aggressive dogs

[Bakuryukun]

Breed is never the problem, Owners are always the problem.

thing is that's not true.

all breeds of dogs have been bred over centuries to specifically isolate certain characteristics and natural tendancys which we wanted them to have to fulfil certain roles.

some of these roles and certain breeds of dogs who exemplify them really don't sit well inside modern society where the vast majority expect them to be simple passive pets, perhaps at most household gaurd dogs.

we have very little requirement now for an animal with a natural tendency and viable capacity to rip another to pieces
we did have
so, over hundreds of years, we created them through selective breeding
but not so much now...

some of the animals involved simply shouldn't be sold as "pets".
imo to say otherwise is to deny what a dog "breed" actually is.

Yeah your right. So in other words Owners should do their research before deciding what kind of breed they want. Not only that but much of the temperament in dogs isn't from the breed, it's from the environment in which it's raised, and the amount of training and exercise it receives. To say some dogs are 'just aggressive' is a very lazy and uninformed attitude, I've worked with dogs a LONG time of all different breeds, and while it's true that some breeds require more training and maintenance than others, none are inherently untrainable or instantly not fit for human ownership. Some dogs may well be more inclined towards being aggressive and dominant, but so long as the OWNER is responsible and takes necessary steps in it's training and devlopment and everyday life, it shouldn't really be a problem.

This is easily disputed.

Dogs have been engineered to be a certain way--sheperding, hounding, hunting, defense, companionship, show.

Some dogs make better hunting dogs, while others are best herding sheep. Some have been bred to fight and kill, such as Mastiffs, which were used for wolf-hunting.

I will agree that owners are the problem, however.

Think of dogs as if they are cars. One can race a Corvette, but not a Kia. Many times, inexperienced drivers don't know what the hell they're doing. They're much safer with a Kia than a Corvette, and I've seen this same action in dog owners.

Edit: grammer.

I work with dogs and I can tell you first hand that training and environment trumps breed. Dogs are for the most part pack animals, if you take the role as their leader like you should, then your commands supersede their instincts, this is why dog training works in the first place.

 

[Drummodino]

Some people have no idea about animals. Really grinds my gears.

A rottweiler is only aggressive if it is brought up in a certain way. If it's brought up as a loved family pet, that's what it'll be. If it's raised as a guard dog, that's what it'll be.

If any dog is raised to be gentle, they will be. Saying people should only have them as guard dogs and not as pets is ignorant. A rottweiler may have a natural tendency towards aggression, at least more than a different breed of dog, but doesn't change a thing. It's all how they're brought up.

This is my view exactly. I'm a huge fan of German Shepherds, when they are trained well they can be wonderful, gentle creatures. They can also become excellent guard dogs, which is why they are used by the police and military. I've seen a demonstration of these first hand and they are dangerous but completely obedient to their personal trainer who they are attached to. There is only a problem when they are abused or neglected, this is when they can cause harm. Most dogs like this are high maitenance - they need a lot of exercise. I used to live next door to a dog like that and it used to bark and howl and be a real nuisance. In the end it all comes down to the owner, even if certain breeds are more genetically inclined to be agressive the training of the animals is what matters most.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

Here they are only allowed if the dogs personality and the owners ability was officially tested and the dog wears a muzzle on the street.
Problem (almost) solved.

 

[GameGoddess101]

Of course dogs need to have proper training. Not just dogs that are known for their viciousness, but all dogs. A pug can become vicious in the right environment and those little fuckers have enough jaw strength to bite through your arm. (Speaking from experience, here)

But what I find interesting is breeds that people say are "teh most vicious dogs EVAR" like Pittbulls, German Shepherds, and the aforementioned Rotties, have often been very sweet. I met a pittbull who was a rehabilitated fighting dog who was so sweet and gentle, and my old Shepherd, Jake, was just the sweetest gentle giant you ever met.

 

[Dags90]

If aggression of a breed isn't a factor, why are German Shepard's and Rottweilers preferred as guard dogs?

Breed is definitely a problem. but is saying that, I agree that owners are always (always) the problems. Here in the UK we're getting more and more news reports of folks getting mauled to death by what is, 7 times out of 10, Stafford bull terriers.

There is a problem when the dog would beat the owner in an IQ test. and in the UK, that's not hard.

Probably for their balance of size, strength, speed and intelligence. Breed is a factor largely in the outcomes, a poorly trained ShiTzu won't be anything more than a nuisance due to its size. A poorly trained Great Dane can be fairly fearsome I'd imagine. But Great Danes are well known as "gentle giants" by the public, despite being bred as guard/hunting dogs.

 

[WeOwnTheSky]

I have a german shepard and she is sweet to everyone except other dogs.

I have a german shepard and he's the exact same.

 

[Sweeney94]

Having a 'dangerous' dog doesn't exist. There is no such thing as a dangerous dog, only a dangerous owner. It's only the owner of the dog that makes it aggressive. If a responsible owner were to bring up one of these dogs, it would be perfectly nice, like any other dog.