Scary what happened yesterday

[Prettiest Frog]

I don't get the obsession toughs have with the pit bull.

If they really wanted aggressive, tough, relentless attack animals, they'd all own geese.

 

[debilorrah]

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NOw ain't that the truth!!!!

 

[Robin'sBrood]

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I've been chased by geese before. They're not playing around either!

 

[Mattemma]

My mix breed mutt got attacked by a husky last winter when the husky came into our yard. Neighbors let their pit roam. Dh got me mace/pepper spray and I also keep a shovel handy for any trespassing dogs. I always lock up my own dogs when we have anyone over.Would put down any dog that bit my kids no matter how long I had the dog.

Our rabbit will bite just about everyone despite raising her lovingly since she was a bunny.

 

[Penturner]

Sorry but I strongly disagree that all dogs are equal when it comes to the likelihood they will bite. very small dogs are more likely to bite simply because they are far more threatened by human size creatures than larger dogs. I own two pit mix dogs right now and it is very clear to me that both of these dogs for different but similar reasons are more likely to bite a person than many other dogs I have owned. I have owned literally hundreds of dogs across dozens of breeds and had long term personal experience with many many other breeds. Different breeds have different temperaments and basic personality traits that can be expected. these traits are even listed in the descriptions of them from the AKC. Responsible breeders will make prospective dog owners aware of these traits in order to help them make a selection of breed that will suit them. some of these personality characteristics cause one breed to be more likely to bite than others. it is funny though that most people fear the larger dogs, when in truth they are more likely to be bitten by the smaller ones.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

These threads usually get locked, however this one keeps going fairly peacefully so I'll add my .02 here.

I agree with PC on the media hysterics regarding Pits and biting. Many times though the breed is wrong and its not even a Pitty that does the attack.

That being said, however, I would like to address the saying "No bad dogs, just bad owners". Sorry but that saying is very wrong. There might not be a bad BREED as a whole but there are plenty of bad, bad, bad dogs out there. Poor temperamented animals, and I am not talking about an abused dog. I am talking about a dog that has severe temperament flaws, its a genetic thing in many cases and cannot be corrected.

And to people who say every dog that bites or acts fearful is abused. That is most cases is not the truth either. Most of the time its a temperament flaw in the dogs brain. I have only seen a couple cases of dog abuse that made the dog bite. And I have been a dog trainer and dealt with aggression for a long long time.

I have seen very nice Pit Bulls and Am Staffs. And i have seen some that seemed nice until pushed into an uncomfortable situation and snap and react quickly and dangerously. Same goes with GSD, Rotties, every single other breed of dog. They can all be dangerous, they can all have hidden temperament problems.

The real issue lies with the owners getting dogs and being ignorant the basics of dog care/training. Not knowing their dog enough to know what the dog will do if in a situation where it could be reactive. People constantly choose the wrong dog and then make excuse after excuse on why the dog is not working out for them. People need to start taking more responsibility for their dogs. Until that happens we'll continue to have these issues with breed bias and bite statistics going up and up and up.

ETA: also Pit breeds and the like do not have locking jaws. They do have very powerful jaws and they have the genetic instict (bred in to them purposely) to hold on to what they bite. Locking jaw is a myth.

 

[debilorrah]

Hi Jamie!!!! Someone said earlier in the thread that there are bad dogs, just like there are bad cats, bad people, etc., which makes sense. I had a cat that was nuttier than a fruitcake. Wired wrong. I met a parrot once I would have liked to strangle a slow and meaningful death. I still have that scar.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

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hi Deb

LOL parrots in general make me nervous. You are correct some animals are wired wrong...and on the flip side of that there are bit incidents with dogs where the dog was acting correctly, but the owner wasn't aware of what the dog was capable of. In that case, not the dogs fault but of course the dog is punished.

 

[debilorrah]

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hi Deb

LOL parrots in general make me nervous. You are correct some animals are wired wrong...and on the flip side of that there are bit incidents with dogs where the dog was acting correctly, but the owner wasn't aware of what the dog was capable of. In that case, not the dogs fault but of course the dog is punished.

Ok here is weirdness for you. My neighbor has a HUGE mastiff (that was redundant). Someone came in his yard last night and stole the truck AND the dog. WTH?? The dog came home around 3:30 this afternoon. we are always watchful of Scooter simply because he is mixed with Shepard. However, if someone comes on our property uninvited, they get what they asked for (we are fully fenced).

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

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Most common breeds of mastiffs are no longer guardian breeds. That has been selectively bred out over time. Not saying they cant be good watch dogs but generally they aren't. Having the dog stolen didn't surprise me. But it does make me laugh

glad the dog was back safe and sound