Myth: Pit Bulls have locking jaw!

Truth: NO, they don’t.

Fact: “No, they do not have either. Dr. I Lehr Brisbin of the University of Georgia states, "To the best of our knowledge, there are no published scientific studies that would allow any meaningful comparison to be made of the biting power of various breeds of dogs. There are, moreover, compelling technical reasons why such data describing biting power in terms of 'pounds per square inch' can never be collected in a meaningful way. All figures describing biting power in such terms can be traced to either unfounded rumor or, in some cases, to newspaper articles with no foundation in factual data."

Furthermore, Dr. Brisbin states, "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 breed of dog. There is absolutely no 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."

Myth: Pit Bulls brains swell and make them go crazy!

Truth: No, again this is an untruth. This was a popular myth when Dobermans were the “fad” breed as well. The Doberman’s popularity has declined and now the Pit Bull has seemed to inherit this myth.

Fact: Their brains grow at the same rate as any other dog, and the only time that a Pit Bull's brain is going to swell is if it receives a serious injury. If an animal's brain were to grow too big for its head, the animal would die.

Myth: Pit Bulls that are aggressive towards dogs will become aggressive towards people!

Truth: False! Dog aggression and Human Aggression (DA and HA) are two completely different types of aggression and are NOT related.

Fact: It is true that Pit bulls may be aggressive towards other dogs. People often think because a dog attacks another dog (dog-aggression), it will likely attack a person (human aggression).  Aggression towards humans is a completely separate behavior than aggression towards other dogs; just because a dog doesn’t like other dogs does not mean it won’t like people. Think of it this way: Pit Bulls historically were bred for dog fighting. With dog fighting humans were always in the pit medically treating and handling the dog, all while the dog was in full fight mode. A dog that turned on a person while in this fight mode was euthanized and never bred. This is how the breeders and fighters ensured the low human aggression that the breed displays today. It was bred NOT to be human aggressive. If you have a pit bull that is then it is not a standard of the breed and should be euthanized instead of rehabilitated.

Myth: Pit Bulls don’t feel pain!

Truth: That is completely untrue.

Fact: Pit Bulls have a nervous system just like any other breed of dog. While breeders that fought their Pit Bulls would breed the dogs that were winners in the pit and were more tolerant to pain. This is one example of what is called “gameness” Gameness is the “desire to continue on and/or complete a task despite pain and discomfort.”

Myth: Pit Bulls make good guard dogs!

Truth: Pit Bulls are not a guardian breed and do not make good guard dogs. They are very people-friendly and would rather lick an intruder than bite them.

Fact: Pit Bulls were a created breed and mainly bred to fight other dogs. They were bred to be extremely friendly towards their handlers and strangers and their aggressiveness was geared towards dogs. Pit Bulls were not bred for their ability to guard the hearth, home and livestock and they do not make good protection dogs because of the lack of wariness of strangers. They should readily accept new people in unfamiliar situations and should never bite. Guarding and protection breeds are the Mastiffs, the German Shepard’s and the Rottweilers. These breeds have been bred and conditioned for guarding and protection and have the correct temperament for the job.

Myth: Pit Bulls attack people more than any other breed!

Truth: Pit Bulls are not known to attack more than any other breed. They are known for not being human aggressive and are extremely people-friendly.

Fact:

                                              Tested            Passed         Failed       Percent Passed

American Pit Bull Terrier           665                  567                98                 85.3% 

American Staffordshire Terrier   570                  587                92                 83.9%

Staffordshire Bull Terrier            92                    82                 11                 88.0%       

Compared to other breeds

                                                            Tested         Passed         Failed          Percent Passed

Australian Shepherd                 610                   494                  116                  81.0%

Golden Retriever                      720                  609                  111                  84.6% 

Labrador Retriever                   721                  663                  58                    92.0%

Collie                                       831                  660                  171                  79.4%

Mixed Breed                            851                  727                  124                  85.4%

Works Cited:

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2008