With the great variety of "safe" breeds to choose from, why do people choose the dangerous breeds?

Question

I am interested on the psychological makeup of people who seem very normal and nice, yet choose to adopt breeds known to have killer insticts when given the kind of conditions that arouse the urge to kill.

Answer 1

ANY dog can kill. There was a ?Shihtzu? on here who killed a puppy. I know of 2 lab mixes that helped kill livestock. I'm presuming the question however was aimed at Dobermans, Rottweillers, pit bulls and anything else that makes media waves. In the right conditions ANY DOG can be a killer. Golden retreivers. Boxers. Mutts - yes crossbred mutts held up as being better tempered...four of them took down and KILLED a woman in Nashville not that long ago - and they weren't a pitbull or rottie or dobe cross either.
I can tell you why I'd pick a Dobe and, when space permits, will get one again. Because they intimidate without DOING anything. And if they're pushed to doing something they make it count. With the number of psycho people threatening me with harm - killers, rapists, drug induced psychos etc - roaming any community in the US the dog helps deter them.

What is considered a "safe" breed? A dog that can be trained to be safe around people without biting? There are many of the banned breds - including pit bulls that were banned and would have been killed in Canada - that have successfully been trained for police work - narcotics, search and rescue, explosives etc. Isn't it ironic the breed banned in many areas - because they're BANNED if there is a bomb threat the nearest K9 may not be able to respond! If the nearest K9 was a pitbull and your 3 year old relative was missing would you turn her down? The fact is in temperment tests more pits passed than golden retreivers - and no one considers the golden vicious - in fact they are recommended for temperment!

Answer 2

There are no safe or dangerous breeds of dogs. All dogs can be very good, friendly, family pets - if trained properly. I have raised german shepherds, as well as labs - one would be considered more agressive - the shepherd obviously, and they are just big babies. Any breed of animal can be created into a dangerous, agressive animal - it' s not the animals choice, it's the person doing the training. The number one biting dog in the US for the past 5 years has been you cute little cocker spaniel! All dogs have instincts, which will include survival, so you put any dog in that mode, over and over again, and train them it's a do or die situation, they will respond as such, and become agressive and nasty creatures. But, you can't blame the dog, you have to blame the trainer.

Answer 3

there is no "safe" breed of dog. that is a myth because any dog can bite and be vicious and cruel. certian breeds just have a lot of media buzz that causes people to be afraid. i myself would love to own a pitbull or mastiff or dobi. all breeds are know to be dangerous but it isn't the breed it is the owner. i will agree that a pitbull can do much more damage than say a chihuahua. but no more than a lab or a german shepherd. in fact more people are bitten by shepherds than pitbulls every year, but you just don't hear about as much. so why wouldn't someone who is "normal and nice" adopt a pitbull or rotti or dangerous breed? any normal person should realize that almost all dogs can be trained to be loving and house pets. these "dangerous" dogs in shelters won't be up for adoption if they pose a threat to people. so normal people would be smart to give any dog a second chance by not holding what specific dogs of the same breed have done against them. every dog is different. do you judge all people of the same religion or color by what has happened in the past or by what one bad apple had done? if you do i think you have a lot more to worry about than why people adopt "dangerous" dogs....

Answer 4

"killer instincts" lay dormant in EVERY breed of dog. As for a certain breed being aggressive because of its breed is false information thats been floating around the globe for centuries, its a proven fact that you can't breed meanness or aggression into a dog. its all in how its handled and raised, if you teach a poodle to be aggressive its goinng to be aggressive, its along the same lines of stereotyping with people.

Answer 5

I dont believe there is a safe breed and a dageruos breed of dog. I beleive it is how the dog is raised and trained. I have seen some very mean small dogs and very loving dogs that were pitts and rotts. It just depends on the owner and how they are cared for.

Answer 6

dogs are never born mean. they are raised that way. people arent born serial killers are they? my granny had a rotweighler that wouldnt hurt a fly. when i was 3 i rode that dog around the yard and it never once tried to bite me or anything. like i said before dogs arent born mean they are raised that way. i have seen a golden retreiver try and bite a kid while a pit bull was playing fetch with them. so dont give all dogs of a certian breed a bad name just because some are raised rong. and if any dog is not raised properly it could be a killer because anything could be a killer. people are killers but you dont say all people from atlanta are bad because someone is shot there everyday do you? so why do that to dogbreeds? if the dog is mean its the owners fault not the dogs

Answer 7

There is no such thing as a 'safe' breed. I worked as a vet tech when I was younger and I can tell you I came closer to getting bit by more Chihuahua's and cocker spaniels and small dogs than I ever did by rotties and pit bulls and german shepherds.

Answer 8

To me it isnt the breed of a dog. It is how it is raised. For example I had a friend that had a Westie. And that dumb dog would bite someone all the time for nothing and it is because they trained it to.

I for one had a Pit Bull and I never told it to bite someone or whatever. And he was the greatest pet. He loved everyone.

Answer 9

Actually all dogs are dangerous if you didn't teach it well cos dogs to bite! And it also do bites it own owner if he not been raised well to be obey. As it can be aggresive to annoy your command and wanted to be in it own way, when it sick, or it is under fear or stress, if you try to control it or touch it. For this, I've to say the owners have to be blame for it, if it hurt others or yourself.

Answer 10

I don't know about "killer instinct". I think it is how the animal is raised and socialized. I used to be afraid of dobermans and rotties, but found them to be very sweet and the little dogs who bite!