Genetics or upbringing or ??

[Carolina]

Hi everyone,
I just thought I'd like to 'stir the pot' with what people thought of when you think/hear about specific breeds that get very bad media coverage ie Pit Bull Terriers and alike.
What's the general feelings about these breeds? Do they deserve the bad 'label' of aggressive and sometimes dangerous dogs.
Does anybody here own one? Would you own one? What has your experiences been?
Very interested in what your comments are.

[kuritsa18]

Hello!

I'm glad you brought this up because I have actually owned a pit bull and yes this bad rap is mostly unjustified in my opinion.

Any dog can become dangerous and aggressive towards other people and dogs. Yes, some breeds are more dangerous/powerful than others but most dogs are generally good dogs Most behaviour problems that people have with their dogs is due to lack of training and propper care on the owners part. Dogs want and need established rules and guidlines and need you to be their pack leader. If this is neglected than of course you will have behaviour problems whether it is a big dog or a small dog. From my own personal experiences small dogs are more aggressive then big ones; they have small dog syndrome and feel the need to compinstate for their small size with attitude

It all has to do with the breed of your dog as well. Some dogs were bred to be more aggressive and for those dogs training and propper supervison and care is so important. I know for pit bulls they were bred to be fighting dogs; they have a natural instict in them to fight. So, because of this behaviour that was bred into them it is important for an owner to be vidgulent and strict about training and make sure your dog is never left unsupervised around other dogs. Again, it is up to the owner to be responsible for the dogs behaviour and actions. Actually, the dog I have now is more aggressive than my pit bull was!

Pit bulls are very smart, affectionate, playful and loyal dogs. They learn quickly and always want to please you. They have such a bad rap because of the irresponsible owners who just get that breed because they think they look mean or think it is cool to own one and then don't realize the training they need to have. They need to be properly trained like any other dog but it is even more important because of their strength and power. A few bad apples ruins the whole bunch! Aslo, I think a lot of people think they are so bad because that is the breed you hear most about in the news. A lot of other breeds of dogs bite people and are aggressive just as much as pit bulls but you never hear about them because it doesn't make good news. You wouldn't care if there was another shitz tzu attack but you would watch and remember if there was a pit bull attack.

Any breed of dog big or small can become aggressive and dangerous without the propper training and care. Even though dogs are part of our families and are like our children they are still animals and have animal instincts so even the nicest dog can snap at you one day.

[Muggsmom]

I believe it's a combination of both. There are several breeds of dogs that I would not own, only because I don't have the experience to raise them properly. The only dog that has ever bitten me was a Jack Russel, but I don't believe that all Jack Russels should be banned! I also believe that dogs are individuals, with their own quirks and phobias. Muggs is dog aggressive when on the leash, but it's not because I 'sicced' him on other dogs. He has a problem that I haven't been able to figure out yet. But knowing this, I am very responsible, avoiding other dogs, having total control at all times, muzzling him when necessary. I get very frustrated with people that glare at me, or tell me he should be put down. He has never bitten anyone or any other dog. It's not like I said "Give me the pup that's going to go beserk when he sees another dog and make my life extremely difficult for the next 12 years." Neither is he disposable. I made a committment when I adopted him, and I'm not going to kill him just because he has a problem on the leash. I didn't put my daughter down when she was throwing major temper tantrums in the grocery store!!(Not that I'm comparing a dog to my daughter).

Sorry, enough about my rant lol. Bottom line, I don't believe there is one bad breed of dog. Genetics, breed, socialization, training, life-style all help develop each dog, and each is different.

[EdEarl]

I'll agree, that it's both genetics and upbringing, probably a 90/10 split, 90% upbringing. Any dog that spends it's life on a chain or small confinment is a potentially lethal animal. Stupid, uneducated and irresponsible dog owners are the real problem. Unfortunatly, the press is lousey about reporting all the facts, just print or report the incident, details unimportant. They will report that a three year old was mauled, without the additional information that the child was wandering around unsupervised in the neighborhood and the dog had spent its entire 3 years of life attached to a 10 foot logging chain.

I have Jack Russells, (just one is not enough) and they can be a challenge. Would I have a larger breed dog? Probably not. Do I disagree with bad dog reporting? Yes. The press should be reporting the real issue, bad and irresponsible dog owners.

A dogs behavior is what you make or let it be. Our social system removes children from bad homes and parents, they need to start removing dogs from bad homes and irresponsible owners, before the tragedy or disaster. Punish the offender, not the victim.

[Mag]

Dog breeds were made by people for specific reasons. Each breed has a function. People nowadays don't even know why the different breeds were developed, they just go by what's cute or macho looking. I've been around a lot of different breeds and there are only a few that I wouldn't really want. A Doberman works best for me. There is a balanced amount of energy and laziness in them along with companionship for me. They also keep me on my toes. My daughter has Pugs (can't have just one) And I think they are as close to spoil proof as you can get. Her boyfriend had never been around dogs and any other breed may have been disastrous. It would be great if people would take the time to study what breed would really work for them AND allow the dog to do what it was "programed" to do. I guess I am saying that a dog's upbringing should be based on genetics.

[Lyka_01]

I guess dog are naturally aggressive but you can trained them to behave properly as what you like...

[Doctorwho007@yahoo.com]

I have a Pitbull or as some people around here call them Petbulls I first met My dogs mother and father and they were very sweet and non aggresive dogs, and when I heard they had a litter, I went to see the pups, and My pup stood out from all of the rest, and he came over to Me and I knew I had to have him.

His father liked to bolt and run, and got lost.
My dog seems to have inhereted that characteristic as he has bolted and ran more times than I can count, I was able to chase him down most times, a few times he came back on his own, one time animal control found him and I got him back from the pound, and another time a fellow dog owner found him wandering around, looked up his licence on the internet and called my cell phone and drove him back to Me.

I think all dogs inherit behavioral traits, My dog has always been in a loving enviornment and is not hostile, and like to play with all dogs large and small, and only twice has he gotten in a confrontation when another dog tried to bite him, and My dog let Me pull him off and carry him away from the confrontation.

My dog is very strong and likes to run ans can jump very high, he really likes it when I tell him to jump over something and it is pretty impressive to see him jump on top of My minivan and other stuff.

I really like pitbulls and feel that they have an undeserved reputation, I have met many pitbulls and all of them were very affectionate towards Me, it is now My favorite breed of all with the exception of yellow labs.

[Goliath]

I have a pitbull, he is almost 4 months old he is my baby, I think it's bad upbringing, he is a good puppy, I was a little apprehensive about getting a pitbull because of the bad rap that they have gotten, but one look at him i was in love.:

[Lyka_01]

Originally Posted by Goliath

I have a pitbull, he is almost 4 months old he is my baby, I think it's bad upbringing, he is a good puppy, I was a little apprehensive about getting a pitbull because of the bad rap that they have gotten, but one look at him i was in love.:

So I guess its about the upbringing based on your story...I'm not in favor of giving Pitbull a bad label because I believe in saying that don't judge the book by its cover...For dogs don't judge the dog by its breed...