Thanks man. I guess what I was wondering is more what leads a person to choose a fighting breed. I'm not denying it's possible to raise one well, but I do get the impression that it's more of an uphill battle than other breeds that are no less fun. To say nothing of the number of people who clearly have no idea what they're doing, though that can be applied to just about anything
And it wasn't specifically directed at you, though obviously the stories here brought it to the fore, but clearly you're working hard to train your dog, it's just something I see around me a lot. Of course I also live in the Czech Republic where dogs are valued more than humans and I have almost never seen a dog here that even gave a pretense of listening to its owner. I actually laugh out loud sometimes seeing people pretending to be keeping their dogs in line when they're outdoors, but I digress.
Well I think first and foremost that "fighting vs. non-fighting" isn't the right dichotomy. There are "easy" breeds and there are "hard" breeds when it comes to trainability and stubborness. Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, for example, are notoriously difficult dogs to raise and they were never bred for fighting - they're duck hunters. I grew up with Standard Poodles and they were similarly a pain in the ass. I actually don't think that Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, German Shepherds, etc. (all "fighting" breeds) are known for being particularly difficult to raise, but I could be wrong on that.
Lots of things go into the decision of what kind of dog you want. Looks, size, temperament, shedding, health issues, life expectancy, cost - the list goes on. Bull Terriers, for example, are not too big (~55-65 lbs.), short-haired (they do well in the heat; important for me as I live in South Florida), extremely stubborn but also intelligent, clown-like and fiercely loyal to their families (amazing with kids too, which surprised me). They are also very unique dogs that you don't see often, and that matters a lot to me (I'm a bit embarrassed about that fact, but it's true). Rocco is certainly a difficult dog to train and he can get out of control at times, but he's still a joy and with work and structure he'll be a fantastic companion.
The real underlying problem, in my opinion, is that "fighting" breeds like the ones I listed above tend to be sought after by irresponsible dog owners who aren't going to do any work on training their pets. It's no surprise that Pit Bulls are some of the most abandoned dogs around. The people that get dogs for the wrong reasons seem to overwhelmingly prefer "fighting" breeds.
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