GEORGE NEWS - In the last week two more people lost their lives in pit bull attacks. I feel I need to explain in simple, easy-to-understand terms why this happens.
The breed was developed by man to fight other animals. Humans achieved this through selective breeding.
Dogs that showed aggression towards other animals were selected to breed.
By selecting the trait, the puppies from such a breeding pair inherited this behaviour.
Over the years this selective breeding made what we know today as a pit bull terrier.
It is a very strong breed that was used for a sport called "Bull Baiting".
In this sport, the dogs were expected to harass bulls to the point where they died, either from exhaustion or injuries.
That gives you an indication of the breed's strength.
When the sport was later found to be unethical, people started using these dogs to fight each other. Today some pit bulls are still used for this.
A different strain developed when dogs that showed aggression toward humans were not allowed to breed, and puppies that showed any signs of aggression towards humans were actually killed.
Thus, the selection was human friendly and animal aggressive.
Dogs that were bred in this way are Pure American pit bull terriers.
So why do fatal pit bull attacks on humans occur today?
It all goes horribly wrong when dogs selected to breed have the wrong temperaments.
Remember that when dogs breed, the puppies might inherit one or more traits of either of the parents.
In other words, if either of the breeding pair showed aggression towards people, the puppies might inherit that trait.
Remember, by selective breeding they are then genetically predisposed to aggression.
Now you have a very muscular dog that was designed to fight. To explain this, we can look at other dog breeds.
Border collies, for instance, have a big desire to herd anything that moves.
They will herd anything, from kids to geese and everything in between. That is what they "love" doing.
Retrievers such as labradors like fetching things and carrying it around in their mouths.
That is what they were selected for and what they like doing.
In the case of the pit bull, as aggression was the trait selected, that is what they like.
Just as the collie and the labrador like their particular behaviours, so the pit bull "likes" the trait it was selected and bred for.
Now, many people will say that there are more dog bites from chihuahuas or even poodles.
That might be true, but there is one big difference: we can defend ourselves against them.
If a pit bull attacks, no human will stand any chance of defending himself. The outcome of a pit bull attack is almost always very serious.
Next time I will explain how to avoid that your dog becomes aggressive and how to prevent possible attacks.
For dog issues, feel free to mail me at george@rehabdogworks.com.
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