Pit Bull Terriers outperformed these popular family dogs in the temperament test

Thanks to a simple but powerful method of testing dogs' behaviour, it is now a proven fact that Pit Bull Terriers are gentle.

Pit Bull Terriers – and more generally the bull type dogs – is still very dubious and many people are afraid of them because of previous incidents in the news. However, a study by the American Temperament Testing Society has proven what Pit Bull Terrier owners and lovers of the breed already knew. Not only are these dogs not dangerous wild animals, but they are even more dangerous than most breeds considered family dogs are more balanced.

What is a temperament test?

The ATTS temperament test focuses on different elements of temperament, such as balance, shyness, aggression or friendliness. The test assesses the animal’s behaviour by simulating situations that occur in everyday life, such as a walk in the park. During the walk, the dog encounters visual, auditory and tactile stimuli in neutral, friendly and threatening situations. During the measurement, the dog’s reactions in different situations are evaluated. During the test the dog is on a loose leash and no communication with the human during the simulation. The dog that fails the evaluation on different criteria is the dog that shows unprovoked aggression, panic and cannot calm down, or shows strong avoidance behaviour.

In the video below you can see how a measurement is done:

How do pit bull terriers perform in the test?

From ATTS website is constantly updated with information on the total number of dogs of a given breed that have passed the test. For the pit bull terrier, the current number is 960, of which 841 have passed, with 87.6% meeting the ‘good behaviour’ criteria. It is interesting, however, to look at the data for breeds that are colloquially referred to as family dogs. Known for their particularly peaceful and friendly character Golden Retrievers for example, performed worse: 85.9% of them passed the test. Similar results were achieved by Cavalier King Charles spaniels and German Shepherds. In fact, for the time being, even the Vizslas are doing worse with their 86.9% pass rate.

As the owner…

The above data also prove that the behaviour of the animal does not depend on the breed of dog at all. The way it reacts to different situations, whether it becomes aggressive in response to certain stimuli, depends to a large extent on it, the way it is raised by its owner. A well-socialised dog, as you can see in the video above, will not become aggressive either when sudden noises are made or when approached by strangers. In fact, he doesn’t even need to be coaxed because he can handle these situations. In contrast, an animal that has never been taught the correct behaviour will attack in certain situations, mainly out of fear. It is therefore very important that whatever breed of dog you have, you spend the necessary time and energy teaching your pet, and we strongly recommend that you take your pet take your pet to a dog school. In the case of the pit bull terrier, it is particularly important that treat it according to its breed.