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The REAL Temperament of the APBT
Think about this for a moment. Do you ‘own’ your car? Do you ‘own’ your house? Yes of course, it is property we purchase, an inanimate object that has no life. Now, do you ‘own’ your children? I know some of you are sitting their chuckling shaking your heads yes, but in all honesty we don’t ‘own’ them. So do you ‘own’ your pet? No, they have a mind of their own and their own free will. So why do some of us call our selves pet owners? When in fact we treat our pets like our own children and family members. We are Pet Parents. So as a pet parent let’s get to know the REAL temperament of our tail waggling, eager to please, American Pit Bull Terrier family members.
QUICK FACT: More than 27,000 dogs have participated in the temperament test given by the American Temperament Testing Society. This is a 10 part test measuring a dog’s reactions to strangers, noises, and unusual footing. Of all the dogs tested on an average only 81.5 percent have passed. But the APBT has the highest passing percentage of most other dogs with more than 84 percent out of 542 APBTs that were tested in 2006. With the Collies (remember Lassie) only 74 percent passing the same tests.
EAGER TO PLEASE The APBT loves nothing more than to please his people. That willingness is by no means an accident, in the history of the pit bull terrier they were used to fight in a pit against other animals for entertainment, but they were at the same time trained to go beyond extremes to make their human owners happy. Today, this eagerness makes the APBT extremely easy to train. This eagerness to please usually also extends beyond just their pet parents, but to any human they come in contact with. The APBT is on the other hand not a push over either. They love their people and are over eager to please them, even though their idea of making us happy is sometimes not the same idea we had in mind. They do have a stubborn-streak.
FOR THE LOVE OF TREATS
The APBT tends to respond the best to positive reinforcement and food. A special treat is the most powerful incentive you can use when training your APBT. But this special treat does not always have to be in the form of food, affection in the form of petting, stroking, hugs, and verbal expression goes along ways as well. Even though devotees are not on complete in agreement on what works best when your dog does not comply you still have to remember that your APBT wants to do nothing more than to please you, and you have to remain firm but you have to do it with love or they will shut down on you. Some of the best training you can receive on this is to enroll your puppy into an obedience class. This will in turn work two fold for you. One, it helps you to learn how to use positive reinforcement and to remain calm while correcting misbehavior, and secondly it allows for your APBT to be socialized with other pets. As by nature the APBT sees other animals as prey, getting your pet socialized early in life will eliminate future problems of your dog being aggressive towards other animals.
CHARACTERISTS OF A GOOD PET PARENT.
Experts debate constantly on what makes the perfect owner for an APBT. A good parent for a pit bull can be summed up as follows: Someone who has studied and understands the breed. Someone who is not afraid to set and enforce rules. Someone who understands that the APBT requires a lot of socialization. Someone who is willing to fight breed-specific legislation. Someone who can devote time to satisfy their need for exercise and stimulation. A bad pet parent’s characteristics can be summed up as: Someone who wants a guard dog. Someone who wants an APBT to make them more of a man or an extension of their ego. Someone who is abusive. Someone who will do more harm to the reputation of the breed.
DEVOTION AND THINKERS
The APBT is a breed that is always thinking and observant. While during playtime they will act like clowns and make you laugh till your stomach hurts as they wag their tail so wildly that it looks like their body is going to break in half. The APBT when trained and treated correctly will devote their life to you and it is not uncommon for them to sit next to your feet and warn you when an apprehensive person is approaching or something is the matter.
I LOVE TO KISS
Anyone who has a pit bull will tell you, they LOVE to lick. Pit bulls not only love to receive your love but are not afraid to show it either. They love to be cuddled and in return they want to lick you to show you that they love your attention. I personally have yet to find one pit bull that does not show love back in return for the attention I give him.
GREAT WITH KIDS
I always get disheartened when I see a sign up giving away pit bull, we are expecting a baby. APBTs are not only good family pets but great with children. Involve your children with the training of your pit bull and teach them to respect and care for their fellow family member. While APBTs are great playmates, they also don’t know their own size and strength therefore it is not wise to leave them unattended with small children simply for the fact that they may accidently knock your little ones over. Pit bulls love to play and very athletic it is also a good practice to teach your children not to tease your pet with toys or treats.
Article Written by Adam Barnett
Source: American Pit Bull Terrier Magazine (a subsidiary of Dog Fancy)
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