Are "dangerous breeds" (ie pitbulls, rottweilers etc.) generally aggressive because of their genes or is it because of owner's neglect? The reason I ask is, I was planning on adopting a pit bull puppy or boxer puppy from my local SPCA because I feel so bad for reputation people give these breeds. If I raised them correctly and gave them lots of positive attention would they still have a greater chance of growing up to be aggressive and dangerous simply because of it's chemical makeup.
Answers:
It's both. Bad temperament can be from bad genetics - that's why a good breeder only breeds dogs with stable temperaments. But it's also the way a dog is raised - without proper socialization, training, or from abuse, a good dog can be turned aggressive. When you adopt from a shelter. you just don't know what you're getting because you can't see the dog's parents, you don't know what problems it has, you don't know why it was turned into the shelter. If you're dog savvy, you can make some kind of determination by spending some time with the dog before adopting.
i have seen both. good and bad.. if you take on this breed be prepared because you dont know of its previous life. but if you are careful, loving, and have the time, training can be very easy. they are realy really smart dogs, when properly taken care of... lots and lots of training tho. good for you!!
Combination of both.
Boxers don't really have a bad rep, they usually friendly-playful type of dogs. Would recommend you adopt one of these if it is your first dog. Pitbulls, Rotts, Dobermans have received this reputation for being fighting dogs and guard dogs. The problem lies with not only irresponsible breeders but also irresponsible owners. But all these dogs are and can be loving - any dog small or large can have a bad attitude and dangerous. Backyard breeders don't breed for tempermant and bettering of the breed - they are in it for the money. Irresponsible owners abuse and neglect their dogs. I'm glad you are going to adopt instead of purchase to help the pet population.
Well the dog would bark if the doorbell rang and sometimes,(if the owner is bad) be territorial but only a little, If taught properly.
You probably will get a little mean from genes.
The answer is both but mostly from owners.
Behaviour is 50% nature, and 50% nurture. Select well for what you want, raise and rear it toward that goal - and if the choices you made were correct, you'll have what you want.
To little time is spent on the ruthless selection of a pup. Even less is spent in the proper raising and training. What gets in the way? Typically, the owner's emotions.
Some breeds do have aggressive behaviors but in my opinion ( and I have kept such breeds) it is as you say if they are brought up right and with a lot if affection but disciplined without aggression they will be like any other pooches- An animal;s environment speaks volumes
If an owner ties up the dog as a puppy, teases him while eating , and shouts orders , this pup or any other will feel threatened then his temper will be tempered with and he will grow into a vicious dog.
Go ahead and get your pooch and give it a good loving home- Just make sure that you lavish enough love and time and you will not regret
I totally understand where you are coming from! I now have a 2 year old boxer but eventually i do want to adopt a pit bull from a shelter for the EXACT same reasons.
One mistake that i did do with my boxer was i dont think he was socialized enough as a puppy where it was winter time when i got him and boxers dont like the cold or extreme ht. Unfortenetly he's very nervous around males in particular and loud noises. Other then that a great dog.
Also i would recomend getting him fixed asap exspeshally where they have the tendasies to be more dominat. Although a shelter will fix them for you anyway.
Ive done a lot of research on pits and called my spca to ask q. Its manditory with that type of breed that you take them to obiedeice and they pass. Thats how it is here not sure where you are at. But even if not i think it's a wise idea where they're a stronger dominant breed. SOCIALZE them as much as possible and from day one do not let the dog think he's the boss. I know he's a cute puppy and you dont want to be mean but make sure you disipline them at every moment nessessary. Im not saying hit them god no. But use your voice, eye contact anything that it takes to let the dog know you're the boss.
good luck! i love pits no matter what ppl say or how certain places ban them! thats something else to consider they are being ban around the world so u might want to look into that
Excellent question and one that I have been trying to address here for a while. I am a firm believer that everyone and everything sentient on this planet is made up of genetics and environment. The genetics you were handed by your ancestors will have the most influence on your future behavior, health, growth, etc. The environment will shape your genetic material, but, will not change it, IE, put something in or take something out. People here will not accept that notion and the majority will ignore genetics and tell you that how you raise a dog will be the determining factor of his future behavior. That is not true. One of the reasons breeders do medical tests on their dogs is because they understand that genetic factors will come into play when they breed these dogs. A dog with bad hips will most likely produce dogs with bad hips and a dog with bad temperament will produce the same. If genetics were also not a factor I could, conceivably take a Yorkie and train it for police work, size not withstanding. No, genetics is what determines most things in the outcome of a dog in the end. Hope I have helped.
I feel it is both .. I can tell you a good friend of mine got a pitbull puppy they are great sweet kind people ..Never yell or mean take care of mother who is 95 an a brother who is mentally disabled and about a year little older the dog started to show signs of aggression ..Little at first to other dogs ,then my husband can over and walked into the house as he has done a mill times before an the dog attacked got his arm .. The next was the owner gave him a bite of toast the dog didnt pick it up he thought he didnt want it so he went to pick it up the dog attacked lost a finger an 40 stiches.. another he was walking to the kitchen at night to get a drink the dog came around the corner when he turned an saw blue it was to late the dog was in attack mode got his leg ..They had the dog 2 years by then never one time were they mean to the dog in any way, even tryed to take it to dog classes ** it attacked another dog** I
Another a friend got a puppy rot from the paper it started to show mean things from the start they also took it to puppy classes .. by 11 months old it had bit a child an they put the dog to sleep .. I just feel to many bad people have bred these dogs into the blood making bad dogs it really takes a strong dog trainer to teach the right habbits and I feel just everyday people should not own them kinds of dogs!!
Dogs temperments can not be bred into them. Their physical attributes can but it's all in how you raise the dog. Make sure you do a lot of research on dog training so that you get a good start with your new puppy. Keep in mind that exercise is 50% of the solution to solving and preventing behavioral problems, dicipline is 25%, and rewarding and praise is 25% in this order.
Both genetics and how a dog is raised can determine his temperament. But with pit bulls, they have been bred from the beginning to be very friendly with humans. I know a lot of people don't realize this. The dog fighters didn't want to get bit while breaking up a fight, so they purposly bred pit bulls to be friendly toward humans, and aggressive toward other dogs. And the aggression toward other dogs can sometimes be a problem. So if you do adopt a pit bull puppy you just have to socialize him very well from a very early age. You will want him to meet as many new dogs and people as you can, and make sure they are All Positive experiences. I read somewhere that you want your pit bull puppy to meet 100 dogs and people in his first 100 days. And getting your puppy to obedience class is a good idea, it will help teach him basic manners, and help socialize him. And you can do a lot of other research on how to raise pit bulls from good books, and good websites. I researched pit bulls for many years before I decided to adopt one.
I adopted my pit bull from the shelter and she is the best dog I could ever ask for. She is friendly toward children and strangers. She just wants to sit at your feet and get pet. And she gets along great with my two cats. And she loves other dogs. Her best friend dog is a big male pit bull named Harley. Those too can play for hours, running, swimming, chasing the ball. I would not ever consider my dog dangerous. Just be sure to do a lot of research on the breed before you decide it is right for you. Good Luck, I am so glad you are going to adopt!
I own a staffi/rotti mix and we got him as a puppy. I love all the breeds listed as "bad" but I personally would hesitate to get one that is not a puppy because you don't know it's background or the parents. If you can get a pup from the spca i'd say do it. Other wise I'd be a little leary, unless they can provide you with plenty of background info.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment