Taking the Bully Out of the Breed

Over time, the media has coined the term “bully breed” for the beloved Pit bull breed. With their massive strength, stubborn personalities and lock jaw, people who do not know the breed have come to believe that they are meant to attack. In their eyes, pit bulls are the only breed that attacks regularly. Why do they think this? The media hones in on pit bull attacks, and pitches stories that are twisted in facts to help get their point across. This has created breed discrimination across the country, causing many pet owners to find new homes for their family pets when laws are passed saying that pit bulls are no longer allowed in that town, county or state.

On a personal level, I never knew how much ignorance there was in the world about these loving animals, until I got older. As a young girl, I grew up thinking pit bulls and hound dogs were the only kind of dog you could get. As I got older, I worked in the veterinary field as veterinarian’s technician. I met many different breeds of animals and soon realized it was the cute little dogs that were more prone to biting and attacking. In fact, all of the bites I received in my 4 years of that field were from cats and small dogs.

Now that I am older and have children of my own, it is still the beautiful pit bull breed that I am attracted to. I have two of my own, a brother and sister who are a mix of American Staffordshire and Rednose. People often ask me why I would subject my children to such unpredictable animals and they warn me of how they can turn on us at any moment. I simply reply that I do not subject my children to the animals, I subject my animals to my children. Why do I say that? My family pets are more well behaved than my children. But, they have been taught to take anything a child can dish out. And, they do, with love and readily anticipation.

So, how did I raise my pit bulls to be so friendly? Here are a few tips:

1. Introduce your pet to as many children as possible from the time they are puppies. Never stop introducing them, this keeps them used to the idea of having a child around.

2. Pull tails and ears, poke around the eyes, lift the lips to look at their teeth, place your hand in their mouth. Do this from puppy age throughout their lives. If I were to place your arm in my dog’s mouth, they would hold their mouth open until your arm is taken out. This is something they have been trained to do.

3. Show your animal love at all times. While discipline is something you must teach your animals, abuse is not tolerated. My dogs were punished by being sent to their kennels. Now that they have outgrown their kennels (the male is 130 lbs himself), they are sent to a room away from the family for a “time out”.

4. Do not teach your animal to stray. If you are going to walk your pit bull, walk them in another neighborhood or in a park where dogs are accepted. Never, walk your animal around your neighborhood. This just shows them that it is okay for them to explore these areas. With this concept, our animals have never strayed from our home, which has never been fenced in. If we let them out and forget them, they are waiting by the front door for us to let them in.

5. Do not let your pit bull become loyally protective. Keep interaction between you and other people in front of your pet. Show them that it is okay for people to approach you, touch you, etc. They will know by your reactions, if someone is going to harm you, should the occasion ever happen.

6. Never let them become food growlers. While they are growing up, take food, toys and treats from them often. This shows them that they must share it. Give it back to them later on and do the same. In fact, because we had two dogs, we would take them and switch which dog we gave it back to. They now had a different scent. This helps them learn to share their belongings and also teaches them not to snap should you take something from them.


With these tips, you too can have a loving family pet!