Aggressive Dog Breeds, Can They Be Trained?
Whether you are already a dog owner or are considering becoming a dog owner, at some point,the thought of which breed is best for you may come across your mind. There are many dogbreeds to consider, however, today we will discuss aggressive dog breeds and whether they canbe trained or not.
The Most Aggressive Dog Breeds
According to a 14-year study, pit bull terriers and Rottweilers are the most deadly dog breedsin America. These dog breeds, according to the study, took the lives of more than 471 Americansfrom 2005 to 2018. Looking at the numbers, on the surface, staying away from breeds that havebeen labelled as aggressive dog breeds could seem like a smart thing to do. In fact, back in 2013,there was a big push to ban ownership of aggressive dog breeds in the United States.To address the issue, when former President Barak Obama introduced his family’s newestpuppy, Sunny, a one-year-old female Portuguese Water Dog, who would be joining their four-year-old dog Bo as a member of the family, as president, he decided against legislation to banspecific dog breeds. At the time, activists were seeking to ban pit bulls. Obama noted that dogsare individuals and should be treated as such.In addition, the National Bar Association agreed that banning specific dog breeds was not theanswer, because banning specific breeds still did not provide a solution to ensure public safety.However, it must be noted that many courts in the United States have declared pit bulls as "lethalweapons." As a matter of fact, police offices have the right to shoot and kill pit bulls when underthreat or protecting citizens.But just as Obama pointed out, all dogs are individuals so it is more important to understand thespecific dog in which you are considering. As it relates to aggressive dog breeds, knowing thehistory of the specific breed can be helpful to your understanding of the breed in general.Just as an example, we will provide a short history of one of the two aggressive dog breeds wehave mentioned.
Historical Look at the Pit Bull
Today’s pit bull is a descendant of the original English bull-baiting dog—a dog that was bred tobite and hold bulls, bears and other large animals around the face and head. When baiting largeanimals was outlawed in the 1800s, people turned instead to fighting their dogs against eachother. These larger, slower bull-baiting dogs were crossed with smaller, quicker terriers toproduce a more agile and athletic dog for fighting other dogs.Some pit bulls were selected and bred for their fighting ability. That means that they may bemore likely than other breeds to fight with dogs. It doesn’t mean that they can’t be around otherdogs or that they’re unpredictably aggressive. Other pit bulls were specifically bred for workand companionship.
Can Aggressive Breeds Be Trained?
The short answer is yes, absolutely. However, the ASPCA said it best that training any dog breed aggressiveor not at an early age is the best approach. But there's no guarantee that a dog that has alreadydeveloped aggressive behavior can be completely cured. In many cases, the only solution is tomanage the problem by limiting a dog's exposure to the situations, people or things that triggerher aggression. There's always risk when dealing with an aggressive dog. Post written by Nicholas ColeImage by Gilberto Reyes Fire Hydrant Pet Sitting Co., LLC is comfortable with aggressive breeds to an extent. We do highly recommend training to help them with their reactivity. Please review our Pet Resources page for our top recommendations. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!