Breed Myths

"Pit Bulls have locking jaws." The jaws of the Pit Bull are functionally 
the same as the jaws of any other breed, and this has been proven via 
expert examination.

The few studies which have been conducted of the structure of the 
skulls, mandibles and teeth of Pit Bulls show that, in proportion to their 
size, their jaw structure and thus its inferred functional morphology, is 
no different than that of any [other] breed of dog. There is absolutely 
not evidence for the existence of any kind of ’locking mechanism’ unique 
to the structure of the jaw and/or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier, 
says Dr. I. Lerh Brisbin of the University of Georgia (from the ADBA 
booklet, “Discover the American Pit Bull Terrier.)
"Pit Bulls can hold on with their front teeth while chewing with their
back teeth." As stated above, the Pit Bull’s jaws are, functionally 
speaking, the same as all other breeds.
“Pit Bulls don’t feel pain.” Pit Bulls have the same nervous system of 
any other breed, and they can and do feel pain. Historically, those dogs 
that would tolerate or ignore discomfort and pain and finish the task 
they were required to perform were the dogs that were bred and the 
sort of dogs breeders strove to produce. This is the trait of “gameness” 
that so many breed fanciers speak of, which may be defined as, “The 
desire to continue on and/or complete a task despite pain and 
discomfort.”
“Pit Bulls have more bite pressure per square inch (PSI) than any 
other breed.” This is absolutely false.

Tests that have been done comparing the bite pressure of several 
breeds showed pressure PSI (per square inch) to be considerably lower 
than some wild estimates that have been made. Testing has shown that 
the domestic dog averages about 320 lbs of pressure per square inch.  
Recently Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic conducted a comparative 
test between a Pit Bull, a Rottweiler, and a German Shepherd. The Pit 
Bull had the LOWEST PSI OF THE THREE.
The highest pressure recorded from the Pit Bull was 235 lbs PSI.  The 
highest from the GSD was 238, and the highest from the Rott was 328.  
Dr. Barr states that as far as he knows, the PSI tested in the Rott is the 
highest on record for any domestic canine.

What happened to the supposed 10,000 pounds PSI pressure that the 
breed supposedly has???  It's a MYTH, pure and simple.

                               Watch the video!
THERE HAVE NEVER been ANY TESTS done to prove that the APBT has 
bite pressure PSI higher than what has been tested by Dr. Barr.

“Pit Bulls attack more people than any other breed.” Bite statistics are
difficult to obtain accurately. Dogs that are referred to as “pit bulls” in 
statistical reports actually are a variety of breeds and mixes all lumped 
together under the “pit bull” heading. Also, many people have a difficult 
time properly identifying a true Pit Bull, so added to the statistics are 
those dogs that have been misidentified. Considering these factors, the 
actual number of attacks attributable to American Pit Bull Terriers is 
considerably lower than represented. Also important to understand is 
the extreme popularity of the Pit Bull and pit bull-type breeds. By some 
estimates, numbers-wise they are the most popular of all dog breeds. It 
is only logical to assume that the breed with the higher number of 
individual dogs would be represented with a higher number of bites. 
Viewing older statistical reports for the Center of Disease Control, one 
will see that trends in breed popularity reflect in the number of bites 
attributed to a specific breed during a specific period of time.
“The brains of Pit Bulls swell and cause them to go crazy”. Prior to the 
boom in Pit Bull popularity, the Doberman Pinscher was rumored to suffer 
from an affliction of the brain in which the skull became too small to 
accommodate a dog’s grey matter. This would, according to the rumor, 
cause the Doberman to go crazy, or “just snap” out of no where and 
attack their owner. This rumor could never be quantified, and indeed had 
no merit whatsoever. Now that the Doberman fad has run its course the 
Pit Bull has inherited the swelling brain myth. It is no truer now than it 
was during the Doberman’s fad days.
“Pit Bulls ‘turn’ on their owners.” Dogs, as a species, do not perform 
behaviors “just because”. There are always reasons for behavior, and 
when aggression becomes a problem the reasons can be such things as 
improper handling, lack of socialization or training, a misreading of dog 
behavior by the owner, or, rarely, disease. Aggression, when it presents 
in pet dogs, follows specific patterns. First occur warning signs, then 
more warning signs, and finally, when those signs are continually 
ignored or misinterpreted, the dog resorts to using its teeth. When an 
owner is startled by a sudden, aggressive outburst, it is because they 
have been unaware of problems that were brewing. This is true of all 
dogs, not just Pit Bulls. Pit Bulls, indeed no dogs, “turn” on their owners.
“The only thing Pit Bulls are good for is dog fighting.” Unfortunately, a
large amount of attention has been brought to the fact that the Pit Bull 
was originally created for fighting other dogs in the pit. Since the breed 
was selectively bred for and excelled at this task, there is a common 
assumption that fighting must be all for which the breed is good. The 
truth of the matter is that the Pit Bull is one of the most versatile of 
canines, capable of excelling at just about any task his owner asks him 
to complete. This breed is routinely used for: obedience trialing, 
conformation showing, weight pull, Schutzhund (a German sport which 
requires dogs to perform in obedience, tracking and protection phases of 
a competition), agility, and have even been known to participate in 
herding trials, search and rescue work, and a variety of other tasks 
including police and armed services work. But fanciers will argue that the 
task this breed performs best of all is that of beloved companion.
"Dogs that are aggressive towards other dogs are aggressive 
towards people." Human aggression in dogs is entirely different than 
aggression directed at other animals. Inter-dog aggression is a normal 
trait of the breed (as it is in many terrier breeds, among others). 
Historically, humans were always in the pit, handling fighting dogs 
closely, while the animals were in full fight drive. A dog that was a 
danger to people and prone to biting was not feasible, and therefore 
carefully selected against.
"Red or blue nose dogs are: a special type of Pit Bull / rare / worth 
more than black nose dogs": The answer to all of the above is: FALSE!!! 
Let's talk color in Pit Bulls.

Pit Bulls are traditionally a performance breed. That means that they 
were originally bred based on how well they performed a certain task, 
not what they looked like. Color was probably the least important thing 
that old-time breeders of Pit Bulls considered. Today, Pit Bulls remain 
largely a working/performance dog, and so the old way of doing things 
as far as looks are concerned largely still holds fast. True, many Pit Bulls 
today are also bred with the show ring in mind, however color is of 
almost zero importance even in that venue. No one who really knows Pit 
Bulls is all that impressed by color. A flashy color does not a good dog 
make, and although many people have favorite colors, breed savvy 
people know that it's what's under the coat that counts.

Pit Bulls come in almost every color that is genetically possible in dogs. 
Some colors are more common (brindle or fawn for instance); some 
colors you don't see as often (such as spotted or black and tan). One 
thing is for certain, however: blue and red nosed dogs do NOT fall into 
the "rare" category - there are many of both colors out there, especially 
(at least in my area) the red nosed dogs.

There is, unfortunately, a faction of breeders (all unscrupulous), that are 
attempting to cash in on the current fad of blue and red nosed dogs. 
These people produce poor quality animals with no thought to health 
and temperament, their biggest selling point being coat color. Breeders 
of this type many times charge jacked up prices for their puppies, 
justifying the high price tag by claiming their dogs are of a "rare" or 
"special" color. The unsuspecting buyer is duped into believing their 
animal is extraordinary simply because he happens to have an "odd" 
colored nose. Breeders of this ilk are especially dubious because not only 
are they producing bad stock, but they lure their customers in by making 
false claims. Do not be fooled by this type!

There are, of course, very ethical breeders that produce blue and red 
nosed dogs. There are many fine, healthy, stable examples of these 
color varieties out there. These are dogs bred by people who care about 
the breed, are knowledgeable about what they are doing, and breed for 
MUCH more than just a snazzy color. There is nothing wrong with liking 
one color above another, but one should be an educated consumer. 
Realize that you aren't just buying a pretty face, but a living, breathing 
creature that is going to make real demands and require money to care 
for, time, and patience.

Some people have the mistaken belief that blue or red nosed dogs are a 
special "type" of Pit Bull. When speaking of such dogs, these sorts are 
apt to make statements such as, "I have a blue