Is It The Dog Or The Owner?

[Rocketeer]

Human.

It's the human that creates the breeds, breeds the dogs, the dogs, sells the dog, buys the dog and owns the dog. The human calls the shots. Doing one or more of these irresponsibly is what leads to problems.

Give any dog "good" or "bad" to an irresponsible owner and you can have a troubled dog.

Some dogs are more of a challenge but it's up to the owner to take care of that. For example if someone bout a wolf hybrid for a small suburban backyard. And this dog killed got out and killed the neighbours cat. Is it the dog's fault that he was bred? Is it the dog's fault that he's half wild dog, half domesticated dog? Is it the dog's fault some air-head bought him and put him into a small suburban yard ?

[Rocketeer]

Better a bad dog with a good owner than a bad owner with a good dog. Best of all, a good dog with a good owner. Bad owners with bad dogs are bad news.

Really? I think the opposite.

If a dog has such a good temperament that it remains well-behaved and not aggressive even with a clueless owner, I think that is a good thing. These are the sorts of dogs that we should be encouraging as pets.

A bad dog, no matter how good the owner is, is always a risk and it only takes 1 accident, 1 slip of attention etc for a disaster to happen. Obviously it depends on how "bad" exactly the dog is...

But I don't think there is any place in today's society for a dog that would kill another dog or repeatedly and seriously attack a human with little provocation given the chance.

I don't think you can entirely blame either party- there are some dogs born with bad temperaments and some owners that cause dogs to develop bad behaviours.

Although technically, I suppose, you could blame people for breeding dogs with terrible temperaments- either purposely or accidently (just by not placing a high value on temperament in their breeding program).

I think a "good" dog with a clueless owner can turn into a nuisance in a short time.

Give a responsible owner a "challenging" dog- they'll do what's necessary to rebalance the dog, give it to some trusted/expeienced or pts the dog themselves .

[Rocketeer]

Ultimately, it is always a Person’s fault.

Dogs are a product of their breeding and their training (or lack thereof.)

The underlying problem with every piece of dog legislation is that it is mostly effective against responsible dog-owners. Irresponsible owners (and worse,) the minority who give dogs a bad name, are less impacted by laws and continue on their obnoxious way.

Rottweiler’s are beautiful dogs. We had a neighbour who kept them, they were lovely well-bred dogs and he would bring them over to socialise with our dog and children. NEVER had a problem, but he always kept them on a leash and he was a BIG enough guy to manhandle them if the need ever arose. Unfortunately there are those that have been deliberately bred with poor temperament for security work and worse. They can be trained to fight and can (and have) kill people. Comes down to the Breeders, the Trainers, and the Owners.

No legislation is fool proof. Guns don't kill people. People do. But do Guns laws have their place? I think so.

Same goes with dog legislation.

Society needs protection from it's own creations. Guns aren't intrinsically "bad". So aren't dog breeds. But some breeds are better off not being pumped out to the public . Some breeds are better off underground in smaller circles for the time being.

[blakkjackal]

Most dogs can be managed. DA is generally not something that will make a dog "bad", it is perfectly controllable but requires a responsible and knowledgeable owner. HA is bad and IMO a proven HA dog (not just a protective one) needs to be euthanised, there really isn't a place for those dogs in society.

When it comes to pit bulls euthanising man biters is even more important as the breed has been bred for decades NOT to ever bite humans.

I agree with Rocketeer about the "underground breeds". Pit bulls were fine up until they became the "family dog suitable for everyone". Yeah they might be the best family dogs but given their past they need proper management around other animals and possible dog aggression should not come as a surprise. Education is everything.