Mean Dogs: Is It The Breed or The Owner?
Typically dog owners and breeders defend their breed saying “There are no bad dogs, only bad owners”, and while there are certainly many bad owners, there are probably a few bad dogs.
Many people insist that when a dog exhibits aggression it is an owner error. They assert that breed has nothing to do with it. While certainly no one disagrees that a bad owner will often bring out the worst in a dog, is it possible that some negative traits reside within a breed, making it fair for people to group dogs as dangerous based on breed alone? Before deciding if there is any truth linking breed to behavior in dogs, let us look at some other animals.
Horse breeds have been perfected for many generations, although dogs were domesticated first. One very well known horse breed is the thoroughbred, they are probably the best known race horse breed. Another breed, newer than the Thoroughbred, but closely related to it, is the Quarter Horse. Quarter horses were bred to be fast over short distances and have excellent cow sense. Side by side, they look more similar to each other than most breeds of dog look to each other, yet their behaviors are quite different.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomascaspers/260530806/
A Quarter Horse can not outrun the Thoroughbred in a long distance and most can out-think a cow, anticipating its move. In the cutting horse competition (above) the horse is expected to keep a cow away from the herd without the riders guidance. This horse has come to a stop and getting ready to turn on this hind end anticipating the cows turn. A Thoroughbred is just as likely to run from a cow rather than face it head on, even after equal exposure to cattle. A Quarter Horse is not as likely to spook, and they tend to be thought of as level headed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/valeehill/2456415615/
Arabians, on the other hand, are considered more playful, they are easy to spot in a mixed herd as they are often the ones running around with their tails in the air, showing off.
Warmbloods, such as Trakehners and Hanoverians, were bred not only to have the physical ability to jump high fences, but the willingness and tenaciousness to do so. Remember that there are exceptions within every breed, and that many horse breeds are relatively newer than dog breeds, additionally most horses were bred to serve multiple purposes.
Liked it
Published in: Pets
ken bultman | Aug 25, 2009 | Reply
Good explanation in plain English. A person should know that a dog has an innate personality not of its own choosing and altering that to suit the owner can be a challenge.
lindalulu | Aug 25, 2009 | Reply
Nice article…
papaleng | Aug 25, 2009 | Reply
interesting one. I believe if a dog behave badly it is the fault of the owner. I suggest that before getting a dog for a pet, be sure to read and learn the desired dog breed. A fine example of this is the pit bull. They are loving dogs but guess what some scrupulous owners trained or them just to satisfy their urge to have a mean dog that will be good for dog fight.
Auron Renius | Aug 25, 2009 | Reply
Nice article. I think another problem with pedigree dogs is inbreeding, which theoretically may cause mental problems with some individual dogs.
Lostash | Aug 25, 2009 | Reply
‘The problem for many of these breeds is that they simply are no longer needed for the purpose they were bred for’……the final sentence is the most important here, and very true. You have made a compelling argument.
PR Mace | Aug 28, 2009 | Reply
I think it is the owners. I have a mutt, Katie and she has some pit-bull in her. People are afraid of her and she is the sweetest dog we have ever had but she has a mean sounding deep bark. While Kole looks to be the sweetest dog. He has had problems with fear biting from some children that hit him over the head with a wooden beam when he was a puppy. If he does not know you, you don’t put your hand over our fence, he will bite and never bark or growl. By the way we called the police on the children and their parents were given a ticket for animal abuse. They split his skin open and he was in his own backyard minding his own business.
Tlchimes | Aug 30, 2009 | Reply
Great article and you made your point very well. Now to answer you… I think it’s a bit of everything… nature, nurture, and the dog it’s self.