A Guide To Pit Bull Temperament
Presented by realpitbull.com

This guide is intended to help owners, rescuers, breeders, and others
understand & identify normal, "temperament correct" Pit Bulls.
Dogs that deviate from the following descriptions of a temperament correct Pit Bull
should be considered abnormal and incorrect.
Rescuers should avoid placing such incorrect dogs,
and owners who find themselves sharing their homes with incorrect dogs
should seek professional guidance.
Dogs that do not exhibit correct temperament
should never be bred,
and puppies from such parents should be considered future risks.

It should be noted that Pit Bulls are considered fully matured temperamentally
and physically at approximately 3 years of age.
Dogs under 3 years of age are still developing.
The full scope of a specific dog's temperament may not be knowable until maturity is reached,
but can generally be assessed fairly accurately by 12 months of age.

The temperament correct Pit Bull….….towards people:

Is a friendly, happy, outgoing dog, never shy or fearful.
Is a dog that demonstrates mental soundness
(no growling, snapping, biting, aggression, or fearful
behaviour, etc.)
at all times, even under stressful circumstances
(such as while under veterinary examination, when injured,
during visits to new locations/environments,
while meeting new and different types of people, etc.).

Is accepting of and friendly towards all adults and children inside and outside the home.
Greets new people as if they were long lost friends.

Is easy to handle, allows and even enjoys extensive touch and examination;
is biddable and deferential, and even submissive;
seeks out human attention, and presents good eye contact with a soft gaze. ]
Is willing to connect with people during points of high
arousal/stress
(never redirecting aggression towards people),
is safely handled during points of high arousal/stress,
and lowers level of arousal quickly upon being removed
from a stressful or exciting situation.

Is accepting of reasonable confinement such as is
necessary during kennelling at shelters;
adjusts to new settings easily.

Is never wary of strangers;
never snaps or growls at adults or children,
nor is aggressive in any way towards adults or children;
does not demonstrate predatory behaviour such as stalking, staring down, or aggressive chasing of people.

Is not a guardian or protection breed,
and does not demonstrate "protective" behaviours
such as growling/snapping/aggression at people
welcomed into the home, nor wariness of strangers,
lunging towards strangers, etc.

Key Points:

The Pit Bull is a friendly, stable dog that in essence "loves everyone".
It is never shy or fearful.
Aggression towards humans (adult or child) is never acceptable,
and the Pit Bull should demonstrate soundness in temperament regardless of circumstances or environment.
The Pit Bull is not a guard or protection breed
and should never act as such,
although the breed has been known to come to the aid of its humans
only under real and true (never perceived or misinterpreted) threat.


The temperament correct Pit Bull….….towards other dogs:

Usually begins to demonstrate aggression towards other dogs
("dog aggression")
at approximately a year of age,
but aggression towards other dogs may show up at any point during the Pit Bull's life.

May be aggressive towards other dogs in the home and outside of the home,
even towards dogs to which it has been previously
introduced or raised.
May be friendly and outgoing towards other dogs the majority of the time
but infrequently aggressive towards them.
May be dominantly aggressive towards other dogs,
but dominance will not necessarily be the driving force behind aggression.

Should be considered, as a rule, a "dog aggressive breed"
that can be raised/trained to tolerate the presence of other dogs
under controlled settings such as while on leash at
parks,
at dog shows and trials, etc,
or when carefully monitored in the home.

….Dog aggression can vary from dog to dog,
but the average Pit Bull usually falls somewhere in the middle.
is tolerant or even affable with most dogs in controlled settings
while being carefully monitored or while on leash,
but may be aggressive under certain circumstances.

Aggression may also be directed towards animals other than dogs
(particularly "prey like" animals such as cats).

Key Points: The Pit Bull is a dog aggressive breed,
to varying individual degrees.
It should be capable of being trained to tolerate and behave
around other dogs when in controlled/carefully managed settings.
It is not necessarily a dog that is capable
of mingling or interacting peacefully with a wide variety of dogs
and should not be expected to do so.

Pit Bulls may also be aggressive towards other animals.
Owners need to take precautions
(use a leash, keep dogs behind secure fencing,
separate from other dogs/animals when not supervised, etc.)
to prevent harm to other dogs/animals.

© 2005 Mary Harwelik & realpitbull.com * realpitbull@aol.com


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NOTE: Loki has never been aggressive towards any human ever! or other dog...
his only bad dog behaviour is a presidency desire to hump certain bigger dogs than himself
he does bark and chase squirrels and raccoons which he considers varmin!
but loves happily and plays friendly with any and all my cats!