23/06/2025
🐾 Understanding Breed & Behaviour: Why Genetics Matter 🧬✨
This article is a must-read—it explores the phrase “It’s the deed, not the breed” in a thoughtful and informative way.
The reality is: we can’t change genetics. I see this time and time again in consults. But what we can do is support our dogs by managing their environment and preventing them from rehearsing behaviours that might be undesirable.
It’s also our responsibility to truly understand the breed we’re bringing into our lives. Taking the time to learn about their genetics, needs and inherent behaviours helps ensure we’re prepared, creating a better life for both our dogs and our family. 💛🐶
🚨 Let’s Talk Truth — Before It’s Too Late 🚨
For too long, the truth about Pit Bulls has been buried under layers of myth, denial, and misinformation. But the consequences of that silence are mounting — with devastating results for dogs, people, and the breed itself.
📢 Read. Share. Speak honestly. The future of the breed depends on it. 🐾
The Pit Bull Federation, as well as responsible behaviour professionals, trainers and rescues, have been trying to educate the public for years on the realities of owning a pit bull. However, too many fans of the breed, amateur trainers and unethical rescue organizations have continued to perpetuate myths that contradict the very nature of these dogs and set them up to fail. This post is a collaboration between The Pit Bull Federation of South Africa and myself, Taryn Blyth, animal behaviorist and dog trainer (Kommetjie Canine College). We ask that all like-minded professionals and interest groups share and support this attempt to break the silence and educate the public around the realities of the breed, to prevent further tragedy. There have been far too many human fatalities over the last decade due to the refusal to accept what a pit bull is and what they were bred to do and even more dog fatalities. Refusal to face the truth does not help this breed and will continue to fuel the crisis, which has already resulted in calls for a breed ban.
Bred to fight and kill other dogs:
Most of the dog breeds that we have today were originally selected for a particular type of “work”. For example, we all know that herding dogs were selected to herd livestock, retrievers were bred to retrieve game, pointers were selected to locate and keep game still until it could be shot, and terriers were bred to catch and kill rodents. Somehow, while we are happy to talk about the origins of all other breeds and to accept that this has a unique influence on the fundamental nature of the dog, there is much denial about the history of the Pit Bull and the actual repercussions of genetically enhancing their motivation and ability to fight and kill their own kind. Pit Bulls were genetically selected to be able to fight and kill other dogs and to be extremely good at doing so. While it is not the fault of the dogs themselves, but rather that of the people who deliberately set about this endeavor, we cannot deny that genetically selecting a dog for such purposes has had a profound effect on their physical conformation as well as their behavioral and emotional disposition. Gameness (the desire to keep fighting no
matter what) was a highly sought after trait, strongly selected for in the breed’s development. They are NOT nanny dogs. They were NEVER originally bred to be family companions. They are, simply put, carefully formed and created to maim and kill their own species. Furthermore, this occupation for the dog is not something from the distant past, sadly it still happens all over the world to this day. The Pit Bull is a fairly recent breed and has VERY LITTLE history of being bred for companionship rather than fighting. They have not evolved away from their original form and function.
Genetically selected for dog-dog aggression:
Being genetically selected for their propensity to fight and kill other dogs means that Pit Bulls are at FAR GREATER risk for developing dog-dog aggression than other breeds. No one denies that a border collie is more likely to herd children or joggers than a labrador and no one disputes that Labradors enjoy putting everything in their mouths. Again, with every other type of dog, we accept that the function they were selected for has an impact on their NORMAL, EXPECTED behavior. Of course there may be exceptions, but they are the exception and not the norm. While every dog may be an individual, a vital factor in assessing any behavior case and in fulfilling a dog’s needs, is knowing what breed the dog is .Trying to enrich a Husky’s life by teaching them to retrieve would be laughable, but giving a bored Labrador the opportunity to fetch and carry things, could massively improve their quality of life. The form and function of a dog MATTERS and IS a good predictor of behavioral preferences. Time and again we understand and accept this with every other breed on the planet and work according to this framework. People accept that border collies are at risk of herding and getting nippy with joggers or children, we accept that recall can be a challenge for hounds, who like to follow their noses, we accept that Labradors tend to be more destructive than the average dog and we accept that allowing pet rats to run around with a Jack Russel probably isn’t the greatest idea. Yet, the stubborn notion that a Pit Bull is the same as any other dog when it comes to their risk for dog-dog aggression persists. This is a fundamental denial of reality, and it must stop.
Hard-wired to grab, bite and shake:
The behavior pattern that has been modified in order to create dogs for various types of work, is the Predatory Motor Pattern (PMP). The PMP is what enables wild canids to feed themselves successfully and it is a hard-wired behavior sequence. It is not a learned behavior – it is part of the “hardware”. While dogs have evolved over thousands of years to be primarily scavengers and not hunters, remnants of the PMP of their wild ancestors remains. Through selective breeding, we have enhanced certain parts of this behavior sequence and weakened other parts, in different ways, depending on the purpose the dog was designed for. We selected for FUNCTION and along the way a related physical form developed that aligned with that function.
The original and complete PMP is as follows:
ORIENT → EYE → STALK → CHASE → GRAB BITE → SHAKE BITE/KILL BITE → DISSECT → EAT
The Border Collie is probably one of the best examples of how humans tinkered with the predatory motor pattern in order to create a dog that would herd but not harm livestock. The border collie has a modified version of the PMP that goes like this:
EYE → STALK → CHASE (in exaggerated form and on repeat)
Border collies will rehearse this sequence of behavior until the cows come home – or the sheep, literally! They do not need any external rewards for this behavior as the chemical reactions in the brain that take place while they are engaged in this activity are internally reinforcing and make them feel GOOD. The same principle applies to other breeds: Pointers have exaggerated EYE → STALK behaviors, Labradors have a modified GRAB BITE behaviors and Flock guarding dogs that live amongst livestock have very weak, malleable or non-existent functional predatory behaviors (which is why the sheep don’t run from them and why, despite their size, they are seldom responsible for human or dog fatalities).
Unfortunately, the parts of the predatory sequence that have been selected for and exaggerated in Pit Bulls are:
EYE → SHAKE BITE/KILL BITE and sometimes DISSECT.
This shortened form of the PMP contains the initial sighting of the “prey” and goes straight into the shaking and killing bit. There is nothing in between, which is why attacks are often seemingly unpredictable and with little “warning” if you do not understand the breed of dog in front of you.
It is vital we understand that in the same way any other breed of dog gains internal reinforcement from carrying out their function and rehearsing their PMP (herding, pointing, chasing, retrieving etc) so does a Pit Bull. Pit Bulls ENJOY grabbing, shaking and ripping “prey” to pieces. They don’t need to be coerced, trained or abuse to enjoy this behavior – it is an inherent predisposition.
Incredible Strength, low reactivity threshold and high pain threshold:
Pit Bulls have been selected for exaggerated muscle mass, making them incredibly strong dogs, even though they are not particularly large in comparison to many other breeds. Powerful bodies behind powerful jaws have been deliberately selected so that Pit Bulls can inflict maximum damage in a fight. Aside from the “gameness” mentioned earlier, Pit Bulls also have a tendency to react very quickly in specific situations: a pit bull that was expected to fight needed to engage quickly with an opponent – they could not afford to stand there and think about it first. A low reactivity threshold is common in all terriers (Jack Russells are notorious for jumping in first and asking questions later), but particularly risky in a dog with the strength and gameness of a Pit Bull. While it is hard to definitively assess pain thresholds in dogs under normal circumstances, Pit Bulls are generally described as being “tolerant” of handling and not overly sensitive. When engaged in fighting, the chemical changes in the brain also affect the perception of pain and there are many reported cases of severely injured dogs continuing to fight relentlessly. Stopping a pit bull during a fight is incredibly difficult and almost impossible. Many people have sustained severe injuries trying to do so.
Socializing and Training cannot erase genetics:
One of the biggest misunderstandings around the breed is the belief that socializing and training can override hard wired behaviour patterns. Added to this is the misconception that the type of aggression involved in severe attacks on other dogs and people is simply defensive in nature. There are many claims that there is no genetic basis for aggression and that Pit Bulls do not show higher levels of aggression than any other breed. The problem with these statements is that they are referring to DEFENSIVE aggression. Defensive aggression is a normal survival mechanism i.e. the ability to use aggression to protect oneself from a threat. Indeed, any dog of any breed is capable of defensive aggression if they are threatened, frightened or hurt. This is completely normal. However, defensive aggression is characterized by barking, growling, snarling, snapping, biting and releasing. Any dog from a chihuahua to a great dane is capable of this type of behavior in the “right” circumstances. Pit Bulls may be no more likely than any other dog breed to engage in this type of aggressive behavior. However, the severe attacks on other dogs and sometimes people, that result in hospitalization and death are not purely defensive in nature. These attacks involve repeated deep bites, shaking and tearing. In these attacks the Predatory Motor Pattern that is hard-wired into the breed takes over and the attacks become PREDATORY in nature. The dogs are not simply defending themselves – they are engaged in highly reinforcing behavior, which they can actually begin to seek out, once they have experienced it. Yes, all dogs can bite but most dogs do not put people in hospital or kill other dogs. The reality is that the vast
majority of dog bite fatalities the world over are due to Pit Bulls or Pit Bull type dogs. While good socialization definitely decreases the chances of any dog biting defensively, it does not erase the predatory motor pattern of that dog. Pit Bulls may be incredibly “friendly” and tolerant with other dogs UNTIL something goes wrong. Too many people have learned the hard way that having a sociable Pit Bull does NOT mean their predatory motor pattern will not be triggered if they do get into an altercation with another dog.
Everyone assumes that their dog is the exception until it is too late, with tragic consequences.
If you love the breed, you need to accept them for who they are. If you love the breed, you need to set them up for success and not for failure. If you love your Pit Bull, do not put them in a situation where they will end up harming other dogs or people – because if you love them, you do not want to lose them.
