This groundbreaking amendment made dogfighting officially illegal in all 50 states. Virgin Islands. In most states, the possession of dogs for the purpose of fighting is also a felony offense. As well as, being a spectator at a dogfight is illegal in all states except Montanan and Hawaii. Unfortunately, many times when an act is made criminal, it draws the attention of criminals. As dogfighting began to re-emerge in the s, animal advocates put an increased focus on the cruel, barbaric and illegal blood sport.
The inadvertent and unfortunate side effect of this new movement was that some people began to seek out Pit Bulls for illicit purposes. The criminal set began trying to squeeze these dogs into a mold they were never designed to fit.
The breed who was once bred to treat every stranger like a long-lost friend was now being used as guard and protection dogs and were being fought in underground fighting rings. The demand for pit bulls led to many owners breeding their own dogs without concern for temperament or socialization and for the purpose of making a profit, rather than providing a responsible home.
They were viewed as money-making commodities instead of family members and companions. The Pit Bull, seen by criminals as items to be discarded and now being seen by the public as a danger, began to fill shelters at an alarming rate. The media portrayal and demonization of the Pit Bull paved a perfect path for the onset of breed-specific legislation.
BSL began to crop up in select places as the dogs began to be used as a political platform by opportunistic politicians. Learn more about BSL here. Though media outlets successfully created an air of terror around Pit Bulls, there was a spectacular turn of events, though brought about by one of the most horrible atrocities. Previously deemed as unable to be rehabilitated, pit bulls that were seized were typically euthanized.
These dogs have long been popular family pets, noted for their gentleness, affection and loyalty. And even those pit bulls bred to fight other animals were not prone to aggressiveness toward people. Dogs used for fighting needed to be routinely handled by people; therefore aggression toward people was not tolerated. Any dog that behaved aggressively toward a person was culled, or killed, to avoid passing on such an undesirable trait.
It is likely that that the vast majority of pit bull type dogs in our communities today are the result of random breeding—two dogs being mated without regard to the behavioral traits being passed on to their offspring. The result of random breeding is a population of dogs with a wide range of behavioral predispositions. For this reason it is important to evaluate and treat each dog, no matter its breed, as an individual.
Rather, behavior develops through a complex interaction between environment and genetics. This is an especially important consideration when we look at an individual dog versus a breed. Many diverse and sometimes subtle factors influence the development of behavior, including, but not limited to, early nutrition, stress levels experienced by the mother during pregnancy, and even temperature in the womb.
And when it comes to influencing the behavior of an individual dog, factors such as housing conditions and the history of social interactions play pivotal roles in behavioral development. This is why there is such variation in behavior between individual dogs, even when they are of the same breed and bred for the same purpose. Because of the impact of experience, the pit bull specifically bred for generations to be aggressive may not fight with dogs and the Labrador retriever bred to be a service dog may be aggressive toward people.
Since Pitbulls come with sturdy, athletic features, socialization ensures that they do not hurt anyone, including their owners. If the owner does not teach obedience to their Pitbulls, the dogs will follow the master as their leaders. Pitbulls need a leader whom they will follow.
So, make yourself the leader and teach them to follow your every command. Thus, they will think of you as an authoritative figure and stay loyal to you for the rest of their lives.
If the owner shows any violence towards the Pitbulls or abuses them, the dogs can show violent behavior towards the master in the future. Also, the carelessness towards the health and temperament of a Pitbull can lead to such a mishap. There are several examples where Pitbulls attack their owners out of pain or fear. So, taking care of both the physical and mental health of a Pitbull is vital to prevent any accident.
Between the age of 8 months to 2 years, Pitbulls can turn on their owners. Pitbulls usually start developing signs of hostility and violence at this time. So, an untrained and unsocialized Pitbull can attack its owner around this age.
However, it can vary from one pup to another. It is possible only if the dogs experience any aggression, abuse, and violence from their masters. However, these kinds of attacks are rare. Hi There, AJ Oren here. I am also the content manager of this blog. I have experience in pet training and behavior, sheltering, and currently working for a veterinary clinic.
Even though these types of incidents are rare, mishaps can happen due to many reasons. Do Pitbulls turn on you? But, a well-trained, socialized Pitbull never attacks its owner.
Pitbulls are naturally very loving, intelligent, muscular, faithful, and protective canines. They indeed have aggression and temperament like any other animal. That is why you should never take any violent steps while disciplining a Pitbull.
Also, Pitbulls are so intelligent that they can absorb any knowledge you feed them. So, start obedience training at the earliest. An obedient Pitbull will never hurt its parent.
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