Things that jerk my chain...

[BJMRamage]

I think our neighbor has a pit bull. (or a mixed with Pit breed) and his bark is scary but is really a calm dog...though when it comes running at you I can understand the fear as the dog has wide shoulders and a big face.

I know a few pit bulls that are really nice but barkers and have seen stories of the mean ones too.

A news report about Pit Bulls recently had an owner saying a bite from a pit bull is no worse than any other breed but I'd think a Yorkie wouldn't have as hard/strong or long-lasting a bite as a pit bull. I think a few breeds (similarly mentioned above) have stronger jaws than other dogs. I thought (emphasizing thought) pits have very strong jaws.

And yes, I think any dog has an instinctive nature to snap at times and even our greyhound who is normally the happiest dog ever has snapped when people jump onto her or in her "zone" bed area which is her "safe zone" that she can be in and not bothered. But it is mainly the people they are with that help influence when and how often they snap.

[Lith]

I haven't seen any stats, but if Pits do attack more often I would be willing to bet it's because Pits have by far a higher number of idiot owners than any other breed.

[Lith]

Originally Posted by BJMRamage

And yes, I think any dog has an instinctive nature to snap at times and even our greyhound who is normally the happiest dog ever has snapped when people jump onto her or in her "zone" bed area which is her "safe zone" that she can be in and not bothered. But it is mainly the people they are with that help influence when and how often they snap.

I had a friend with a couple of greyhounds. They were pretty good dogs. Bigger than I thought and kind of antsy. You could tell they were always thinking about running

[seamas]

Originally Posted by Lith

I haven't seen any stats, but if Pits do attack more often I would be willing to bet it's because Pits have by far a higher number of idiot owners than any other breed.

Big part of it.

Genetics is genetics though. A breed designed for what they were designed for WILL show the intended traits. That is the point of breeding.

As for bite strength, the pit bull's bite strength is often exaggerated, but it IS powerful and they DO hold on.

(they wouldn't be popular in dog fighting if they didn't have these traits!!)


Some dogs are bred for a very weak bite. Most "gun" dogs, especially retrievers are bred for a soft bite so they don't put bite marks on the game they retrieve.

[seamas]

Originally Posted by iambunny

The worst dog I've ever seen was actually my mom's little wire-haired fox terrier. That dog was the biggest BITCH I have ever met. She was trained the same way as our other dogs, who were all wonderful, but she just had a crazy gene. She fought with our spaniel and literally ripped the poor dogs tongue in half (don't worry, she recovered), and she tried to kill my cat. If I had been there literally beating that dog to get her off my cat, I'm sure my cat would have been dead in another minute. Never imagined I'd beat a dog (and I did feel bad), but that thing was not letting go, even after pressing on her nose/throat/gums whatever that you are supposed to do in that situation. And I wasn't gonna let her kill my cat so brutally.

Same dog had to bite me in the calf and finally cause my mom to need 20 stitches on her hand before she finally agreed to give her up to a rescue. My mom still cried. Some dogs are just crazy, no matter how they are trained.

Terriers as a group are notorious for "scrapping" with other dogs.

Then there is all sorts of less-than-careful- breeding that can yield some "off" dogs.

I love dogs. I really do. I was raised with them and grew up in a dog-crazy house. I plan on getting one for our family soon.

But: if any dog bit me or any member of my family unprovoked, I would make sure the dog is destroyed humanely.

[BJMRamage]

Yeah Greys like to run...at least a little. ours is getting older but will still run a little while when she can...not like the early years of running fast for a while.

And Greyhound are "born runners" and "bred runners" naturally they like to run. hence the racing, it isn't cruel to race, just cruel to be beaten for not winning or forgetting to feed to lose weight, etc. but at the track a slow dog is or a dog that cannot run in the right direction is taken off the track. great Grey Runners are then bred with other runners to really get the running gene.

Our greyhound isn't really antsy, actually very friendly and jovial...wags her tails and greets everyone like they are long lost friends

[BJMRamage]

Originally Posted by seamas

But: if any dog bit me or any member of my family unprovoked, I would make sure the dog is destroyed humanely.

yikes.

I remember as a youth a few friends and myself were running around the other's house in a race. Their dog, normally very nice, chased and jumped to my shoulder biting and making it bleed. not sure if it was the "chase" that got her running after or the thought that our screams of delight in running and possibly "chasing/attacking in her mind" the son that lived there but either way I was bit by the dog. hurt, and I think she gave a few more tugs when i fell. but I never really/intentionally provoked her per say but maybe in her mind it was.

[seamas]

Originally Posted by BJMRamage

yikes.

I remember as a youth a few friends and myself were running around the other's house in a race. Their dog, normally very nice, chased and jumped to my shoulder biting and making it bleed. not sure if it was the "chase" that got her running after or the thought that our screams of delight in running and possibly "chasing/attacking in her mind" the son that lived there but either way I was bit by the dog. hurt, and I think she gave a few more tugs when i fell. but I never really/intentionally provoked her per say but maybe in her mind it was.

^

That is something of a provoking scenario IMHO.
That dog may get a reprieve because of circumstances (neighbor should have been aware of this tendency though)

I'm thinking more of the scenario of the walking or biking down the street and being bitten --the full-on unprovoked bite.

That dog I have no tolerance for.
Nothing personal, but the dog has to go. Either the owner does it, or I get a court order.

This would also include any dog that attacks my dog when my dog is leashed or on my property.

[Lith]

When I was a kid we had a German Shepherd named Macho. He and his sister where the only two out of the litter that didn't become police dogs, the neighbors daughter ended up with his sister Minnie, and both were really good natured.

If Macho was outside he was always chained up because he was a runner. The neighborhood kids used to use our yard as a shortcut to the local shopping center. One day my step-dad had gone to the butcher and gotten some scrap and put it out by his dog house. One of my friends little sisters was heading to the shopping center like she had hundreds of times before and stopped to pet Macho. He took a large nasty chunk out of her side. It was bad. The neighbors wanted him put down but where she was trespassing my parents came to an agreement that they would pay the hospital bills.

[iambunny]

Originally Posted by seamas

^

That is something of a provoking scenario IMHO.
That dog may get a reprieve because of circumstances (neighbor should have been aware of this tendency though)

I'm thinking more of the scenario of the walking or biking down the street and being bitten --the full-on unprovoked bite.

That dog I have no tolerance for.
Nothing personal, but the dog has to go. Either the owner does it, or I get a court order.

This would also include any dog that attacks my dog when my dog is leashed or on my property.

We had a german shepherd/border collie mix who was an amazing dog. He was incredibly loyal, so smart, and a great protector. However, he got a little off as he aged, and a little cranky. One of the neighbor's kids (12-13 y/o) came into our yard while our dog (name was Dozer) was out on the leash, and it scared him. Dozer jumped on the boy, barking, and knocked him down. He didn't bite him, but he certainly scared him.

The neighbors were pissed (of course) and threatened to call animal control. To avoid all the drama and potential court, my parents opted to have him put down in case anyone ever wandered over again. It was a terribly sad thing though, everyone was so upset. He was just protecting us, on his own property, chained in the yard, but I guess it was too much of a liability. Still makes me teary eyed.