[rckrgurl]

Ok, serious question.

What are people's views on breeds such as Rottweilers, Dobermans, Pit Bulls, etc? Basically the breeds that are seen as "dangerous".

I know it's difficult to ignore horror stories, but are we forgetting that breeding lines and the way an owner brings it up directly affects a dog's behaviour.
It's not always intentional, but people do have to realise that by not knowing how to train a dog properly, there will be behaviour problems. This is also true when a breeder is only out for money, and does not care about the condition of the parents.

Fair enough if people are nervous about these breeds. That is understandable.
But consider this; of all the horror stories you hear, how many unheard stories are there about dogs who have never hurt a living soul in their entire life?
And despite all the murders, rape incidences and terrorist attacks we hear about, are you scared to walk past people in the street in case they turn out to be a psycho? Probably not.

One other thing that people don't realise is that dogs can develop things like OCD and other mental health problems, just like people. Although inexcusable, couldn't this also be a factor?

And lastly, of all the "my dog wouldn't hurt a fly but he mauled my husband" stories, we never hear about how the dog was trained or treated, if he was unpredictable in his every day behaviour, etc. so we never have the full picture, just a few pieces of the puzzle.

I'm not excusing the behaviour we hear about, and it is a major cause for concern... but is it really enough evidence to condemn a whole breed?

Anyway, I just wanted to hear some other people's views on this.

[katastrofe]

I have a pit bull mix and he is the sweetest dog ever. While I'll admit some animals are born naturally aggressive (like people, lol), but that doesn't mean the entire breed should be looked down on! I'll give ANY dog a chance.
In my opinion, a labradoodle can be trained to be aggressive, if someone wanted to. It's just mean, scum of the earth people that do horrible things to innocent pit bulls, terriers, etc. that cause them to be aggressive. :twisted: ANY dogs could have been mauling dogs.

[Lunareclipse]

I have been bitten by more cocker spaniels than any other dog. Never been bitten by a so-called "dangerous" breed. Just cocker spaniels, a chihuahua once, a toy poodle, a few jack russels and a golden retriever. Never once was I ever bitten by a rotty, dobe or pit. In fact, those were the ones I enjoyed grooming the most. I had the least amount of problems with them. It was the small dogs I always had to muzzle.

[Deafdogsrule]

Dogs are individuals, being the same breed does not make them the same, in any way shape or form.

The media has made certain breeds out to be monsters... Yet that's no more true than Native Canadians and Native Americans being savages. We as a species (and really all animals) are prone to fear the unknown and what others tell us to fear, so we fear because the media shows us one or 2 vicious attacks, and we tar and feather the whole breed.

How many of you are afraid of Huskies? Not many eh? Yet there have been 2 babies killed by huskies in the last year in Canada, not to mention many child maulings... yet the media hasn't gone out of their way to make them monsters, so therefor, we do not fear them.

The media has alot to answer for!

[cigwyllt]

My son was badly bitten in a completely unprovoked attack by a border collie. My friend has a doberman who submits to my Jack Russell and lives peacefully with three small children. Of course not every dog of a certain breed is dangerous.

I've never met a rottie that didn't grin from ear to ear and want to be petted.

[seethesvt]

I just adopted a dog that is a mix between what we know is a pitbull and what we think is s bull mastiff. 9 weeks old now. Pretty sure she was bred from and for fighting... is he at greater risk? Its my second pit mix. The first guy is a big lover, I trained him right...

[Lunareclipse]

Originally Posted by seethesvt

I just adopted a dog that is a mix between what we know is a pitbull and what we think is s bull mastiff. 9 weeks old now. Pretty sure she was bred from and for fighting... is he at greater risk? Its my second pit mix. The first guy is a big lover, I trained him right...

Great dogs come from dedicated owners.

[seethesvt]

I wasn't really worried, just curious.

[lange]

I think it's both nurture and nature in most instances.

I'm more afraid of my LhasaX snapping on me or my family than my Akita. But I'm more wary of my Akita snapping on another dog than my Lhasa.. Yet I'm no fool, my Akita can still react to a perceived threat to the family with force. My Lhasa though would likely only bite out of skittishness & fear.

You shouldn't ignore the breed of a dog but you shouldn't ignore it's personal temperament and training either. The whole package matters and if you pretend the breed of a dog makes no difference then what is the point of any breed??

[reeskujo]

Originally Posted by lange

I think it's both nurture and nature in most instances.

I'm more afraid of my LhasaX snapping on me or my family than my Akita. But I'm more wary of my Akita snapping on another dog than my Lhasa.. Yet I'm no fool, my Akita can still react to a perceived threat to the family with force. My Lhasa though would likely only bite out of skittishness & fear.

You shouldn't ignore the breed of a dog but you shouldn't ignore it's personal temperament and training either. The whole package matters and if you pretend the breed of a dog makes no difference then what is the point of any breed??

Very well said Lange..While neither Kuma or Seigi would just go randomly bite a stranger we know that because they are bred to guard and it's so instinctive anyone they feel is a threat to us or our family they will resort to force..So that being said you're right when you say that you always have to keep the breed in mind as each breed is bred for certain reasons and they're personalities will reflect that in their behaviors and reactions to things.

[lange]

Thanks Ree

Yes,I think instincts matter a lot, prey drive matters, ect.. Dogs have triggers and some breeds have specific triggers as well so it's better to keep that in perspective. A dog is an animal, a dog is a breed, a dog is an individual but no matter how well we train, we need to always keep in mind their limitations and their core instincts.. especially those of us who have stronger, determined dogs. Yes, this means pit owners too IMO.

One other thing- when any dog attacks, I wonder how many dogs even get the chance to be tested by a vet? Besides checking for rabies, I don't think any underlining health issues are ever determined. So health would also be another factor, and depending on the breed, even that tends to be breed related often times.

[Kinley804]

Im right there with luna. I've been bit by 2 cocker spaniels. Only been given kisses from pits/dobys/rottys. all depends on the specific dog

[lange]

I've never been bit.