Among the reasons given
for legislating breed restrictions and bans in communities is the belief that genes dictate behavior. This is a mistake. Genes
inform many things. They inform the construction of the body. (A parrot develops 2 wings and 2 legs and a dog develops 4 legs
because of genetics. An English bulldog develops a head shaped like a volleyball and the Greyhound develops a long, narrow
wedge-shaped head because of genetics.) They also inform what reinforcers the organism will work for. (Many
horses will work for carrots but few will be interested in liver treats. A duckling will work to stay close to its mother.)
To the extent that an animal is physically capable of performing a behavior and finds the outcomes for the performance reinforcing,
he will perform the behavior.
Eagles
don’t fly because they are genetically programmed to fly. They fly because they have the right stuff
and flying helps them access reinforcers. The same is true for pit bulls. They don’t kill because they are genetically
programmed to kill. They kill because they have the right stuff and killing can produce desirable reinforcers in some situations.
The reinforcer may be food. The reinforcer may be distance from frightening dogs. The reinforcer may be the stilling
of the fighting opponent. Without those outcomes the dog would not fight. Pit bulls don’t fight just because it’s
fun. They fight because the environment has made it more beneficial for them than any other behavior they have tried.
Genes don’t require an organism to do anything. They only give
him a physical package capable of behaving a certain way in a given a certain set of circumstances. Given a certain set
of circumstances! This is also true for Chihuahuas, Cocker spaniels, Greyhounds, mixed breed poodles. It’s true
for every living organism.
Fighting
pit bulls often learn that there is no choice but to fight, and if they live to fight more than once they do the kinds of
fighting that work best, meaning they get better and better at fatal aggressive behavior. This does not mean they are genetically
programmed to fight. This means they’ve learned what they had to learn to survive.
Pit bulls living in well-meaning, loving families may learn aggressive behaviors
pay off, too. But once again, this isn’t because they’re pit bulls. It’s because aggressive behaviors tend
to produce distinct outcomes. If a dog of any breed snarls at you, more likely than not you’ll move away. Ah, that’s
what he wants, so the next time he wants someone to back off, he’s going to snarl. If they’re slow about it, he’s
going to throw in a growl, or a bark, or a lunge or a bite. Pit bulls that learn that aggression works are learning just what
other breeds of dogs learn under the same sets of circumstances. If pit bulls are going to be banned because of genetic tendencies,
we have to ban all dogs. We need to also ban parrots. And cats.
We need to ban humans, too, come to think of it. Maybe humans most of all. Pit
bulls are only doing what every other organism does. They do what works.
©2007, Kellie Snider
