Pit Bulls as Family Dogs

By Marie Neve,  Associate Trainer

In the last 100 years, The American Pit Bull Terrier gone from America’s sweetheart to one of America’s most feared and misunderstood dog breeds. It has gone from showing up as the poster child for both world wars and even being referred to as “nanny dogs” throughout the United States, to being persecuted, banned and ultimately hated. Thanks to questionable bite statistic studies, skewed media attention and irresponsible ownership; these dogs have obtained a nasty reputation as vicious killers. But Pit Bulls weren’t the first to undergo such undeserving discrimination and conceivably won’t be the last, as before them came German Shepherds, Dobermans, and Rottweilers.

However, I am pleased to report that just as things got better for the America’s demon dogs of the past, things are finally starting to turn around for Pitties everywhere. And for good reason, Pits make wonderful additions to any family.

You can choose either extensive research on the topic or my years of personal experience working and living with the breed as a credible basis to make such a declaration. Either way, the fact remains that they are truly incredible, loving creatures. Do you live alone and want a furry friend to keep you company? The pitbull is extremely loyal to its owner and wants nothing more than to befriend everyone it encounters even complete strangers, assuming they are friendly strangers, of course. Pitties love nothing more than snuggling up with you on the couch and greeting you with sloppy doggy kisses and a wagging tail upon your arrival home from work. Or maybe you have an itch for adventure. Pits are superb athletes and will eagerly keep up with whatever outdoor escapades you embark on. Want to settle down and raise a family? Pit Bulls are notoriously patient and gentle with children. Their high pain tolerance and even temperament means that your young children can tug, hang and poke to their hearts desire without the worry of sudden and/or unexpected retaliation. (Although out of respect for your four-legged family member and general “every dog” safety, this is strongly not recommended.) Still skeptical of the Pit Bull’s rock-solid temperament and all around family-dog-worthiness? Contact us for more information or check out the atts.org website where you can see for yourself that the American Pit Bull Terrier scores an awesome 86.8% on the American Temperament Test, only a handful of breeds score higher!

As an end note, despite the unsurpassed family-dog-qualities the American Pit Bull Terrier possesses, as with any dog, they still need loving pack leaders (that’s you) to raise them the right way to ensure they can be the best dog they can be! This means proper, life-long socialization, regular exercise, appropriate discipline and lots of lovin’! And please, whether your fuzzy family member is a 4 lb Yorkshire Terrier or a 100 lb Mastiff, never leave children unattended with any dog, and make sure to teach your children how to appropriately interact with animals.