Could your dog be confused with a pit bull?
Time to show off your dogs!
Neither of my dogs would be described by anyone as a pit, or pit-like.
This is Dakota,, the most intelligent dog on earth, and the self-appointed Baby Guardian.
This is Dutchess, aka, “Yupid.” I always thought she was some sort of Spaniel, but it turns out she’s more border collie than anything.
Then there is my old Snuffer dog. She died in 1996. I still miss her. Her mom was a Cocker, but I always described her as a miniature lab. I don’t think she could be confused for a pit bull, either. She was too lean and lanky. (My daughter is hot tho, isn’t she?! She could not be confused for a pit bull.)
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
11 Answers
No way! People had a had time determining if he really was a German Shepherd, since he had very little black fur.
Picture @kritiper?
I tell kids that my Dakota is a wolf sometimes!
Yeah. Raja (3 pics, thumbnails at bottom)
Is it confusion, though? Or is he actually a Pit bull?
We had his DNA tested. He had one grandparent that was a boxer, one grandparent that was an American Staffordshire Terrier, and the remaining 50% of his genome is too mixed up to distinguish breeds.
Most people say he’s a pit. The shelter where we adopted him said he was a Dalmation/Lab mix. His DNA does show 25% AmStaff, which a lot of people equate with Pit bull. So is he a Pit? How much Pit does a dog need to be a Pit? He would definitely be banned in, say Denver, where a dog only has to look like a Pit to be a Pit. What can we assume about his temperament from his appearance? Because people definitely do make assumptions based on his appearance.
<—-People have asked me if she is a pit. Looks all boxer to me, but I don’t care what she is. She’s a sweetie.
Yeah, I don’t see pit in your dog @chyna.
I do see what folks are referring to in your Raja @thorninmud.
@Dutchess_III Visualize a 60 lb. Golden Retriever with the build of a German Shepherd.
My dogs are Labs. That’s a breed which is common enough for many people to actually know what it looks like. Plenty of people have no idea, though.
I have access to anecdotes of tons of dog people. There are a number of lesser-known breeds in the dog training center I work at, and those absolutely get mistaken for “dangerous breeds”. Boxers, Bulldogs, Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgebacks…
Most people are very ignorant about the things their dogs are saying. I wish there was a way to magically implant the knowledge of calming signals into all human brains. I think that may finally get us on the right track.
^^^ Very interesting article
I think we came to the consensus that the dogs we mislabel as pits can be any number of stocky, short haired, muscular dogs, which includes all of the dogs you listed.
@longgone children, especially, have no clue about the signals dogs are sending. That’s why they’re at the most risk.
@thorninmud I’m glad you liked it. Calming signals are fascinating. As soon as you start watching, you see them everywhere.
@Dutchess_III Maybe. I’d say they’re at a higher risk simply because they’re more “hands-on” with dogs. I can’t count the times I’ve asked children to please not hug my dogs. It’s sad – the kids love it, and my dogs don’t mind. I just want to keep them safe from the next dog, who may become freaked and snap.
Answer this question 
Composing members:
0
