Pit bull

by Danny Seymore
(Heber Springs,Arkansas,United States)

This is not a nutrition question so I hope you dont mind helping me out Dr. Per.My girlfriend says pit bull dogs can not be trusted that someday they will turn on you.I disagree and say it is the way they are treated and trained.What is your opinion or the facts about this breed. Thank you in advance.

My Comment:

Hi Danny

Good question.

I my opinion you have to see this “in general” and on the more individual level. You would be able to find both dogs behaving very well and very bad within the breed.

I have see Pitt Bull's being very friendly in the clinic and also been contacted from owners not able to coming near their Pitt Bull mother after she got puppies.

Rottweilersmay be an good example to show you how breeds can vary.

When I worked in Denmark – seeing a Rottweiler 7 out on 10 would be difficult to examine without being very care full and take precautions.

In Sweden I saw a big difference. Most Rottweilers would be quite OK and quite safe to clinical examination!

Big difference, same breed.

So, I don't think the owners are that different in this country compared to Denmark, bot the genome in Danish and Swedish Rottweilers are!

The same breed but having been breeding on different behaviors. Therefore got different types of behavior.

Still – I am very confident it would easier to get the more aggressive behavior coming “out of the box” again if you would which so.

Take a Cavalier King Charles dog and a Rottweiler – which one would you think would be easiest to make aggressive?

It would be very very difficult with the Cavalier Charles breed to transform it to a aggressive dog.

So you might both be right.

In my opinion, the way Pitt Bulls have been breed (their reputation comes from some where) coming to my practice, without knowing the dog at all, I would always take precautions as it would be aggressive!

At least under the stress full circumstances as a veterinary examination would be seen in most dogs.

On the other hand - I know they can be very “sweet” Pitt Bulls as well.

All of this is down to the genome and the human involvement! Breeds are not any fixed standard. Great variations exist within the breed it self.

What you get depends of what you use as the mother and the father.

All the best to you

Per Schonbeck