My sister has been a dog trainer for 35 years. She teaches both individuals as well as groups. She has experience with all types of dog breeds. She uses positive reinforcement along with clicker training. The one breed that she doesn't trust is a pit bull. While not all pit bulls cause danger, many pitbulls that she has had in a group training class have had to be removed from the training and asked to not come back. She said all of the owners of the pit bulls swear that their dog was raised around the children, wouldn't hurt a fly, is a very loving dog, etc., etc., etc. She has had many pit bulls, unprovoked, attack other dogs in class. She has seen a few pit bulls turn on their owners, again, unprovoked. The thing about a pit bull is their jaw strength. A pit bull has 2200 lbs of pressure in their jaws, and can crush bone. A human has about 10 lbs of pressure in their hands. Once a pit bull attacks, even if the dogs want to release, the formation of their jaw inhibits the ability to release. Often times pit bulls, when attacking someone, need to be shot in order to release the victim. Everyone says their pit bull is the best, kindest, most loving dog. The thing about a pit bull can be their unpredictable behavior. If you do a Google search on pit bull attacks, there are hundreds of articles. And I personally have been charged by a pit bull. Fortunately the owner was near and was able to call the dog back. I wouldn't go near a pit bull.

This is our boxer pit mix. He is the sweetest, suckiest baby ever. Extremely well behaved. Listens to any command in a heart beat. He's almost too well behaved. We used to sit him in the kitchen when we first got our pup and would do our training with her. Every command we gave her, he would dutifully do in the kitchen. Sit, lay down, roll over, get up. Over and over again, even though no one was even looking at him. He loves most people. However we DO keep him away from kids, because he was never around them growing up. My boyfriend got him when he was 15, and had no siblings or friends with siblings the dog was around. We just dont know how he would be if a little one pulled his tail, or grabbed his face. So we don't tempt the unknown. Once again, though that isn't a breed thing, its a socialization problem. Pitbull or not, I probably still wouldnt feel comfortable leaving any big dog alone with small kids, if they'd never been around children much. A touch mischeivious, however. He likes to crawl his old bones onto the couch when we leave the room and then much like a little kid when you come back and ask him just what he thinks he's doing he gives you an "Im not quite sure what you mean..I didnt do anything" look. He IS a touch cranky, however we've chalked it up to old age rather than breed. He did get agitated by the pup sometimes and he would 'go after her' snarling and baring his teeth but he's never ONCE actually touched her. He just likes to scare the bejeezus out of her when she's annoying him. He pretends to hate the cats..but he cleans them and lets them clean him when we aren't looking.

Thanks, Rach. Here's the update to the story, some of which I believe I've posted here in the past. Hugo (as a friend named the pitbull) had a rough road. His neck got re-infected twice, and had to be re-treated. Treatment involved removing more dead skin and tissue each time. Good thing pit bulls have extra flesh around the neck! Then, Hugo got parvo virus. The vet had held off vaccinating him while his immune system was so weak, and he was still fighting off infection while his neck was healing. The parvo involved a several day stay at the emergency hospital. But he recovered. After Hugo's recovery, I had a professional behavioral assesment conducted. Hugo did pretty well, and I decided to keep him. I hired a private dog trainer to work with me and Hugo, since I had never had a dog other than miniature poodles as a kid. After several months - and about $3,000 dollars later on vet bills and training fees - I came to the conclusion that having a dog, especially a rambunctious dog like Hugo, was more than I could handle. Not only was he more than I could handle, but I realized that someone else could give him a better life than I could. I knew that I had to be very careful about who I gave Hugo to. Pit bulls are abused so often. Also, even though Hugo is a sweetheart, he is a handful. He now weighs 57 pounds of pure muscle, he's stubborn, and has a very short attention span. He chews absolutely everything. He ate through his metal crate. I knew that he'd have to go to a home where people had patience and time. Lots of love. I knew it might take me a while to find the perfect home. I sent out emails to all my animal contacts. After a week or so, I got an email back from the dog trainer who conducted Hugo's initial behavioral assessment. She knew a couple who were interested in meeting Hugo. That weekend, Hugo and I went to meet the couple and their dogs. The trainer was also on hand to facilitate introductions and to assess whether this would indeed be a good match. It went well. Hugo stayed. He now has a large fenced in yard (the fence was 4', but after Hugo jumped it a couple of times, they raised it to 6') three other dogs in his family, and dog friends nearby. Hugo has people who love him and enjoy working with him. I've visited several times, and am enjoying the open adoption "birth mother" role I'm playing. Thank you, everyone, for your support. CarrieB

I for sure will, Kay! And yes Maryl, that's so true. I have been in the animal sheltering/rescuing field for a while and have seen all the ugliness and lack of responsibility out there that leads to "bad things happening" with these dogs. It's a shame. Our little wonderbull is the kindest soul ever. I am proud of him, myself and my family, for all of the continuing dedication to give him what he needs to be "one of the good ones." We take it all very seriously and Lego is actually kind of famous in our little corner of the world. We live smack dab in between two towns. One with breed specific legislation, and the other one without. So we have raised him from young pup to be an ambassador for his breed. He is so well socialized and trained that he goes everywhere with us. He walks in the towns parades, goes trick-or-treating, and goes to every animal fundraiser to meet people and educate. He's my little rockstar! but my most favorite thing about him is what a good farm dog he is. the special little feller who takes part in every aspect of what we do in the gardens. the way he rides in the back of the truck when we are hauling brush around the property. The way he hangs out with us when we are tilling for hours at a time, racking, planting, etc. and he respects the beds for the most part. doesnt cross the border stones or the pretty beds, and uses the stepping stones to cross the long daylily rows. he rides in the lawnmower wagon with the kiddo. he's out there with us to take pics and pollinate every morning. he keeps us company while potting stuff up. he's just always there, always being so great. I couldn't be happier to combine my three most favorite things, family, plants, and animals.