Myths and Tales Surrounding the APBT
Myth #1)
“Pit Bulls have locking jaws.” — I have heard this myth perpetuated by both owners/fanciers of the breed as well as its opponents and detractors. There is nothing physiologically different about an APBTs jaws than any other breed of dog. Their jaws can no more lock than a Poodle’s.
However (this is probably the basis for the myth), they do have considerable jaw strength. The wide jaws and prominent musculature allows them to hold onto an object, if they want to. This trait is from their bull baiting history — they had to grab onto the nose of the bull and hang on until the animal was subdued.
Myth #2) “Pit Bulls can hold on with their front teeth while chewing with their back teeth.” — This one is also physically impossible.
Myth #3) “All Pit Bulls are vicious.” and/or “Pit Bulls are born mean.” — No entire breed of dog is inherently vicious or mean, just as no one race of humans is bad. Each dog is an individual — a combination of its genes, upbringing and training.. The APBT is a breed that has been bred for hundreds of generations to have a high bite inhibition for humans. Even in their fighting past, no human aggression was tolerated. A Pit Bull that would bite a human earned a bullet in the head.
An Old Photo of a Boy with his Pals
Myth #4) “Pit Bulls have 3000 lbs of biting power per square inch (psi).” — There is no reliable way to test the psi of a dog’s jaw. Not to mention the variables that would occur if testing were possible. Jaw strength varies from dog to dog, in any breed.
Myth #5) “Dogs that are aggressive toward other animals will turn on humans.” — There is absolutely no correlation between animal aggression and human aggression in dogs. Animal aggression can and does occur in all dog breeds. In the history of the APBT, humans were always in the pit with the dogs while they were fighting. A dog that was a danger to humans and prone to biting was not acceptable. In fact, their high tolerance of pain makes them incredible dogs for children.
Myth #6) “Pit Bulls bite/attack more people than any other breed.” — Bite statistics actually show otherwise. Other breeds, more likely to be seen as “nice dogs” usually top the bite lists. Here are a couple of excerpts from two different dog bite studies:
1) Which Dogs Bite? A Case-Control Study of Risk Factors
Kenneth A. Gershman, MD, MPH*,; Jeffrey J. Sacks, MD, MPH; and John C.
Wright, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT. Objective. Dog bites cause an estimated 585,000 injuries
resulting in the need for medical attention yearly and children are the most
frequent victims. This study sought to determine dog-specific factors
independently associated with a dog biting a non-household member. Results. Children aged 12 years and younger were the victims in 51% of cases. Compared with controls, biting dogs were more likely to be German Shepherd or Chow Chow predominant breeds...
The Little Rascals with Petey
2) Dog-bite study... By Paul Bourgeois, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, TX
Quietly and methodically, Fort Worth Animal Control is looking for answers.
Armed with a $168,000 grant from the Texas Department of Health, animal
control is in the middle of a 14-month study…….
Some patterns have been discovered...
* Mixed breeds accounted for just over 18 percent of the attacks, but where
the breed or predominant breed could be determined, chows were found to be
more likely to bite. They accounted for 6.9 percent of the attacks.
Shepherds and shepherd mixes accounted for 6.7 percent; retrievers, which
includes several types, 6.3 percent; pit bulls and mixes, 5.5 percent; and
Rottweilers, 4.9 percent...
* full text of both of these available
Myth #7)“Only criminals and weirdoes own Pit Bulls.” — The majority of APBTs are owned by average people and families. * Note: My 60+ year old mother owns one and my son has grown up with them. And, as we learned earlier, many famous and respected individuals have owned APBTs.
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