100% true about Pit Bulls, they are fantastic dogs, very sociable dogs, but the human factor it’s the factor who can make him be bad dogs, like any other dogs. My dog it’s a Amstaff female dog named Riky, a very friendly dog, best friend with my 7 years doughter. One day we meet a 4 years Pit Bull on street, they play like childrens, no sign of agression. Please excuse the bad english!
With respect, Lee.

Dear Eric,

I think nothing wrong with pitbulls. The only problem is the owner of the dog … a human. The idiot can turn the dog to be a killer one. Wise and loving pet owner will never get any troubles with his dog.
I`m getting sad when see guys with there pitbulls trained or socialized to be agressive. The treatment is necessary to such owners. VERY SIMPLE. Personally i like pitbulls . A friend of mine has two of pitbulls. Female is agressive, but the male … is wonderful ! You can do what you want with him – no even barks when the game is painful. I say again : nothing wrong with the dogs – the problem is the owner ! Always .
Some guys should be psychologically tested to get right to have a dog. Any kind of dog. … Otherwise they can make a real trouble to the dog or to the neighbourhood.

No one seeds idiots – they grow simultaneously.

Best regards and great thanks for your support

Artur / Warsaw / Poland

Thanks so much for providing such a comprehensive and sensible explanation on this subject Eric. In Australia there seems to be a paranoia of pit bulls, to the point of banning the breed in some parts. I am even too embarrassed to tell some people that our pup is an Amstaf because they tend to associate the two breeds. It really annoys me how the media will give huge air play to a pit bull attack with all the blame placed upon the breed, yet we never hear of the multitude of dog bites by smaller breeds. Keep up the good work.

Hello Eric, I have a american amstaff male named Remix he is a wonderfull nice gentile dog, he loves children. He like’s to sit un my lap. He just play’s with some female dog’s. But a lot of people don’t want that their dog is playing with Remix they are afraid he will attack..
He is my best friend still young 20 month’s old. I did have german, belgium shepards, rottweilers and a bullmastiff.
But I am totaly in love with this breed.. Here in Holland in my onwn town I wanted to go to puppyclass when he was 3 months old but they refused him because he is a pittbull. It is disgraceful!! So I did trained him myself and I think I did a great job, he is obedient except when he is of the leash he likes to chase everything that moves…When we go for a walk in the woods he is on a leash of 12 meters… He is 20 month’s old but he acts like a puppy….
Keep up the good work I love your e mails and video’s great website to!!!

I have three dogs, all considered to be pits. All three are the best behaved, and best around my kids. I got the first on when my twins were born. Unique ( a brindle colored pit) would sleep next to their cribs and let us know when they were awake. They used to take naps using her as a pillow. She is now 11 years old and still has never bitin’ or attacked anyone. The two younger pits are the same way. I have neighbors with labs, setters, and toy dogs.The mail man stops and plays with my dogs everyday, but has told me the neighbors dogs worry him. So if they want to ban my dogs, they need to ban all breeds!

I could not agree with you more Eric. Everything you said in this video about Pit Bulls is absolutely true!Here in Ontario, Canada Pit Bulls and some other breeds are banned and it’s a terrible shame. It all as you sat lies in educating people not only dogs. I love your site. Thanks

Good video but I wish you would have said “some” people get these dogs for nefarious reasons” as part of the sterotyping by the BSL Lobby groups promote that all owners are thugs when in fact that is not the truth either.

While these dogs are strong the bite they have is in relation to their size as is with ALL dogs. People should look up “Bite Force Competition”. A professional test between a pit bull type dogs, a Rottweiler and a German Shepard. Out of the three dogs the “pit bull” came in third on the bite force both times.

If you do another video PLEASE mention these two important and pertinant facts.

Thanks
Fran C.

Hi Eric,

I agreee. I have a GSD and my neighbor has a Pitbull, he is a great dog. Her dog is much nicer to people and
dogs than my dog. Her Pitbull came from a shelter and my dog came from a rescue league that got him from a puppy mill at SIX MONTHs OLD, can you imagine the damage that had been done? My Koa is three now an it has been constant work, so it’s the upbringing, no matter what the breed.

Keep up the good work.

Liz & Koa

The American Pit Bull Terrier is the companion par excellance. They go anywhere, do anything and I mean anything for their human companions, even if those humans have the worst intentions. The problem is that the Pit Bull is so powerful, loyal and energetic about his given tasks that if he is influenced for evil he does evil with enthusiasm. The history of the breed is very well documented, and it isn’t only the stories of fighting dogs. Throughout time the insecure elements of society needed a “threat” dog to boost their egos. These low lifes happen to have chosen this valiant breed for their purposes and I feel it a shame that Breed Specific Laws think that they can stop this problem. It’s a human problem ,NOT a Pit Bull problem.

Kia ora didn’t know a pitbull was a breed of dog and if it is how many would actually know one if they seen it, any dog that looks like a terrier of any sort would be called one.

Pitbulls should be regulate not band, I will explain later. Will some of the blogers stop playing kissy face and have a serious discousion about the problems with the breed and what you think we can do about it. Why do you think that they came up with the legislation in the first place? Because no one is addressing the problems with the breed. I will be back to explain later when I have more time. But the topic of discussion will be Pitbulls have a genetic flaw.

I have to admit that I, until recently, was a believer that pit bulls were bad, scary dogs! Three months ago, my friend said that she had a puppy she didn’t have time for. He was adorable! She called him a “Staffy” I brought him home and fell in love. My sister came over to visit and said..”that’s a pit bull”…after taking him to the vet, and now having done much research i realize the difference between a pit bull and an Am Staff. I have had dogs all of my life, and usually fair well with training, however, I am having a much more difficult time with “Toby” my lil Staffy, because he is so STUBBORN! I know that he has learned the commands I give him, (sit, down, no face, treat, etc..) because when I do have a treat in my hand he follows my command. BUT when I do not have a treat in hand, he may not even bother to look at me, or acknowledge that I am speaking to him!! I have read extensively on the breed, try to use only positive reinforcement I have watched and read your training techniques….PLEASE TELL ME WHAT AM I MISSING? he is my pack leader at this point! We have six children in the home, all of which love Toby! he is a clown! and the cutest guy I’ve ever seen, but he needs to listen to us!! Can you help?

Hi Eric,

I liked what you said about Pits, but you left one thing out. When your average individual gets a Pit Bull, they don’t necessarily understand the general temperament of the breed. They tend to be very possessive. This leads to aggression when they feel what “belongs” to them is being threatened. When someone asks me what I think about the breed, I usually say, these dogs should not be with a first time dog owner. This is not a breed that should be taken lightly. But I feel that way about German Shepherds. I get a lot of GSD owners coming to me because their sweet and shy puppy is now barking at everybody and every dog they meet. They become fearful about socializing their Shepherds because they are concerned about their behavior in public. This is when the dog most needs to be in public, but in the hands of a competent handler. Same with Pits, although I never see pits display the kind of fear aggression that Shepherds tend to show at such an early age.

Hi Eric,

I love Dobermans and am against breed restrictions of any kind. I say make the penalty stiff for people who raise vicious dogs – like say 1-5 years in prison if their dog bites someone (outside of their property). Then you will see much less vicious dogs in public.

Eric,

I have enjoyed receiving your emails for a few months now and this one is no exception. Recently I rescued my first dog from the local animal shelter. In my research I determined that a pit bull was actually the best fit for my lifestyle. I was hesitant at first because of the instilled fears from 30 years of media misinformation. But after 5 months with her in my life, I don’t think I’ll ever own another breed. She’s beautiful, loving, and great with everybody she meets. Thank you for posting this video!

Best,
Greg

Eric,

Well said! Thank you!

Amstaff owner,
Los Angeles CA

Hi Eric,
I’m writing from Australia where pits are banned. We own a registered Amstaff of 8 months. Before purchasing our girl I did a lot of research into the breed characteristics of pits and amstaffs, so as to be sure one would suit us. I also did a lot of research into BSL and Dog Bite Laws and I spoke to our local council about purchasing this breed PRIOR to actually buying it. I also did a lot of research on past pit attacks that have occurred in this country.

I have to say I was very saddened by the results of my research. It is clear to me that this breed is the most misunderstood, misrepresented and abused breed on the planet. Yes, pits have attacked people ….. but if you look further than just listening to what the tv reporter tells you …. in every case there was a very irresponsible owner (and quite often a criminal owner)who did NOT socialise, manage, train or even exercise this dog who reaked havok on the community. To me BSL is BS – its about time they stopped banning dog breeds and started locking up irresponsible owners.

Our girl is attending doggie school (and doing very well) and our intention is to do agility with her. We spend time every single day socialising her with other dogs and an array of farm animals. She is exercised every day rain, hail or shine and she lives with our 14 yr old silky terrier. We hope that when our girl is old enough to start competing in agility more people will realise that pits can be useful working dogs and a trusted community friend. Our contribution to the breed is very small, but every contribution helps this poor breed that is crying out for RESPONSIBLE OWNERS!!!!!

Take care,
Angela

We adopted a pit bull mix about 1 1/2 year ago. She is very strong and protective of our family indeed but on the other hand she is the biggest “musch” u could possible meet :)and she is also great with my kids, especially my 4 year old who can be sometimes rough with her – but she never got agressive towards him because of that,what she let him get away with …
Well, like I always say: “IT IS NOT THE BREED, IT IS THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT!!!!!” and PITS ARE WONDERFUL COMPANIENS

My worry with banning breeds is that it’s the thin edge of the wedge. I was shocked to read from the Danish poster that even Staffordshire Bull Terriers have been banned over there. I had a Staffy for nine years and lost count of the number of Jack Russells who launched attacks on her on walks. She was also badly attacked by a border collie while on the lead. Yet people were fearful of my ’savage’ looking dog. New South Wales has banned certain breeds already with an opening in the legislation to ban further breeds as they see fit. Where will it end?

I would have to say that i have known pitbulls and never seen one attack. I have known 3 people with golden retrievers that were put down for biting both kids and family members. All of the retrievers owners had not taken the time for the dog to properly train. Pit bulls are not at fault and its ignorance that is getting them into trouble. Good luck over seas to all you pit bull lovers.

Hi Eric

Totally agree, it is very unfair to judge a breed of dog en masse, there is no such thing as a bad dog, only a bad owner.

Kindest regards – Angie

Eric,
My sister had a couple of pit bulls several years ago, and they were great dogs. Just as gentle and playful as one could ask for. That said, there are some things prospective owners must be aware of……
1) A pit bull is a strong, muscular, comparatively heavy dog. He can accidently injure a person or another animal while playing because of this. Take it into account.
2) A pit bull’s jaws can LOCK, and this is how so much of the damage is done when they do bite.
3) It seems to be in a pit bull’s nature to be very protective, and sometimes they will make a mistake in judgement as to when that is needed.
4) Pit bulls are very sensitive to whatever they are around. If they are around stress and agression, they will be stressful, agressive dogs. If they are exposed to love and play, well, they will be loving and playful.
5) While I agree that a lot of the problem is in the dog’s being misused or wrongly trained, the fact is that there are MANY documented cases of the friendly family pit bull suddenly, for no apparent reason, attacking and killing human or animal. One must conclude, therefore, that it is in their basic nature, and taking one as a pet must only be undertaken after long and careful deliberation.
By the way, I did have an infant relative killed by a dog once, many years ago- but it was not a pit bull, it was a dachund. He had been taken to a vet to be put down, and, unknown to the owners, the vet decided he was much too nice a dog to be put down, and gave him to a family with a small infant. The end of this rescue was not happy, as most are.
Just my two cents.

That’s some very good information that a lot of people should know. Often times I see people with the idea that certain breeds of dogs are more likely to bite than others. Although it’s true some breeds are more protective and wary of strangers than others, any dog can be brought up as a friendly dog unless it has some sort of traumatic experience.

The part about the training collars is spot on. When I first got my dog I went to a trainer, who turned out to use traditional methods. He gave us a chain slip collar, and instructed us to give the dog a correction if it barks at someone. I quickly saw that does not work. It only seemed to intensify my dogs fear and the rate of barking(she is a German Shepherd). I soon bought a martingale collar, and stopped giving corrections when my dog barks at another dog or person. There are many different alternatives to prong or slip collars that you should try first, and then only use them to reduce leash pulling. No-pull harnesses, Gentle Leader/head collars, martingale collars, and limited slip collars all have the potential to work with your dog.

Traditional methods just do not work well with some dogs. I have seen other dogs trained using the methods turn out to be great dogs, but positive reinforcement methods are almost always the way to go. My dog did not respond well to them, and has stranger anxiety that I believe is partially a result of receiving corrections when we encountered dogs and people. I say, go PR, and use training collars only for heeling and loose leash walking.

Pit Bulls, a cross breed specifically bred by numb nuts to fight dogs but remain reasonably human friendly. The breed has the traits of immense strength in both body and bite, tenacity, fearlessness and the ability to withstand severe physical pain. They come in a variety of colours, sizes and shapes and are not nessessarily intelligent. Breed failures are often destroyed.
I do find it difficult to understand how ‘they’ will ban Pit Bulls as the last I heard they could not be Shown as there is no set breed standard. This will not worry the mass media whose motto is ‘why let the truth spoil a good story’.
As a mongrel it is no real surprise to find that breed failures could make good house pets.
Lastly, a couple of successful sheepdog trialers that I know assure me that 4/5th of the dog is the owner.

i have two pit bulls, they are the most loving and affectionate dogs i have ever had. in the morning, and i so mean every morning, they jump up in my bed and lick me until i am fully awake. another way they show their love is by guarding the door. if they hear a noise at my door, front or back they run ahead of me so they can neutralize the threat if it exsists. they have decent behavior and are very social. they play with all the dogs in the neighborhood as if they live together. in ohio it is illegal to have two adule pit bulls in one house. i am glad the powers that be are reconsidering that law. i hope it is overturned by august 25, 2010 because they will be 1 y/o then and i might have to make the heart breaking decision to get rid of one of them. they are the best!!!

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.\

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

thanks for this helpful video

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.

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.

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

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?

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)

Great site! Nice one, I’ll stop by for more.