National Pit bull awareness day.

Oct. 26th, marks National Pit bull awareness day. This week’s Friday Fun Dog Facts I thought I’d address some of the myths that have been plaguing the pit bulls of today.

Pit bulls have the reputation of being vicious fighters, attacking without a moment’s notice. But you might be surprised that this reputation has been forced onto pit bulls by human misinformation, rather than earned through behavior.

Pit Bull Myths:

1.  Pit Bulls have locking jaws

A Pit Bull’s jaws are constructed just like any other dog. In fact if you x-ray the jaw of a Chihuahua and compare it to that of a Pit Bull, you will see that, except for the size difference, they are the same.

2.  Speaking of those jaws – Pit bulls have 1600 lbs of pressure per square inch in their bite. 

Again, this is not true. Pit Bulls’ jaws are like all dogs and average around 235 lbs of pressure per square inch.  The strongest dog’s jaws are actually those of the Rottweiler with 328 lbs per square inch.

3.  Pit Bulls are unpredictable and more likely to bite than other dogs

Research actually proves that Pit Bulls are no more vicious than Golden Retrievers, Beagles or other popular dogs! In a recent study by the American Temperament Testing Society (ATTS), Pit Bulls achieved a passing rate of 83.9%. That’s better than Beagles … 78.2%, Golden Retrievers … 83.2% and Miniature Poodles…77.9%.   In fact, the pit bull ranked 4th highest passing out of the 122 breeds tested.  

4.  Pit Bulls are not good with children

Pit Bulls continue to test as one of the most stable breeds of dogs in the country.  During the ATTS testing they land as one of the top five most stable dogs. Because of this, they are extremely patient and tolerant of children.

5.  Pit Bulls will “snap” and attack out of the blue. 

No dog attacks out of the blue.  There are always signs or circumstances that lead to an attack.  Unfortunately sometimes these symptoms go unnoticed or ignored.

However,Pit Bulls are very powerful animals. When something does go wrong it usually makes the news. (and don’t get me started on how biased the news is!)

There are a number of risk factors associated with dog bites.  But evidence proves that breed is not one of them.  Most dog attacks do involve intact dogs, so it is important to have your dog spayed or neutered.  And of course proper training and socialization for all dogs is important to prevent problems.

6.  Pit Bulls need a lot of space and don’t do well in a condo or apartment.

All dogs need exercise and pit bulls certainly are very athletic and love to play.  However, most pit bulls enjoy lazy afternoons on the couch just as much as romping through fields.  Because of their short coats they don’t do well as outdoor dogs.  Also, they don’t shed very much and this makes them ideal indoor dogs.

7.  Pit Bulls cannot be with other dogs and/or cats 

This is probably the biggest misconception when it comes to this breed. With proper training and socialization a Pit Bull can learn to live peacefully in the company of other dogs and cats as well.

Ultimately dog owners have the greatest influence on dog behavior.  Please don’t judge any dog by it’s breed.

Check back next week for more Friday Fun Dog Facts!

More about Lisa Flynn on Google+

More about Lisa Flynn on Google+

photos by: JasonCorey & jlantzy