"Dangerous dog breeds"

[OhhWatALoser]

I agree with everyone else, dogs are only dangerous when people make them dangerous. media promotes fear of these dogs, just like they do with snakes, closed minded or uninformed people thinks what the media says is fact. simple as that

[abuja]

Dogs are only dangerous to non-family members. I'm afraid of someone else's rottweiler or pitt bull, but I would own one myself without hesitation.

[DeadLegs]

I'm with the rest on this, there is no such thing as a dangerous dog, only a dangerous owner. I have always had big dogs in my home since I was a LITTLE kid. We've had rotti's, Boxers, dobermans, great Pyrenees, and I currently own a 4 yr old pit who's only issues are severe seperation anxiety and over protectiveness. However he is SUCH an awesome boy.

It's all in how the dog is raised and taught/socialized.

[chris4554]

I agree with ya'll. I don't think one dog or another is more dangerous but some can be more protective of their owner and house and that can make them come off as a dangerous or aggressive dog especially if they are a large strong breed. It makes me sad to think of all the sweet pit bulls that are in shelters and just get put down because no one wants to adopt such a 'dangerous' dog. If only stupid people couldn't own animals maybe the media would have less stuff to talk about and everyone could just start to realize the truth about these animals.

[dc4teg]

pitbulls ftw

[morphious]

Thats about how i see it. i have had pits most of my life and have never had a pit that was out right mean have had a few that were protective over the family

[dc4teg]

Pics for the fun of it

[WingedWolfPsion]

All large dogs are potentially dangerous.

In the hands of a decent owner, no breed is a dangerous breed.

Individual dogs, that is another story. Just as with people, every once in a while you get a crazy one, but the vast majority of the time, if a dog behaves badly or dangerously, it is entirely the owner's fault, and not the fault of the dog, or the dog's breed.

Owners do need to be aware of what their dog's breed was created for, and what tendencies are peculiar to that breed. It would be a mistake to claim that pit bulls are no more likely to attack other dogs than Labradors. Of course, they are. Sheepdogs are more likely to chase livestock (and people). The border collie/aussie shepard mix I had when I was a kid would allow my friends into the yard, but would not let them leave. No one taught her to do that, or reinforced it.
Keeping that in mind allows an owner to know what areas they need to be especially careful in when they train their dog. It also allows breeders to begin to select away from undesireable traits (such as the pit bull's dog aggressiveness) that are no longer needed or wanted in the breed.

The exception to the 'no dangerous breeds' rule are those breeds which were very deliberately bred to be aggressive towards strangers. This aggression can be so dramatic that even in the show ring, judges are advised not to touch the animal. This is a deliberate part of the personality of these guarding breeds. They are not wild or out of control, but they will not tolerate strangers.
A good example of this is the Fila Brasileiro.
This is most certainly a dangerous dog breed, and training alone will not make many dogs of this breed safe to be around people they do not know. They were specifically bred not to be.

The breeds people think of in the US as being dangerous, however, really aren't.

[sarahlovesmiike]

I think the real issue is people using the word "aggressive" in places of "dominant". I see dogs in shelters labeled aggressive and it's already clear that they are just dominant and have never had a strong leader.

There are surely more dominant breeds and more submissive breeds. They need to be handled differently and people who don't do research before getting a pet, ANY PET, are just asking for trouble. I did research for literally years before getting my Corso, and he's turning out wonderful. I don't know if anyone else on here has a Corso, but if you do then you know that they can be more stubborn than a pitbull. If you don't dominate them, they WILL dominate you and then you're heading for TROUBLE.

[Alexandra V]

There's no such thing as a dangerous dog breed. If the dog is healthy and not acting out because it has something wrong with it, then the only reason a dog would be considered "dangerous" is because the person who brought it up was an idiot or wasn't responsible.