It's according to the dog. Pits have high pain tolerance. So do other dogs. Ours got sprayed by a skunk, (it was such a direct hit that it took months to completely wear off of one of them), and they did not howl nor bark at all. I've seen them fight wild animals and be bitten, and sprayed, etc.. no howling or crying. Snarling maybe, but that's it. Then again, the dogs may not have reacted the way that LM thinks they would have. I've seen videos of dogs, whose owners were sure that they'd eat someone up if they came into their home, but the dogs just sat there, or followed the intruder around and barked.