There are, over here, breeders who are breeding out the dog aggression. It really doesn't take many generations to get the dogs temperament different from where they came from. I've met many mature bullies who play well with other dogs and can even handle the dog park. Some of them weren't even from breeders, but had been acquired through rescues, shelters or even just off the street. While many ARE dog aggressive, I'd argue that there are many dogs of other breeds that are as well (and sadly, with the prevalence of puppy mills, you're seeing dogs of breeds you would NEVER suspect are DA, like Golden retrievers).

I suspect DA in all dogs, all types, all breeds, whether male or female at least then you can't be surprised, I've been brought up never to fully trust dogs, dogs are animals and we can't understand them fully, no matter how much we think that we can if we don't trust dogs to behave perfectly all the time we will be more aware of situations, and be able to act quicker if something does happen that we wouldn't expect to.

The same can be said of humans! lol

You can't lay the blame with the owner, even the best socialization in the world won't stop what can come naturally to some breeds.

To a point I agree, but there is a huge gap in the middle between owning a dog that is beginning to show problems and the dog who you fundamentally know is dog aggressive.

An owner doesn't start out with an aggressive dog, but one day something happens, from a normally good natured pup to an argument in the park, do you then lay blame on said owner,for the first scuffle, or even the next, maybe the first was just a conflict of characters, you brush it off as "not sure what happened" then it happens again, the problem becomes evident,, THEN you can lay blame to the owner once it becomes clear you have an dog aggressive dog on your hands,, if you allow it to continue to attack.

I agree that if you knowingly own a dog aggressive dog , its your responsibility to ensure it does nto attack other dogs, if you ignore this, then yes blame will rest on your shoulders, you have not made the dog aggressive, but you are responsible for the future of said dog... there is a difference!!

I don't think they meant that the human is blamed for the DA, but that that the human is blamed for allowing the dog into a situation where it can act out that DA. If my dog is aggressive, I'm going to keep her away from other dogs. If she gets out of the house and attacks another dog, it's ultimately MY fault for not containing her properly.

I meant the the owner should be blamed for the incident not nessacerily the aggression.

I wont argue with that. But i think chaz said we should start from a position of caution whatever the breed.

exactly.

I have my views Jackbox and you have yours. I know many dogs who were bred for certain activities and yet do not display any breed typical traits.

This discussion asked the question 'Are Pitbulls dangerous?' In my opinion any dog can be dangerous if not treated properly. Call me naive if you want Jackbox but I know I am far from that. Pitbulls are a man made product. They were bred originally to be pitted against bulls. This is no different from putting a Jack Russell against a rat, fox or badger. No different from setting a Lurcher on a rabbits or foxes. Man decided that bull and bear baiting wasn't enough and by abusing the Pitbulls inherent sense of loyalty to his owner, man began to pit these dogs against their own kind. The orginal pitbull has had larger, stronger dogs bred in to exaggerate the traits already in place.

These dogs have a higher pain threshold than other breeds. A far greater sense of protection than many breeds. This combination allows their 'loving' owners to push the dogs loyalty to the limit by fighting them.

Put a numpty in charge of anything that requires firm boundaries, be that a child or a dog. And you will watch the destruction of that individual. No dog is born fighting. Unless it has a serious medical condition, no dog is aggressive at the moment of birth. Stick a human in with that dog who fails to socialise the dog and denys it of the life it should have, you have a problem.

I totally agree that breeding dogs should be in the best possible health, both mentally and physically. Been even the best bred puppies can be turned into monsters by a person with the intent to do so.

True, in many cases

mostly true. And i dont think pitbulls are dangerous (well not enough to warrant a ban when compared to other breeds) but i do think it is dangerous to completly ignore their history and the face that many will be almost instictivly dog agressive especially in maturity.