Today, we live in a society that tends to categorize elements and put them in little boxes without trying to understand.This is what we have done with certain breeds of dogs that are clearly discriminated against by some people due to lack of knowledge of certain breeds.
CATEGORIZED DOGS OR “BAD DOGS
The second part of this title is obviously ironic.
We see more and more articles about accidents of young children attacked by dogs with unflattering pictures of Argentinean mastiffs, malinois, etc…
These breeds of dogs are, unfortunately, wrongly categorized as “dangerous dogs”.
This misconception is mainly due to the law on category dogs which has put in a box different breeds of dogs like the rottweiller or the staffordshire bull terrier.
This law can be interesting if we want to regulate the adoption and ownership of dogs. BUT this law should be generalized to all breeds and not only to a certain category of individuals.
TO ALL THESE DOGS WHO ARE VICTIMS OF DELINQUENCY
Most people change the sidewalk when they see someone with a bull terrier or a large dog, even though he can be the nicest dog in the world.
No breed is born with bloodthirsty killer instincts, it is absolutely necessary to remove this idea from one’s head. It is obvious that prevention should be done so that adoptions go smoothly on a daily basis, but we should not pigeonhole any particular type of dog, no matter how big it is.
Unfortunately, it is more interesting for the tabloid press to publish an article with a rottweiler with fangs out, than to talk about a poodle that bit a child. One is necessarily more selling than the other. Unfortunately, this maintains the negative vision that society has towards categorized dogs.
However, according to a study dating from 2021, it is proven that the most biting dog in France is the German shepherd and the second is the Labrador. These two breeds are considered THE family dogs par excellence.
ALL DOGS CAN BE LED TO BITE
All breeds of dogs can bite one day, even the smallest yorkie in the world or the nice golden that we meet very often nowadays.
We must not forget that above all, a dog, as cute as it may be, remains an animal with fangs and normal dog behavior. And the only way he can express his uneasiness is by biting or growling (if he can’t get away).
It is however obvious that a bite from a large dog will have more consequences than a bite from a Bichon, but the behavior remains the same in the end.
The real question that needs to be asked is:
=Why did the dog bite? And this, regardless of the breed. Here is an article we wrote about bite prevention.
TO ALL THESE DOGS VICTIMS OF FELONIES
DOG THAT BITES IS NOT ALWAYS WRONG!
We tend to see biting/aggressive/reactive dogs as monsters. They are even labeled as “mean” dogs. And I also totally understand the distress of the parent of the bitten person.
Except that the term “vicious dog” means absolutely nothing. Naughtiness is a qualifier specific to humans and not to animals, and even less to our canine friends.
Let’s take an example: Titou is a young German shepherd cross. He is sensitive and rather tolerant and has been living with the family for 6 months. He lives with Tequila, a small Chihuahua who has lived alone with his human for 8 years. He has developed hyper-attachment during his life. The 2 dogs get along well but the Chihuahua does not respect the big dog’s privacy. He harasses him during play, and even during rest/sleep time. One day, Titou, the big dog, growls and this behavior is ignored by the Chihuahua. And the next time, Titou bites the small dog. The bite is not serious but impressive because of the difference in size.
The big dog will be catalogued as mean and dangerous whereas he will have only gradually responded to the insistent behaviors of the small dog.
This is just one example.
TO ALL THOSE DOGS WHO ARE VICTIMS OF FELONIES
I just want to raise the fact that meanness, egocentricity and viciousness have no place in a dog’s head. This is only human interpretation (anthropomorphism: tendency to attribute human reactions to animals and things).
No matter how shocking the situation, the dog ALWAYS has a good reason to bite.
This is not to excuse them, but it is called behavior analysis.
You have to look at the situation and understand WHY so you can anticipate later.
And if it seems incomprehensible to you, call a canine behavior professional to have the situation analyzed and ask for a complete veterinary check-up. Many aggressive behaviors can be justified by a health concern that we may not have seen.
But don’t do random tests. Because the one who will pay the price in the end will be the biting dog and this image we have of certain breeds will not stop.
