Ok, serious question.
What are people's views on breeds such as Rottweilers, Dobermans, Pit Bulls, etc? Basically the breeds that are seen as "dangerous".
I know it's difficult to ignore horror stories, but are we forgetting that breeding lines and the way an owner brings it up directly affects a dog's behaviour?
It's not always intentional, but people do have to realise that by not knowing how to train a dog properly, there will be behaviour problems. This is also true when a breeder is only out for money, and does not care about the condition of the parents.
Fair enough if people are nervous about these breeds. That is understandable.
But consider this; of all the horror stories you hear, how many unheard stories are there about dogs who have never hurt a living soul in their entire life?
And despite all the murders, rape incidences and terrorist attacks we hear about, are you scared to walk past people in the street in case they turn out to be a psycho? Probably not.
One other thing that people don't realise is that dogs can develop things like OCD and other mental health problems, just like people. Although inexcusable, couldn't this also be a factor?
And lastly, of all the "my dog wouldn't hurt a fly but he mauled my husband" stories, we never hear about how the dog was trained or treated, if he was unpredictable in his every day behaviour, etc. so we never have the full picture, just a few pieces of the puzzle.
I'm not excusing the behaviour we hear about, and it is a major cause for concern... but is it really enough evidence to condemn a whole breed?
Anyway, I just wanted to hear some other people's views on this.
SERIOUS answers please.
What are people's views on breeds such as Rottweilers, Dobermans, Pit Bulls, etc? Basically the breeds that are seen as "dangerous".
I know it's difficult to ignore horror stories, but are we forgetting that breeding lines and the way an owner brings it up directly affects a dog's behaviour?
It's not always intentional, but people do have to realise that by not knowing how to train a dog properly, there will be behaviour problems. This is also true when a breeder is only out for money, and does not care about the condition of the parents.
Fair enough if people are nervous about these breeds. That is understandable.
But consider this; of all the horror stories you hear, how many unheard stories are there about dogs who have never hurt a living soul in their entire life?
And despite all the murders, rape incidences and terrorist attacks we hear about, are you scared to walk past people in the street in case they turn out to be a psycho? Probably not.
One other thing that people don't realise is that dogs can develop things like OCD and other mental health problems, just like people. Although inexcusable, couldn't this also be a factor?
And lastly, of all the "my dog wouldn't hurt a fly but he mauled my husband" stories, we never hear about how the dog was trained or treated, if he was unpredictable in his every day behaviour, etc. so we never have the full picture, just a few pieces of the puzzle.
I'm not excusing the behaviour we hear about, and it is a major cause for concern... but is it really enough evidence to condemn a whole breed?
Anyway, I just wanted to hear some other people's views on this.
SERIOUS answers please.