Spinoff: What Breed was the Most Aggressive Dog You've Ever Met?

[hb]

Friend had a nasty pit-bull mix that she rescued. She could not trust the dog off-leash and could barely control her on-leash. Her other dog was a loud, pushy husky mix and the two dogs would regularly get in fights that would last until the husky pinned the pit. If the husky hadn’t been several inches taller and at least 40 lbs heavier the pit bull probably would have killed her, but instead they had an uneasy balance that would occasionally tip into a fight. The pit bull was a sweetheart most of the time but then would occasionally explode. I did not like visiting her house when she had those dogs.

A coworker had an Akita that regularly killed small animals including the neighbors’ cats and, if I recall, another neighbor’s dog, and always watched people like it was stalking us. She had excuses for why it was always the other animal’s fault when her dog killed something. Glad I was not her neighbor.

[Foxtrot_s]

For the record I have been a back yard breeder - and I think it is decidedly in the dog’s favour to be raised in a home with family, kids and socialization.
ALL my dogs have made me proud.

Not to be confused with a puppy mill, or those who breed anything with ovaries or testicles.

[Hannahsmom]

[QUOTE=Big_Grey_hunter;7210469]
That’s not at all the impression I got from this thread. It seems many of the stories are about trained/socialized dogs that either have a screw loose or are just aggressive. The whole ‘there are no bad dogs, just bad owners!’ thing is a load of crap. Poor socializing can create or increase aggression and good training can minimize/manage aggressive behaviors. But it is NOT a guarantee. Breeding and just the dogs individual personality are a HUGE part of it. Just look at all the bad owners with wonderful, loving dogs. Why is it such a shock the opposite can also be true?[/QUOTE]
No what I meant was there are no bad breeds. Just a lot of misunderstanding of many of the breeds. Individuals at both ends of the scale? Yes. The scariest dog in my puppy class was a Golden Retriever. Mainly because the owner didn’t realize her cute puppy was overpowering my terrier in a very rude way.

[Casey09]

[QUOTE=candysgirl;7209997]
Same for pretty much all short legged terriers (Westies, Scotties, Cairns, etc.). The small terriers tend to be very intolerant of being groomed - especially their legs and feet.[/QUOTE]

Many dogs are naturally protective of their legs and feet. I am not saying that out and out biting is okay, but I can see how some dogs probably have issues with being dropped off somewhere and having a total stranger messing with their legs and feet. I’ve always heard that Corgis a lot of times cannot tolerate nail trims, but they are fun little dogs. I think the little terriers are fun little dogs, and with work I am sure their owners can get them to accept this - but I also think that some dogs tend to be a little more reserved with strangers.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

@Hannahsmom;7210398

It’s clear to me from reading this that it is not the breed but the owner and how they have socialized and trained, yes TRAINED, their dog as to acceptable behavior.

Nope.

I’ll agree there are many dogs who could be solid citizens if they weren’t saddled with an unfortunate clueless owner. I’ll agree that most PIA dogs fall into this category.

But not all. Genetics does play a part. My first chow? We (his co-owner and I) thought the same as you. We were going to prove all those chow people just didn’t know what they were doing. We socialized our little croco-demon from the time he was eight weeks old. Did all the right things. We were experienced handlers and knew how to produce a “real” dog no matter what its antecedents were like.

We thought. :lol: :lol:

[S1969]

I would say that 90% of the time it is the owner, and the breeding, not the BREED. But, some breeds are just not known for friendly. I have heard that Chows are one of those breeds. The only chows I’ve ever known were…iffy. Scary, but never did anything bad (that I saw). But …yes, quite scary! Very serious/stoic and it was very difficult to tell if they were happy or not. The dog was elderly and I would never approach it, but from a distance seemed indifferent to most things…the bitch was younger and seemed to take an interest in my unneutered dog and was friendly to him, but never overtly so.

I think the best I could say about the pair of them was that I never saw them attack anything/anybody, but I sure wouldn’t turn my back on them. Beautiful, but intimidating, and probably dangerous without really, really good training & socialization.

As for Shar Pei’s, I’ve met a few great ones, and know a breeder with some very friendly dogs (and the cutest puppy I’ve ever seen)…but even they comment that the breed is known for iffy temperaments, and that some are just bat sh!t crazy.

[mountainhorse]

A Daschound (sp?).

[tweeter]

[QUOTE=Griffyn;7207244]
T Also an Anatolian Shepherd I once knew was a dog who took his job guarding llamas very seriously. If the owner wasnt there to hold the dog, I wouldnt put a foot on the property. Carlos the dog, wasnt aggressive per se, but I wouldnt be one to test that.[/QUOTE]

We had an Anatolian, super great dog. We got him from a breeder, and he was very well socialized when we got him. She actually sent me to a breeder near us (who didn’t have any puppies available) to have us checked out. I think adopting a child would have been easier.

Wonderful guardian. We never lost a chicken or a turkey while we had him. But guard he did! Once you were introduced, he was fine and would lick you to death, but I think if you tried to come onto “his” territory you’d soon regret it.
Not a dog for everyone, and they really do like having a job. Sam didn’t have a mean bone in his body, but he took his job very seriously.

[vacation1]

Pit bull.

[Naina78]

I’ve known at least two Jack Russells that were truly evil SOB’s.

[MustangSavvy]

I work at a animal shelter. The dogs that I am typically almost bit by are Chihuahuas, Dachshunds… etc! The only dog I have ever been actually bit by was a Dachshund. I have never once had a instance with a any of the bully breeds, Dobbies, Rotties… etc!

[Tucked_Away]

[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;7207445]
Oh, I bet you will. You obviously have the chow gift.:yes: IME, some people just have an affinity for the little crocodiles. Chows will never snuggle with someone other than their own person - unless that person has the chow gift. :lol:[/QUOTE]

LOL, I guess we’ll see. I tend to prefer my dogs non-hairy – I currently have a wonderful pit bull and dream of a Doberman, etc. – so it would probably take a good knock on the head to jar an interest in grooming loose first! Very flattered by the idea of having magic Chow powers, though.

[Houndhill]

[QUOTE=Tucked_Away;7219937]
LOL, I guess we’ll see. I tend to prefer my dogs non-hairy – I currently have a wonderful pit bull and dream of a Doberman, etc. – so it would probably take a good knock on the head to jar an interest in grooming loose first! Very flattered by the idea of having magic Chow powers, though. :)[/QUOTE]

You know, Chows do come in a smooth coat! Hee hee.

My vet once told me she had only one chow patient she could examine and treat without a muzzle. I knew that dog, and he had an awesome temperament, though perhaps not totally typical of the breed. The owner’s next chow was unfortunately not as docile.

I do admire their dignity and loyalty, though…favorite breed of Simund Freund, who was quite besotted with his. He even wrote letters to Princess Marie Bonaparte’s chows that he pretended his chows had written. Just funny to think of that side of him!

As puppies chows are incredibly cute and Teddy bear like, which probably leads to some unfortunate impulse buys.

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=Louise;7201727]
Cocker Spaniel. I got bitten by one vicious little thing when I was a kid. He belonged to a neighbor and was just plain nasty.[/QUOTE]

did we have the same childhood?! my neighbor’s cocker bit me too – and this was a dog who had seen me every day for years.

[foundationmare]

Funny thing. My elderly mom’s doh is a cocker pound puppy mutt and is a snuggle muffin people loving wag his tail off guy. The tch at his vet office is normally wary of cockers because of past experiences but lovs gatsby! I did not know they can be mean. Me, I love pits and would willimgly adopt one when the time is right. Interesting that so many other breeds are mentiomed which are not on the radar as notoriously aggressive. There must be a genetic component as well as a training/living component involved. I see dogs chained in yards and wonder what their qol is. It , ust make a difference, interaction with humans and dogs in another setting.

Apologies for typos…sent from a device that I am frustrated with…

[Houndhill]

I was not at all surprised by the number of aggressive Labs and Goldens.

There are several explanations for this. One is that both are billed as the Perfect Family Dog. To some people, this means they must come factory installed with all the behaviors necessary in a family dog, with no training, supervision, or confinement needed.

The other problem is that both breeds have become so popular, they have a large gene pool, and many breeders who select on the basis of color, or, the fact that both are the same breed and it is convenient, with no regard to selection for health testing, temperament, or any other criteria other than convenience.

The result is that you may get labs that look like labs externally, but internally, they are more like Malinois, chows, German Shepherds, etc.

It is very surprising to me, though, that some form opinions of any breed based upon knowledge of one individual! It takes interactions of various types with hundreds of individuals to form some basis of knowledge of “typical” behavior any breed. Even so, one knows that there is a range of behavior for any breed.

[sid]

So many posts I couldn’t read them all. Surely there are some breeds that may have a propensity for aggression, but in most cases it still comes down to early training and socialization – the owner. That said, the most aggressive I ran into over the years were Dalmations. The 100 and 1 Dalmation movie craze did not help that breed at all… Next would be Chow Chows. I owned a cross who I adored. They just “think” differently.

[Houndhill]

[QUOTE=sid;7220769]
So many posts I couldn’t read them all. Surely there are some breeds that may have a propensity for aggression, but in most cases it still comes down to early training and socialization – the owner. That said, the most aggressive I ran into over the years were Dalmations. The 100 and 1 Dalmation movie craze did not help that breed at all… Next would be Chow Chows. I owned a cross who I adored. They just “think” differently.[/QUOTE]

It does come down to the owner in the end, because, with appropriate socialization / training/ management/ confinement, most dogs can be managed, regardless of their propensities for aggression.

However, the expression of the genetic tendency for aggression certainly influences the degree to which this environmental manipulation is necessary.

[paulaedwina]

And of course you have the “screw loose” category :no: Crazy happens in dogs too.

Paula

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=Houndhill;7220252]

As puppies chows are incredibly cute and Teddy bear like, which probably leads to some unfortunate impulse buys.[/QUOTE]

:yes: They are the cutest puppies in the universe. Even cuter than a corgi puppy (which I think comes in a close second in the Cuteness Derby). Clearly an adaptation that has allowed the breed to survive.

@sid;7220769

[Chows] just “think” differently.

I used to show with a chow breeder who said almost the same thing, “They’re not mean, they just have a different belief system.”
:lol:

@Tucked_Away;7219937

LOL, I guess we’ll see. I tend to prefer my dogs non-hairy – I currently have a wonderful pit bull and dream of a Doberman, etc. – so it would probably take a good knock on the head to jar an interest in grooming loose first! Very flattered by the idea of having magic Chow powers, though.

Oh, dear. Maybe after the pit bull passes on to his or her reward. I can’t imagine trying to break up a chow/pit bull fight, as both breeds belong to the “don’t let go till it thunders” school of combat.

They do come in smooth, as Houndhill pointed out. Or you could do the thing where you shave them like a lion. Then you don’t have quite as much coat to deal with.

We’re not sure if supernatural chow powers are a gift from ceiling cat or basement cat, though.