...

[matmorgan 49]

Not just bull breeds were used in the square back then though, and still not. I think any dog, if deemed to be standing a chance, was used. If memory serves me correctly, then there's mention of a golden retriever who was used in the pit in Fitzbarnard's Fighting Sports book, and also in Lucas's Hunt and Working Terriers book, there's the Airedale dog, Thunder, that was used too....I think. My memory might be playing tricks on me. Certainly from my own experience, I had a little 20" lurcher once that adored a tear-up with my bull terriers

 

Very true Stabs. I am sure I am not telling Stabs anything new here, but in order to elaborate on his post a bit, Pit dogs were (and are) a type, not a true breed. Their owners bred for gameness and physical characteristics needed to scrap with other dogs, not to any breed standard. The pit bulls we think of as a breed are really just a standardized type that proved to be the most successful type used in the pit. If you look at a game bred dog you will see that the dogs confirmation is all geared for the pit. For instance, the front legs are heavier than the back in order to allow the dog to take the punishment that the front end gets in a fight. The back legs are thinner so as to not contribute any unneeded weight, while being formed to aid the dog in getting traction when the dog is up on its hind legs wrestling with its opponent. Other breeds/types of dogs were (and are) tested in the pit, but in the end the tried and tested pit bull type always proved the most successful in the long run.

 

by the way, the really buff "pit bulls" you see around town are never going to go the distance ether... they are too short and heavy. Dogs are matched at a specified weight, and so those thick and clunky dogs would ether have to be matched at such a low weight that they would be severely weakened, or they would have to fight a bigger, taller dog and still be at a disadvantage. Those buff tank-built pits look cool as heck, but they are truly "not for fighting".

 

I have a game bred bitch here, and everybody asks me if I am worried she will hurt my daughter one day. I always tell them that my dog was bred to never bite humans even under extreme pain, and no other "breed" has been as well selected not to bite people as a game bred dog. For most of the "breeds" history man-biters were killed to prevent them from breeding any more man-biters. Biting humans even during a match was the biggest sin a pit dog could commit...

nice post.think the end result type from breeding pit dogs is the same with all breeds.keep picking the stuff you like and end up with a type.shame our kennel club is f@*c$*g it up though.atb mat.

[CAcountry_boy 0]

 

 

nice post.think the end result type from breeding pit dogs is the same with all breeds.keep picking the stuff you like and end up with a type.shame our kennel club is f@*c$*g it up though.atb mat.

 

Thanks Mat. Kennel clubs always screw up breeds. That is one of the things that turns me on about Lurchers. The whole experimenting with this or that cocktail of dog in order to come up with the best type of pooch for a particular job and terrain is very appealing to me. being in the US the amount of Lurcher men is quite slim. I know of some Falconers (I fly falcons too)who run longdogs in other states, and I hear there are guys out here running dogs, but I sure can't find any about in my area. All that is OK with me though. I feel like I am getting in on the ground floor here, so to speak. I have enough dog experience that I am sure I won't screw it up too bad...plus I have all y'all on here to help me smooth out all the wrinkles

 

good hunting