Show me your "bully" breeds!

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, what a fun topic! We have two! I always refer to our black and white dog as mixed breed in order to protect her from people with fears of certain breed names even though we think she is pure bred. The other is obviously an English bulldog (male)! Sorry for the reflection in their eyes...I don't know how to fix that. Our black and white dog is just the sweetest! It hurts that people have prejudice against a whole breed of dogs. (Oh, and the kennel put on the things around their necks for Christmas! I don't do that!)

 

[arjunajane]

I know IT'S ME, but I woulkd be terrified to pass any of these dogs on the street. I honestly would.....

why?

Have these breeds really been demonized that much in the US?

 

[Liane]

I know IT'S ME, but I woulkd be terrified to pass any of these dogs on the street. I honestly would.....

why?

Have these breeds really been demonized that much in the US?

I think it's a combination of two things here: one, the media does really demonize these dogs (Best Friends Animal Society has a ton of links and information on the topic, demonstrating how dog bite stories featuring other breeds generally get ignored, while dog bites of equal or lesser seriousness become national news if the biter is a pit bull type); two, they are the breed of choice among irresponsible pet owners in certain areas (which is why some 80% or so of the dogs you'll see up for adoption in big cities are pit bulls -- they belong to owners who don't neuter their dogs, breed carelessly, and then dump the puppies). Also, and linked to the second point, pit bulls are deliberately bred for aggression by people who want tough, "macho" dogs to use as fighters or guard dogs.

So while most pit bulls are incredibly sweet, loyal companions who make wonderful family pets -- that high pain tolerance makes them willing to ignore tail-pulling and ear-poking that might cause other dogs to snap at young children -- there are a few who have been intentionally bred for unusual aggression, and there are more who belong to people who really shouldn't have dogs of any kind. An under-socialized, untrained, intact dog has the potential to be aggressive no matter what breed it is, but because these dogs have unfairly gotten a bad reputation, they appeal to some of the worst kinds of pet owners (which is one of the reasons that shelters have to be extra careful when adopting out their pit bulls, and also leads to people having negative firsthand experiences with pit bulls who have been owned and/or damaged by these irresponsible owners). And that contributes to negative press, which reinforces the image that draws people who want a "tough dog," and around and around in a destructive spiral.

Not only does negative press actually encourage the wrong kind of interest, but it leads to breed-specific legislation targeted at pit bulls, which has been shown does not work (and, although the question was whether they've been demonized in the U.S., I'll note briefly here that they are even more tightly controlled in the UK under the Dangerous Dogs Act, which provides that they have to be leashed and muzzled at all times in public and can be destroyed immediately for acting "out of control").

It's insane. I think it's great that we have this thread on PS to show what pits are really like, just as I think it's great that Best Friends is being so active in countering the negative impression many people have of bully breeds. The ignorance that prevails in many quarters right now is incredibly detrimental to the dogs: it scares off the people who should love them and encourages the ones who shouldn't be allowed to have goldfish.

Anyway, sorry about the threadjack, congrats to the many great bully-breed owners in this thread, and apologies to the OP who said she didn't want this to become a pros-and-cons of bully breeds discussion. I'll post some pictures of my sister's dog (who is a great dog, and a pure pit bull) later to make up for this.

 

[zoebartlett]

I know IT'S ME, but I woulkd be terrified to pass any of these dogs on the street. I honestly would.....

why?

Have these breeds really been demonized that much in the US?

Yes, I think so. There are often stories on the news about pit bull (and less frequently, rottweiler) attacks.

 

[Haven]

I know IT'S ME, but I woulkd be terrified to pass any of these dogs on the street. I honestly would.....

why?

Have these breeds really been demonized that much in the US?

I think it's silly to be terrified of a dog based solely on his looks. Do you take behavior into account?

We pass many people on our several mile walks every day, and nobody is ever terrified. Imagine seeing these dogs walking very well on leash right next to their owners, looking straight ahead, extremely well behaved. How could that be terrifying?

The dogs you should be scared of are the dogs who have never been trained to behave, you know the ones I'm talking about--the dogs who are walking their owners, pulling the leash, jumping at people passing by, barking at other dogs. THOSE are the dogs who are menaces, and they come in all breeds and sizes.

I think it's very interesting that in a thread meant to CELEBRATE bully breeds, especially after the OP explained why she started this thread in the first place, we STILL have people coming on here and stirring the pot. I think it was bad form to post that, it's your right, but it was still bad form. This was a thread created with the intention to celebrate something, and you felt compelled to click on it, come in, and pop all of the party balloons. Very rude, if you ask me. (Of course, it's your right to post whatever you want, wherever you want, I understand that. It's my right to say: I think your decision to post that was rude and uncalled for.)

I see a lot of threads on here that celebrate things I'm not really interested in condoning, but I certainly don't go into those threads and pull a Debbie Downer. That's like going into someone's "We're building a house!" thread and writing "I really dislike new construction homes because they waste unnecessary resources when you could have bought a pre-existing home and saved the energy." Waaaaa WAAAAAAAAAAAA.

I went to the Spooky Pooch Parade yesterday with my Pit mix, and nobody screamed and ran the other way when they saw her. Most people asked if they could pet her, and gave her a good snuggle. We did hear several dog scuffles and snarles, which is natural in the dog world by the way, and most of them came from Chihuahuas and other small breeds. I'm just sayin'.

OP--I'm SORRY to draw out the controversy. I felt it was necessary to say something.

Here's a picture of my Pit Bull mix dressed up as figures of speech yesterday. (She was in a shark costume with a personal ad ("loan shark") a name tag with the name "Jump" on it (jump the shark) the word "lie" coming through the shark's teeth (lie through your teeth) the words "a kick" in the teeth, and the letter i on several teeth with a gift tag on them "I'd give my eye teeth). I thought it was hilarious, all four dogs were dressed as figures of speech, and it was a lot of fun for a nerdy English teacher like myself. You can't really see them but I cut out dress form silhouettes and wrote famous movie lines in them, get it--figures of speech--and stuck them in the bandana on my head.

 

[Haven]

I have a great series of cuddlebug pictures from our ride home from the parade. Bailee is a little smushpot. I love the face she's making at me in the first shot, it's like she's a teenager saying "Come ON Mama, stop taking my pictuuuuure."

 

[packrat]

Here's Special trying to lick whoever had the camera. They are quite possibly the lickingest dogs I've ever known. Then there is Sadie looking embarrassed when London was little and dressing her up with beads. She wouldn't even look at me in the one picture.

I wish the stupid scanner was working-I've got pics from a regular camera of Sadie swimming in my Gramma's pool. We got her a life jacket and when she'd see us get it out of the closet she would make chuffing noises and spin around. She even could swim after she lost her leg. I'd go in the middle of the pool and yell to her "Sadie I need help!" and she'd jump in and swim over, and turn to the side and I'd take hold of her jacket and she'd swim to the side of the pool. (I never made her pull me of course, I just swam along)

Haven, love the pics and the costume notes sure gave me a chuckle!

 

[Haven]

Packrat--OH! Look at Special!

They are lickers, aren't they! We call Bailee a licking machine. I like those signs that say "Warning: Dog can't hold its licker!" and I really want one, but I have yet to find one that doesn't misuse an apostrophe in "it's"!

Interesting note: Bailee was obsessed with licking my mom's lab's mouth, and when our trainer saw that he said we should get the lab (Killian) checked out because there might be something wrong with her gums. Sure enough, there was! Isn't that cool? The dogs know when to take care of each other.

 

[packrat]

Ha, duh, just realized I had this commentary on Sadie and the beads and then didn't do the pics. Dork.

I think the misuse of the apostrophe would drive me nuts..too bad b/c that's a cute sign!

Wow-smart Bailee to know there was something wrong w/the other dog!

 

[davi_el_mejor]

The dogs you should be scared of are the dogs who have never been trained to behave, you know the ones I'm talking about--the dogs who are walking their owners, pulling the leash, jumping at people passing by, barking at other dogs. THOSE are the dogs who are menaces, and they come in all breeds and sizes.

Agreed!

Sadly, I have one of those 20 pound menaces. She's a terrier, but not a bully breed terrier. She has a very angry face if she wants to use. She's come leaps and bounds from when we first got her though, she's our work in progress.

It's very important to socialize your dogs at an early age and continue to do so for the rest of their lives.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Liane & Haven- Thank you both for your posts!

Zoey was a turtle for halloween. DH & I hosted a costume party on Friday and everyone kept saying, "She's such a good dog!" Its only taken 1 year and 3 months of non-stop training to keep her from A) annoyance barking B) stealing food off the table C) jumping on people. The compliments were nice but I wanted to say, "You should have seen her one year ago! She was a little devil!"

One of the best things about our bully-mix is her athleticism. As Coloradans, we love to hike and spend time outdoors. Zoey is up for any hiking challenge! One of the below photos is from our most recent hike with Z.

The other one is of Zoey snuggling with my father on "her" loveseat (slipcovered to prevent total dog-destruction). This dog HATES to nap/sleep alone. She always wants to be pressed against someone or laying across a lap. She waits at the foot of the bed each night, staring longingly at the mattress, waiting for DH to say, "Okay. Come on up!" She then immediately springs up onto the bed and presses her whole body against one of us. I jokingly tell DH that Zoey is a better "spooner" than he.

I live in a city with BSL against pits and pit mixes. City officials can do what they want, but shelters & vets sneak through whatever loopholes they can find. Identifying pits & pit mixes is a challenge, as there are MANY breeds that look alike- boxy head, wide-set eyes, muscular build, etc. The shelter said Z was a Lab-Pyrenees mix (no way!) and the vet registered her as a Lab-Am.Staff mix. They don't want her to take a doggie DNA test, and I'm okay with that! I tell strangers that's she's just a lovable mutt!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

The dogs you should be scared of are the dogs who have never been trained to behave, you know the ones I'm talking about--the dogs who are walking their owners, pulling the leash, jumping at people passing by, barking at other dogs. THOSE are the dogs who are menaces, and they come in all breeds and sizes.

Agreed!

Sadly, I have one of those 20 pound menaces. She's a terrier, but not a bully breed terrier. She has a very angry face if she wants to use. She's come leaps and bounds from when we first got her though, she's our work in progress.

It's very important to socialize your dogs at an early age and continue to do so for the rest of their lives.

She is a cutie! Lovin' the blurry tail in photo #2. Davi, the difference with you and 'other' owners is that you're consciously working on eliminating this negative behavior. I'd rather see a "menace" in your hands than in the hands of someone who wanted an intimidating, threatening dog. I wish you guys luck as you continue working with this pup!! Her life is probably sooo much better in the hands of patient, loving owners

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

@PilsnPinkysMom: I'm not going to lie, training him was hard. The typical petsmart and petco training does not work for him. I sent him to a 3 week board and train facility in Socal and he got training every day. Since then he's been a gem (not perfect of course). He walks well on a leash, listens to commands 97% of the time (darn that terrier in him), and is a doll around kids. He needs constant training we do 15-20 minutes each day off leash and he really wants to please me so he does them with the first try usually. He gets the positive reinforcement of playing with the ball (oh gosh, terriers and tennis balls) and he is very eager to please. With my ex (he was rather harsh in his wording and his "punishment" with the chain collar with him)... Nitro would not listen and would in fact run away from him. Gentle and positive reinforcement (hugs, pets, playtime) really made a big difference in how he reacts to me compared to my ex.

This is quite interesting & coincides with the author of the bully/terrier training book (not that her word is gospel, but her suggestions have worked well with our stubborn love bug). Terriers are not as people-pleasing & food motivated as labradors and, according to this author/trainer, like to do things according to their own rules. They are also unresponsive to pain, pulling, pushing & yelling (as are many dogs!) We've found that using tug-o-war is the best reward for Zoey, as she could care less about treats. Every trainer we've worked with uses positive reinforcement with kibble & 'luring' a dog into the correct behavior, non of which really work for our pup. I would love to take obedience classes with someone who truly knows bully-breeds & terrier breeds.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

The dogs you should be scared of are the dogs who have never been trained to behave, you know the ones I'm talking about--the dogs who are walking their owners, pulling the leash, jumping at people passing by, barking at other dogs. THOSE are the dogs who are menaces, and they come in all breeds and sizes.

Agreed!

Sadly, I have one of those 20 pound menaces. She's a terrier, but not a bully breed terrier. She has a very angry face if she wants to use. She's come leaps and bounds from when we first got her though, she's our work in progress.

It's very important to socialize your dogs at an early age and continue to do so for the rest of their lives.

She is a cutie! Lovin' the blurry tail in photo #2. Davi, the difference with you and 'other' owners is that you're consciously working on eliminating this negative behavior. I'd rather see a "menace" in your hands than in the hands of someone who wanted an intimidating, threatening dog. I wish you guys luck as you continue working with this pup!! Her life is probably sooo much better in the hands of patient, loving owners

Thanks , it is really an issue with her confidence. It's really easy to build her confidence though, she loves gettin' loved on The hardest thing is her reaction to other dogs. We use high value treats when a suitable meeting occurs and lots of praise, but we are always open to suggestions on other ways to get better reactions. She's more toy/play responsive, but we can't very well do that in a pressure cooker situation of dog meetings, so we use food, her second favorite.

Your pup is super adorable! I can see the Pyr in her BSL is stupid, I can't wait for bullies to get out of the hands of those who have ruined the image of them

 

[packrat]

Several years ago, our vet had hunting dogs, Brittneys. A guy in our town who was a drug dealer on the side had pits and they were mean-he trained them that way purposely for guard dogs. His dogs got loose and killed the vets dogs. The vet had spent a lot of time and money training these dogs. Some people instantly took up the anti pitbull cry, but the vet was and has since been, a pro pit advocate. Or, rather, pro pit/anti stupid people owning the breed. The pits were put down, and the vet was really upset about it, b/c it wasn't the dogs fault. Before JD and I got married there was a huge to-do in town b/c some wanted to ban them. The vet actually called JD b/c there was a public hearing in town about it, and he wanted JD to know about it and suggested he bring one of the dogs. The vet talked at the meeting about his experience with the loss of his hunting dogs, and then pointed out the difference in ownership and training, with JD and Tuffy. When we still had the dogs, now and again people would call and say they got our number from the vets b/c they were thinking of getting a pit and wanted to come play with them and interact with them, either they wanted to get one, or they mentioned at the vets that they were scared of the breed, different things like that. Even my dad, who when I found out I was pg started raising hell about how the dogs were going to eat my baby, came to realize it's just plain and simple not true and got a kick out of telling us how he'd set some people straight at work when they mentioned their thoughts on pits and kids.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Just wanted to add that I love seeing all the sweet doggies on this thread!

 

[lyra]

My little fox terrier escaped custody one day and pinned a neighbour's pit bull in it's own garage. This was highly embarrassing for us! The other dog was such a sweetie, I think she was just trying to get away from the little barking hooligan that was clearly trespassing. We went and apologized profusely to the owner (the kids had let our dog escape out the front door, which she was prone to do when she was under a year old, she's now 12). Anyway, the pit bulls I have met in person have all been big cuddly beans. That said, I would never approach any dog of any size without the owner's express permission and I always ask. I love dogs so much! I love all the pics in this thread, the dogs are so cuddly looking. I will put up with slobbering too.

 

[Haven]

Lyra--I can totally see that happening! I love your adorable little miniature pit bull, and now I have the best mental image of that story!

 

[lyra]

I know IT'S ME, but I woulkd be terrified to pass any of these dogs on the street. I honestly would.....

why?

Have these breeds really been demonized that much in the US?

Yes AJ, they truly have been demonized. I also live in an area that recently (in the last 10 years) banned pit bulls. I swear it's 99.9% media hype. I have never known a pit bull in a family setting that turned on family, yet if there's a single case somewhere, it's blown out of proportion. I think many of these situations are 100% avoidable. People shouldn't own any dog they have not trained or socialized properly.

I mean, realistically speaking, it can happen with *any* dog. I posted the pic of my chihuahua in this thread as a joke. However, I would never leave him alone with anyone other than family. He acts defensively because of his size. He cannot actually inflict much damage at all given his size and his not very sharp adult teeth. But still, he could bite someone if he was unattended, in theory if nothing else. He prefers to stay away from strangers who enter our house, while our female Lola is playdoh in the hands of anyone. Literally, a stranger can hold her upside down and she'd find a way to lick their face. I digress. Sometimes it's irresponsible owners that create an issue, but I'd say equally it's people putting themselves or their kids especially in bad situations with strange dogs. My own kids were bad with this and I had to get after them! They grew up around dog shows and had the mistaken impression that every dog was gentle and well trained!

 

[lyra]

Lyra--I can totally see that happening! I love your adorable little miniature pit bull, and now I have the best mental image of that story!

Oops. Actually the dog in the picture is our 7 month old chihuahua, not the 12 year old fox terrier.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The most aggressive dog we ever had was a toy poodle in her old age! She bit me once when she got a chicken bone out of the trash and I stupidly tried to take it away from her! She also nipped a neighbor's child, and thankfully they understood she was old and had arthritis and did not sue us!

That said, I NEVER let other children be with our dogs unrestrained. You just can't 100% trust what the dogs could do if provoked by someone outside the family.

 

[yssie]

Haven - that cuddling series is just adorable!! I completely agree re. training. My parents have a chow mix, he's a lovely, incredibly sweet dog, but he's so poorly trained - he's 70lbs, neither my mum nor me *can* walk him, and he pulls my dad all over the place Sadly they - unlike you, Davi, tolerate it all and spoil him silly, feed him from the table, encourage him to jump and cuddle, and neither are inclined to listen to outside opinions. It's bizarre, they're usually such reasonable people, but try talking about the dog and there's a brick wall in the way.

Packy - kids, beads, no struggles? Your puppy is a saint

Pils - Goodness, Zoey is a beauty! I'm so glad to hear the vets and shelters in the area search for and are able to find those loopholes - my parents' area has those rules too, but I don't see any bully breeds at all, I have to wonder if there *are* no loopholes or if they've successfully scared people off

 

[Resonance.Of.Life]

@ PilsnPinkysMom:

Actually, surprisingly Nitro loves to please.. it's really odd being that he's a terrier and all and a bully on top of it.. but he really craves positive attention. I hold his leash and he sits politely and waits until I give him the release word of "ok." Play time was the best way to get him to really do the full 20 minutes of training without getting really frustrated. Also, training them gives them a mental "exercise" and allows them to be less frustrated as well. I sent him to Paradise Ranch in Sun Valley, CA. They do use a chain collar, but they don't use it as a punishment, but rather *Tap* "hey, wrong choice, choose again." I plan on sending him back for some off leash training (for dog park purposes) even though he does well at home off leash with commands.. he's touch and go at the dog park.

 

[charbie]

Well, I love all the dogs pictured here...I don't discriminated against any cuddlers thank you all for sharing your cuties!

I wonder at times if my lab mix Charlie has a bit of bully in him. He has a pretty boxy body, and at times the personality traits of something other than a lab. I know first hand that it takes lots and lots of training for these dogs, and in the wrong hands, they can be dangerous. Anytime you allow irresponsible people to be in charge of training an animal, things will go wrong.

But I've never been more scared of a dog than my dads jack russell. He has 4 other dogs (teacup yorkie/schnauzer, great p, newfie, and collie) who are all wonderful...and the one dog is so territorial and aggressive, I can't give my dad a hug if she's around!

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Haven - that cuddling series is just adorable!! I completely agree re. training. My parents have a chow mix, he's a lovely, incredibly sweet dog, but he's so poorly trained - he's 70lbs, neither my mum nor me *can* walk him, and he pulls my dad all over the place Sadly they - unlike you, Davi, tolerate it all and spoil him silly, feed him from the table, encourage him to jump and cuddle, and neither are inclined to listen to outside opinions. It's bizarre, they're usually such reasonable people, but try talking about the dog and there's a brick wall in the way.

Packy - kids, beads, no struggles? Your puppy is a saint

Pils - Goodness, Zoey is a beauty! I'm so glad to hear the vets and shelters in the area search for and are able to find those loopholes - my parents' area has those rules too, but I don't see any bully breeds at all, I have to wonder if there *are* no loopholes or if they've successfully scared people off

Inappropriate behavior is not tolerated at my house (human or animal). I love "nothing in life is free." The dogs "work" for treats and attention.

I'd love to have Victoria Stillwell work her magic with us.

Current list of things we're working, (suggestions welcome)

curbing her herding instinct. I have no idea what she's mixed with, but there's a herder in there somewhere! What better way to herd than to nip at pants, heels, hands right?

random violent attacks on our laid back chihuahua mix. Mia is very possesive of toys and her people. Neena (chi mix) wants nothing to do with the toys, but loves our attention. That's what causes most fights between them, it's not actually a fit, it's far more one-sided than that. It's all out vicious attack that leaves Neena with some very minor ouchies.

This is going to sound bad, but she freaks out if you have crutches, use a wheel chairs, wear rollerblades, ride a bike, skate board, scooter etc. We've got her used to walking on the sidewalk when buses and semi's go by but heaven forbid we come up to something that was mentioned before.

Kids. She hates kids. I don't think we'd ever trust her alone with kids under 13, or supervised with kids under 7. That is something we've come to live with and don't feel comfortable trying to fix.

Sorry for the threadjack... wow! But, this may be helpful for bully owners

 

[yssie]

Inappropriate behavior is not tolerated at my house (human or animal). I love "nothing in life is free." The dogs "work" for treats and attention.

I'd love to have Victoria Stillwell work her magic with us.

Current list of things we're working, (suggestions welcome)

curbing her herding instinct. I have no idea what she's mixed with, but there's a herder in there somewhere! What better way to herd than to nip at pants, heels, hands right?

random violent attacks on our laid back chihuahua mix. Mia is very possesive of toys and her people. Neena (chi mix) wants nothing to do with the toys, but loves our attention. That's what causes most fights between them, it's not actually a fit, it's far more one-sided than that. It's all out vicious attack that leaves Neena with some very minor ouchies.

This is going to sound bad, but she freaks out if you have crutches, use a wheel chairs, wear rollerblades, ride a bike, skate board, scooter etc. We've got her used to walking on the sidewalk when buses and semi's go by but heaven forbid we come up to something that was mentioned before.

Kids. She hates kids. I don't think we'd ever trust her alone with kids under 13, or supervised with kids under 7. That is something we've come to live with and don't feel comfortable trying to fix.

Sorry for the threadjack... wow! But, this may be helpful for bully owners

Balancing hope with the understanding that there may well be limitations to rehabilitation is so important - and yet so difficult.

In the shelter that I used to volunteer at too many of the bigger dogs - of all breeds - were rejects that well-meaning people had been negligent about training as puppies, and that were then "uncontrollable" as adults (surprise surprise ). And once in a while a couple or family would come in looking to save the most misfortunate of the bunch, and - it's so hard to say that an animal is simply not fit for adoption into a houshold with children, with other pets, as these people are always overflowing with love and you just know that under different circumstances they would be the wonderful owners that these animals do deserve

 

[Tuckins1]

I know IT'S ME, but I woulkd be terrified to pass any of these dogs on the street. I honestly would.....

why?

Have these breeds really been demonized that much in the US?

Yes, I think so. There are often stories on the news about pit bull (and less frequently, rottweiler) attacks.

Yes, absolutely. However, there are quite a few incidents every year (at least here in metro Detroit) of people being attacked/killed by Pit Bulls. Again, this is because there are a LOT of people in this area who have these dogs because they are "tough", and raise them to be aggressive. My friends have Pits and I have never been afraid of any of them. It really is all about how they are raised and supervised.

 

[CourtLynB]

I don't currently own a bully breed, but I love pits. My roomates in college had a purebreed named Elsa. She was about 45lbs and the runt of the litter when born and the biggest sweetheart. She was also a licker. My roomate pretty much adopted her from a friend who couldn't keep her as he was going into rehab. I think it was supposed to be a temporary situation that turned permanent. We used to take her to the barn and she would attempt to herd the horses. The farm "gator" (like suped up 4 wheel drive golf cart) couldn't leave without her in the front seats.

When I got my puppy, Elsa was a total momma-dog to her. They would run and play all day, then crash on the couch together. Too cute. I swear the reason that my girl loves all other dogs is due to Elsa.

 

[Prana]

Here's Boris! He's a Scott-type American Bulldog.
I love this thread, I think these dogs are the most beautiful breeds!



Boris and his sister, Soda


Sorry for posting so many pictures. I got excited.

 

[Prana]

And just wanted to say that all the dogs posted here are so beautiful! They make my heart swoon big time!