There has been a lot of press coverage recently regarding dangerous dogs. The focus has again centred on Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and whether or not they should be classed as a dangerous breed.
Well, to tell you the truth I used to dislike Staffies, but having worked with all types of dogs for some period of time, Staffies give me fewer handling problems than most breeds; however, they are involved in more dog on animal attacks than most. They are by nature a very loyal dog and usually great with families. The problems they cause can almost certainly be traced back to us. It's people that create dangerous situations with dogs, not the other way round.
Would I be happy to leave my two month old grandson alone in a room with a Staffie, absolutely and categorically not! Would I leave my two month old grandson alone with my lovely little, soft as anything Jack Russell cross Chihuahua, absolutely and categorically not! But why not? She has never hurt a fly, is never naughty, exceedingly well trained, and not classed as a dangerous dog. Why not? Because she is a dog!!!!
Show me someone who can claim their dog is 100% safe and I'll show you a misguided dog owner. Every domesticated dog on the face of the earth today is a "wolf in pets clothing". Fido is ninety percent wolf, and until people start realising that simple truth, we will continue to have dog problems.
I know different breeds of dogs have different characteristics, but that have only developed because of the way they have been bred. For example, Border Collies make fantastic sheep dogs. They have been bred to have great stamina and the natural herding instinct is channelled to do a job of work. But every Border Collie has to be trained to become a sheep dog; some natural instincts are subdued, while others are harnessed to do the job. Put an adult untrained Collie in a field of sheep and the results would be horrific.
Dogs come in many shapes and sizes, but they are all the same species. All dogs are descended from the wolf, and retain the same basic instincts. The secret in training them is to understand that, and to stop trying to humanise them.
OK, lets get back to Staffordshire Bull Terriers, are they a dangerous dog? As I said earlier they are known to be very loyal and can become great family pets. But let's not forget that the breed was developed in or around the seventeenth century as a fighting dog, they have very strong jaws with scissor like bite. They are very muscular and have a high pain threshold, so when they cause trouble, it's big trouble. The only reason they are more dangerous than some breeds is because we designed them to fight, it's not their fault, it's ours. The ironic thing is that some owners use them to intimidate people as they think owning a Staffie makes them look tough. Well hello!!!! If they understood the dog, they would realise that a Staffie by nature is a big softy around people."
So what's the conclusion? Well in my opinion, all dogs, in the wrong situation are potentially dangerous. It all gets back to responsible dog ownership. If you own any dog, be responsible, understand how it thinks, and never forget its instincts are based around the wolf pack, from where it originated.
I will in future posts explain a little more about how understanding the pack mentality of dogs can solve a lot of problems they cause.
Well, to tell you the truth I used to dislike Staffies, but having worked with all types of dogs for some period of time, Staffies give me fewer handling problems than most breeds; however, they are involved in more dog on animal attacks than most. They are by nature a very loyal dog and usually great with families. The problems they cause can almost certainly be traced back to us. It's people that create dangerous situations with dogs, not the other way round.
Would I be happy to leave my two month old grandson alone in a room with a Staffie, absolutely and categorically not! Would I leave my two month old grandson alone with my lovely little, soft as anything Jack Russell cross Chihuahua, absolutely and categorically not! But why not? She has never hurt a fly, is never naughty, exceedingly well trained, and not classed as a dangerous dog. Why not? Because she is a dog!!!!
Show me someone who can claim their dog is 100% safe and I'll show you a misguided dog owner. Every domesticated dog on the face of the earth today is a "wolf in pets clothing". Fido is ninety percent wolf, and until people start realising that simple truth, we will continue to have dog problems.
I know different breeds of dogs have different characteristics, but that have only developed because of the way they have been bred. For example, Border Collies make fantastic sheep dogs. They have been bred to have great stamina and the natural herding instinct is channelled to do a job of work. But every Border Collie has to be trained to become a sheep dog; some natural instincts are subdued, while others are harnessed to do the job. Put an adult untrained Collie in a field of sheep and the results would be horrific.
Dogs come in many shapes and sizes, but they are all the same species. All dogs are descended from the wolf, and retain the same basic instincts. The secret in training them is to understand that, and to stop trying to humanise them.
OK, lets get back to Staffordshire Bull Terriers, are they a dangerous dog? As I said earlier they are known to be very loyal and can become great family pets. But let's not forget that the breed was developed in or around the seventeenth century as a fighting dog, they have very strong jaws with scissor like bite. They are very muscular and have a high pain threshold, so when they cause trouble, it's big trouble. The only reason they are more dangerous than some breeds is because we designed them to fight, it's not their fault, it's ours. The ironic thing is that some owners use them to intimidate people as they think owning a Staffie makes them look tough. Well hello!!!! If they understood the dog, they would realise that a Staffie by nature is a big softy around people."
So what's the conclusion? Well in my opinion, all dogs, in the wrong situation are potentially dangerous. It all gets back to responsible dog ownership. If you own any dog, be responsible, understand how it thinks, and never forget its instincts are based around the wolf pack, from where it originated.
I will in future posts explain a little more about how understanding the pack mentality of dogs can solve a lot of problems they cause.
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