Blame the owner or the breed

[Kaasuti]

Recently i have been hearing alot about dogs attacking people, and people saying that the breed of dog that attacked them should be banned.

I think this is obviously people overreacting as usual.The government should bring in a law that people have to pass certain tests before even being considered for certain species of dogs.
I'm sick of hearing
"oh that dogs is going to be vicious it's a Rottweiler" OR
"Don't go near that dog it's obviously vicious because it's a pitbull"
I know these types of dogs have the potential to be vicious but if they are trained properly by people who aren't idiots then maybe we wouldn't have these vicious dogs attacking people.

Right so here is where the debating begins, What are your ideas on people banning breeds? and do you think it's a good idea that people should have to pass tests before being considered for certain breeds?

 

[PhQnix]

Right so here is where the debating begins, What are your ideas on people banning breeds? and do you think it's a good idea that people should have to pass tests before being considered for certain breeds?

I think it is quite difficult to argue with the principle that licenses should be required for certain breeds of dogs. However would it not be better that people would be required to pass similar tests for all types of dogs? Although some breeds are more likely to develop into vicious animals any dog could potentially be vicious. Besides, ensuring the stability of the dog owners could see a reduction in cruelty towards the dogs.

Some breeds are necessarily banned as they are more likely to respond in a violent manner to certain provocations. Yes they can be trained but such species were originally bred to heighten their 'viciousness,' therefore they must be controlled.

 

[Ethan]

I have always scoffed at the idea of banning a breed of dog. I know that pitbulls are already outlawed in some states like New Jersey. The reason is because the behavior varies so much. The consequences of not training your poodle correctly are far less dire then say you didn't train your rottweiler correctly. Especially pitbulls. When a pitbull attacks they don't respond to aggresion, when a poodle bares its teeth at you you can smack it on the nose and usually it will back down. When a pitbull attacks it locks it jaws and the more you fight agianst it the harder it will clamp down. It wouldn't matter if you smacked in the head with a steel baseball bat.

These type of dogs were bred to fight and they don't back down easily. Ultimatley it is the responsibility of the owner for the behavior of their dogs because their psychology is different from ours. When ever the human is not in a dominant state the dog will assume position. Whether you realize it or not dogs may be domesticated but only to an extent. They still think in pack like mindset. As in their is a definite pecking order. Its the owners responsibility to be top dog at all times. An entire breed shouldn't recieve a bad wrap for what is the responsibility of the owner. Some breeds are just harder to manage then others. Its the owners responsibilty to research a breed and have full knowledge of the possible ramifications before they buy that cute little puppy at the flea market.

 

[DieChavsDie]

The owner is ALWAYS to blame I feel. I mean, every dog has the tendancy to turn, but those that dont are always owned by people that were firm and KIND to them.

Ive heard horrifying stories of people locking up, torturing and starving Pitbulls, so that if they want someone to leave their homes, the dog can be set to attack. This is SICK and is PROOF that Nurture > Nature.

I mean, why should the dog, and the SPECIES of dog be punished for human mistakes.

I do, however, believe that Pitbull and Rottweiler (And other such dogs) Liscenses have to be MUCH firmer, and it needs to be ensured that the owner will be suitable for the dog (Firm yet kind like I put above)

 

[Kaasuti]

Yes certain breeds are more aggressive, if people can't handle a dog they shouldn't have them in the first place.
I know that claiming the dominant spot with dogs is essential if you want them to listen, i know plenty of the so called "vicious" dogs that are actually well mannered and better natured then any family dog.
Also people need to stop buying these types of dogs and using them as a fashion item or using them to look "hard", these are the main people who shouldn't be allowed dogs ( these kinds of people usually mistreat them)

 

[Pure_Dalek]

They should humanely wipe out the pitball breed because here in new zealand there have been lots of pitbull attacks on small children and for what ive seen on Animal cops detroit over in america most of the pitbulls are used for dog fighting rings.. Im not sure about rottweilers tho because my freind has one thats been " fixed " and she seems to be quite calm so I think that unless your going to breed dogs you should get them Fixed as it might decrease bad behavior but I have no proof its just a thought.

 

[Kaasuti]

They should humanely wipe out the pitball breed because here in new zealand there have been lots of pitbull attacks on small children and for what ive seen on Animal cops detroit over in america most of the pitbulls are used for dog fighting rings.

There is no such thing as humanely wiping out a breed, it's a disgusting thing to do.Why not humanely wipe out the people who train the dogs to be vicious?? that would be a much better and cleverer option.
As i have said people shouldn't be allowed to buy,sell or breed dangerous dogs without a licence, and if they get caught out they should be imprisoned as fines basically do fudge all.

 

[SkinnySweatyMan]

No, I don't think that breeds should be banned. People attack people, and those people don't get "banned." Those people go to jail and other people try to get them good again. Dogs can be treated in a similar manner. They can go through heavy training to try to get them to not attack people. I also agree with what Kaasuti said.

 

[Kaasuti]

No, I don't think that breeds should be banned. People attack people, and those people don't get "banned." Those people go to jail and other people try to get them good again. Dogs can be treated in a similar manner. They can go through heavy training to try to get them to not attack people. I also agree with what Kaasuti said.

This is what i was just thinking...off subject I guess you like red hot chili peppers my friend?

 

[GrizzlyB]

I think that aptitude tests would be a very good idea, not just to own dogs, but for any domesticated animal. Also, for breeds that have tendencies to be problematic, such as the aforementioned pitbulls and possibly rottweilers, owners should be registered and be sporadically checked up on, because I'm certain that anyone could pass an aptitude test, but then turn around and nurture the animal into a vicious killer. Also, it could possibly help track suspicious animal movement for activities such as fighting.

 

[chamo-chan]

Obviously, the owner is to blame.
When you keep a dog that tends to have an aggressive nature, the owner should know how to control it.
Training, excercise, and love.

 

[Rensch]

There definitely are breeds that are more vicous in nature. It makes perfect sense. Just like Golden Retriever has a golden fur and a Chihuahua has big ears, a pitbull has a vicous nature.

I think some breeds should be illegal to breed as they are likely to grow up to become unpredictable dogs. Or at least not legal for petting purposes. You keep hearing a lot about breeds like Pitbulls or Rottweilers.

 

[Pure_Dalek]

Yes actually you can Humanely Wipe out Pitbulls you stop them from breeding then they will die out over time and Pitbulls mostly attack small children so I guess its ok for Pitbulls to go around mauling children from 2 weeks to 5 years according to your logic.Also Pitbulls were trained for fighting so stop trying to deny that.

"I don't think that breeds should be banned. People attack people, and those people don't get "banned." Those people go to jail and other people try to get them good again. Dogs can be treated in a similar manner. They can go through heavy training to try to get them to not attack people. I also agree with what Kaasuti said."

2 Reasons why dogs cannot be re-trained.

Dogs are NOT people they CANNOT be re-introduced into society thats why the put down dogs that attack people because you CANT RE-TRAIN DOGS.

Certain breeds are vicious so I will use a pitbull for example. Lets say you had a small child around the age of 4 who got brutally Mauled by a pitbull and your child got brain damage and had to go under plastic surgery to look normal(this almost always happens when dogs attack small children dont deny it) Would you want the Dog Put down and the breed humanely wiped out? or would you prefer the dog go under a Re-training Course that will do absoloutely Nothing and cause more children to be In danger?

 

[PhQnix]

Would you want the Dog Put down and the breed humanely wiped out? or would you prefer the dog go under a Re-training Course that will do absoloutely Nothing and cause more children to be In danger?

Wiping out the breed is ridiculous. As a species humanity shouldn't have the power to wipe out a breed of animals, besides such an action would set a precedent that see many 'dangerous species' culled. If you start by wiping out a breed of dog where do you necessarily draw the line over which animals are dangerous or not?

 

[Raccario]

People should DEFINATLEY have to pass a test before owning such animals.

The problem isn't the breed, the problem is that the breed requires special attention and training, and if the owner doesn't get them what they need, they end up doing bad things. Now rottwilers etc. do something bad, and when a person displines them wrong, then they turn bad, but if they have a good owner (one that correctly displines them not pampers them like a little baby, which means tell them no etc not beating them or hurting them like that) then that attacking stuff wouldnt happen.

 

[The_Panda]

I'm not going to go as far to say that all members of a certain species are vicious, but it's well known that certain breeds of dogs like pit bulls are on average far more vicious than other dogs. It's well known that these dogs can be extremely unpredictable, there are many cases where the dogs of even the most loving of owners attack others.

People shouldn't get tied down saying it's because of the breed - while on average certain dogs are much more vicious (and I think there should be restrictions on their ownership), you can't blame it entirely on the fact that it is of a certain breed, and in many cases you can't blame the owners either. It's not always the owners fault, to those people who have claimed so. There are many cases where dogs attack the best of owners. Rather, forget about who's to blame, the dog should just be put down.

 

[Pure_Dalek]

I know lets just Agree on this.

Cats are better.

 

[Ethan]

It's not always the owners fault, to those people who have claimed so. There are many cases where dogs attack the best of owners. Rather, forget about who's to blame, the dog should just be put down.

1) Explain. Why? What cases?
2) Thats awful. Dogs can be rehabilitated just like people can, death shouldn't be a way out.

 

[The_Panda]

1) Explain. Why? What cases?

It's incredibly hard to believe that all dog attacks should be blamed on their owners. Sure, there are ways in raising a dog to prevent aggression - but even then unprovoked attacks are certainly not unheard of.

http://www.safety-council.org/info/child/dogs.html

Just because the owner didn't raise their dog a special way does that mean we should blame the dogs actions on them?

2) Thats awful. Dogs can be rehabilitated just like people can, death shouldn't be a way out.

It's really the owner's choice what to do with the dog, but in all respects the easiest thing to do would be put it to sleep. Some owners might have an objection to that, and if they want they can spend all the time and money on dog rehabilitation.

 

[Dark-Angel]

...

yes some breed are very aggressive...report of scientists say that "alsecions" are most aggressive dogs but i think...that dog is good unless you do something to them....you tease them and throw stones or scare them hard...so owners or say peoples are mostly blamed.......