does everyone believe everything they read about certain breeds?

Question

does everyone believe everything that is said about aggressive breed dogs? i have a pit bull and have had this breed most of my life, even when my daughter was a baby and have never had the first problem. why can't we investigate the owners of the dogs before we start a panic. education is everything.

Answer 1

Very true!! I am a firm believer that there are no bad breeds just bad owners and bad breeders!! Back yard breeders are the worst. Poeple who do not know the first thing about breeding and just want to try and make money from thier dogs!! I have know several Pits that are wonderful family dogs I myself use to Breed Rotts. I was AKC Reg. I qiut when the breed started showing up in the pounds alot!!! I also turn several people way because I did not have a good feeling about them whatsoever!! I had my 3 females and 4 males all fixed! Sad to say I only have 2 left now. I love Rotts.

Answer 2

I can understand your frustration over the histerical way the media and some people react to pit bulls. Two of my sisters have rescue pit bulls. I have rarely met more happy, friendly dogs. One came to Christmas at my house. We had 14 people and one pitbull. This could have been a reciepi for disaster - all those people milling around, alcohol flowing. But, he was the most polite guest there. He was content to be scratched and petted, happy to snuggle up on the sofa for a nap. He didn't beg or whine while we ate, he never barked or jumped up on anyone. He didn't get freaked out by the ripping open of packages. He was, in every way, a great dog.

As most dog owners know, nearly any dog will bite if it is put into the right situation (or wrong situation). It is the responsibility of the owner to socialize his dog thoroughly, train it and also to monitor
the environment so his dog is not put in a bad situation.

Best of luck w/ your dog, he sounds like a good ambassador for his breed.

Answer 3

Dogs of all breeds and mixes bite and attack people all the time, but it is mainly the Pit Bull bites that get sensationalized. A report about the local Golden Retriever that attacks and maims a child isn't considered newsworthy. No one wants to believe that any dogs--even the fuzzy, cute, popular ones--are capable of biting. It's much easier to blow up and sensationalize a story about a vicious dog when it's a member of a breed who's reputation preceeds it. Pit Bulls are already considered the demons. All the reporters have to do is stand in front of the camera, look horrified, and say, "A Pit Bull did it".

Answer 4

I have to agree with ginbail, dogs are a product of their genetics and environment. You cannot make a dog that has no proper drives in pray or defense, bite, unless it's done out of fear. The dog needs to be genetically correct, with proper drives to be able to have a balanced temperament and be stable enough mentally, to be secure in its environment and not act out of fear, which is what is causing most dog bites. It is not the breed, it is the dog. If it was breed related, every shepherd would be able to do police work and every lab would be able to be a hunting dog. Like ginbail said, there are people out there who want a dog like that, and there are breeders who are willing to breed anything for money. I am not putting down the breeders who are producing dogs with proper drives for protection/police work, I praise them. We need them and the dogs they produce. My personal preference is a dog that has too much of everything and that includes overly developed aggression. But, I also want a dog that at the same time is mentally stable and not handler civil. Those are my preferences and I know what I want and how to handle it. Pit bulls got a bad rep because they are a "game" dog, meaning that they have allot of heart and will not give up as easy as other dogs would. Well, if people understood what they were bred for maybe they would not talk so much crap about them. So, in conclusion, it is not breed specific, it is dog specific.

Answer 5

Many folks say, "It's not the dog, it's the owner".
I believe that's not the whole story. There are many unscrupulous breeders who look for tough, aggressive dogs to breed so they can sell a litter of badass puppies. These pups will be mean and aggressive no matter who the owner is. Unfortunately, there is a big market for pups who are born with a propensity towards aggression and there are bad breeders willing to supply the demand.
If puppy people would investigate the breedings before they purchased a dog, they'd have a better dog.

Answer 6

Yes, i agree education is everything.
But, I agree with taz.
Pit-bulls have a larger attack percentage..and its worse because that particular breed has not had the instinct to kill completely bread out of it.
Its not the only breed that is that way,but a pit-bull is worse because when it attacks..usually they aim to kill...and can because they lock their jaws in place.In some cases even when the dog is unconscious......it will still continue to hold it's grip.Imagine your dog getting angry at your child...it snaps once or twice...but the 3rd time..it goes for the child's throat, suffocating the child...and you cant do anything to loosen the dog's grip before your child dies.
I have known people to own them and they are very loving sweet animals.And some of those dogs HAVE attacked,killing their neighbor's pets and then turning on children.I would never want to take that chance with a child around.
I'm not just picking on pit-bulls...any larger dog is a potential danger no matter the up bringing.Dogs get angry just like we do.Unfortunatley..they can't just scream obscenities at you lol.

Answer 7

I've had a Rottie and several other dogs who are considered "dangerous". They were big mushballs, all of them.

I consider that the media is highly irresponsible for emphasizing dog attacks, and sensationalizing them. The number of dogs that bite is a very low percentage, and they never emphasize that 99% of the breed are loving pets, completely trustworthy and loved by their owners.

I also get very annoyed that people automatically assume that, because a dog is large, it is bad tempered. On the contrary, in 35 years of handling dogs, I've only been bitten twice, and in both cases it was by a tiny dog. I'll take my big guys (Great Danes) any day, they are calm, loyal, quiet, and big couch potatoes.

In most cases of attacks, the fault can be laid squarely on the owner of the dog. It makes a lot more sense to lay penalties on irresponsible owners than on their dogs.

Answer 8

Of course you should never believe that a dog is aggressive because of its breed, that is simply untrue. It is the owner and the way the dog is brought up. A well balanced dog no matter what the breed will be a perfect dog.

Answer 9

Ii totally agree..it really ticks me off when I hear of another story where a pit bull has maimed another child. For one thing, the owners are the problems with this kind of dog. II have had two pit bulls in my life and one of them was a 120 lb. baby. He never hurt anyone or anyones dog. When you hear of another story maybe you should call the news and have them investigate the owners to see who is the problem. They are irresponible owners and they are the ones to be jailed or put to sleep. For sure they never should be allowed to have another dog of any kind.

Answer 10

Nope because I know from experience that 90% of a dogs temperament comes from how it is raised in terms of aggressiveness. While some dogs have a higher tendency, it doesn't mean it's in stone that they will be just as some breeds are said to be loving but again, not every single one is.