Pit Bulls: The Matter of Genetic Causation
September 20, 2007
Not a pit bull. 
This is Bravo, the lovely Greyhound the blog is named after.
Kellie SniderBoard Certified Associate Behavior Analyst
Co-developer of the Constructional Aggression Treatment for Dogs
http://www.tawzerdogvideos.com/JesusRosalesRuiz-KellieSnider.htm
Among the reasons given for legislating breed restrictions and bans in communities is the belief that genes dictate behavior. This is a mistake. Genes inform many things. They inform the construction of the body. (A parrot develops 2 wings and 2 legs and a dog develops 4 legs because of genetics. An English bulldog develops a head shaped like a volleyball and the Greyhound develops a long, narrow wedge-shaped head because of genetics.) They also inform what reinforcers the organism will work for. (Many horses will work for carrots but few will be interested in liver treats. A duckling will work to stay close to its mother.) To the extent that an animal is physically capable of performing a behavior and finds the outcomes for the performance reinforcing, he will perform the behavior.
Eagles don’t fly because they are genetically programmed to fly. They fly because they have the right stuff and flying helps them access reinforcers. The same is true for pit bulls. They don’t kill because they are genetically programmed to kill. They kill because they have the right stuff and killing can produce desirable reinforcers in some situations. The reinforcer may be food. The reinforcer may be distance from frightening dogs. The reinforcer may be the stilling of the fighting opponent. Without those outcomes the dog would not fight. Pit bulls don’t fight just because it’s fun. They fight because the environment has made it more beneficial for them than any other behavior they have tried.
Genes don’t require an organism to do anything. They only give him a physical package capable of behaving a certain way in a given a certain set of circumstances. Given a certain set of circumstances! This is also true for Chihuahuas, Cocker spaniels, Greyhounds, mixed breed poodles. It’s true for every living organism.
Fighting pit bulls often learn that there is no choice but to fight, and if they live to fight more than once they do the kinds of fighting that work best, meaning they get better and better at fatal aggressive behavior. This does not mean they are genetically programmed to fight. This means they’ve learned what they had to learn to survive.
Pit bulls living in well-meaning, loving families may learn aggressive behaviors pay off, too. But once again, this isn’t because they’re pit bulls. It’s because aggressive behaviors tend to produce distinct outcomes. If a dog of any breed snarls at you, more likely than not you’ll move away. Ah, that’s what he wants, so the next time he wants someone to back off, he’s going to snarl. If they’re slow about it, he’s going to throw in a growl, or a bark, or a lunge or a bite. Pit bulls that learn that aggression works are learning just what other breeds of dogs learn under the same sets of circumstances. If pit bulls are going to be banned because of genetic tendencies, we have to ban all dogs. We need to also ban parrots. And cats.
We need to ban humans, too, come to think of it. Maybe humans most of all. Pit bulls are only doing what every other organism does. They do what works.
©2007, Kellie Snider
Constructional Aggression Treatment for Dogs
http://www.tawzerdogvideos.com/JesusRosalesRuiz-KellieSnider.htm
Want to learn more about the CAT for Dogs? Visit www.animalbehavioranswers.com
September 21, 2007 at 7:36 am
Hi Kellie…
Thanks for writing about Pit Bulls. We have far too many
breed “experts” out there talking about Pit Bulls having an intrinsic desire to fight, while ignoring the external, reinforcing aspects of fighting behavior. We need balance, and blogs like this help even the scales.
~Mary Harwelik
realpitbull.com
September 21, 2007 at 10:08 am
Kellie,
THANK YOU for writing this! This is an exceptional article and is truly something I have not yet seen in the fight against BSL. I will be directing others to your blog and cannot wait to read more. Keep up the excellent work - you are exactly what is needed in this fight and I find your information invaluable!
Jennifer Evans
Mentor, OH (yeah - OH - terrible for pitties - but fighting to make it better (and if not - I’ll move!!!)
mommy to 3 pitties, and an american bulldog; and 2 foster pit mixes. Pit Bull and animal welfare advocate, and crusdaer in the fight against BSL!
September 21, 2007 at 9:38 pm
how true this is. i own 2 pits. they are the most loyal and protective dogs i have ever owned and i have ALWAYS had a dog in my home. they can be stubborn, but they love more than any other breed i have encountered. they are always ready to be petted and praised and are obviously here to please me. i too, am a very loyal pet owner and spoil a little too much, but we have a give and take relationship whereby i provide for them and they return the love. i also have this little dog - 10 pounds - who has NEVER been hurt by either of my pits! in fact, she is like the momma in the house beside me!
thanks for your support! it really is the owner who has the responsiblity - NOT THE DOG!
September 22, 2007 at 8:19 am
There it is, there! Banning human beings would definitely solve the problem of dogs being raised with no affection, only being shown cruelty and that being mean and aggressive themselves is the only way to get attention and maybe even food! Really, a ban on humans would solve most of the problems of the world since they cause them all. The animals would find a way to survive without us and alot better in most situations. When nature is left alone, it seems to work the way nature is supposed to. God created things to work perfectly. If you can find any left, look at the way nature works all by itself. If people would stop trying to manipulate and control everything, for profit, we would have clean water to drink, much higher quality food to eat and our lives would be a lot simpler. Maybe we would even have the time to raise our own children and stop to smell the roses once in a while?
September 24, 2007 at 11:46 pm
I can appreciate what you are saying, however, it cannot be ignored that the “pit-bull” breeds are bred for aggression and fighting. You say that genetics don’t “force” the behavior, maybe not, but the genetics do play a huge part in what that dog becomes. Nature vs. nurture does into play, but in my opinion and experience (30 years of professional animal training experience, my first paid job was working for Bob Bailey) there are three things that make a dog what it is.
1) Breed: they don’t call them breeds for nothing. Specific breeds have specific purposes, they cannot be ignored.
2) individual personality: this is true of the youngest litter of puppies observed. One is more confident, the other shy, the other quiet. etc. They “come out” that way.
2) socialization and training: This comes into play best when the breed AND the individual personality of the dog is combined. You cannot make a shy dog bold, you can help desensitize him and make him more confident with reinforcement. You cannot make a bold/aggressive dog shy and timid, short of abusing him.
Loyal and protective? Yes, however, the fact is, my doxies are never going to kill people. Pit bulls do. That is a fact that cannot be ignored. This is the reason laws are passed and breed restrictions are utilized. And although everybodys “uncle Bob” has a great pit bull, in general, these dogs are to be “taken” with great caution.
September 25, 2007 at 7:07 am
Might want to read this before you claim that dachshunds never kill humans.
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-396390.html
Why do dachshunds kill fewer people than pit bulls? Size, strength and training. Pit bulls are large, powerful dogs. This very real and very important component of the pit bull problem will will be the topic of a future blog entry.
You’re right. Pit bulls kill more people than dachshunds. (Saucy little doxies are one of my favorite breeds, BTW!) Genetics add components to the physical condition that sets the stage for behavior but they don’t cause behavior.
September 25, 2007 at 9:28 am
Okay, that is funny (in a sad sort of way) about the doxie who mauled the baby…however, of course, this is by far the exception, not the rule. And exceptions don’t get laws built around them. Yes, size is certainly a factor, but in the end, it doesn’t matter if it is genetics, size, personality, lack of socialization or training, Pit Bull types kill/maim people on a fairly regular basis, that’s all people are going to want to know, and maybe rightly so. They aren’t necessarily interested in the “why”. Animal behaviorists/trainers may be, but the lawmakers job is to protect the general public, hence the laws being made that are breed-specific. The biggest problem I have with them as a trainer, is that they are animal aggressive. I had many, many instances in my classes of these types of dogs challening, threatening and biting another dog, stories of them killing cats etc. I personally would not own a dog I couldn’t trust around other animals. Are some of them not this way? Of course, again, the exception is not the rule…thanks for the dialogue.
October 3, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Just a curious question….If genetics “don’t” make up the problems found with this breed of dog, why then is this information found on a GENETIC informative site? I have always noticed that those who have something others don’t always find “excuses” for the reasoning. Like Jami LoVullo said, they are “animal aggressive” and some are also people aggressive…more so than other common breeds because of BREEDING for the aggression. I watched one guy at a dog pulling contest and he was very proud of his pit bull growling at the Huskies and Malamutes there as well as some Labs and others. He did NOTHING to correct the behavior, only acting like he was trying to get the dogs attention to stop it’s behavior, which never happened, until he loaded it up and left. I was there with my girls to watch a friends Malamute and was very angry that one would have so little regard for the possible consequences of his dogs aggressive attitude. Of the couple “family” pets that some claim to have, they are the lucky few….explaine to the rest of the family why precious “fido” just tore up one of the children that it grew up with and “loved dearly”….That Does and HAS happened….These dogs are NOT geared to be family pets any more than a Border Collie was meant to be an apartment “couch pet”…. Love your dog, that’s great and should be done, but also be responsible enough to realize what could happen with owing a “hair trigger” disposition.
October 7, 2007 at 4:43 pm
I didn’t say there was no genetic component. I said the behavior itself isn’t genetic. Stay tuned.
It sounds like the behavior of the dogs you describe was because of the owners- and as far as I know owners aren’t genetic material. You’re so right that people should be responsible. But when they aren’t it doesn’t mean the dog is genetically programmed to behave aggressively. It means the owners were irreseponsible.
December 6, 2007 at 5:37 pm
I am afraid that I do not agree with your analysis of the impact of genetics on a dog’s behavior. Perhaps it is not because of genetics, but certainly you are not implying that dog tempraments and behaviors do not vary from breed to breed. A “typical” german shepherd has an entirely different personality than a “typical”golden retriever. This difference would exist even if both dogs were raised in the same home. A bernese mountain dog was bred to be a draft animal with a stable temperament and ease of handling. Pitt Bulls (American Straffordshire Bull Terriors or whatever
December 13, 2007 at 9:26 am
I love this article. I believe it makes valid points and they should be taken into consideration with any animal period. If two dogs grew up in the same home and didn’t have the same personalities it is because they two completely different animals. It would not matter if they were the same different breed. As far as not owning an animal that you can’t trust, that it because some already have it programmed in their head that they are angry animals. I would not own an animal I can’t trust when all the issues came out about pits killing people and wanting to ban them, I went ahead and did my own research and realized that it is not the animal, it was the owner. My pit and and my bulldog were owned by someone else at first and have had their abuse issues but they are really the best dogs I own. Oh and my 55 pound bulldog, can swim! Beat those odds!
January 5, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Hey you guys…..Stop are you going to blasphemy about Pitbulls all your life.So what if pitbulls do what they do they do it the best.it’s how you bring your pitbull up from the day you took him away from the mother.it’s a fact they have there own ways who can blame them they not afraid to show it.i would not want to chance them i love them to bits.There is so much violence in the world and it starts by people.People make it happen not the pitbull.you people that want the pitbull out,you can forget about it.if i should make a choice between a weapon or a pitbull.i would take the pitbull he would protect me against all odds….and thats a fact been there saw it happing.people is really afraid of them ,you would never really know a pitbull till you been with one.still today im learning more about my pitbull.Just give way when im walking down the street they might just bite you of being afriad.hehehehehe……anydog anydog wants to bite they would do it,why do you have to put the blame out on pitbulls.out of a 100 young guys want a pitbull,only a few will life a happy life,evens the guy that looks like,he would look after him will not cause every 100 young guy wants a pitbull ……ive been with the bigdogs now for a long time and its sad to see goodpups go’s to waste.if i can take every hurt dog off the streets i would.we guys breed our dogs do you really know we that pup is going to…..its all about the money,,,that why im not interest in breeding my dogs….there is to much and people is breeding the bloodlines mixed up and its making a mess out of it…….
January 9, 2008 at 11:14 am
A dogs behavior is not genetic. Identical twins (this means they are genetical the same) are two totalaly differrent people. The genes do not control their behavior. I have been around dogs my whole life and all the ones my family has raised none of them have an aggressive behavoir. This list includes pit bulls, rottweilers, boxers, great danes, german shepards, differnt terriers,and mix breeds. All dog breeds started as hunting,herding and/or beast of burden, few are still used for such.
Yes pit bulls were used for fighting, but so were other breeds.That is not what they were breed for. Rottweilers were herding dogs some people still use them for this. German shepards were herding dogs also, but they are used mostly for police/military uses now. The list goes on and on. The fact is pit bulls are no more dangerous that any other dog.
BEHAVIOR IS LEARNED !
To all the dog lovers out there Help Put a Stop to Dog Fighting! But, don’t punish the dogs, punish the people responible!
January 10, 2008 at 8:23 pm
i agree with most of the statements here,a dog can only learn and that can only happen with the right teachings from the owner. i own a staffie cross pit and love and enjoy him, however he has shown aggression towards humans which does make me warery of him in some situations,although he’s never shown it to me and i can tell he knows where he stands with me i do worry about other peope and wot he may do when feeling threatened. can any advise me???
February 1, 2008 at 5:34 pm
“A bernese mountain dog was bred to be a draft animal with a stable temperament and ease of handling. Pitt Bulls (American Straffordshire Bull Terriors or whatever”
***correct spelling: Pit Bull (American Staffordshire Terrier)
As a vet tech I would rather have a Pit Bull in the exam room than a Bernese. Not that Bernese Mtn Dogs arent nice dogs-but I have seen many nasty Berny’s and never a nasty Pit Bull.
A Pit Bull will let us exam and manipulate while in severe pain without reaction. Yes they were bred to bait bulls and dog fight but their aggression is towards the animal, not humans. They have an intense prey drive and low defense drive and are notoriously bad guardian dogs.
The Pit Bull problem is a sign of overpopulation, irresponsible breeding, and irresponsible owners. All of this comes along with this being a fad breed. In some shelters nearly 40% of the dogs are pit bull type.
Pit Bulls were the most popular family breed in the early 1900’s for a reason-unflappable temperment towards people.
You will see the media hysteria and villan dog has changed with their popularity at the time(with idiot dog owners). The German Shepherd, Dobie, Rotweiller, and St. Bernard have all had their moments in time. Did you know that at one time the New England Journal of Medicin recommended banning St. Bernards? After the movie Cujo, the idiot owners went after St. Bernards and for a while many a kid was brought to emergency rooms with St. Bernard bites.
Its all about the owner and responsibility. Focusing on a breed is a band aid measure that only shifts the problem to another breed. Broad legislation focusing on responsible owners is the solution.
February 1, 2008 at 6:30 pm
It makes me sick that every time Pit Bulls are discussed, someone always has to bring up the victims of “Pit Bull attacks!”, which requires the ignoring of ALL the other victims, human and animal, of all the other dog breeds. Such selective caring is repugnant to me. ALL attack victims matter! If your child needs 200 stitches, it will hurt just as much regardless of the breed that mauled your baby. And you would also have to ignore the fact that in places where Pit Bull type dogs have been banned, the number of dog attacks does NOT decrease! People and animals are still attacked and even killed by dogs, just by other breeds, and nobody seems to care about them. Sick!!
And while you can argue genetics all day, all dogs bred for a specific purpose still have to be TRAINED. Intensely and constantly. Bloodhounds have to be trained to track, herders have to be trained to herd, and fighting dogs have to be trained to fight. All dogs need proper training and socialization. The vast majority of Pit Bulls are not used for fighting, just as most Border Collies aren’t used for herding, and the vast majority of Weiner dogs aren’t used to hunt rodents/vermin. And I can safely say that NONE of the Rodesian Ridgebacks in America hunt lions….
Fact is, the AVMA, ASPCA, CDC, and even the AKC state that there is no such thing as an inherently aggressive dog. Are my Shepherd or Bully going to cause much more dmamge than a Weiner dog should they decide to attack someone? Absolutely. My job as their owner/guardian is to train/socialize them to people to help prevent this from happening. There are no 100% guarantees that any dog will not bite.
Toby, walk your dog every day, so he can see many people and experience different sights/sounds. Dogs are often nervous around unfamiliar people/situations. Whenever you see a person, put him into a sit and give him a treat. When someone approaches you on the sidewalk, step off the walk 6-8 feet, put your dog in a sit, and treat him when the person goes by. Doesn’t take long for a dog to associate people=cookies! It wouldn’t hurt to spend some money for a few hours with a trainer. The best way to combat negative stereotypes is with a positive image!! Train your dog SOON, and reinforce the training OFTEN. It’s an investment you’ll be glad you made.
February 11, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Pitbulls were genetically “made” of you want to say to be aggressive dogs, however they were never made to be aggressive against humans. There are animals, weiner dogs for example, that are trained specifically for catching certain types of animals. If a dog is reinforced to be aggressive against humans it will be, any kind of dog will be, but they were not genetically made to do that.