why own a dangerous breed?

suicide_circus

Just witnessed a vicious incident in town there, a staffie escaped its owner and started mauling a small mongrel which was on the lead with elderly owner. The old dear was shreeking and was thrown back and hit the deck. The owners of the staffie couldnt get it off the mutt and eventually had to kick it repeatedly in the head til it was semi conscious. End result, all owners traumatised, kids crying, both dogs seriously injured.

Obviously the argument is a responsible owner would have the dog muzzled but I dont get why youd want a dog with a predisposition to viciousness? Theres just no need to put other animals and kids in an increased level of danger, Is it a hard man thing?

ISDW

No such thing as a dangerous breed.

sambuka41

suicide_circus wrote: »

Obviously the argument is a responsible owner would have the dog muzzled but I dont get why youd want a dog with a predisposition to viciousness?

Oh dear, you wont get a good reaction on this forum to that opinion!

Its a matter of whether you believe the dogs have a predisposition to viciousness or a predisposition to stupid owners. Its unfortunate for them but there is a hard man thing about owning a staff or a bull breed,it has a lot to do with the image, hence the awful studded harnesses and army camo gear that just adds to the image of 'hard dog'.

But at the end of the day its down to the owners irresponsibility not in respect of the muzzle(or lack of) but in respect to the way they have raised their dog. Its either not been socialised or worse been trained for dog fighting, in either case its the owner. All on the owner.

slarkin123

I firmly believe its the way dogs are reared and treated. My mam had a staff for years and it was the friendliest dog ever. A friend has a rothweiller and hes a great big pet. I have 3, 1 is a husky and shes like my big baby. She loves jumping on my lap for a cuddle.

piperh

Well my 6mnth old 20kg lump was attacked and left cut by a jack russell a couple of weeks ago so personally i think we should add jack russells to a dangerous dogs list. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

paula w

Its the owners who are at fault, not the dog. That dog is just not dog friendly and there are many dogs out there who are the same. The same thing can happen with any breed of dog. Just wonder what would have been getting said if it was a little cute dog doing the attacking.

pokertalk

judging by the way the owner of the staffie attacked his dog its no wonder why the poor dog has violent tendencies. it was an awful thing to happen and its 100 percent the owners fault

suicide_circus

Ok even if I concede thats its nurture over nature, it seems a lot of people who choose to own one of these animals use them as image accessories and are therefore less likely to be a committed and responsible owner. And if these breeds are no more dangerous than average, why the classification? Is it a vested interest conspiracy?

piperh

suicide_circus wrote: »

And if these breeds are no more dangerous than average, why the classification? Is it a vested interest conspiracy?

suicide circus, these are not classified as dangerous breeds but restricted which means that in public places they should be muzzled. However as my post pointed out even the smallest of dogs can do damage if unmuzzled.

Shanao

suicide_circus wrote: »

Ok even if I concede thats its nurture over nature, it seems a lot of people who choose to own one of these animals use them as image accessories and are therefore less likely to be a committed and responsible owner. And if these breeds are no more dangerous than average, why the classification? Is it a vested interest conspiracy?

I dont understand what you mean by the classification seeing as absolutely no dogs are classified as dangerous. There are 'restricted breeds' which was i can only assume an attempt to hit out at dog fighters (who of course are the ones who own these vicious dogs and are the people who wont bother with the law in any case). I have two restricted breeds, absolutely everyone who has met them has called them big teddy bears and its not until I tell them what breeds they are that their faces fall and I end up having to explain why they are NOT dangerous.

This was an unfortunate incident that you came across, but let me ask you; would you still come on here and post about this if it was a labrador or a collie that had attacked the other dog?

ebbsy

I had a Rhodesian Ridgeback before ( died of old age ). Kept it muzzled when outside. A great guard dog - had a serious dislike of the uncle for some reason !

chicken fingers

For the hard man image.

Cue abuse from the hard men saying that no breed is more dangerous than another.

EGAR

Here we go again, and again, and again...

Dog-biting attacks as likely inside as outside the home, says new research

The majority of dog-biting attacks in Ireland take place when a person is walking past a dog’s territory (non-owners) or during interactions with the dog in the home (dog owners), according to new research. The study which was presented at a seminar hosted by the UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine on World Animal Day, Thursday 04 October 2007, also shows that the majority of the victims of dog-biting attacks are aged between 21 and 60.

“Most dog biting attacks are rapid single bites,” explained Edmond O’Sullivan, the author of the report, a full-time veterinary inspector in Cork County Council, who completed the research for his Master of Veterinary Medicine at UCD. “And in 50% of the cases the owner/bite victim was unable to identify any signal of the dog’s intention to bite.”

21% of incidents surveyed in the report were rated as "serious" and 2% were rated as "life threatening.” No life threatening incidents were reported among the owner group. 20% of the dogs involved in incidents were euthanized as a result of the attack.

“50% of the victims of dog biting attacks required professional medical assistance following the attack,” continued O’Sullivan. “And 7% of the owner group and 31% of the non-owner group required hospital A& E and major medical treatment.”

The non-owner group reported more incidents to children less than 5 years old (16% versus 2%) and to children 5-12 years old (18% versus 11%).

“The majority of the dogs involved in the attacks were male dogs between 2-6 years old, over 10kg in body weight and were among the popular breeds of Collies, Cocker/Springer Spaniels, Terrier breeds, Jack Russell Terriers, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers,” said O’Sullivan. “And the biting incidents were equally likely to occur in rural and urban/suburban areas.”

According to the study, the bite incidents increased the fear of dogs for victims in both groups. However, non-owner victims were almost twice as likely to develop increased fear of dogs following the incident. 90% of all victims reported that they were not ordinarily afraid of dogs prior to the bite incident.

The incidence of bites from aggressive dogs has increased in frequency and gravity in recent years. However, in Ireland there is no official reporting mechanism for dog bite incidents and specific data on the incidents is not readily available from hospital accident and emergency records.

To conduct the research, O’Sullivan established a dedicated telephone line number: the Dog Bite Line (DBL) The DBL was publicised in newspapers and on radio stations to encourage members of the public who had been bitten by a dog or whose dog had bitten somebody to telephone the DBL and participate in the study.

The study was undertaken to form the basis of a planned public health programme specifically focused on the prevention of dog bites. In order to obtain representative data it was decided that the study would target both the owners of dogs that had bitten a person and the victims of bites inflicted by dogs that were not owned by the victim.

The data used was derived from dog bite incidents in Ireland provided by 100 owners of a dog (owner group) that had bitten a person and by 134 victims of bites by a dog not owned by the victim (non-owner group). The data was obtained by telephone interview of self-selected volunteer dog owners and bite victims between January 2004 and April 2005.


The plenary session at the seminar hosted by the UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine was presented by Dr Caroline Hewson, an expert in companion animal welfare and a veterinary surgeon. It was sponsored by Veterinary Council of Ireland Education Trust Fund.

http://www.ucd.ie/news/0710_october/081007_dog_bite.html


I, as a Bull Breed rescue have been mauled severly, by a Yellow Lab. It never made the news, it was an Andrex puppy type dog, no one wants to see that on Page 1 of the Rainbow Press. Snarling Bull Breeds sell better.

Kate10

All dog lovers like to think that no dog is naturally dangerous or predisposed to violence. Its a nice romantic idea but it is just wrong. Surely it is obvious that when dogs are bred to encourage violent tendencies the resulting breed will be more violent than the average dog?? By way of comparison my retriever, bred for her soft mouth and instinct to pick up, freaks out if there's nothing on the floor for her to pick up and give to us when we enter a room.

I saw this in a dog I knew from puppyhood, a gorgeous bull mastiff owned by my brother from 14 weeks old. He was loved as a member of the family and had never experienced any violence, other that a small nip (literally puppy stuff) from a neighbour's puppy when they were playing together. The dog never showed any sign of violence towards people, and his owners were very responsible. The dog was trained from the moment they got him, walked every day, free to run around big enclosed yard, lived in the house, fed all the right foods, all necessary vet treatment etc etc. The first incident happened when someone sat on a set of keys left on the couch and the electronic gate to the garden opened. My brother realised very quickly, went to check, dog was out, had trotted up the road, encountered the neighbours miniature yorkshire terrier and, completely unprovoked, took it in his jaws and killed it. Everyone devastated, neighbours great about it. Cue more training etc etc. Dog beautifully trained on lead, to sit, stay come etc. Three months later my sister in law had dog with her in village on the lead, dog spotted cavalier king charles on other side of the road, took off, dragged sil onto and across road, attacked and injured other dog. Again completely unprovoked. Sil somehow managed to pull mastiff off other dog, and brought him home.

Again everyone devastated. Gardai insisted that dog was put down. Brother and sister in law absolutely devastated. Loved dog like a family member.

Some dogs are just not suitable to have as family dogs in areas where day to day life means that the dog will regularly have to deal with strangers and other dogs.

dammitjanet

I witnessed a similar scene a while back at a street fair where a dog attacked a smaller dog and wouldn't let go. A garda was on the street and after a good 5 minutes (seemed a lot longer) got them seperated. It was awful and the owners were paniced, pulling at the dogs and yelling and crying which seemed to make the matter worse (i'm sure though, put in the same situation, i'd be paniced too).

Difference being the 2 dogs were not what are traditionally seen as vicious breeds. As others have said, it's the owners that make the dog.

It's awful that the only solution possible was to kick their own dog in the head, I can't imagine ever being driven to that myself. Poor dogs

piperh

Kate10 wrote: »

All dog lovers like to think that no dog is naturally dangerous or predisposed to violence. Its a nice romantic idea but it is just wrong. Surely it is obvious that when dogs are bred to encourage violent tendencies the resulting breed will be more violent than the average dog?? By way of comparison my retriever, bred for her soft mouth and instinct to pick up, freaks out if there's nothing on the floor for her to pick up and give to us when we enter a room.

Her reaction has as much to do with the attention she gets from you for doing this as her breeding.

Its very unfair to generalise breeds as unsafe because you have personal experience with one dog. Any dog can bite unprovoked no matter what breeding or training. I am not a rb owner but someone who is aware my dogs are as capable of causing harm as any other so take as much care as i can to prevent that.

CL32

suicide_circus wrote: »

Just witnessed a vicious incident in town there, a staffie escaped its owner and started mauling a small mongrel which was on the lead with elderly owner. The old dear was shreeking and was thrown back and hit the deck. The owners of the staffie couldnt get it off the mutt and eventually had to kick it repeatedly in the head til it was semi conscious. End result, all owners traumatised, kids crying, both dogs seriously injured.

I just witnessed a beautiful incident where I took my staffie to the park, accompanied by my mate with his pug. We let the dogs run around and they were joined by a 5 month old lab. His owner sat with us as the dogs played together for about half an hour before collapsing beside us.

They took turns drinking water from a small bowl my mate brought (overheating pugs) and lay in a heap panting. We took the lab owners phone number because he is socialising his pup and was delighted to meet other dog nuts.

We then walked home to be greeted by a couple of the neighbourhood kids who took it in turns getting staffie kisses and pug snotballs.

It might be off topic to some but I just wanted to post an alternative day in the life of an RB owner.

What you saw was horrific OP. There have been many 'hardmen' dogs throughout the years and unfortunately the flavour of the half decade is the bull breed. It will pass and we can all discuss the next one in a few years.

The dog is not the problem.

kylith

suicide_circus wrote: »

Ok even if I concede thats its nurture over nature, it seems a lot of people who choose to own one of these animals use them as image accessories and are therefore less likely to be a committed and responsible owner. And if these breeds are no more dangerous than average, why the classification? Is it a vested interest conspiracy?

Unfortunately these dogs are victims of their looks. They are well muscled breeds which look 'hard' and this attracts the type of scumbags who shouldn't be allowed to own a goldfish, let alone a dog.

My friend is a vet nurse. She has only been bitten once, and that was by a Shi Tzu. In fact she says that she prefers to see Staffies come in than toy breeds because due to undersocialisation 'handbag' dogs are the most prone to bite.

Personally I love the athletic looks of bull breeds. I'd love to own one and may do at some point in the future. OH is a spaniel man though.

LucyBliss

It seems that every so often a new dog breed gets the attention of the people who are only interested in how the dog makes them look. Now it's the turn of the bull breeds. And actually what these people are doing are taking advantage of the fantastically loyal nature of the breed. The dog wants to make its owner happy, it wants to obey. How is it to know that the owner is bringing it up properly or socialising it right?

For decades, they were known as Nanny dogs because of how they minded children and took care of the family. Now their fantastic nature is tainted because of low lives who involved them in dog fighting and encourage behaviour that a good owner would check at an early age. If the dog isn't told that a behaviour is unacceptable, it'll just spiral out of control as it gets older. You see that even with what are considered appropriate household pets: you get a dog who is allowed to steal food from the table and next thing you know, you blink and the little scut is sitting on the table eating off your plate with you looking on wondering how it came to this!

It's a terrible thing for someone to lose a dog in an attack like that and my heart goes out to the owner. But the breed should not be condemned because of it.

are you serious

"why own a dangerous breed" LOL

i might start a thread why not own a restricted breed? Or one more to my flavour of things why not own a Rottweiler...

OP when I was growing up from about the age of 5-8 i remember owning a Jack Russell, viscious little thing, poor little peppi was put to sleep...

Next dog Doberman, 14 years not a single incident, died of old age.

Now I own a Rottweiler he's 8months old, I love the big breeds and it was a toss up between a Rottweiler or an American Bulldog, both in my opinion fantastic, loyal, loving dogs.

Ok my point and what I'm getting at is as you should know everyone and every dog is different. However shocking your incident was today people choose the dog that they like. in addition... my mother although she does not know it yet will be getting a Christmas present from me that will be a Scottish Terrier(she loves them) I dont, I think they are horrible... But I will still get it for her, i'd love to turn up with a Rottie for her but she'd go nuts

Anyway happy long weekend

Bullseye1

The dog should have been muzzled. Sorry to hear you had to witness a poor excuse of an owner.

The Sweeper

Please don't mix up dog aggression with human aggression. There are a vast number of DA dogs who'd never lay a tooth on a person, whether adult or child. People with DA dogs need to recognise and manage the tendency.

MissHappiness

I'm new to posting here, but have been lurking around getting as much advice as I can for over a year now!! Thanks for the good advice, it's added a lot to what I do with my own girlie!! She's panned out at my feet now, so what I did get from the advice has been put to good!!!

I think there has been a tendancy for hard men to buy pups from litters that have been bred to fight. If that's what they are into, they buy from people who are doing well in that area. There is no point assuming they are going to be responsible and muzzle their "pet", I use the term lightly!! An aggressive nature can be inherited, but this is true of all breeds. You can get undesirable traits in all breeds, not just restricted breeds. This can manifest in physical conditions, e.g. many a cavalier has heart trouble, same can be said of mental/aggressive conditions.

Dog fights are happening all the time. I know of a local crowd here that have had dogs confiscated from them, but 2 weeks later they will be out with another dog/pup. These are the people who leave their dog wander off lead, they don't give a damn about dog unless it's earning them money, so why should dog have a good recall and be loyal to their owners. They certainly don't regard other peoples dogs as pets either, so don't give a crap what their dog does. People need to report any dogfights they know are going on, but many people are afraid to.

arybvtcw0eolkf

The Sweeper wrote: »

Please don't mix up dog aggression with human aggression. There are a vast number of DA dogs who'd never lay a tooth on a person, whether adult or child. People with DA dogs need to recognise and manage the tendency.

What is a'DA dog'?.

SugarHigh

While I don't think a restricted breed dog is more likely to attack it's obviously going to be a worse attack. Driving around with bull bars on the front on my car won't make me more likely to crash but it will make the crash worse.

are you serious

Roselyn Huge Suburbanite wrote: »

What is a'DA dog'?.

A DA dog is a dog aggressive dog, one which just hates other dogs.

Basically a dog aggressive dog is one who was badly socialised dog or one who was not socialised at all as a puppyso it does not know how to act around other dogs.

CL32

I think a dog can also turn DA after suffering an attack by another dog. Its a form of aggressive anxiety.

Any time I see a non RB with a muzzle I presume it is a responsible owner with a DA dog.

ppink

suicide_circus wrote: »

Just witnessed a vicious incident in town there, a staffie escaped its owner and started mauling a small mongrel which was on the lead with elderly owner. The old dear was shreeking and was thrown back and hit the deck. The owners of the staffie couldnt get it off the mutt and eventually had to kick it repeatedly in the head til it was semi conscious. End result, all owners traumatised, kids crying, both dogs seriously injured.

Obviously the argument is a responsible owner would have the dog muzzled but I dont get why youd want a dog with a predisposition to viciousness? Theres just no need to put other animals and kids in an increased level of danger, Is it a hard man thing?

OP there is one very dangerous breed that frequents town, parks and other social areas. They are hard to control and always think they know best. They can be incredibly stupid and in some cases ignorant and incapable of controlling their pack and thereby making it a more dangerous place for all of us.



They come in all shapes and sizes and from all different countries and really the law should come down very hard on them for failing to protect their pack and also members of the public.





They are called humans;)

GalwayKiefer

Op firstly let me say how sorry I am to hear of you witnessing that incident, it must have been terrible to watch.

The "dangerous dogs"/restricted breed debate is one that goes on and on and on and on, covering the same points over and over again from both sides of the issue. A bad owner will result in a "dangerous" dog, whether from poor handling/aggressive treatment or - something that is getting more common in my opinion - lack of socialisation. Bull breeds are the latest in a list of dogs that have attracted the wrong type element of owner. Look back through the last few decades and you'll see that at various points the dogs owned by a bad element were GSDs/Rottweilers/Dobermans. Bullies have been around for a long time and were seen in a different light, the original dog from the Little Rascals was a pitbull for example.

Personally I blame inefficient, lazy legislation and poor journalism for the change in perception of these breeds. Lots of people blame the wrong end of the leash. Ban pitbulls eh? (for example) Well then the people using these dogs as weapons will just go out and get a different breed of dog to make them feel tough. Have you ever noticed how a dog attack incident can be reported in two ways? "Vicious X attacks person." where X is a pitbull, a doberman or whatever but when it's something like a collie it's "Dog attacks person."

Where I live now the staffie is seen as the family dog. I see them everywhere, far more than any other breed of dog. A dog, any dog, like a person, will develop and behave according to what it's been exposed to in its life.

kylith

GalKiefer wrote: »

A bad owner will result in a "dangerous" dog, whether from poor handling/aggressive treatment or - something that is getting more common in my opinion - lack of socialisation.

Unfortunately RB legislation means that these breeds have gotten so much bad press that it can be nigh-on impossible for responsible owners to socialise their dogs because they're not allowed to be off lead and unmuzzled, so they can never meet other dogs and learn how to behave.

I always try to make a point of smiling at people with RBs when I'm out walking my two, but unfortunately I can't go near them because of my dog agressive terrier.

Whispered

chicken fingers wrote: »

For the hard man image.

Cue abuse from the hard men saying that no breed is more dangerous than another.

First time in my life I've been accused of being a hard man. I'm off out to strut around a bit.

kylith wrote: »

Unfortunately RB legislation means that these breeds have gotten so much bad press that it can be nigh-on impossible for responsible owners to socialise their dogs because they're not allowed to be off lead and unmuzzled, so they can never meet other dogs and learn how to behave.

This is a huge problem. It's like a self fulfilling prophecy really. If you don't make a huge effort to socialise your RB dog (and bend the rules a wee bit along the way) you could very well create exactly the type of animal this legislation is supposed to protect people from.

It's usually other RB owners who are happy to socialise dogs with mine. Although we do often meet up with a boxer and a boxer cross. All mad as hares flying around the place.

The worst "fight" we ever had was instigated by my mothers jrt who latched onto Harleys jowl. He's a tiny little fella - it wasn't going to stop him though :rolleyes:



I'm going to use this opportunity to point to the link in my sig - if you're an RB owner and would like to join the group please send a request.

planetX

I witnessed a small dog being killed by a rottweiler, and I'll never forget it. It took a brave man to repeatedly punch it in the face for it to let go, but the little dog was already dead - killed in front of it's elderly owner.
I sometimes walk a friends dog, and we have to pass by a property with two rottweilers who go crazy on the other side of the fence. Now we also pass a lot of other troublesome dogs (out in the country), snappy jack russells and nasty tempered collies. The difference is I don't fear for my life with them - I know that if those two snarling dogs ever get through that fence either me or dog will be dead.
I love dogs, but these ones scare me like no other breed because of their strength. I don't see the sense in breeding them to be pets, when there are so many other more suitable dogs out there.

are you serious

planetX wrote: »

I know that if those two snarling dogs ever get through that fence either me or dog will be dead.

I don't see the sense in breeding them to be pets, when there are so many other more suitable dogs out there.

Both statements made me laugh :rolleyes:

Firstly why dont you walk another way so if you are in such fear of these two dogs?

Secondly as a lot of previous posts have already stated including mine, we dont like other breeds(we do but just dont want them as our pets) we love our RB's and we choose these breeds because we want them as our pets.

planetX

garkane wrote: »

Both statements made me laugh :rolleyes:

Firstly why dont you walk another way so if you are in such fear of these two dogs?

Secondly as a lot of previous posts have already stated including mine, we dont like other breeds(we do but just dont want them as our pets) we love our RB's and we choose these breeds because we want them as our pets.

well if you had quoted me less selectively you would see that I HAVE to pass that way. There has been trouble before with these two dogs getting out, guards have been involved, and I've no doubt it won't end well.
Laugh away, it's my opinion based on bad experiences. I would never in a million years get one of these dogs, and I would cross the road to get away from yours. You have to respect peoples fears and not rubbish them.

are you serious

Apologies for that so I missed the word "have"!

I'm not rubbishing your opinion I just find it narrow minded thats all.

Whispered

planetX wrote: »

well if you had quoted me less selectively you would see that I HAVE to pass that way. There has been trouble before with these two dogs getting out, guards have been involved, and I've no doubt it won't end well.
Laugh away, it's my opinion based on bad experiences. I would never in a million years get one of these dogs, and I would cross the road to get away from yours. You have to respect peoples fears and not rubbish them.

Either way you shouldn't have to go another way because of someones dogs. The dogs escaping is a problem, but it is again a problem caused by the owner.

I understand your fear. My fear is horses - horsey people wont understand, but I find the very large, skittish and unpredictable. I know though that in the right hands, a horse is not a danger. In the wrong hands it can be. Similarly for these dogs, or any dog. The problem is finding the "right hands". I have a staffy here who is 14kg. He's an RB. The lab next door is twice his size and is less socialised than my boy. I'm 100% sure that she's more of a "danger". I don't think anybody feels that there is no need to protect against dangerous dogs. I just think there needs to be a better way of deciding what dogs are dangerous.

planetX

Whispered wrote: »

Either way you shouldn't have to go another way because of someones dogs. The dogs escaping is a problem, but it is again a problem caused by the owner.

I understand your fear. My fear is horses - horsey people wont understand, but I find the very large, skittish and unpredictable. I know though that in the right hands, a horse is not a danger. In the wrong hands it can be. Similarly for these dogs, or any dog. The problem is finding the "right hands". I have a staffy here who is 14kg. He's an RB. The lab next door is twice his size and is less socialised than my boy. I'm 100% sure that she's more of a "danger". I don't think anybody feels that there is no need to protect against dangerous dogs. I just think there needs to be a better way of deciding what dogs are dangerous.

I agree that there should be a better way, and that the owners are the problem. I suspect the two dogs I pass are only there as guard-dogs, I doubt they are well-loved pets from what I know of the owners. I feel sorry for them, but I'm still scared.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a dog lover and I respect peoples right to own the breed they love, even if I don't understand why. I can't help being put off by the attack I saw, and that was pet on pet. Maybe you should have to pass some kind of ownership and training test before being allowed to own any dog.

are you serious

+1 on the ownership training/test!

ppink

planetX wrote: »

I witnessed a small dog being killed by a rottweiler, and I'll never forget it. It took a brave man to repeatedly punch it in the face for it to let go, but the little dog was already dead - killed in front of it's elderly owner.
I sometimes walk a friends dog, and we have to pass by a property with two rottweilers who go crazy on the other side of the fence. Now we also pass a lot of other troublesome dogs (out in the country), snappy jack russells and nasty tempered collies. The difference is I don't fear for my life with them - I know that if those two snarling dogs ever get through that fence either me or dog will be dead.
I love dogs, but these ones scare me like no other breed because of their strength. I don't see the sense in breeding them to be pets, when there are so many other more suitable dogs out there.

what would you class as a more suitable dog?

psycho-hope

A dog is a dog in my eyes, my own dog was attacked by a boxer and left with nerve damage and ive been bitten by a yorkie and have a scar to prove it, they might be small but they have bloody sharp teeth.

its all down to how you train them, my neighbour has a rottie and another has a staffie(possibly about to rescue another from the pound) and there the most laid back chilled out dogs ive ever met, where my bf's JRT is a nutcase and regularly trys to start world war 3 with dogs twice her size.

Bullseye1

As an owner of a Rhodesian Ridgeback (RB) I haven't read much negative press about them. Yet they are restricted. A good strong dog club can help educate people who are interested in owning one of these breeds. When I first showed an interest in owning a Ridgeback I called to see the secretary of the Ridgeback Club and was essentially interviewed as to my suitability as an owner. I was also given good advice on what is expected of you as an owner of a RB. There is just so much more responsibility than owning a non restricted breed. Walking your dog on a lead and muzzled at all times in public is simply ignored by too many ignorant RB owners. It is these irresponsible owners who give RB owners a bad name. If you love your dog your not going to put them into a situation where they can get themselves into trouble.

zenno

suicide_circus wrote: »

staffie

when it comes to staffie's 2 legs are good but 4 legs are bad. my friend has a staffordshire bull terrior and it is a very powerfull modra it licks people to death and only want's a rub but these dog's have serious affection to humans but unfortunately they can and will attack other dogs to the death. beautiful creatures but the owner needs to have intelligence and mussle this breed when close to other dogs only as I said they have serious affection towards humans.

are you serious

However much I agree with you Bullseye, I'd put my house on it that while you are out walking your dog, I'm sure you always get asked what breed is it? Even though they are on the RB list! In my local park I meet a guy regularly who owns a very Large Rhodesian Ridgeback and 3 Douge de Bordeaux not RB's, unless you knew what you were looking at you'd think he had 4 of them

Even still I get asked while out walking my rottie what breed is he the reason being is because I did not have him docked when I picked him from his litter so he still has his waggy tail! Then after I tell them he's a Rottweiler they usually look again at him then say he's very friendly for a Rottweiler :rolleyes: meanwhile they are cleaning the slobber from him licking the hands off them

zenno

garkane wrote: »

Even still I get asked while out walking my rottie what breed is he the reason being is because I did not have him docked when I picked him from his litter so he still has his waggy tail! Then after I tell them he's a Rottweiler they usually look again at him then say he's very friendly for a Rottweiler :rolleyes: meanwhile they are cleaning the slobber from him licking the hands off them

love them rottweilers beautiful dogs. most people that would be afraid of all these breeds are just uneducated in the field of these breeds i.e staff bull terriers and any dog that looks powerful and strong.

for example I went into an industrial estate and had to see the manager of a place and a large doberman pincher gaurd dog ran towards me as if i came on his territory (which i did) and he looked damn angry so i went into my hunkers and allowed him to do his thing and he calmed down straight away and started licking me with druel all over the place. if people only spent the time to learn about these kinds of breed they would have more respect for them.

tatabubbly

It's all to do with the owner.

In my eyes, there should be no restricted breeds, rather an overhaul of the current dog licencing system.

I myself own a JRT who in donegal finds it very hard to get people to allow my dog to socialise with theres, hence, she can be a little nervous, and then yappy at other dogs. I know she needs to be socialised more but any time i ask people on beach/park/walks, they seem reserved, thinking she'll bite the head off their dogs! She has been to a fab trainer who says just a little more patience from other dog owners in the socialisation and Rebel will be flyin!


On the other hand, in a room full of dogs at a dog show today she was brilliant, not a sound out of her and so friendly to other dogs, go figure!

piperh

tatabubbly wrote: »

It's all to do with the owner.

In my eyes, there should be no restricted breeds, rather an overhaul of the current dog licencing system.

I myself own a JRT who in donegal finds it very hard to get people to allow my dog to socialise with theres, hence, she can be a little nervous, and then yappy at other dogs. I know she needs to be socialised more but any time i ask people on beach/park/walks, they seem reserved, thinking she'll bite the head off their dogs! She has been to a fab trainer who says just a little more patience from other dog owners in the socialisation and Rebel will be flyin!


On the other hand, in a room full of dogs at a dog show today she was brilliant, not a sound out of her and so friendly to other dogs, go figure!

I agree there needs to be a big overhaul.

Its a shame some people are blinkered to socialisation i love nothing more than seeing my two making new friends although clyde does get a bit vocal and its been known to worry a few owners until they've looked at his big waggly back end getting all excited

joolsveer

I have a rescue dog since last September. She was described as a Labrador cross but many people say she is a staffie. She is very affectionate at home and has never attacked any person or dog. What should I do, muzzle her because of what members of the public say?

pokertalk

planetX wrote: »

. Maybe you should have to pass some kind of ownership and training test before being allowed to own any dog.

totally agree with this.

pokertalk

joolsveer wrote: »

I have a rescue dog since last September. She was described as a Labrador cross but many people say she is a staffie. She is very affectionate at home and has never attacked any person or dog. What should I do, muzzle her because of what members of the public say?

well it is the law

Shanao

joolsveer wrote: »

I have a rescue dog since last September. She was described as a Labrador cross but many people say she is a staffie. She is very affectionate at home and has never attacked any person or dog. What should I do, muzzle her because of what members of the public say?

Any chance you could put up a pic of her? There's a few posters here who know their bullbreeds fairly well so will be able to tell you if there's staff in there or not. Not everyone knows dog breeds as well as they might think they do; a friend of mine recently had a visit from the dog warden about her 'pitbull' who is actually a white boxer. Even the people who are supposed to know dont seem to.

pokertalk

every dog owner of every breed wether it be cross or of pure breed should own a cert stating that their dog is %100 socialized
%100 trained in re- call
%100 basic command training
if your dog does not have this cert then by law should be on a harness and lead whilst muzzled at all times in public

anyone agree??
this would be great for all responsible rb owners and well socilized dogs