Pit bull bite myth

Either that or the little bugger just tripped somebody and they fell down a flight of stairs. [] The bite came after the fact.

Joyce

My reply to this? (I've never heard the enzyme one) is "No, they don't! Here, lookit my neat dog skull and tell me what breed it came from!" (It's from a lab supply company, it cost me $40, and it is NIFTY. I go it because it was interesting looking as a thing to put in still lifes or art class) It's just a 'generic' dog skull but after assuring themselves that there is indeed no locking mechanism of any sort, I will usually let people infer that it IS  a pit bull skull.

ORIGINAL: fuzzy_dogs_mom

Thanks for posting that link,CKC. It was interesting.  I wonder if any of those fatal bites involved very small children.  It's kind of hard to imagine a yorkie or a pom actually killing anyone, even once.

Joyce

 
The pom victim was an infant.  The uncle left the baby on the bed with the pom to make a bottle and the pom mauled the baby.

Jaime, I'm rolling on the floor lauging with you! [sm=rotfl.gif]

Enzymes?? Enzymes affect behaviour in the capacity of making hormones, which affect behaviour, but as far as jaw-locking goes.... That's just too much for me to get my mind around.

That kind of fear-mongering really peeves me right off, though. Corgis are known for being snappy, too, but I've never been asked if Penny snaps. People are able to judge for themselves if that's likely or not and have no trouble concluding that she'd never snap at them all on their own. It's so ridiculous.

ORIGINAL: lokis_mom


Now as far as saying there's an enzyme that makes them aggressive or more likely to lock their jaws, that seems absurd.

 
I agree.  I love Pits, I would never have one, because I believe they need a firm benevolent leader, and I am not that person. ( I am benevolent, but not firm)  Romeo looks up at me with sad puppy eyes and I give in to every one of his whims.  []

If anyone here, has read "White Fang" by Jack London you can see a root of this myth
 
I have seen a prgramme on AP, a game dog competition where the amount of time a dog...in this show I think they were AB's could hold onto a tire hanging in the air. This IS a common way to test gamness. So it's a valued charateristic if you compete in that venue.
 
I don't think that there is anything anatomically MAKING the dog hold on...it is just the way they have been conditioned trained and bred that causes this particular "stubborness" and technique if they bite. K9's are trained to hold onto the sleeve as well...regardless of being hit or hurt until the command for release is given...so breed seems to matter less than the WILL to keep at it regardless of the pain inflicted upon them. Most dogs simply do not know how...or are never taught how...to use their ENTIRE mouth when administering a bite. Most simply snap and withdrawn then snap again if the attack is sustained. The bully breeds perhaps suffer via the media, not from biting itself, which all dogs might do sometimes...but knowing HOW to bite, even without training, better than your average Lab. They also have the staunchness of character and stoic nature to "hold on" regardless.
 
Notice thruout that I am not singling out any breed as "bad"...only casting about with idea as to how this myth might have gotten passed along...because there is a kernel of truth at the heart of most mythology.

I'd also point out that the suffocation hold...a big full mouth bite to the throat...not ripping it out...but slowly crushing the windpipe...thus suffocating a much larger animal, or a deep bite to the vertebrae paralyzing it...is many a predator's bred and butter move. Wild canines included.
 
It's not freakish that a dog would know how to do this...bite and hold. Rather it's quite natural.

I was looking at breaking sticks a few days ago because of loose dogs on our walks and I'm a paranoid freak when it comes to my dog A.) hurting another loose dog that comes up to us and... B.) another dog possibly hurting her.
Anyway, here's a link to the site and I'll put in quotes what I found on the page about a pit bull's bite and the difference between their bite and a different dog's bite.

[linkhttp://www.pbrc.net/breaksticks.html]Pit Bull Rescue Central[/link]

Why Every Responsible Pit Bull Owner Needs a Break Stick

Because pit bull dogs have been bred for their fighting abilities and can cause serious injury to other dogs if a fight is not broken up quickly and efficiently. Keep in mind that most dogs fight differently than pit bull dogs. A pit bull's inherent reaction in the heat of a fight is the one of a Terrier with a prey. The pit bull will work to get a solid grip and then hold and shake. This is quite different than most other types of dogs who do a lot of random biting, growling and barking but will most likely quit when their opponent shows signs of submission. In many cases, a non-pit bull fight will be a lot of noise and snapping jaws, usually resulting in little damage. Since a pit bull will firmly grip and hold its victim, break sticks have been designed to break their grip. This is the safest, easiest and most effective way to stop a pit bull fight. No responsible owner should be without one.

Gee, I wonder if this mysterious "enzyme" is what makes my 20-month-old clamp down on my finger until she has to be pried off!

ORIGINAL: saveastray2day

Gee, I wonder if this mysterious "enzyme" is what makes my 20-month-old clamp down on my finger until she has to be pried off!

No. That is the special pit bull puppy enzyme. That's a WHOLE different myth, I mean, I MEAN enzyme.
hahaha.

I am a little late catching on to this thread but I want to say. I have NEVER met a pit I didn't like. I am not saying there probably aren't bad ones out there. I live in the Detroit area and I always watch Animal Cops Detroit. It amazes me time and time again the Animal Cops rescue a fighting pit, and that dog wags it's tail and looks happy for friendly attention.
 
I was once told that any dog with "bull" in it's name came from a breed that was bred to help handle literally bulls. So that is why they are strong and tough, but that is NOT the same as mean! Mean I think more often than not is a learned thing. Yes I had a MEAN golden, but looking back I know of things we could have done right from day one that would have altered her behavior for the better.
 
I also want to add, I have run into several agressive dalmations. I had a friend have her nose taken off her face by a dalmation of another friend. She knew this dog very well.  The dalmation had recently had pups (so I give the dog a little latitude) but my friend was not too close. The pups were at the bottom of the basement stairs, she was at the door looking down from the top. The mother lept up the stairs and bit her before she could move. At least plastic surgery could fix her face.
 
I think dalmations are the only breed I am leary about because I have heard of un provocted attacks. I know they are good dogs for adults in apartments, and very loyal. I just can't learn to trust them. They are pretty though.
Ann
 

When Shadow got in a fight with one of two pekinese that were loose and circling us in pack hunt formation, he grabbed hold with his jaws and shook the snot of that little terror. He finally did let go, I think, to get a better hold. The offending dog took that chance to make his escape back to his yard where he belongs.
 
Any dog can bite and hold on and shake. The locking jaw is a myth that serves both dog fighters and pro BSL people. Fighters tihnk it makes the pit bull a superior fighter and BSL people see it as a reason to ban the dog.
 

ORIGINAL: chewbecca

I was looking at breaking sticks a few days ago because of loose dogs on our walks and I'm a paranoid freak when it comes to my dog A.) hurting another loose dog that comes up to us and... B.) another dog possibly hurting her.
Anyway, here's a link to the site and I'll put in quotes what I found on the page about a pit bull's bite and the difference between their bite and a different dog's bite.

[linkhttp://www.pbrc.net/breaksticks.html]Pit Bull Rescue Central[/link]

Why Every Responsible Pit Bull Owner Needs a Break Stick

Because pit bull dogs have been bred for their fighting abilities and can cause serious injury to other dogs if a fight is not broken up quickly and efficiently. Keep in mind that most dogs fight differently than pit bull dogs. A pit bull's inherent reaction in the heat of a fight is the one of a Terrier with a prey. The pit bull will work to get a solid grip and then hold and shake. This is quite different than most other types of dogs who do a lot of random biting, growling and barking but will most likely quit when their opponent shows signs of submission. In many cases, a non-pit bull fight will be a lot of noise and snapping jaws, usually resulting in little damage. Since a pit bull will firmly grip and hold its victim, break sticks have been designed to break their grip. This is the safest, easiest and most effective way to stop a pit bull fight. No responsible owner should be without one.

 
 
Do be careful with a break stick.  In some states they are considered fighting paraphonalia and you could get in real trouble if caught with one.

yeah, the girl from the pit bull forums that PMed me the link stated something to that effect.
I probably won't get one, I don't know, she's pretty darn good on our walks, for the most part.
If I had more than one pit bull or mix, I might get one.

Thanks for the warning.[]

isn't there something about bull-dog type dogs, that because of their snout type, they can still breath while they are clamped down on a bite...that is why they can hold on longer?  
thought i read that somewhere