I think that in many cases you will find that the problem started with the owner…not the breed. Some breeds do have a predisposition to act aggressively, if not trained properly by the owner, but again the fault lies with the owner not the dog. In fact, most of the research published in scientific journals shows that breeds like the springer spaniel, golden retriever, labrador and beagle are seen more often by veterinarians and behaviorists for aggression related problems.
My cousins have this shih tsu that bites everyone. No one is safe. I'm just glad he doesn't have the jaws of a pit bull or we'd all be in trouble!:) On the other hand, we have a unneutered pit bull that lives in the apartment downstairs that Manning plays with and absolutely loves. When I take Manning out to the courtyard he sits in front of my neighbor's glass door and waits for the pit bull to come out and play.
Every dog will bite-provoked or unprovoked without proper training. It seems with the prevalence of breeds the bite ratio goes up. This is of course due to the fact that the breeds are seen more. As someone in another thread stated-70's shepherds,80's dobes, 90's pits. Does anyone remember when 101 Dalamations came out?? Lots of bad breeding, bad tempered dogs out in the public eye. These dogs were touted as being great family dogs-that is not the case, they, like any other dog, need training.
a little chi-wowa, (LOL - I can't spell it!)
An easy way to remember how to spell it is pronounce it "Chi- hu-a hu-a" and then just spell it like that- Chihuahua. 
Most dogs that are seen as "vicious" just have a bad rap. I've owned a LOT of dogs on the "vicious" list- boxers, pit, dobbies, German Shepards, a Chow and Akitas. And I've owned Labs. I've been bitten by more little yippy dogs then any of the large ones.
Basenji's bite. All dogs can if pushed. The problem becomes with dogs that can and do kill.
The lady in France with the face transplant had her face ripped off by her Lab.
Any breed can bite no matter how well trained, if pushed to the limit. To me it's a matter of human supervision, in addition to good training. No matter how well behaved or trained no one should leave a toddler alone with any dog.
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Again, by virtue of sheer numbers these dogs are going to be at the top of the list...they are also all subject to thyroidits which will send you to the vet for behavior problems.
IMO, dogs are animals (well that isn't an opinion!) and most dogs who are called "aggressive" are just acting more like the animals they are, and less like the little humans we want them to be. So, yes, some breeds are more prone to using their mouths to get what they want than others, because of either being more primitive (like our dogs), or being bred to use their mouths to herd things (like German Shepherds). It is easy for herding instinct and guarding instinct to go awry in selectively bred dogs who have been bred to do a specific job for hundreds of years...and then suddenly kept in an apartment and expected to sleep for 15-20 hours a day. (holy run-on sentence!)
Anyhow...that is just my take...
My brother was bit by a lab they had just finished playing with. He was bit from eyelid to crown of skull wide open. This happened about 30 years ago, but again it can happen anytime to anyone.
I read somwhere that your home owners insurance that you hope will protect you if your dog bites somebody will not cover certain breeds
pitbulls,chow,dobermans and labs were some of 10 not covered by home owners insurance…basenji were not mentioned
I read somwhere that your home owners insurance that you hope will protect you if your dog bites somebody will not cover certain breeds
pitbulls,chow,dobermans and labs were some of 10 not covered by home owners insurance…basenji were not mentioned
Depends on your homeowners carrier, like all things, you need to read the fine print.
It depends on the fine print. Some won't even cover you at all if you have certain breeds. Some will only cover you if your dog has a CGC title.
Basenji's bite. No matter how well behaved or trained no one should leave a toddler alone with any dog.
I know that!! Jazzy bit the little girl I babysit for – right on the nose/cheek last September. And snapped at another little girl just Sunday night, after hanging out w/the girl all evening. The little girl was walking past Dh, and Jazzy growled and snapped at her, completely unprovoked.
Sigh, I usually keep her in her crate when kids come over because unknown kids do make her uncomfortable. I don't know why I thought it'd be okay to leave her out Sunday night.
My baby girl is such a bitch.
Mine only doesn't like lawyers (US attorneys) and mail carriers…oh yes and the arrogant guy from up the road!
I read somwhere that your home owners insurance that you hope will protect you if your dog bites somebody will not cover certain breeds
pitbulls,chow,dobermans and labs were some of 10 not covered by home owners insurance…basenji were not mentioned
hee hee, my niece's homeowners didn't want to cover her because she has three pits – two purebred and one mix -- so she listed them instead as Staffordshire terriers and got coverage w/no problem. 
That's how she managed to travel with one of the dogs to Canada a year, maybe two, ago. Pit Bulls are NOT allowed across the border, but Staffordshire Terriers are.
Go figure......:rolleyes:
Nothing against your niece, I am sure her Pits are great dogs, but that is how the Staffordshire got a bad rap, people just assuming cause they look like Pits they are Pits….
As I said before, in Ontario they have banned any 'dog that resembles a pitbull'-pathetic isn't it.
I have to add a couple of points to this topic as well.
1. a dog I believe can only be as good or as bad as the owner who is teaching them. For instance, one of my exboyfriends' brother -in -law had a big rottie chained in the backyard, he of course was the only one that could ever approach the dog (no one else dared to). It's favorite things were eating cats (disturbing thought) and chewing on the big black rubber ring on the bottom of traffic pylons. I approached the dog, reached out my hand and let him come to me and sniff me out (never showing fear of course, being the dog- lover that I am). Within a matter of minutes I was petting and playing with him. Before I knew it he layed down and rolled over so I could pet his tummy! The owner was upset replying that now he had go ahead and retrain him all over again b/c I turned him into a big pussycat!
2. the second thing about this is: one day I was flipping channels and came across "animal emergency" or something like that the show was called. Anyways, a little 12yr old Sheltie had been rushed into the emergency room b/c the owners were at the park w/it when a Golden Retriever had attacked the little Sheltie. I guess the Golden had picked up the Sheltie and shook it ripping the skin- fur and all, away from it's body. The fur had been ripped from one side starting from the stomach going up to the spine. The vets were trying to keep the Sheltie from going into shock, giving her IV antibiotics to keep from getting infection and trying to figure out how to sew her back together or even if she would survive. The skin was so torn around the stomach area that her stomach was actually falling out! It is a very disturbing story, but I just have to make a point about how aggressive and the damage that any dog, no matter the breed can bestow. The little Sheltie of course had to be put to sleep- very sad!:(
This topic always gets a rise out of me b/c I too have come across so many very sweet pitbulls and think it should not be the dogs who get punished but the owners. There needs to be stricker laws put on the bad owners out there. There also needs to be stricker laws enforced on people who torture animals (animal cruelty laws).
One other additional thought I had….....
Here is a prime example.....Ceaser Milan, I know we all know who he is, has a pitbull name "Daddy". Who if you watch the shows, this dog is a big kittycat. His full bio is posted on Dogster.
<<a dog="" i="" believe="" can="" only="" be="" as="" good="" or="" bad="" the="" owner="" who="" is="" teaching="" them="">>
Well, I kinda disagree..a person teaching a dog can bring out the best or the worst in the dog…but I strongly believe that genetic temperament is the foundation for behavior. You can have a dog that is dangerous and you can have done everything humanly possible to improve this dog's behavior, and you may not be successful. And dogs can be mentally ill just like humans....
Dogs are animals, animals can be very dangerous, particularly when we expect them to live in our families.</a>
Chiming in here. All over my neighborhood there are pits, some are treated very well, others are there only to provoke fear. The mentality of the owners is that they have a mean gaurd dog and they are proud of that. These dogs were bred to dog fight, I have been chased, cornered and flat out feared for my life and the life of my basenji and rat terrier, who by the way, seem to think they could take the pit. LOL My problem is they are left to run free, animal control is useless in my town, they work bankers hours, and have weekends off. So I hunt down the owners, and ask them to please keep a lead on the dog(s), that I feel threatened, and afraid. I'm told these dogs have been deprogrammed?? What? I don't believe you can take instinct out of a dog, nothing will make me believe that, ever. Its like saying you can make a basenji bark like a hound dog, can't. I think that there should be a better more regulated policy for people that want to own this breed. I have seen lots and lots of these dogs, they will turn on their owners at the drop of a hat, seen it with my own eyes. you should have to take like an aggresssive breed training course or something, if you don't get educated on aggressive breeds, then you shouldn't be allowed to own them. My 2 cents, I'm sure worth less than a penny, but thats how I feel.
Pit Bull overpopulation is a huge problem in Los Angeles. The shelters are full of them, they are being sold and given away for free on craigslist every day. The pennysaver has multiple byb selling pups every week, and when i go to the dog park the dogs I see that are not fixed are usually pit bull and bully type breeds. I just dont understand why all these people keep on breeding them so much when well over 50% of all the dogs in the shelters here are pit-pit mixes-bully type breeds. ~So sad~
Very often dogs that shelters have identified as "Pit bulls" and even many in for sale in the papers are not pit bulls, but one of the many breeds often mistaken for them. Here's a fun "game' to see how many people can accurately ID a true pit:
