why do people make assumptions by a dogs breed?

Question

Isnt that the same as racism?? I get sick of it. People think one type of dog is exactly as every other dog of its breed, Doesnt the way its bred, raised and train matter???
opinions? comments? responses?
Is there any truth in these assumptions?

Not giving best answer to peopel who say "oh i agree" Looking for truth behind this?

Apparently character was bred to be a narrow minded uptight biotch...
Opinions are welcome, stupidity is not! All the other answers are helpful so far. (Even those who dont agree 100% with me)

Answer 1

I agree with you. It isn't fair for people to judge dogs based solely on their breed. While you can predict some breeds behavioral characteristics on breed, the biggest determining factor of a dog's temperament is going to be how a dog is raised. Here is an example, Australian Cattle Dogs have been specifically bred to heard animals. If someone who lives in the city gets an Australian Cattle Dog, and they don't have sheep for them to heard, they might start trying to heard people, and start to nip at people's heals. People need to be aware of why this dog was bred, and teach him what is and isn't acceptable. They need to teach him that nipping at people's heals is not acceptable, and they need to give them a job to do.

I work at a vet clinic, and I meet all kinds of people, and all kinds of dogs. I have met the good and bad of every breed. I have met some of the sweetest dachshunds, but sometimes people spoil these dogs, and let them run the household, and they become aggressive. My brother thinks it is cute when his dachshund growls at people, and becomes aggressively protective of her toys and food. He thinks she is too small to do any damage, so he just lets it go. Well now she is so aggressive that you can't even pet her. She has tried to attack my pit bull, and bit her on the nose a few times, and she has even bit a small child on the lip. It's not cute anymore... If this same dog was in a different household who taught her rules and boundaries from the beginning, I know she would be a totally different dog.

I have met the sweetest pit bulls, rottweilers, german shepherds in the world, and I have also met many aggressive golden retrievers, labs, chihuahuas etc. Every dog is an individual, and just as with children, dogs need to learn manners, and how to treat people and other dogs.

Answer 2

i think the question could have been worded better but here is my take on it the public at large knows very littel about what any particular breeds perpous is or how it performs the task it was historically bred for. I say historically cause most dogs now are bred as pets even purbred dogs when you dont selectively breed for a trait you lose it very quickly sure those insticts will be there but they wont be refined anyway. What i was saying is the public in general dosent know much about dogs or even identifying breeds that is the major cause of the problem. Lets get right down to the point Pit bulls where bred to fight historically what were the bred to fight? OTHER DOGS!!! not ppl not children not cars not yard gnomes oh well you get the point. to say pit bulls are prone to attack ppl more than any other dogs is not supported by satistics or logic when you get right down to it. But like i said the public dosent know that.. When is the last time you saw a lab dragging the neighbors child back to you? Its the same logic thats not what they were bred to do they know the difference between the neighbors toddler and fowl even if the I.Q. scores cant detect the difference.

Answer 3

I dont know why people do that. They think that all dogs of the same breed are just like all the others. Its probably because they hear stories and different things about a certain breed and they think that applies to them all. For example, there are so many people who think that all rottweilers (i dont know if i spelt that right) are mean, vicious dogs because there are some who have attacked people but not ALL. I knew someone who had a rottweiler and it was the nicest dog.

Also, the dogs owner is definately a BIG part of the dogs personality. If a person abuses a dog and doesnt feed it or ignores it, the dog will be vicious. The person who lives across the street from me had a dog that wasnt treated right and one night it ended up getting loose and attacking a lady and her dog. It really hurt her dog but it just shows you a lot about the owner.

I dont think it would be considered racism thought because its animals and they have rights, just not the same as humans. I hope i helped you. I love animals and i stand up for them. The dog in my picture is actually my dog and i love him. He's great.

Answer 4

Most of the time these assumptions are made due to word of mouth instead of facts, like for example if a pit bull or rottie bites someone or attacks you hear it all over the news saying how vicious these breeds are so everybody starts being scared of pit bulls and rotties when they had not even had the chance to actually interact with one, in my experience I have a rottweiler and he is the sweetest dog ever, and that's because I trained him to be that way. The way a dog acts is not due to his/her breed no matter what people say , the owner of a pit bull can make the dog be the nicest dog just as much as the owner of a chihuahua can make their dog be very mean so see what I am trying to say is that it is not the breed of the dog or the size of the dog it is the way the dog is being brought up and trained, people always go for what they hear or see so yes it is sort of like racism because they are making decisions based on ideas not on facts. And judging every dog as a group or breed instead of as an individual dog.

Answer 5

It is definitely the way they are bred, raised and trained. There are many breeds out there that get a bad rap from owners who have no clue as to how to raise and train them. Poor breeding can also cause aggression is some.
Take my breed that I own, the American Eskimo. I can't tell you how many times I've had a vet tell me how "aggressive" the breed can be. First off if people understood the breed they wouldn't look at it as aggression. They are a breed that is very very leary of strangers. I've had people on the street try to pet one of mine while he was backing away and barking at her. She assumed he was aggressive. Not so.....if you come to my house and stay awhile all of them warm up nicely after about 15 mins. And yes I do think that if a stranger was to keep pushing at trying to pet them, that they could very well bite. But not because they are aggressive. And if you are wondering if my eskies were socialized, the answer is yes they were. All of my eskies are wonderful when it comes to anyone in the family, but strangers they want no part of. And my Toy eskie HATES the vet. You would think the vet was trying to hurt him when we take him. But he was very tramutized a year ago when someone snuck up behind him and yanked his tail while I was holding him. Since then we have had more of a problem with him, and have been working at it with him, and he is slowly getting better. So when I'm out walking any of mine I just let people know that they just don't take to strangers and to please not pet them.
I think it's terrible that some breeds get that bad rap. I think more people need to take an understanding to certain breeds. And I think more people should also define the word aggressive better. People are just too quick to assume that because a dog bites it's aggressive. Instead they should take the time to see why and what the circumstances were surrounding the bite.

Answer 6

It's better to be safe than sorry.

Granted most of those dogs make excellent pets, but some people don't want to take that risk.

At first, I was a little offended the idea that it's the same as racism. Racism is such a large concept and an issue filled with controversy, emotion, and mis-conception. My reasoning was that Racism has to do with inter-personal disputes that we need to overcome.
Well, the same can be said of the bully breeds I guess. Most people consider dogs people/children, plus, people like dogs way more than they like other people.

Good question!
Cheers!

Answer 7

Well, the actual fact is that some breeds of dogs were bred specifically to fight bears, kill rats, or even fight in wars alongside their owners in previous eras, just as some dogs were bred to hunt specific prey.

Even so, the way a dog is raised and trained makes a lot more difference than its breed, you are quite right about that.

Answer 8

Most dogs that are bred properly have been bred for centuries to have certain qualities. For example I have a golden retriever. It was bred to retrieve things (usually birds) for hunters. When that went out of fashion the characteristics that made the retrieve compatible to this task also made it great with kids. Loyalty and submissiveness. Other dogs have been bred for certain tasks as well but I am not as familiar with that history.

You are correct though that the way it is raised has something to do with it. We had a dog that was 1/2 pit bull as a kid and she was a great dog.

Answer 9

Training and handling DO matter a lot. However, breeds of dogs are not the same as races of people. People of different races are extremely genetically similar with differences of less than 3%. Breeds of dogs are created by humans. Years of breeding specific traits and tendencies are put into a breed. In fact, those traits and tendencies must be displayed consistently in offspring before a breed can be considered for recognition as a breed. So it is safe to assume that beagles and bassets will sniff at everything and have a loud, ear piercing bark, that Papillons are intelligent and hyper, that Pit Bulls will tend to be aggressive, that Australian Shepherds will snap and try to herd, etc.
However, those tendencies can be kept in check by proper training. A Pit, for example, will always be aggressive and protective, but a good owner will train the dog to behave well and not to snap or bark. My Papillon will always be hyper, but I train her not to jump on people and to pay attention.

Answer 10

Both are great breeds, I love them both. I'm glad you understand that these are dominant types of dogs, they will be nothing like your Labrador Retriever. They aren't "Velcro" dogs, and you can definitely not baby these dogs. American Pit Bull Terrier: Unfortunately with so much backyard breeding the personality for this dog varies vastly. Although most of them are very people friendly, just dog aggressive. Can get along with other household pets, but not always. Usually these dogs are best in one-dog one-animal situations. The true APBT will need great amounts of exercise, and they are hyper. They're best with a "job", even if it's as a a running companion. They do not do well with just a 20 minute walk. From what I've found these dogs are good protectors, not amazing watch dogs though. I think people think pits are fierce and are territorial, which they can be, but most will hear a noise and just look up, and let it be. If there is a threat though, these dogs will come forth boldy and protect those they love. For example, my cousin owns an American Pit Bull Terrier. I own a Great Dane. While Danes are amazing watch dogs, they are horrible guard dogs. We were at our cabin when javalina came through. My Dane (like she is trained to do) alerted us, barking and becoming something fierce. All while this was going on, the APBT was just laying out in the sun, not bothered one bit. It wasn't until she saw the javalina where she alerted with some barks and tried going after them, but it was my Dane who was actually there to alert and protect, not the pit! Most APBTs are easy to potty train. With anything consistant and firm they do great with. They are hilarious characters, they constantly make me laugh, and are amazing family dogs when properly socialized! German Shepherd Dog: Extremely friendly to the family. Great with kids. Usually wary of strangers, but learn to warm up to them once their owners have and they get to know them. Highly easy to train, they learn fast and they keep the information. Unlike the APBT, these are great watch dogs AND guard dogs. My friend who owns one makes me feel safe definitely, if anyone so much steps foot on property, we'll know. He will also attack if need be, but I've never seen him do it. I don't know about potty training with GSDs but I do know that they are highly trainable, so potty training should be a breeze. These dogs can be hyper if they aren't exercised properly. These dogs need good amount of exercise, if not then they will become destructive and very much hyper active. Trust me, I've seen this first hand! An hour or two of intense exercise will keep your German Shepherd Dog calm, if not, you're in for a real treat. In my opinion these dogs are more "serious" comapred to the APBT, but all the same fun and humorous! I constantly smile when watching them play. Good luck! Do tons of research and try to adopt!