I agree that's why I stated that the genetics of Pits are to fight other dogs not people.
Some of what people sometimes expect these dogs to do is be guard dogs, especially because they are very powerful. Some of the people who notoriously train them this way are not the most upstanding citizens and don't know what they are doing.
Also Pits are lousy guard dogs. The do not have the same judgement abilities as guard dogs like German Shepherds. German Shepherds notoriously can look at a scene and discern what is wrong and make a call.
Pits can be trained to attack but no training is going to give them the ability to assess a situation. Training one to attack is like leaving a loaded gun lying around. They are a potent force. Pound for pound they are probably the strongest breed surpassing many several times their weight .
OTOH I think Pits are actually good with children because of another genetic characteristic. One of the reasons they are good at dog fighting is because they have an unusually high pain tolerance. Thus when children hurt them they are less likely to react.
Still no dog should be left unsupervised with young children.
Also an individual animal can be unbalanced. The only dog that ever bit me was a Jack Russell who I later learned had several such "mishaps" as the moronic owner later told me. Some breeds like Cocker Spaniels, I have read, have a genetic defect that causes some to go nuts and attack. I blame the AKC and some poor breeding standards and practices for that.
I think society now too glibly thinks dogs themselves are never responsible for their own behavior. By responsible, I mean how their built-in character is.
The fact is, there ARE "bad" dogs. Nothing you do will change it.
I cringe every time I see a person say "we got him from a shelter - must've been treated badly". Hello? Do you think maybe he's in the shelter justifiably for doing something nasty as you're experiencing?
This is not to say that some decent dogs haven't felt effects from some poor environment - nor that you cannot mold a somewhat bad dog into a pretty reliable "good" 1.
But the constant blaming of some human - known or unknown - for a dog's character is ridiculous. It is insulting. It is libel or slander. I hate how wise people are - then THEY act STUPID w/such a dog. If you don't know - YOU DON'T KNOW. Stop the excuses.
>Some breeds like Cocker Spaniels, I have read, have a genetic defect that causes some to go nuts and attack. I blame the AKC and some poor breeding standards and practices for that.<
I believe you are referring to "rage syndrome" in English Springers. Even so, all the AKC does is keep records of the Stud Book and they sanction dog events such as shows, obedience trials, field (bird dog and hound) trials, etc. The AKC is not breeding 2 dogs that create genetically problematic pups, that's done by ignorant or dishonest breeders.
Fault the greedy, unethical breeders that use the AKC, not the organization. The responsible breeders that use AKC try and eliminate genetic problems. The AKC is not a police organization, nor can it pass laws.