Why is always the humans fault???????

Question

Can't a dog be born "off" or have some kind of imbalance like some humans that makes it aggressive or very difficult to train to be trustworthy in ALL situations????
It seems to be the "PC" thing to blame the owners, the breeder, or human-kind in general every time there is a dog attack or a dog that is labeled "aggressive".
Is it impossible that it could be that dog. It is not also possible that some breeds are natuarally more aggressive than others?

We always assume that when there is a dog bite story that the people abused the dog, tied it up with no contact for years, it was bred bad....or all of those. There have been actual family pets that seemed to "go off" and hurt someone or suddenly attack another dog. That is what I am talking about. Not the abused dogs. The tie out dogs. The beaten dogs.
The pet that just "turns". It happens, but most people still can only blame the people.

And as far as breeding goes, I have seen dogs with bad temperments come from a great breeding program where the parents were wonderful as were all the other littermates. How do we explain that???????

Kudos to the people that have the guts to say pits are a "more aggressive" breed. I have heard so many people on here saying it is all the owners fault and pits are just like every other breed. THAT is the main reason there is such a problem with the breed. People think they ARE like any other breed and treat them that way. Then they try and eat something and it is the owners fault. And it is...their fault for treating it like a Lab.
I guess really the bottom line is that at least half the people that own dogs probably should not because they are not willing or able to put the effort required to make the dog as stable as possible.
(it is probably a violation to say that though)

Answer 1

You are absolutely correct, it is not always the human's fault!!
Dogs are born with issues that were not caused by abuse or being tied up or crated or any of the other crap that has become a mantra here on YA. There is a problem when people are not willing to accept the fact that dogs, just like people, can be born with problems.
Why people cannot accept that is beyond me. Why can't people understand that a dog is nothing but genetics and environment? I had a long talk about this with a very intelligent person this last weekend and even though we did not agree with everything, we did both agree that dogs can be born like that.
The bottom line here on YA is that dogs cannot ever be wrong and all the problems thay have are because of humans
and they are innocent creatures. Yeah, and the earth is flat too!!!

Answer 2

yes i think a dog can be born a bit 'off' or backwards. but mostly its the owners.

pits are not like other dogs some other breeds yes to a point. Lots of pits if not rasied with other dogs have animal aggression. They are not a first dog type or even a second dog type if u ask me. I don't think some who has never trained a dog before should pick a 'strong breed'. chow, shepherd, akita, rottie, ect. unless working with a trainer.
Most people spoil their dogs and give them no leadership and being a good leader with these breeds is a must for most dogs of a 'strong breed', sure u get the laid back ones that are not going to test you however for the most part they will test your will.

I do think that alot of problems come from an owner. I use to take my well mannered boys to gramma's not any more cause their dogs would get aggressive ONLY when the owners where outside. if they where in side things where fine. but then thier dogs would become OVERLY protective. Instead of solving the problem the dogs were just put away these dogs have no rules.
I groom a few older peoples dogs (dirt cheap, and it saves some older people from having to find the money to get the dog done for$$$$ and someone to take them, and it just a shaveno alway pretty.) and ALL of these dog become very aggressive with me if the owner is in the room. Owner walks out there is no problem.

ADD
Then there are people who think its ok to let food aggression go, it never turns out good. The dog gets worse and the owner or a child get bit.

There could be a health cause for aggression. from thyroid to a tumor. I think that just be cause the breed can be aggressive that there should be tests done to see why a normally sweet dog that listened is suddenly becoming aggressive.

Poor breeding could cause later aggression. but i'm sure even if from a top kennel they have had aggressive pups. Pits are bred for aggession but they should not be human aggressive. Poor BYB and bad training i think is more the problem with pits then any thing else.

There is a training problem. most all dogs turned in to the shelter are not trained some have small fixable aggression problems. On my walks daily i see differ dogs walking their people, i hear owner SCREAMING at that their dogs for barking and kids and neither could careless. I do see others walking in control of the dog.

So yes a dog can be born OFF. but some (not all) given the right owner could be controled.

Answer 3

A mild mannered family pet can become aggressive if there's a thyroid imbalance. The vet will usually do a thyroid check if behavior problems start to develop. There are some people who continue to repeat "if the dog were properly trained" no matter what the circumstances or situation. I've had a lot of dogs over a lot of years and regardless of how vigilant and responsible I am or how well trained my dogs are things happen with animals that just couldn't be predicted. But, I do take responsibility for my dog biting because I'm enough in tune with my dogs to know how they react to certain situations and correct or avoid as necessary. There was one poster the other day who said his pup had nipped a woman who startled the pup while he was picking up poop and it served the woman right for startling the pup. I think that's really lame b.s., he has an obligation to be aware of situations that might frighten his pup and lead to a bite or nip. That's the kind of person who makes excuses after his dog, that's running loose, has bitten the neighbors child .... oh, the kid was screaming and it startled my dog, etc., etc.

Answer 4

Yes some dog breeds are naturally more aggressive than others and most defineately they can have an imbalance or have some defect that makes them "off".
But here's the thing -If a dog is acting strange the human should have enough sense to get it to the vet.And in the case of naturally aggressive dogs too many people go out and buy one without having any clue as to what the dogs requirements are to keep it under control and are too lazy do anything but yell at it.They could care less that the dog has wants and needs and feelings just like we do because they've discovered that having a dog is alot of hard work and they don't have time to deal with it.
I'm a very firm believer that people should not have mean dogs if they have to hide behind them during a confrontation.If you can't take care of yourself you can't expect the dog to take care of you.And a human should have more sense than to expect a dog to be a babysitter.NO dog,no matter how well trained should ever be trusted never to bite.They're dogs that's what they do to protect themselves.
You would'nt let someone beat on you without trying to defend yourself so why is a dog expected to take whatever treatment it gets and like it?
A responsible dog owner never exposes his/her dog regardless of it's training to any situation where an accident could happen and then leave it unsupervised unless they're willing to deal with and can afford the lawsuit.
Yes some dogs are harder to train than others but training has little to do with it if the dog is being abused.
I've known people who'll spend a small fortune on training and yet not bother to take their dog for a walk or buy it a toy let alone remember to let it outside then kick the dog for going potty in the house.When the dog finally has had enough and bites it's owner after being kicked for doing the only thing it could under the circumstances the dog gets put down for biting.The owner will swear they did nothing to make the dog bite it just went crazy all of the sudden.Poor dog can't talk so pays with it's life for being the recipient of abuse and neglect!
IT'S ALWAYS THE HUMANS FAULT! Having a dog is just like having a child.They need constant supervision,discipline,exercise and love to keep them safe and healthy.People are not willing to put in the time and effort to provide for a dogs needs let alone attempt to educate themselves on a particular breeds requirements before they drag home that cute little pup.

Answer 5

Yes it can be possible that a dog is born off ( imbalanced) and some dogs are naturally more aggressive than others but bad breeding, irresponsibility and carelessness is the cause of many temperament problems, including aggression. Many people breeding and buying puppies dogs do not take the time to socialize their puppies and this causes behavior and temperament problems, to have a well balanced dog, socialization is a must. Also, there is the problem that many people get dogs that are naturally aloof and are bred to be working or guarding dogs and they do not know how to handle, train or treat these types of dogs. They treat these dogs like humans, do not train or discipline these dogs and that creates many problems, including aggression.
Not all breeds are suited for all people so many of the problems that are encountered with aggressive dogs would be eliminated if people would research dogs and the breeders they buy from before obtaining a dog.

I believe that most dog bites are the result of carelessness and irresponsibility. If you know you have a dog with a propensity to bite, you must take the proper measures to contain your dog at all times. This is why research is necessary so you are familiar with the temperament and traits of the dog you choose.

Answer 6

Yes, it is possible to have an "off" or unbalanced dog. Sometimes it's an undiagnosed health issue...

But the MAJORITY of the time it is the fault of the human.
Somebody, somewhere was responsible for allowing two dogs to mate...whether done responsibly or irresponsibly.
That decision to breed should encompass the temperament of BOTH animals....then the puppies are born, they go to their new homes. Some person who has no clue as to socialization, training, etc, and the puppy that was born from less than desirable temperamented parents, has yet another hurdle....and usually ends up a menace to it's family or society. Because of "human error" or lack of knowledge (on the breeder's and/or owner's part)

Yes, we as humans, ARE responsible for the dogs we keep and breed. There are no "inherently" vicious breeds...again, the fault lies at us, the humans. There are certainly more breeds that are stronger, and naturally "protective" than others, and these dogs don't deserve to be owned by just anyone on a whim.

A poorly temperamented dog and an irresponsible owner can be a lethal combination..

Answer 7

Because it is the ignorance in mankind that breeds the dogs. Yes, some breeds are predisposed to certain ailments.

Collies with the double eye lashes.
Saints with a brain quirk.
Pitts with high aggression.
German Shepherd & hip dysplasia.
On & on.....

But these things can be bred out as well as bred in. The ignorant breeders don't research the dog for its specific faults & will breed two dogs with the same faults so the pup are more than likely to have those faults.

It most usually is bad blood but again that is the breeders fault. People breeding their pets without concerns as to what they are doing to the breed, ignorantly breed a compound fault into the dogs.

The same with Puppy Mills.

Yes, it is possible, and if bred right & it still happens them it could be a recessive gene that caused a dog to be 'bad'. What ever the problem, structural, mental, health, just everything from eye color to aggression.

Any thing is possible if you look at it from the right direction. Perception.

Answer 8

Temperament is genetic not environmental. Environment only adds to what the dog was born with. And yes some dogs are more aggressive and dominant than others from birth. Just watch a litter of puppies at five weeks. You will be able to see the social status forming that early.

The most dangerous dogs are often the fearful ones because you can't control that with training nor can you predict what will spook them. A large fearful dog is a dangerous dog in the right situation.

I asked a similar question recently and Greekman gave a wonderful answer. Some dogs are never safe to be in the hands of the public because they are just to unpredictable. It is genetic and cannot be trained out of them or loved out of them. Most trainers call it "weak nerves". Just realizing this makes it easier to watch some dogs coming in to be destroyed. You can't fix everything.

------------------------------
St Lady--
I have a retarded dog too. People laugh when I say that, but it's true. He is sooooo sweet, but soooo stupid. He can't figure out how to go through a gate sometimes or how to do simple things. He is a hairless mix, so I assume it is related to the hairless gene. I got him from a breeder near my parent's home, and he has always been stupid. But he is the nicest little dog, never shows any aggression, but has trouble with the simplest dog tasks.

Answer 9

I would say 95% of the time, it IS the owners fault. Poor training, poor socializing, or just plain neglect....HOWEVER, there will always be a bad seed out there...no matter what the breed is. My friend (a while back) purchased a Sibirean Husky pup. She did everything by the book, he was well loved and taken care of, and he was the meanest dog I've ever met. Sadley, he had to be put down because he had bitten 5 different people (for no reason), including me. I was just sitting there on her couch and he was sitting next to me on the floor. I went to reach for the remote on the table and turn turned and attacked me. I don't blaim her nor the breed....he was just born that way. So yes, its rare but it does happen.

Answer 10

Not really sure what you are asking. Sure it's possible...but then again, isn't the likelyhood of that magnified when you get a couple of dunces breeding their dogs because they just want some puppies and have no clue what they are doing? Have you seen how many "can I breed a brother and sister dog" posts there are on this site? Any living thing is a delicate bag of biology where many things can go wrong, but I think 99% of the time with a dog you can trace the problem back to a human.