What is a Dangerous Dog?

Question

Please do not give me a breed name.

Lets be real here people and what is a dangerous dog? How is one determined.

Isnt any strong dog capable of taking human life? Isnt any dog of any size capable of causing series injuries? Isnt any dog capable of snapping at any given time?

Why does it seem to be the Bull Breeds which are being scrutinised when there are beloved breeds, Labs, Dalmations, Poodles etc biting and snapping all across the UK?

Shouldnt all breeds be considered dangerous?

Well Said Alberto.... Originally the Pitt Bull was bred for working down the Pit. Their small stature but extreme strength made the ideal working dogs. They would work hard all day and had an extreme threshold to pain.

Many people noticed their toughness and never say die attitude and decided to start fighting them with other Bull Breeds. Their added size over Staffordshire Bull Terriers gave them an added adventage, which uasually proved to be the winner. This is why they are known as the best fighting dogs world over.

PLEASE NOTE. I never encourage dog fighting and I think folk who do are an absolute disgrace to society.


So Alfredo, The answer to your question, wernt Pit Bulls bred especially for fighting is No.

Answer 1

Dangerous dogs can be dogs with aggressive traits bred into them, which has been happening on a large scale with the fighting breeds.

Any dog can be a dangerous dog if he is abused, undersocialized, neglected, frustrated, teased, taunted, etc.

Dogs become dangerous when they are owned by irresponsible people that don't take the proper steps to ensure that they have a well-adjusted emotionally healthy animal.

Size doesn't matter, either. A small dog is just as likely to attack as a large dog. The only difference it that you can punt a small dog into next week if you have to. Small dogs have killed small children.

When I said "fighting breeds", I was talking about the breeds that are commonly used for dogfighting. I did not mean that pits were bred for fighting. I know that they weren't. I was using "fighting breeds" in the general sense.

Answer 2

Dangerous owners of course! Here in Houston, dog fighting is a big thing. We hear on the news about pittbulls attacking small children outside. Agressive dogs get surrendered to shelters only to be put to sleep. It's a sad and unfair life for dogs. People like to feel big and tough and they thing having a mean dog makes them look that way. Have you ever walked down the street and seen a gasnta g with his pit pulling him down the street? I dont think people realize how powerful you can actually be if your dog is well trained. Imagine sitting across the room from your dog, snapping, and having the dog come sit next to you... wouldnt that be cool to show your friends? It's so not cool to have to yank and yell at a dog that wont listen to you because of lack of doggy power. Most mean dogs ARE made mean by abusive owners owners. However everyonce in a while you do pop up with an aggressive dog that doesnt need help being that way. I have a 3 year old mix who is dog agressive. We did all the right things like socialization and stuff when he was a puppy but he still has alot of issues. But yes, if people would only treat their dogs well we would have far fewer dog related incidents.

Answer 3

What pit bulls were originally bred for in the US is irrelevant - they were introduced to the UK solely for the purpose of illegal dog fighting and badger baiting. So Pit bulls in the UK have mostly been trained to fight.

All breeds can and may bite. But the damage done by a jack Russell is not going to be as bad as that inflicted by a rottie. (And actually I think rotweilers are lovely dogs)

All dogs should be trained not to bite and that they are a dog - the lowest in the 'pack' but not all are trained that way.

Also dogs that have been bread for a specific job instinctively do that job, eg boarder collies with try to round anything up, chickens, children, cars even. Retrievers will pick up and carry anything.

I don't think you can say any dog is dangerous or not dangerous BUT a more dangerous dog is one that has instincts to fight and has been poorly trained (or worse still trained to fight) and is big enough / strong enough to keep hold of something / someone even if the owner tries to pull it away.

Yes you are right all breeds should be considered potentially dangerous, but some have the potential to do more damage.

Answer 4

A. Any dog that is capable of serious injury--- that pretty much eliminates the smaller toy breeds.... they can be nasty little critters, and they can bit, but it is unlikely that the attack will be devistating and life altering to anything much bigger than themselves... They generally do not run in pack in a slum neighborhood and don't generally kill other animals... (rats and rodents excepted)

B. Any dog with a heritage of aggression or as an individual, has shown aggression.

C. this is more or less a trick question, because in all breeds there are individuals that are sweet and wonderful, and those that are not.

D. in the US, it is illegal to fight dogs as a sport, but the practice continues in rural areas, and in the South.... on any Friday or Saturday night, dog fights draw hundreds, and hundreds of thousands of dollars are bet. The prime breed is the Staffordshire Terrier -- the pit bull. And it is the only breed that fights... and anyone with a vicious German Shepherd won't fight a pit... so yes, sorry, you will get breed names. In my community in the US, we will spay or neuter your pit for free, give you $20, a pile of dog food, and chip it all for free. No other breed qualifies. No pit or pit cross is ever put up for adoption in my local pound or spca..... My good friend, a small animal vet (dogs and cats) will put down any pit for free. And tho there are absolutely wonderful pits, the percentages are dismal... sorry

Answer 5

When I used to deliver pizza I encountered many different types of dogs. Pit Bulls, Mastif, and German Shepard were pretty good ones to encounter. They were protective and sure made me know who was boss in their yard, but they never attacked or bit me. The type of dog that I hated to see was a Dalmation. Those guys are psycho. That is the type of dog that was the most aggressive. It is odd because everyone things of them as loveable.

The larger breeds get a bad name because they are larger and can do more damage. There are also people out there who breed them for fighting or for security and teach them to be mean. These are the dogs that cause most of the attacks that the news covers and causes everyone to hate the big breeds.

A funny note. The most aggressive dog I ever encountered was one of those little Pomeranians. Little dog. When they opened the door the dog ran out and latched onto my show and was biting as hard as he could. Little guy did not understand that I was not feeling any pain because he was not actually biting me, just my shoe. He would not let go. I tried to walk back to the car and the dog was dragged along. The people finally had to get a daughter in the house to come out and get the dog to let go. She then carried him back into the house. He still sounded like a little tasmanian devil as she took him in. If he had a few pounds on him I would have been a dead man.

Answer 6

A dog that has harmed a person physically or has threatened to harm a person physically through body language is a dangerous dog.

So, with this said, any dog can be dangerous, even chihuahuas. But, some dogs have the capacity to be more dangerous than others.

Dogs that are large, have a muscular build and a square jaw are capable of doing more damage than a typical dog with a more natural build. Dogs with a guardian instinct or a heightened sense of protectiveness are more likely to be dangerous. Dogs that are tenacious, fearless, and determined by nature are more likely to continue doing damage once they've begun attacking. Combine all the factors above, and you have a dog that's capable of doing a lot of damage should it attack someone.

I'm not going to mention breeds, but dogs with this build and personality just have more potential to really cause someone serious harm. Think about it yourself.

Answer 7

Whether or not a dog is dangerous really has nothing to do with it's breed, but rather the way it is raised/cared for. I own a German Shepherd, which are considered dangerous by some people. I've seen bad ones, and I've seen good ones. The bad ones are usually the dogs who were tied up and never given human contact. Fear of unknown situations will cause one of two reactions in all creatures:" Fight or Flight". Humans tend to flee, where dogs tend to fight. If a dog is unaccustomed to humans being in friendly contact with them, they will be afraid of them and more prone to attack them.

My best friend has a pit bull, two of my friends have Rottweilers, I've own pits in the past and now have a German Shepherd. NONE of these dogs have EVER attacked anyone. The reason is not their breed, it's because these dogs were raised around people, with people and grew to love people. Don't get me wrong, if someone breaks into the house and tries to hurt one of their people, they more than likely WILL bite to defend them. But that is hard-wired into every dog out there, regardless of breed.

Answer 8

The Word 'Pit' in pit bull terrier, came from the the time where after Bull Baiting was made illegal, they used to place a dog in a 'pit' with loads of rats. Pit bulls are in fact good ratters.
I am 99% sure I am right. & I had to laugh to think people thought that they worked down 'Pits'. I also think that the name of the place were dogs fight is called a 'Pit'.
There are no dangerous dogs, just stupid owners. Dog attacks are down to human error.

Answer 9

Any dog can become dangerous. Even a mini poodle is dangerous to a small child or a frail bedbound person.

A dog is considered dangerous when he or she is exihibiting aggression towards humans. Even a growl needs to be addressed.

It doesn't matter the breed; I had a German Shepherd that was afraid of strangers, and a friend with a Maltese that thought it was an attack dog.

Answer 10

I have a staffy bull & I am sick off her being classed as a dangerous dog ,she is a big softie who is more afraid off man than attacking him she was beating by her last owner & still cowers when a man comes near her
she is now getting used to contact with guys through my 2 teenage sons their friends & my fiance she laps up the attention
its not the dogs it is the owners to blame they don't train their dogs properly they have to be treated with respect & they will give it back 10 fold, any dog will bite but when these dogs do it they do it properly because off their strong jaws & teeth