Myths

Pit Bulls are Mean and Vicious.
No more vicious than golden retrievers, beagles or other popular dogs! In a recent study of 122 dog breeds by the American Temperament Testing Association (ATT), APBTs achieved a passing rate of 81.7%. That's as good or better than beagles (78.7%), and golden retrievers (81.1%). In these tests, a dog is put through a series of confrontational situations. Any sign of panic or aggression leads to failure of the test. The achievement of the APBTs in this study disproves once and for all the old tired belief that pit bulls are inherently aggressive to people.

Are Pit Bulls aggressive towards other dogs in general?
The short answer is no. Developed for the purpose of fighting other dogs, most Pit Bulls are dog aggressive, At least to some degree. Some Pit Bulls will simply not tolerate any other dogs, regardless of sex. Some Pit Bulls will remain dog friendly their entire lives. Other Pit Bulls are at least same sex aggressive and as adults will not do well with other dogs of the same sex or those that are "pushy" with them, although as pups they may get along fine (this can be very misleading to a novice Pit Bull owner). Pit bulls will commonly start developing signs of dog aggression between the ages of 8 months and 2 years, although it can develop at any age and can come on either gradually or quite suddenly. It is important to note that many pit bulls do not display the "typical" signs of dog aggression before a fight. They may not growl, bark, or posture at all, but simply alert and raise up on their toes. Owners of dog aggressive Pit Bulls learn to "read" their dogs and recognize the subtle signs indicating impending dog aggression. Training will not eliminate dog aggression in the Pit Bull but, when combined with responsibility and vigilance, training can bring these natural tendencies under control in on-leash situations. Where housemates are concerned, if one is a Pit Bull, extra care should be taken to prevent tension over food, desirable treats (like bones), and favored toys. These items are often "triggers" for spats or fights between dogs sharing the same house and owners should be very aware of them. This is also the reason that an adult Pit Bull should NOT be left alone with housemates or other dogs. Due to their fighting heritage, many Pit Bulls do not recognize signs of submission given by a dog they are fighting and, if they are unsupervised, the results can be disastrous. It should be noted that many breeds have dog aggressive tendencies, and leaving any such breed unsupervised with another dog, especially a dog of the same sex, can lead to a tragedy. Although you should never leave any dogs alone together no matter the breed. A fight can break out between any dog breed.

The only people that own Pit Bulls are criminals, and the only thing the breed is good for is dog fighting.
The majority of Pit Bulls are owned by normal dog - loving folk. Pit Bulls are kept as companions; they're used as working dogs involved in search and rescue, therapy, and police service; they compete in obedience, conformation, agility, tracking, and schutzhund; the list goes on and on. Plus, although pit fighting was the main activity the breed was originally created for and involved in, there were also many other functions the breed was used for during it's development. This breed is truly a jack - of - all - trades.

Pit Bulls have locking jaws.
There is nothing about a Pit Bull's jaws that would physiologically distinguish them from the jaws of any other breed. The breed's jaws can't lock any more than a Poodles can. In fact, there is no animal -- domestic or wild -- with jaw - locking capability. Pit Bulls do have a lot of jaw-strength, however.

Pit Bulls can hold on with their front teeth while chewing with their back teeth.
Another physical impossibility. Pit Bull jaws are constructed in the same way any other breed's jaws are.


All Pit Bulls are vicious or born mean.
No one breed as a whole is bad, the same as no one race of humans is bad. Much has to do with the individual, it's genes, upbringing, and training. In the case of Pit Bulls, a breed that was created to be especially gentle with people, all of the human aggressive dogs are victims of one or more of the following: poor breeding, bad training, or irresponsible upbringing. There are thousands upon thousands of Pit Bulls that are loving, loyal, safe pets, who will live and die without ever having bitten a human. They are the proof that this "born bad" idea is fiction, pure and simple.