makakoa;11822 said:
I think that there are numerous reasons for dog aggression, and of course, lack of socialization and training play a huge part. But don't you think that it is also possible for individuals of any breed to be temperamentally unsound, or for dogs to be actually selected for aggressive tendencies and used in a breeding program that produces more aggressive dogs?
I have friends who are very knowledgeable and have always had beautifully socialized and trained dogs; they purchased a registered GSD puppy import from Germany, and regardless of their socializing and training, that individual (a female) was unpredictable and scary. I cannot help but think that there was an inherited component here.
Also, when people have a difficult and aggressive dog of any breed, it is tough to tell them that they alone are responsible for the dog's bad attitude. I really do think that there are lots of factors in play here.
I think a problem with breeds that are experiencing "bad press" is that there do seem to be a disproportionate number of bites attributable to them (see CDC dog bite statistics), and also, because of their size and tenacity, the injuries are much worse. (You don't often hear about death from a chihuahua attack!)
It's great that your pets are such nice dogs...perhaps they can be ambassadors to help dispel some of the fears and bad feelings on the part of the public.
You make some excellent points. A dog with an unsound mind is a dog with an unsound mind, regardless of socialization or breed. I do agree. However, it just tends to be that the bully breeds are the only ones that get the bad press for it. Why? Because the ratio of responsible bully breeders to fighter or backyard breeders is so unbelievably unbalanced that there are very few well-bred, mentally and physically sound dogs of the bully breeds. This is not because of the breed itself, but because of the breeder. Soooo many people breed their bully dogs for fighting, or just because "they want pups", or completely by accident, etc. More often than not, there is absolutely no thought process put into choosing the sire or dam. So the sire's a nutcase with a clearly unsound mind? He's gorgeous, and they want gorgeous pups. (Or, he's incredibly aggressive and they're looking to sell fighters.) Who cares that the dam is extremely unpredictable? She's a blue brindle or some other rare desirable color, and those pups sell for much more! This is the thinking of your typical backyard breeder or fighter breeder. The result is nutty puppies sold to people with the same mindset, who then have more nutty puppies, and so on.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have the select few breeders who love and understand bully breeds, and breed them carefully and selectively for loving family pets, agility competitors, and so on. These people take a loooot of time carefully evaluating their sires and dams, and ensure that they do everything possible to have mentally and physically healthy puppies. Because there are so few of these bully breeders, there are few "good" examples of the bully breeds. So many people buy these breeds and other similar ones for guard dogs that they tend to throw common sense out the window and look for aggressive dogs.
As for your shepherd friend, you do tend to have the blue moon occurrence of a not so sound-minded pup from a reputable breeder. Plus, anything could have happened to her at an extremely young age that didn't have any immediately noticeable effects. Something traumatic could have happened to her that effected her temperament before she was taken to her new owners that perhaps the breeder didn't know about(perhaps a freak accident while he/she wasn't home that didn't physically injure the pup). A cross-country trip, no matter how carefully planned, can be extremely stressful on any dog, especially a young puppy away from her home, mother, and littermates. She may have been a timid dog to begin with, and the frightening trip certainly wouldn't help. Her owners could've simply tried everything they knew to do but never were able to find the methods that worked for that particular dog, who knows. Or, it could be as simple as an unexpectedly "nutty" dog from completely sound parents. It happens.
The thing is, there are quite a few reputable breeders in most breeds---except bully breeds. It is quite possible that perhaps there is less money in breeding pits and the like, because of their bad rep. This probably holds back a lot of potential bully breeders. So, now we're back full circle to the overwhelming difference between responsible bully breeders, and the others, who perhaps have their hearts in the right place but just aren't knowledgeable. American-bred Shepherds(on average) tend to be considerably less sound of mind than German-bred Shepherds. Texas-bred Australian Cattle Dogs are ridiculously far away from the breed standard, and quite difficult to raise and train. Rotties can vary. Many people prefer the German-bred Rotties, and there are some really great Rottie breeders in the US as well. It's the irresponsible breeders of any breed that give certain dogs a bad name. The thing with pits is that the people who want to fight them or breed them irresponsibly largely outnumber the people who raise and breed them carefully. Pits are extremely popular in the US--but rarely understood. They really seem to be the only breed that has this much trouble and controversy. Other breeds would have the exact same problem if they were as popular.
