User:Oliviapalazzi/sandbox

In a 2014 literature review of dog bite studies, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) states that breed is a poor sole predictor of dog bites. Aggression is not a trait of certain breeds, but differs from dog to dog. Controlled studies have not identified pit bulls as disproportionately dangerous. In fact, Pitbull type dogs and golden retrievers have no significant difference in aggression. Pit bull-type dogs are more frequently identified with cases involving very severe injuries or fatalities than other breeds, but the review suggests this may relate to the popularity of the breed, noting that sled dogs, such as Siberian Huskies, were involved in a majority of fatal dog attacks in some areas of Canada. Bite statistics by breed are not tracked by the CDC, AVMA or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). State Farm Insurance spokeswoman Heather Paul stated "Pit bulls in particular are often misidentified when a bite incident occurs, so reliable bite statistics related to the dogs’ breed are unreliable and serve no purpose."The White House stated that "the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at twenty years of data about dog bites and human fatalities in the United States. They found that fatal attacks represent a very small proportion of dog bite injuries to people and that it’s virtually impossible to calculate bite rates for specific breeds". Pitbull type dogs fall under the myth that their jaws "lock". This is not possible, and bite severity tests concluded that breed does not influence bite strength. The factor that does influence bite severity is the size and strength of the dog. Currently, there are a number of breeds that are recognized by different associations which fall under the term "pit bull". The Federation Cynologique Internationale currently only recognizes three breeds: the Bull Terrier, the Miniature Bull Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The Canadian Kennel Club also recognizes these breeds, as well as the American Staffordshire Terrier. The American Kennel Club recognizes the Bull Terrier, the Miniature Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier as breeds also.

Temperament
Pitbull type dogs have tested in the top 23% of the temperament test. The American Temperament Test society measures different aspects of different breeds temperament, and conducts 10 subtests which measure the dogs stability, shyness, aggressiveness, friendliness and protection of handler as well as self protection.

Identification
Dogs termed pit bulls share similar physical characteristics, but the morphological variation among bully breed dogs makes it difficult for even experts to visually identify them as distinct. While mixed-breed dogs are often labeled as pit bulls if they have certain physical characteristics, such as a square-shaped head or bulky body type, visual identification of mixed-breed dogs is not recommended by the scholarly community. Some of the breeds which often get mistaken for pit bulls (but which are not genetically pit bulls) include the Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, Dogue de Bordeaux, and others, but because these breeds did not originate with the crossbreeding of bulldogs and terriers, they do not fall under the term "pit bull".