"Dangerous" Dog Breeds

Originally Posted by lionessrampant

Here here! And on the lazy, incompetent dog owners who neglect to teach their big dogs manners and then let everyone get the impression that certain types of dogs are "dangerous". I swear, there should be licensing tests for everything from having a baby to owning a dog because people are just so...lazy and stupid!

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YeaH i agree with that. I work with my dogs every day on training. Are they perfect? No not by any means. Am I confident that they are well socialized and love people. YES. proof in the pudding time and time again when i have my dogs out with me on rep stuff. Numerous kids have come running up, and just gotten right in Isis (i use her cause shes on the "naughty list" being a husky) face. Strange dog..right in her face...and what does she do?

She licks the offender.

Originally Posted by lionessrampant

Here here! And on the lazy, incompetent dog owners who neglect to teach their big dogs manners and then let everyone get the impression that certain types of dogs are "dangerous". I swear, there should be licensing tests for everything from having a baby to owning a dog because people are just so...lazy and stupid!

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I agree. Numerous times I've been bowled over and pushed aside from a friends golden retriever...the happiest dog but gosh he weighed as much as me! He was given treats to get him away from jumping on me...never went for walks either. Ugh. They always seemed to reinforce the bad behavior.

Originally Posted by sharky

Just fyi dog with the most bites .... The AMERICAN COCKER SPAINIEL... At this rate all dogs will be deemed dangerous...

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I do not like that breed. When I was very young my mom got one. It would guard my mom like theres no tomorrow. One time my mom was in the bathroom and I wanted to go ask her something (maybe I was 4?). That dog guarded that door and wouldn't let me in. So I got the dog a buscuit so distract it. It wouldn't move, so I went to go take it away at which point I was bitten.

That dog didn't last long in our house. And from then on I didn't like the breed. After being around many small dogs who ruled the house I began to dislike small dogs. I think many people assume that the dog is small its no danger but sometimes these little dogs are the ones in the most need of training as they often rule the house!

Dalmatians? No offense to Dalmatian owners here, but I always thought of them as dumb as a box of rocks, but aggressive? hmmmm My Lhasa is pretty aggressive though, and I really mean that I swear! He's bitten me on a few occasions, never broke the skin, and he always looked really guilty afterward, but I guess they'll have to add Lhasas to the list too

Breed Specific Legislation doesn't really apply in Australian law. There are no pit bulls in Australia, they are the only breed that is actually banned.

But it would be interesting to look into in terms of insurance. I used to have two German Shepherds and it was never even brought up when we applied for insurance. And our two Labradoodles are highly likely to corner someone and `happy' them to death

I think (and no offense here) that America is just a much more litigious society than in Australia.

Originally Posted by KitEKats4Eva!

I think (and no offense here) that America is just a much more litigious society than in Australia.

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Sue-happy is a good word to describe it.

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

Dalmatians? No offense to Dalmatian owners here, but I always thought of them as dumb as a box of rocks, but aggressive? hmmmm My Lhasa is pretty aggressive though, and I really mean that I swear! He's bitten me on a few occasions, never broke the skin, and he always looked really guilty afterward, but

I guess they'll have to add Lhasas to the list too

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dalmations are actually very smart.

But also very nippy, and very one person oriented.

Originally Posted by ScamperFarms

dalmations are actually very smart.

But also very nippy, and very one person oriented.

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I once new a dalmation that was very smart and deaf. He would do something he knew was wrong and specifically not look at you so he wouldn't get reprimanded. It was hilarious! You'd have to get in his face to get his attention and he knew it wasn't worth the trouble half the time and would face away from you on purpose!

Originally Posted by SolarityBengals

I once new a dalmation that was very smart and deaf. He would do something he knew was wrong and specifically not look at you so he wouldn't get reprimanded. It was hilarious! You'd have to get in his face to get his attention and he knew it wasn't worth the trouble half the time and would face away from you on purpose!

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On that note, there was a giant surge in the number of deaf dalmatians after the 101 movie came out...They were simply being overbred and the genetic fault that Dals are at risk for was all too common...

Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

On that note, there was a giant surge in the number of deaf dalmatians after the 101 movie came out...They were simply being overbred and the genetic fault that Dals are at risk for was all too common...

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That is to bad. I know the same thing happened when Finding Nemo came out. Many clown fish died when people bought them impromtu. Its not an easy task to take on a saltwater aquarium, let alone to hand to children.

Do you own your house? Its nearly impossible to finda place to rent when you have a dog on the "mean" lists, we had a purbred show/breeding shepard, and we moved outta town and ended up having to get rid of her because we couldent find a place to rent while we were buying our new house.
Still miss that dog, most striking shepard ive ever seen. Almost all black with a tan mask and tan rings around her ears.

Yes but we don't own any dogs right now. We don't want to get a dog until we know we will have a big enough yard and enough room as we like larger breeds. So I'm sort of looking to the future right now.

I know in my contract it requires the animal come into the office. They can turn any animal away for any reason, especially if it falls into that breed category. Though I have seen people with boxers around here. And I think one of my neighbors has a shephard mix.

Mastiffs? Wow. I grew up with a Mastiff named Trixie and she was one of the sweetest, dopeyiest dogs you would have ever met. My little sister crawled on her and pulled her ears... nothing happened - ever.

And Great Danes.... again, sweet dopey, intelligent, but not agressive by any means. Although our sweet Lucy was abused as a pup and consequently had a thing for attacking other dogs... she never went for a human.

I recommend buying a Border Collie, I've had three in my life and they are the smartest, kindest, goofiest, most loving dogs you will ever meet. Just watch them around food

When you look into insurance, you might want to check to see if having an AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate for the dog would make a difference.

Homeowners Insurance Available to Breeds Previously Excluded with CGC Certification

Training for the CGC is a good idea for any dog, as it serves as a foundation for a well-behaved and well-socialized dog.

Personally, I'd recommend a shelter dog, but if you want a purebred, be sure to carefully research the breed and buy only from a reputable breeder who is well-known for producing temperamentally and physically sound dogs. The pups should be raised in the home, and the breeder should be very selective about selling them.

Border Collies are great dogs, but they are very high energy and intelligent, and are prone to behavior problems if they're kept in an environment that doesn't provide enough exercise and mental stimulation (they need a LOT of both). They're best for people who have a lot of time and space to exercise them well, and to keep them mentally stimulated.

Which breeds are considered "dangerous" really differs from place to place, and you may very well find yourself not being able to obtain insurance, or having to pay a huge license fee (my town requires 10 x the normal amount for 4 breeds deemed dangerous in my state). Insurance companies are very wary. We took out "no fault" insurance on our dogs and cats for over 17 years, with no problem at all. Along came Jamie, who caused a big claim (he got loose and crawled into a water pipe), and now we can't get any pet owners' insurance whatsoever, although "blacklisting" officially doesn't exist.

My MIL is a loan officer and she's told us that if you have certain breeds like a pit bull or other "dangerous" dogs that some insurance companies will just not insure you. You have to understand that insurance companies are in the business of making money, not losing it- and in their opinions they feel they would lose money if they insured a house with one of these dogs in it. It really makes me angry because it seems that more and more insurance companies get to play "god" in our lives- be it with health, auto, or home insurance. How fair is it to make someone choose to keep their beloved pet or have a home?

I would go with a shelter dog myself.

It's hard to say how mixes will turn out, even with good training. I know a Boxer/Pit mix that has had lots of training and can still be aggressive. Around people, she's either calm or she hides. But she attacks other dogs. The owner has had her since she was a few months old, the dog was just born with this personality. The owner never takes her on walks because of this problem, and the dog stays inside most of the time.

On the other hand, we adopted a Pit/Terrier mix for an elderly relative. The dog was seven when we got him, so who knows what he went though. He's never had any training; he barely knows sit. But he plays with children nicely, and he doesn't bowl over his elderly visitors. His best friend is a cat that likes to chew his tail and ears. He's befriended every stray animal that has come though, and he plays football with kids. But he looks exactly like a slightly smaller Pit.

At least at a shelter, you can pick an older animal that has a history of good behavior.