By the way, the reason why I picked pit bulls as part of my title is because of the bad, perhaps terrible, reputation they have. In the above picture, there are two pit bulls: the grey one is Kingston; and my girl, Alex a pit mix, is behind Kingston. Any dog, regardless of his breed can be a balanced dog or a horrible dog. Many times the choice is up to the pet parent.
Yes, for the most part, a dog’s behavior is greatly determined and affected by the pet parent. Also, remember that there is always that exception. Whether you have a pit bull or a lab, make sure that you find the right person to help you have a balanced dog. Dogs are amazing teachers, and I can tell you from personal experience that they will teach you many things, patience being at the very top of my list.
AllMyCanineCompanions 
A question: Kita is a pitbull (or as I sometimes affectionately refer to her, a pibble). There have been a couple of occasions where I’ve needed to put her outside–and she didn’t want to go, but she did something that she NEVER does toward me: she growled and barked at me. When she did this, I got her outside and left her there for a while.
She usually heads outside with no problem.
Any pointers on how to handle this?
Regardless of the dog’s breed, if you haven’t establish yourself as mom rather than a roommate, Kita will “talk back” to you. That means growling, staring you down, nipping you, etc. Also, Kita probably sensed that you were rushing her out the door, something she probably didn’t appreciate. I’d suggest getting her to go out without rushing her. Offer her a treat or just use your body language. If all that fails, find a dog trainer and/or behaviorist to help you with that. Take care
Will have to look into that!
Love all your dogs. As a dog owner myself, also with wood flooring, how do you keep your dogs nails from scratching the wood floors? I, unfortunately, put in bamboo floors and my dog has made a mess of them thanks to her nails. UGH!
This is what I do: I cut Abby’s nails every 2 to 3 weeks and I do this right before we go for a long walk, 45 minutes or longer, or if she is going to go running next to me while I bike. This way she files her nails naturally and by the time we come back my floors, for the most part, remain the same.
Thanks Marcela. Sounds like a very good plan!
Every ‘pit bull’ dog I’ve known has been adorably sweet and loyal. Breed specific legislation is so wrong and fans of these amazing dogs need to educate the public so pitties are branded like Rotties, GSD, and Dobermans were in the past. Far more Chihuahuas have been more aggressive than any pit! Love seeing the whole gang just hanging out. 😄
Totally agree with you.
All dogs are born aggressive because dogs are predators. BUT dogs can be educated and trained. When a dog is aggressive it is not the dog it is the owner. We take our dogs to socialisation (dog whisper education) and there are Pit Bulls loveliest friendly dogs out even with strange kids. Don’t blame the dog, blame the owner who is not a dog parent.
Thanks for your input. I am partially in agreement with you. Dogs are predators, you are right 100%, but that doesn’t mean that they are born aggressive. If that were to be the case all dogs, from the time that they are puppies, would bite anything and anybody in sight. I’ve worked with a lot of dogs, and very, very few were aggressive. We, pet parents, many times make mistakes with our dogs and the end result is a show of misbehavior that the majority of the times I labeled as aggression when in reality it could be fear, lack of socialization, etc. I always recommend pet parents to adopt/foster a dog that would fit in their schedule and lifestyle in order to avoid problems in the future. Yes, the owner, if he/she is responsible should talk to a knowledgeable individual to work on his/her dog’s issues.