Bad Dogs And Dangerous Breeds

Article Title: Bad Dogs And Dangerous Breeds
Author: Rod Pennington

With Michael Vick and dog fighting making headlines, a growing
number of communities are banning ownership of certain breeds of
dogs that are perceived as dangerous. The "bad dogs" that earn
the ban are usually pit bulls and rottweilers. This begs the
question, Are some breeds really more dangerous than others?

Each year nearly 5 million people are bitten by dogs. Just
under 20 percent require stitches at the local emergency room.
Tragically, every year there are a handful of bite victims who
die from being mauled by an aggressive dog. In addition to pit
bulls and rottweilers, German shepherds, malamutes, Great Danes,
Dobermans, chow chows, St. Bernards, huskies, and Akitas have
all been involved in fatalities in the past decade...

As would be expected, the larger the aggressive the dog the
greater likelihood it would have the strength and size to
inflict fatal wounds. A Chihuahua may be just as aggressive as
his larger cousins but lacks the heft to inflict much damage. A
study by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the CDC,
and the Humane Society of the United States, analyzed dog bite
statistics from the last 20 years and found that the statistics
don't show that any breeds are inherently more dangerous than
others. The study showed that the more popular a large breed
dogs was at the time, the great the likelihood that breed would
be involved in a fatal mauling. For example, the Doberman
pinscher was the pit bull of the 1970s. Highly popular at the
time and with its size and strength made it a formidable
watchdog. In the 1990s, the Doberman disappeared from the
backyards in rough neighborhoods and were replaced with the pit
bulls and rottweilers. In the 1950s and 1960s, the aggressive
breed was the German shepherd.

Dogs can be aggressive or non-aggressive depending on the owner
and how the breed was trained. If the owner abuses the dog or
rewards aggressive behavior, then the likelihood of having a
biter goes up dramatically. It has often been said that some
people, a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons immediately comes
to mind, should be banned from ever owning a dog.

Here are a few commonsense ways to prevent you dog from going
bad.

1. Restrain your pet. Eight out of nine fatal dog bites are
inflicted by an unrestrained dog.

2. Socialize your dog. Let your pet mingle with other dogs and
people. Start early. Take your puppy with you to every where you
can and let him develop normal, non- aggressive habits. A dog
that has been chained in the backyard its entire life is much
more likely to bite someone than a canine who spends every
afternoon at the park.

3. Spay or neuter your dog. Listen to Bob Barker. Four out of
five fatalities are caused by male dog that have not been
neutered.

4. Train your dog not to bite. Start early. Do not allow your
puppy to chew on you or growl at members of the family. Chew
toys are for chewing, not people. Reward good behavior and make
it clear to your dog what is and what is not acceptable.

5. Keep an eye on your dog's behavior. Dogs don't become
aggressive overnight. It usually starts early and there are many
warning signs. If your dog exhibits any of the following
behaviors, it's time for obedience school. They would include
growling or snapping at family members; growling or snapping at
strangers; or extreme fear of strangers.

The best dog in the world can still bite someone if it feels
cornered or threatened. Remember the civil action risk. The
first time your dog bites someone, you have no risk of being
sued since the dog has never bitten anyone before. The second
bite can cost you your house and your car since you knew the dog
had a history of biting and you didn't prevent it.

About The Author: Over the last 30 years, Rod Pennington's
byline has appeared hundreds of times in publications around the
world. More of his incisive writing on dogs and German Shepherds
can be found at: http://www.germanshepherdsmire.com

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