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Dog breeds
I'm 23 years old and have a bassett hound. I'm also going to school to be a veterinary technologist. I've owned a Rottweiler and a huskie mix in the past.
I'm not exactly new to dogs, and I have ways to care for them (dog training, socializing, and vet care) at my fingertips with schooling and working at a vet clinic.
But, I was wondering if I could get your opinion on certain dog breeds. Like I said, I had a rottweiler in the past. Most people looked at him like he was one of the most evil things they'd ever seen, even though he was such a big baby that he would never hurt a fly. My 3 year old neice at the time could boss him around, and even though he was four times as big as her, he would listen.
So, I don't believe in "bad breeds" but, I'm not sure if it's entirely how they are brought up, or whether there is a tiny bit of truth to the myths of evil dog breeds.
I want to get a pit bull when I'm done with school and have plenty of time. I was wondering what you thought of them. Do you think they're more likely to become aggressive than a chihuahua (we see a lot of mean chihuahua's, and small dogs in general at the clinic)
There is a technician where I work who once put a muzzel on a pit bull as soon as he was brought back because, in her words "it's the breed, it's the breed"
I want to get a pit bull to prove those people wrong, but wanted to know if you thought I should re-think that.
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Hi, I also have a Basset Hound, Golden Retriever and a Terrier/Chihuahua mix. As part of my dog obedience education we have learned about this sort of thing so I am flattered that you asked. I believe the technician was in the wrong to make such an assumption based only on the breed. In fact, one day she may run into trouble simply because she projects her attitude onto a particular dog. We have to remember when thinking about behavior, it's dog first and breed second. So in essence all dogs have similar instincts, but some instincts stand out more in certain breeds because they were developed that way through breeding and training.
So in reality you are correct in believing there are no bad breeds. It's just that Pit bulls were bred to fight and most humans expect that they will, so they become what they think they will be. Some people are intimidated by Pit Bulls and other various physically strong breeds. Dogs know when a human mind is weak and fearful. Because they are so physically strong they need a human to be their pack leader and when they attack they may be capable of causing more damage as compared to a weaker breed.
A poorly bred dog that has emotional issues brought on by the humans that care for them, is a dangerous combination no matter what the breed is.
Some poor behaviors are genetic due to poor breeding, and some are enviromental. This can happen to any dog, of any breed.
Little dogs have more issues for two reasons. They aren't capable of doing as much damage as a big dog so the negative behavior is not corrected and typically they are spoiled because of their size. Someone is much more likely to get bit by a small dog.
I volunteer at the Humane society and on one day I walked 12 pit bulls. None of them showed agression. But when I went to get the Basset Hound out of the kennel...he would have liked to attack me. If you think of that breed as always docile, that's wrong in some cases.
My daughter was attacked and nearly killed at age 7 by a Neighbor's black lab. I bet your tech wouldn't have been afraid of a black lab?
It's wrong to project a certain image a particlar breed, they need to look at the "dog" first and "breed" second just like I said before.
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