No dog is born bad its how they have been raised up!?

Question

How much truth is there to that statement?

Surely a dog must have had it in them to become aggressive thus throwing the whole idea about environment being the main factor out of the window.
I think the owners play a part in all of it but no way near as much as we are led to believe!

Views?………

Answer 1

Excellent question Ulva, excellent!!!! In my opinion and the opinion of many others that have been around the dog world and understand genetics the outcome of ANY breed and ANY dog starts with his genetic backround.

All dogs are products of their genetics, that is where most of their inherent traits, temperament and abilities will come from.

I become amused when I hear things like, "it is all in how you raise them"...How can that be?

How do you alter temperament, how do you install or take away a drive that nature put in the dog?

How do you change something that is a born instinct?

The answer is a simple, "you cannot"!!!

The environment will play a great role in how those INBORN qualities will be SHAPED, but, they cannot be taken away or added to a dog.

Genetics first, then everything else. I can go on and on about this and present many arguments, but, for anyone who understands, I am sure this will be enough!!!!

Answer 2

Every breed is born with predispositions for temperament. Some are known for their subservient behavior while others are know for there highly aggressive behavior.



Breeding also plays a role in this. Take the Pitt group & the Spaniel group & compare temperament. Lap dogs to the Mastiffs.



Breeding atmosphere has a lot to do with it too. A Pitt that is being bred for the pit is agitated 24/7 to keep the mom all pumped up with adrenaline. Every thing the mom feels the pups feel. So they are being conditioned long before they are even born.



Breed a Pitt that has never had fighting in his back ground & breed her in a calm soothing atmosphere the pups will be mild cause the don't have the genetic's for fighting.



Predispositions of any dogs goes back generations & generations.



Breeders can contol conformation, breed specific ailments, & temperament. They just need to know what they are doing & have a firm grip on their knowledge of genetics.



You can turn a Chihuahua into a killing machine just as easy as you can a Pitt.



Almost any behavior can be modified & that is where bad owners come in. They can take a good dog & turn him.



It is easier to create a bad dog than it is to tame down aggression. Didn't say it couldn't be done but ignorance of man gets in the way.

Answer 3

All dogs are capable of biting. Some are born with temperaments that are more aggressive. Not talking by breed here, but by individual dogs. Some get ill and that leads to a change in behavior. Some are born with screws loose.

I do think that if raising a dog incorporates good training and work on any problematic behavior, then almost any individual dog can be a great dog.

It's true, too, that amongst purebred dogs there are breeds that are more laid back (in general) some that are more tenacious (in general) some that are easier to train, some that are genius at types of work whether Search and Rescue, Herding, Police dogs or military or assistance dogs.

I do think some dogs are more than just a product of their environment which is why it is good to familiarize self with any breed a person gets, or with different predominant breed(s) influence in mixed breed dogs.

I couldn't see a Bird dog as a Police dog, or most police dog breeds (commonly used for police work) as bird dogs/retrievers.

In a sense, I believe that no dog is born "bad", but some are more of a challenge to train. Some have screws loose and maybe all the meds in the world aren't enough to change the individual dog. I had one like that.

Loved him but he was completely looney tunes.

Ate everything. Shoes, kennel cab, walls, collars off the other dog, protective metal and wood around AC, then shocked self TWICE by chewing thru the AC cord. Ate everything- way beyond the teething stages. Literally built an inedible containment area. And it wasn't because he was bored. Lots of activity in the yard, trips to parks, walks, and a GSD for a playmate.

Had to build an inedible large CAGE (size of a double garage) to contain him in and let him out only when I was out in the yard with him or taking him for a walk.

He never got over this and it was something with a brain imbalance, just like a person can have one and all the psych meds in the world won't "balance" them.

Most though, can be helped. With training and in some cases with meds- if needed, when there are problems.

Answer 4

Ulva, you just spawned a big debate over at my house, and i love you for it!! It's the whole nature vs nurture argument, and this is MY take on it... Like you said, its hard to say whether there is a right or wrong answer, just views.



I think that all animals, dog, cat, human etc. have the possibility to be born with " a screw loose" for lack of a better term. I think that poor breeding could be a factor that would increase the odds, but that there is always a chance of "a bad egg." No amount of training or nurturing can fix animals who are already broken so to speak. I have seen plenty of dogs in my 27 years who just seem to be off. None in my experience have been of the aggressive variety, but some have had extreme anxiety problem, etc. If you want to compare it to a human, you could argue that child molesters are inherently "born bad." And if you ask me, those people should be euthanized just as much as an aggressive, or otherwise unbalanced dog... but thats a debate for another day in another forum.



More often than not, dogs are well balanced and it is often the owners who turn them into "problems." The problem could be aggression, obesity, hyperactivity, etc. But I don't think that every single dog is born perfect. Some can be worked with and trained, and others just might need to be put down if they are a danger to the rest of society.



Thats just my take of course, but thank you for asking such a thought provoking question. We have been chatting about it the whole time I was typing my response. I heart ya Ulva!!

Answer 5

I'm probably going to end up sitting right on the fence on this one Ulva Child



In essence I agree that it is how they are raised - just as with children



How many times have you heard the phrase "I blame the parents"



Having said that I have two grown up sons



My youngest has been and always will be a delight to have around



My eldest on the other hand has always been in trouble with the police - got into drugs - was expelled from school - and was hard work for pretty much the first 20 years of his life



Yet I brought them up the same and that phrase I quoted earlier always upsets me



So perhaps there is something in the "rogues" make up that makes them the way they are. I can only say I have never had an aggressive dog in over 40 years of ownership



Perhaps I'm a better dog owner than I was a parent!!!!!!!!!

Answer 6

I believe a large part is the owner. Maybe the dog is a more dominant/aggressive dog, the owner needs to know how to properly handle such a dog. Then there are dogs who are raised in abusive or neglectful homes, aren't properly socialised, have NO rules or restrictions-the stereotypical nippy little dog for example, or were poorly bred. Those are ALL human error...

There are actually accounts (few at most) where there was actually something wrong with the dog's brain chemistry and the dog just had sudden moments of unexpected aggression. Anything is possible, and dogs are not flawless. It's not that the dog is evil or bad, but some dogs can just be mean...

Just like there are some people who seem to, for no reason have a more nasty disposition...

Answer 7

Hmm, if I didn't know you any better, I would think this was a question about Pits. I'm still not sure that it's not in some way.



Anywho, putting that aside, I'll try and answer this objectively. Yes, some breeds do need more aggression than others, but them having the ability to attack and kill smaller animals (or larger) has nothing to do with being aggressive with humans. I know of not a single breed that was bred with a human aggressive temperment.



Moving on, if your opinion was true, why don't all Pitties, Rotts, Dobies, etc. attack/kill humans? If it was in their nature, they would ALL do it.



Environment IS the main factor. Period blank, no doubt about it, in my mind. For example, Jackson is a well-rounded socialized and in the process of becoming obedience trained. HOWEVER, in the hands of some wanna-be "gangsta", he would be fearful, aggressive, and ill-tempered, because the idiot would leave him outside chained up all day, feeding him raw meat once a week.



This is my opinion, I'm going to stop now, because my temper is going to get better of me. I really think you should have worded the question a bit better.



EDIT: HOWEVER, I do feel that certain breed traits can turn ugly if not in the proper ENVIRONMENT! For example, a Border Collie or German Shepherd that is left in an apartment all day, with little to no exercise/mental stimulation. That is just a bad situation WAITING to happen. BUT, if the owner had not CREATED that environment, the dog could be very happy, say on a large farm, or with a "job" and plenty of exercise.

Answer 8

we blame owners because most of the times owners sees signs of aggression but they don't do anything. Also the way they correct the dog is mostly in a baby tone of voice. Since the dog gets away with it, it is reinforced. Kind of like a Bully at school, if the kids bully a kid and gets away with it, he will continue to do it. Owning a dog is a big responsibility, dogs have instincts and are often bored so will chew things. My friends complain about their dogs chewing and says they are bad dogs, but my question to them is what have they done to train and prevent this behavior? aren't they also bad owners?



As for the environment yes it plays a role. Some dogs will be territorial because they have never been taken out, they are defending what belongs to them. Some owners are skeptical with a large breed or bully breed but still want one, so the dog picks up on this and gets all heated up when they see another dog to protect the owner. Everything comes back to the owner and where and how the dog is raised. Same with ppl infact.

Answer 9

My brother in law recently rescued a ABT puppy that had been abused/neglected. She was hungry, scared and had infected ears. He took her to the vet, spent all kinds of money getting her healthy and was told that someone had cut her ears with household scissors, that's why they were infected.

She is the sweetest dog I think I've been around. So even though she started out in an environment that wasn't a good one, she's been raised in one, and doesn't remember what happened to her before he got her. She wasn't old enough be away from mom, but he found her and couldn't find the owners so he was mom until she could take care of herself.

So if they get away from bad situations early enough they don't always turn out to be mean or bad dogs. I've said for years that it's not the breed, it's the way they are raised. If they are raised with love they return more love than they are given.

Answer 10

Every breed was created for a purpose. Some breeds were created for reasons that required a more "aggressive" nature, such as terriers (bred to kill vermin) and guarding breeds (bred to guard, protect, and even kill if necessary). However, no dog was ever bred to be arbitrarily nasty. Aggressive dogs are a combination of irresponsible breeding (breeding dogs with poor temperments without regard to the breed's integrity) and bad owners. A well bred dog in a good home doesn't grow up to be vicious.



For example, Pit Bulls. Have they attacked other animals and humans? Yes. Are there also millions of sweet, loving housepets that wouldn't bite a flea on their own hide? Yes. So how is that not proof that it's not the breed, it's the breeding and the raising? Why don't all Pits attack everything they see? Because it's not in their true nature to be violent.



Personally, I blame owners for at least 75-90% of a dog's bad behavior, and bad breeding accounts for the remaining 25% or less. Breed itself is irrelevant.

Answer 11

We had experience much like Jazzies and I can really sympathize. I have since learned our dog had not just parvo but probably distemper. It was rescue dog from pup mill.



My answer though is that if genetics weren't important in temperment (and agression is temperment) and there were no bad dogs then WHY would breeding standards and breeding for temperment even be a concern.



If there are no bad dogs just bad owners (which is way out of context by the way ) then WHY even bother with vaccinations against the diseases that cause change in temperment. They get over it but the disease changes the agression levels etc.



Pain shouldn't cause a dog to lash out.



If enviornment plays no role or little role then we would have no concerns about cancer.



Food concerns would not be there we wouldnt' be worrried about excessive protein causing more aggression.



There is both. BAD OWNERS, BAD enviornment. YOu ahv to do the best t educate and to deal with it all. There are some things out of our control in life.

Answer 12

I will always believe "there is no bad dog, just bad owners."



Dogs have certain genes that tell them to herd, hunt, protect their young, ect. But I know of no gene that tells a dog to take down a small child and kill it. That is ALL on the owner. If you remember just a few weeks ago in Texas a child was killed by 3 - 4 pitbulls. Pitbulls do not have that gene. Sorry, but no amount of arguing will convince me otherwise. Some idiot decided to turn these dogs into agressive killers and I'm hoping those people will rot in jail.



I use pitbulls as an example because they get such a bad rap. And I don't even own a pitbull.

Answer 13

Some dogs have different instincts like rottweillers and huskys have been bred as working dogs. If you keep your dog well socialised and excercise it a lot there's no reason why it should be aggressive. A lot of dogs become aggressive/dangerous because they haven't been well socialised (introduced to lots of different people of different ages/races/sexs) and because they are bored!

There's a theory that if the mother ***** is agressive she can transfer than instinct onto her puppies by 4months, but I don't believe that in the right environment it should ever present itself as a huge problem.



As a dog owner you have to accept total responsibility for your dog, and realise at the end of the day it's just a dog and that you need to be in control.

Answer 14

I agree with you.



I think that it's basically the same as people. Some people are more vulnerable to becoming violent than others. I think that environment DOES play a very large part, but it is not the only part. I don't think that a puppy, or a baby, even, is a completely blank slate that is defined by their environment. There are always those who will be more likely to get violent than others. There are certain traits in both people and animals that are defined by their genes. That's not to say that these traits can't be tempered, but I believe that everyone is born with tendencies to BE a certain way, and their environment either encourages this or tempers it.



I relate it to the whole video game debate. I don't think that video games CAUSE violent kids. I think that violent kids are DRAWN to violent video games, and this then increases their violence. A stable child playing a violent video game will not become violent, in my opinion, but someone who is already at risk of becoming violent who plays a violent video game may well get a push into the violent realm, if that makes any sense at all!



There are some dogs that, no matter how they are abused, will not attack a person. They will simply cower and be utterly terrified of humans. Then again, there are others who will become vicious and violent because they were abused. They had the same environment, but they reacted differently to it.

Answer 15

Environment plays a huge factor in how a dog turns out. However breed does play some role also. Certain breeds have been breed for many years with certain characteristics that make them more likely to react a certain way without proper training or with poor training so yes certain breeds are easier to make aggressive but any breed can be made aggressive (I have seen people with aggressive Golden Retrievers ) Breeding also plays some role. If you breed dogs with unstable temperaments you are much more likely to end up with puppies that grow up to have unstable temperaments, and on the reverse if you breed dogs with good solid temperaments your are much more likely to end up with puppies that grow up to have good solid temperments

Answer 16

No dog is actually born bad, but some may have more aggressive genes in them. It's how that aggression is dealt with that makes the dog. An owner can take that aggressive behavior and build it up so that, eventually, the dog will want to fight. Or, an owner can take that aggressive behavior and work passively with it and have a dog that is passive. Some dogs take more training because of the ingrown behavior given them from their parents, but no dog is untrainable. :)

Answer 17

I also asked this question and i was happy with the answers i recieved. i do believe it is all based on how the dog is raised, but there are also other factors played in. my friend owned a german short haired pointer, best behaved dog ever and one day he flipped.turned out he had a brain genetic thing that 1 out 100 male german short hairs get, makes them aggressive. here is the link to the question i asked so that way you can see the answers i recieved. its a very contraversal topic.

Answer 18

Well, reputable breeders breed dogs that have the best temperment (among other things) to ensure they continue to better the breed. So obviously genetics does come into it somewhere.



However us owners play a very important roll in a dogs upbrining once they have arrived on earth! Hit them and abuse them and teach them to fight and you will have youself a nervous and aggressive dog. Love them and be gentle with them and you will (hopefully) have yourself a very nice, well behaved dog.



However it can probably be argued that even if you raise poorly bred dog (whose parents were genetically aggressive/nervous) well with love and kindness, you still risk them showing that aggressiveness because its in their genes.



We play a big part in developing their desired personality, but so do reputable breeders.

Answer 19

I believe environment is one of the bigger impacting factors. Any abused dog is going to eventually turn horribly shy, or mean in an attempt to protect itself.

Though no dog is "born bad" some are born with unsavoury temperaments which can be or easily become aggression. For most of this I blame back and breeders and puppy mills, as they are the ones not paying attention to breeding pairs and thus encouraging bad temperaments. Though genetics are picky things thus no one can blame it all on bad breeding.

Answer 20

GOOD MORNING ULVA! (Tommy says HI!)

i knew someone YEARS ago that didn't believe in vet care ("Grandpa didn't do it, why should i"?). when their large dog (a mutt) at the age of 6 suddenly turned and mangled the face of their 14 yr old daughter, the first suspicion was rabies. the dog was put down and the head sent for testing. while waiting the daughter had to undergo the rabies vaccinations. what they found was a chemical imbalance in the dogs brain. she was born with it, but it was "dormant". so although i believe 99.9 % of the time it's the upbringing, i have first hand knowledge of the ONE that was born "bad".

we're not smart enough to understand them (even those of us that are "dog smart"), but we can be alert for ANY changes in behavior. this is why i shudder when someone asks, "first time dog owner, and i want a husky, pit, doberman etc".

Answer 21

I foster for the humane society and we have a trainer who works with us. He rehabs dogs that have bit and had aggressive problems as well as normal behavioral issues. He has only had three dogs in all the years he has trained that had aggressive issues that had no trigger. Two of the dogs had brain tumors and the other was just unknown cause of aggression. I feel in working with the animals that I have 99% of aggression in dogs is caused by people not giving the dog what he/she needs to function safety in the environment they need to. People don't understand that dogs make very bad leaders and need their people in control. If a person does not give strong guildence to the dogs one of them will take charge and that is when problems start. All the problems I have had with my foster have been lack of socialization, fear due to abuse, and in one case the dog was so spoiled she was hard to deal to with. People are not giving the dogs any favor by overindulging them and allowing them do to anything they want to. I love my dogs and consider them part of my family, but they have to be taught in the context of them being dogs and not like you would a person. Dogs learn what we teach them in most cases, and people not knowing the proper way to raise a dog has caused all the problems in the dogs I have tried to help.

Answer 22

I want to believe that it's the humans that make a dog mean- and in many cases it is- However there are some breeds that have a harsher disposition the others...But I think hmans have a large part in changing that personality

Answer 23

I'm with Greekman on this one.....based on personal experience.



I had this dog. Let's no focus on breed. He was exposed to loads of positive and constructive training right from the git-go. Socialized like crazy. Taken to new experiences as convenient and extensively. We felt we were doing "all the right things", right? He went to numerous obedience classes, ...I was teaching most of them. Went to numerous training sessions with other folks and their dogs. He went everywhere with us.



At about 9 months to 1 year his attitude changed and he became a bit aggressive. I wasn't happy 'bout this. I increased his training, his socialization. It didn't help. He got worse. We had an infant in the house and he began snapping in her direction, and growling if she was near.



We rehomed this dog with a policeman who knew & understood the dogs' behavior issues. The dog had aggression issues in spite of our training/socialization and positive upbringing.



Footnote: Thank to the AKC, we found out 3-4 months after having the dog AND paying the $$ for the pedigree, that his ancestory was much too close. Turns out his sire & dam were siblings.



I was sick.



Lesson learned.

Answer 24

Dogs know action and reaction. They aren't born with the concept of BAD and GOOD.

Therefore, the dogs is reacting in a way appropriate to his state of mind..without " Badness"

However, a dog's instinctive behaviors, when inconsistent with what WE can tolerate..is deemed, "Bad".

There ARE dogs that just are not suitable to live side by side with humans. Everything is judged in relationship to 'us'..the humans..



Dogs can be born with mental illness, have unsound minds, or have mental illness brought on by trauma..Just as with humans.



Added:

I watched the whelping of Hyenas. There are normally two or three whelped in a litter. The first one out tries to kill the following pups, as they are coming out of the mom! They are at each other's throats, the moment they are born. The strongest, most aggressive one survives..so that mom only has to raise ONE.

To humans..that seems BAD..To the hyena..it is the way of life...Some dogs are born with the wrong mind to live alongside humans..Rare, yes..but true..

Answer 25

Well...this, by very definition, is the nature vs nurture argument, and it's been going on for far longer than you or I have been alive...and it will continue to go on until the end of mankind.



I personally believe that it's about 50 nature/50 nurture meaning both genetics and environment are EXTREMELY important.

Answer 26

I will keep it clean! I'm not know to have a potty mouth.



I think that statement has been over used and the people who use it dont understand genetics at all.

The temperament of any dog is formed once the mating pair mate and the sperm fertilizes the egg. Temperment is totally genetic.

If you breed 2 dogs who are agressive then you can bet that the pups will have the tendency to be so too.



Training and enviroment will temper the trait but it will not get rid of the what the pups are genetically predisposed to be like.



End of story!

Answer 27

Environment plays a huge role in how any creature evolves. Mentally, physically, emotionally, everything. Look at different communities of people and see how much they differ just by where they are from. Or look at species of animals in the wild that are in different geographical locations and note the differences in behaviors.

Answer 28

i have many friends that have pit bulls, known as one of the most agressive breeds, and they are big babies! If you ask me, it is ALL about how you raise your pet that affects how it behaves. I seriously recommend you watch the dog whisperer on TV, i know it sounds dumb but it is amazing what Cesar can do to help rehabilitate dogs that were raised in different environments. I agree owners play a part, the whole part!

Answer 29

That is correct. No dog is born bad, just as no person is born bad. Every being is a clean slate. How a person's or animal's guardian raises him/her will determine much about how s/he turns out.



If you want to believe that dogs are born naturally aggressive then no one will be able to convince you otherwise. However, having raised several rescue animals who had previous homes, I can attest to the fact that aggressive behavior is typically the fault of humans who are ignorant / irresponsible. They do not understand how to compassionately and humanely care for the animals they adopted and through their ignorant cruelty instill in these animals severe cases of mistrust and aggression.



It can be corrected, but it takes a person with great patience, experience and time to rehabilitate these dogs. Unfortunately, the ones who REALLY need rehabilitation and training (the humans) often get away with their crimes.



"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated."



"I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man."



--Mahatma Gandhi

Answer 30

Well, each dog has it's own personality, what you're thinking, is that it's bread into the dog to be semi aggressive or aggressive all the way around, however, dogs that are bread to be mean and are made to be mean can be changed with proper training.

Just think, if a person is born from 2 parents that are drug addicts, and the person becomes a drug addict, can't that person change? Dogs are just like people. My 2 dogs that I currently own were once used for attacking other animals, including dogs. They were breed just for fighting. Tyson was fought for about 3 yrs and Peaches was used for fighting before I got her. They will attack any dog they see in our yard, but when they get outta the yard, they're all playful and relaxed.

Tyson was broken of his fighting habit by muzzling and punishment when he displayed any sort of aggression. Peaches was broken of her fighting habit by taking her by the neck and rolling her on her belly till she was submissive. Now, the 2 dogs not only love each other, they respect me more, and they love going with other dogs that have been spayed or neutered. Tyson wasn't neutered till I got him, so he still has that dominant trait.



My view, every dog is different. Yea, some dogs are just born with that instinct to attack, but it can be broken out of them. But, when a dog attacks a human, it is NEVER the dogs fault. I've had my share of dog attacks, since in the neighborhood I grew up in had lots of strays, and not once did I ever not understand why the dog attacked me. It was either cause I was trespassing, annoying the dog, or posing a threat to the dog. I've been attacked by a dog that was in my yard from jumping over the fence and when I went out there to get him out, he went crazy on me and attacked my arm. Luckily, Peaches knew exactly what to do and she attacked him. Sometimes, having dogs that know how to attack and what to attack is a good thing. Peaches might have saved my life by getting that dog off me.



The owner is always the cause of the problem. Look at my dogs, if I didn't train them, they would be killing every dog up and down my street, but because I took my responsibility and took care of the problem, they are now very loving and people friendly. I think that every dog has that instinct to attack at one point or another. They come from wolves, so that instinct could take over at any time. If the owner didn't train the dog well, and I know the media always says, "it was a family pet" which is a lie, cause a family pet wouldn't attack the family, then the owner is stupid and deserves to be bit. Also, take into account that when a dog attacks, they always get the dog put down. Hmmm.. don't they just LOVE their dogs??

I've had one of my brothers dog attack me and we didn't get him put down cause it was MY fault. I pushed him off the trampoline and when he got back up I kicked him, so he attacked my leg. It was scary at the time, but it was no big deal later. Smokey was punished, he was locked up in a kennel every day for 2 weeks while we weren't home. After he got done with his punishment, he loved me and would always lick where he bit me, like he was saying he was sorry.

Anyways, people who just kill their animals because of the problem need to get rid of their children. If you can take care of a childs problem, then you can take care of a dogs problems.



There's also that factor that some people just flat out don't know how to raise dogs. There's also people who train their dogs to attack people when they have kids. That doesn't make any sense to me. Train the family pet to attack a burglar when the kids are gonna be running in and out of the house. Duh, that's asking for a problem.



But yea, that's all the ranting I'm going to do for now. :)

Answer 31

100% truth

Answer 32

There no bad dogs just bad owners!!!!!