please see Breed ID) Bite statistics actually
show otherwise. More popular breeds that are generally
considered to be "nice dogs" top the majority of lists. It may
seem to the general public who is constantly bombarded with
disturbing reports on Pit Bull attacks that this is the only breed
that harms humans with any great regularity. However, the fact
remains that Pit Bulls are hot news items. Dogs of all breeds
and mixes bite and attack people all the time, but it is mainly the
Pit Bull bites that get sensationalized. A report about the local
Golden Retriever that attacks and maims a child isn't considered
newsworthy. No one wants to believe that any dogs--even the
fuzzy, cute, popular ones--are capable of biting. It's much easier
to blow up and sensationalize a story about a vicious dog when
it's a member of a breed who's reputation preceeds it. Pit Bulls
are already considered the demons. All the reporters have to do
is stand in front of the camera, look horrified, and say, "A Pit Bull
did it".
"The only people that own Pit Bulls are criminals, and the only
thing the breed is good for is dog fighting." The majority of Pit
Bulls are owned by normal dog-loving folk. Pit Bulls are kept as companions; they're used as working dogs
involved in search and rescue, therapy, and police service; they
compete in obedience, conformation, agility, tracking, and
schutzhund; the list goes on and on. The breed is very versitile,
due to the fact that the traits that make a good fighting dog also
make for a good [insert your activity here] dog [Of Pit Fighting &
Activists]. Plus, although pit fighting was the main activity the
breed was originally created for and involved in, there were also
many other functions the breed was used for during it's
developement. This breed is truly a
jack-of-all-trades.
"Red or blue nose dogs are: a special type of Pit Bull / rare / worth more than black nose dogs":
The answer to all of the above is: FALSE!!! Let's talk color in Pit Bulls.
Pit Bulls are traditionally a performance breed. That means that they were originally bred based on how well they performed a certain task, not what they looked like. Color was probably the least important thing that oldtime breeders of Pit Bulls considered. Today, Pit Bulls remain largely a working/performance dog, and so the old way of doing things as far as looks are concerned largely still holds fast. True, many Pit Bulls today are also bred with the show ring in mind, however color is of almost zero importance even in that venue. No one who really knows Pit Bulls is all that impressed by color. A flashy color does not a good dog make, and although many people have favorite colors, breed-saavy people know that it's what's under the coat that counts.
Pit Bulls come in almost every color that is genetically possible in dogs. Some colors are more common (brindle or fawn for instance); some colors you don't see as often (such as spotted or black and tan). One thing is for certain, however: blue and red nosed dogs do NOT fall into the "rare" category--there are many of both colors out there, especially (at least in my area) the red nosed dogs.
There is, unfortunately, a faction of breeders (all unscrupulous), that are attempting to cash in on the current fad of blue and red nosed dogs. These people produce poor quality animals with no thought to health and temperament, their biggest selling point being coat color. Breeders of this type many times charge jacked up prices for their puppies, justfying the high price tag by claiming their dogs are of a "rare" or "special" color. The unsuspecting buyer is duped into believing their animal is extraordinary simply because he happens to have an "odd" colored nose. Breeders of this ilk are especially dubious because not only are they producing bad stock, but they lure their customers in by making false claims. Do not be fooled by this type!
There are, of course, very ethical breeders that produce blue and red nosed dogs. There are many fine, healthy, stable examples of these color varieties out there. These are dogs bred by people who care about the breed, are knowledgeable about what they are doing, and breed for MUCH more than just a snazzy color. There is nothing wrong with liking one color above another, but one should be an educated consumer. Realize that you aren't just buying a pretty face, but a living, breathing creature that is going to make real demands and require money to care for, time, and patience.
Some people have the mistaken belief that blue or red nosed dogs are a special "type" of Pit Bull. When speaking of such dogs, these sorts are apt to make statements such as, "I have a blue Pit", or "My dog is the red nosed kind". Let's replace "brindle" with "red-nosed": "My dog is the brindle kind." Sort of silly, no? Brindle is just a color a Pit Bull may be, not a "kind" of Pit Bull. Well, ditto red and blue. There is a specific line of Pit Bull known for its red noses; this is the Old Family Red Nose strain. But this was a tight-knit family of dogs bred closely because of their superior ability in the pit. The genetic closeness of the dogs made it easy to pass on certain traits--it just so happens that the traits of the Old Family dogs included not only gameness, but the genes for red noses as well.
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