Training is only going to overcome genetics, sometimes. Pittbulls are a collection of dominant and recessive genes/traits. The Terrier in them makes it likely they are going to latch on, hold on and shake the heck out of whatever they have bitten.
Around the beginning of the 70's somebody had the bright idea not to cull the pups that were what we call man sharp. And to actually breed for man sharp. Before around 1970 a Pitbull was pretty much a hundred percent dog sharp, in a nutshell they would walk right past you, to get to another dog. They were mostly blind to humans, human was a zero to them. Another trait is the fighting furry, they go a bit psycho and there pain sensors shut down, a hormone thing.
The breeders have screwed the breed up so badly it may never be right again.
Seriously I've had dogs my whole life and I never trust any of them a hundred percent. People sometimes make the mistake of judging Dogs by human values. Dogs in general and humans share many of the same traits and tendencies. But not all and like us Dogs have a snake brain, when reason stops and the snake brain takes over the differences between human and Dog become apparent.
Think about feeding two dogs together, they may have eaten together a hundred times. But genetics tells them to be aggressive when feeding or they are likely to go hungry. That hundred and first time they are going to fight.
IMO you never trust them a hundred percent, any dog. Learned behavior or training is never gong to be a hundred percent, there is always the chance instinct is going to take over.
When the prey drive takes over people can become food. Or just another pack member between them and food.
There are even subtler instincts at work here, dominance has to be earned. A dominant female may and is even likely to kill the pups of a lesser female and eat them. Multiple litters in a pack are rare, it takes all hands to raise one litter. Think about this hard.
Any time you have a dog in the family there is a hierarchy, it isn't always human above dog, at least in their brain.
Last edited by MudderChuck; 12-14-2015 at 03:53 AM.