March 5th, 2010
By Eric Letendre
A few weeks ago I recieved an email from a citizen of Denmark. She asked if I could make a video explaining Pit Bulls. You see, Denmark is in the process of instituting breed laws banning Pit Bulls. In this video I explain some important Pit Bull facts. Please leave your comments, I’d love to know your thoughts and opinions on Pit Bulls.
Eric Letendre is a professional dog trainer from the United States and has been training dogs for over 20 years, teaching regular, average, every-day owners all over the world how to get the training results they want as fast as possible. Eric is also the author of numerous reports, the E-Book “101 Ways to Improve Your Dog’s Behavior,” “The Amazing Dog Training Man Book,” and produced and stars in his DVD “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.”
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Eric Letendre is a professional dog trainer from the United States. For more than 20 years, he has been developing dog training "hacks" that have worked for dog owners all over the world. Eric operates from a home office or a laptop while traveling and draws on his experience and passion for dog training to show others how to develop a dog that is truly “Man’s Best Friend”.
Eric is the author of numerous reports, the E-Book “101 Ways to Hack Your Dog’s Behavior,” “The Amazing Dog Training Man Book,” and produced and stars in his DVD “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.”
Kia ora, I agree with Warwick Schneider, no breed standard, no such breed and he said it quite correctly a mongrel, interesting how all these people have pit bulls and that their pit bull is the biggest friendliest bla bla bla and how they say they are notorious because of bad owners and how they buy them to be macho lol well I think most of you have the same attitude and just like the sound of saying ” I have a pit bull” how do you know you have a pit bull is my question when there is no such regestered breed, I doubt that you do, it’s probably some cross or some sort of terrier and you get a thrill out of telling all your mates “oh look I have a pit bull”. Any dog that is fought in a pitt is a pit dog, you can throw a maltese in the pit and it effectively becoames a pitt dog albeit a very short lived one. So WHY is it all you people have pit bulls, Eric your the dog expert is it a breed of dog or not?
So have you done any research on the breed by YOURSELF ( which are, by the way, the same breed). Here is some other info for you, if you are not as close-minded as you seem to be.
What’s in a Name?
AmStaff or APBT? AKC? UKC? ADBA or ABKC? So many registries, so many ways to label a “pit bull!”
“American Staffordshire Terrier” is not a polite new name for pit bull, although it’s often misapplied by people who dislike the term ‘pit bull.’ Understanding the jumbled history of the breed names helps to clear up some of this confusion and mislabeling.
Before the end of the 1800′s, the dogs we think of as ‘Pit Bulls’ were typically called bulldogs – a name that’s still used by many breed enthusiasts. In 1898, Chauncy Z. Bennet founded the United Kennel Club (UKC) and re-named the bulldogs ‘American Pit Bull Terriers’. This move gave legitimacy to the breed and provided a framework for breed standardization. Then, in the 1930′s a group petitioned the Amercian Kennel Club (AKC) to allow pit bulls to be shown in the conformation ring. To separate the dog from its reputation as a pit fighter, they were given the new title ‘Staffordshire Terrier’ which was later changed to ‘Amercian Staffordshire Terrier’ to avoid confusion with the English Staffordshire Terrier. Right: The original ‘Pete the Pup’ from Our Gang fame was one of the first to be duo-registerd as a UKC American Pit Bull Terrier and an AKC American Stafforshire Terrier.
The American Staffordshire Terriers have been developed since that time for conformation, while the APBTs have been developed for working drive, in addition to conformation. The two styles are basically mirror images of each other, with slight differences in build and character that have started to show over the past 65 years. To make matters even more confusing, some AmStaffs are dual registered as both UKC APBTs and AKC AmStaffs, while APBTs cannot be registered with both organizations. Depending on who you talk to, AmStaffs and APBTs can be the exact same breed, or completely separate breeds.
In 1909, Guy McCord founded an organization titled ADBA (American Dog Breeders Association). This was created exclusively for APBTs and continues to be the lead registry for this breed. In 1976, the ADBA outlined its own breed standard, or, Basis of Conformation. In 1990, a new registry called ABKC was formed to promote ‘American Bully’ dogs – a new breeding style of thick, bulldoggy looking dogs that are said to have English Bulldog in their background as well as other breeds. http://www.badrap.org
I would advise you to look on a variety of websites before you criticize and entire breed. Are there not nice and mean Golden Retrievers and/or Labrador retrievers. Have you ever seen an aggressive chihuahua? I know I have seen mean many nice and mean dogs of all breeds. All I ask is for you to open your mind to other well known facts and to judge the deed, not the breed.
Thanks for the insight to NOT distinguish a warning growl etc.. We have the best dog ever- a real snuggler. Many good points in your video. Too bad Yu cannot moderate the less than true comments I see above. ( and BTW- APBT , AmStaffs are not mongrels- specific breed standards apply.\
Kia ora less than true because you say Nurse Nice, we are talking about so called pit bulls here not amstaffs and a pit bull is exactly that a mongrel and if you have a registered pit bull breed show the rest of the world so we all know if it is a true breed or not.
Hi Eric
I am a nearly 2 year old pit bull my owners bred me with my mum which they own and my dad which a friend of there’s owns.I still live my mum and visit my dad regularly.We love to play together although dad does get a bit frisky with mum which I’m not sure i like that much. As for people thinking we are nasty they really don’t know us very well because we are lovable and maybe a little emotional but we love our humans. my dads owner has a baby girl and he looks after her like his best friend and my mum has a teddy bear that she loves and looks after as well as me of course. I could never ever ever dream of hurting any of my humans i love but i guess if someone was silly enough to attack them i may try to hurt them but i think they call that protecting your family but really wouldn’t any body or any dog do that not just a mean old pit bull any way must go and lay on my owner for a hug and thanks Eric for sticking up for us oh mum and dad say thanks to
An Amstaff is not a Pit Bull. When mixing a can of paint you start with a base colour and add different tints to arrive at a desired colour. When breeding a Pit Bull you start with a selected base breed, not always but often an Amstaff, and add traits from individual dogs of other breeds to arrive at, hopefully, a desired result. It depends on what traits you start with and what traits you pick to add as to what the end result will be. This is called selective breeding. The dog MUST then be intensely trained to become a real Pit Bull. If the base is inferior and the traits not quite right the resulting dog does not make a very good Pit Bull and is usually destroyed. If the breeding was successful then the dog will be worth a small fortune to buy.
It is easy to use the same breeds, either deliberately or accidentally, to get a dog that looks the same but has a completely different personality. If trained and socialised correctly THIS dog could make an excellent house pet/companion dog.
I do not condone dog fighting nor do I have any sympathy with breeders or owners of true Pit Bulls.
Want a bit of fun with your ‘Pit Bull’. Their strength and endurance make them very good at pulling wheeled, dry land sleds which is becoming a popular sport around the world at present.
thanks for this helpful video
I wish more people were educated about pit bulls, I have a beautiful pit bull girl that is fantastic with my 2 little nices….very patient, very gentle….. and it makes me sad when i take her out for a walk and i see how people move away with fear as if she was a monster. I enjoyed your comment about pits Eric.
Things are very claer, not the breed is the problem, but THE OWNERS.
It is well-known as many dogs, about over 100 breeds, can become a real LETAL WEAPON in the hand of a person who trains it in that way, or simply NOT RESPECT SOME BASIC RULES.
Alaw is necesarry, but not for dogs or for breeds, but FOR OWNERS! THEY STRONGLY NEED LICENSES. Those used for fire-gun owners! Or for car drivers.
A person with mental problems, who can not drive a car or can not wear a gun, MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO TRAIN/OWN DOGS!!!! Esspecially aggresive or very powerful bite ones.
Most people are killed or injuried by cars, but nobody bans high speed cars! All laws try to prevent accidents by TRAINING DRIVERS and SELECT THEM by giving licenses (or not). And by controlling the way the car is used!
Some day, somebody will going to make Porsche forbidden car, because of too high speed???? I think no. All civilised countries interdict morons at the wheel, not the car itself. Same about guns… same about dogs, by any races.
I had a pit bull that lived to be 13 years old. He was a great family dog and was very good around children, and very protective of them. Your video says it all. It is the owners influence that makes the dog aggressive not the dog itself.
Go Eric,
We adopted a wonderful pitbull girl before Christmas last year and she is the nicest dog I have ever known. As you say in your video, they are smart, easy to train, gentle and loves people… especially kids, even very young ones.
I have set out on my own “Fix the Pit Bull’s bad rap” crusade. Keep it up.
Eric,
how do you deal with dogs or puppies that have food aggression?
thank you so much for listening to a cry for help. i know the person who wrote to you and she has distributed you explanation and so will I since I also believe its not the dogs fault. however pitbulls are illegal in Denamrk but they are now trying to bann the amstaff and 12 other breeds so thank you
Great video!! I am the owner to two pit bull pups..they are half brother and sister; Phoebe and Brutus…they are the most loving, obedient dogs I have ever had. We are currently doing obedience training and I have discovered they are very VERY intelligent…they consider themselves human and I just wanted to say that this was very informative and 100% true! Thanks for posting
Kia ora but is it 100% true that the so called pit bill is a proper breed of dog which is something nobody seems very enthusiastic to answer but you all have put bulls lol. Saying you have one to sound staunch and actully having one are two different things so once again do any of you so called pitbull owners actually have a registered breed of dog? Yesterday in Australia a woman in her 70′s was attacked by her pet dog which was described as a staff cross with pit bull, would surely love to know how they came to that conclusion, I think it was pure media scare mongering and publicity as they would have no way of being able to make that judgment. Now if there is really such a breed and I mean a registered breed of pit bull not just some mutt everyone goes around calling a pitty then surely you all have papers to prove it so that other breeds of dogs like staff, amstaff english terrior etc don’t take he rap for the behaviour of the so called pit bull?
i simply just love this video !
Pitts are greate dogs, people just dont know it here in denmark .. 
sad .. but true ..
They are full of hate, if they see a labrador with a littel bit muscles then then take their dogs on the arm and run away …. what the fuck
My littel dog plays with all kinds of dogs, when he was just 8 weeks old, he playd with a pitt, they are best friends . they sleep together, eat together,
My dog is 1½ years old now, and they still love eatch other.
My dog is a schipperke mixd with cotton de tulear, so he is a small one
i hope this video help to get peolpes eyes and ears open ! 13 dog breeds is to many breds to ban .. Alle kinds of muscle dogs here in denmark will be banned , if they get their will
i hope not !
Hi,
Sadly the Pitt Bull has been banned since 1991 in Denmark, the concern now is 12 other bredds AST, SBT, Fila Brasiliero and som others. Unfortunatly the government has passed the law today and the 13 breeds are now elegal in Denmark
( They didn’t listen to the facts only stories from the media.
But thank you for your effort, we post your video all around Denmark now ;o)
Lots of good practical information here
Great site! Nice one, I’ll stop by for more.
I have just recently become an owner of a 1 year old female pit. I have had her for almost three months and I have got to say that this is the most lovable, well behaved, smart and easy to train dog I have ever had. I was leery of getting a pit-bull because of their reputation of being vicious but am so glad that I didn’t give in to my fear, this is best dog. She is protective of me and my family but backs down imminently when I give the command stop or no.
that was a joy to watch our side like this.
I can not see the video here at work but all I want to say is that I have a half lab/half american pitbull. My Bubba is the most LOVABLE dog you would ever meet.I’m sure you’re going to hear this alot but it’s true, it’s the owners that train the dogs to be aggressive not the dogs themselves. Pitbulls are NOT aggressive towards humans, they are aggressive towards other dogs, if they are trained to be (which is why they have the pitbull fights). People give them a bad name!!! I brought my dog to the state park, and when he got to the common area with all the dogs, they were all chasing him and having fun, it wasn’t until the labradoodle was getting aggravated he couldn’t catch him and started to open his jaw and bite Bubba. So, why aren’t labradoodles banned? People just need to fight for the rights of Pitbulls. I joined the New England Bully Breed out of Hopkinton, MA on facebook and it’s a great cause to help save the pitbull name…also to see how lovable Pitbulls are. Check it out at http://www.nebbc.org/ and click on the facebook page. You will see for yourself.
Here we have two atacks by pit bulls. One a child 0f 14 was death and the other a man proprietary of the dog. The people donot know how to criate this kind of dog.
Novo Hamburgo
Brasil
The pit bull breed gets a bum rap mostly becauwe the are the breed of choice of dog fighters. They are the dog of choice for many reasons, In my opinion the biggest reason is they are the easiest to train to kill one another because they willingy do what thier owners train them to do. The so called master loyalty trait they take advantage of.
I volunteer at our municipal animal shelter here in Indianapolis and being a mostly inner city shelter we get our share of pit bull and pit bull terrier mix dogs. With the hundreds of animal contacts I have had at the shelter I have yet to have an incident with a “pit bull”. I attribut that most;y to the care our sheter takes in temperment testing our animals, although no system is perfect I think if there was a so called mean streak in the pit bull breed I would have witnessed it by now. I have seen nothing but healthy, intelligent,almost bullet proof dogs that are easy going and very trainable.
Sincerely,
Bob Baar