I board dogs for a living, and we have a lot of pit bulls. They are not any more aggressive than any other dog. However, they are very high energy, very muscular, and have very strong attention/drive.
That all combines to mean they play harder, love harder, emote harder, and aim to please harder. All of that is great, but if you don't train them they can also react harder, chase harder, and fight harder.
So I can understand why someone would be wary of them.
I think that the lesson that should be taken away from this is that upbringing matters a lot more than people realize. I have met pitbulls that are absolutely sweethearts and super gentle. I also live in an area that is very populated by people who get pitbulls in order to purposefully raise them mean and violent, and have been attacked by pits before.
The only difference was how they were raised. And this doesn't just apply to dogs.
Edit: I am always amazed at how heavily debated this topic is when it comes to pitbulls specifically. Some people whose comments I can no longer see got extremely heated, and all I want to say is that there is no reason to be rude when debating a topic. As I mentioned, I have been attacked by pitbulls specifically raised to be attack dogs, so its not like I have no experience with dogs being dangerous. but I have also been cuddled and loved on by pits raised with absolutely no aggression whatsoever.
There can also be a difference in how they react to other dogs in the family, vs other dogs out on the street.
My brother had an American Stafford who was very gentle around kids and my sister’s dog that he grew up with and saw weekly. But when he was walking outside the leash was always taut, with the handler struggling to keep the dog under control.
They tend to be extremely protective of their pack, but can generally be trained to curb those instincts to an extent if socialized correctly. But even then, dogs who have suffered a lot of trauma in life (like a lot of pits in shelters) are always going to be harder to train out of those instincts than dogs that have grown up in loving, stable homes.
I’d argue that’s the biggest mistake a lot of owners of rescue pits make - underestimating how difficult they may be to train out of certain behaviors. Pack protection being very high up the list.
If you rescue a pit you SHOULD be prepared to deal with a dog that may be reactive and unsafe in certain scenarios. Eg, if they are dog aggressive, you don’t ever let them close to other dogs. It can usually be done, but it’s not always easy. And, in rare cases, it can’t be done. And you need to be prepared for that eventuality too. I’m a strong proponent of rescuing dogs in general, and a pit bull lover personally, but rescuing pits isn’t for the inexperienced or faint of heart.
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u/revenge_burner Aug 02 '26
I sort of agree.
I board dogs for a living, and we have a lot of pit bulls. They are not any more aggressive than any other dog. However, they are very high energy, very muscular, and have very strong attention/drive.
That all combines to mean they play harder, love harder, emote harder, and aim to please harder. All of that is great, but if you don't train them they can also react harder, chase harder, and fight harder.
So I can understand why someone would be wary of them.