"The baby will be here in two weeks, let's get a Pit Bull!!"

I don't see what the big deal is... Kid kept a majority of its toes.

billythrilly7th said:

I've talked about this before. It's time to make the pit pull go the way of the dinosaur.

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How about just tossing the parents in a tar pit with a time capsule "Here's a couple of real dumbass people." -- details enclosed.

same goes for parents who see "101 Dalmations" and then get one for their 6 year old hyperactive kid. Not a good combination. The number of dalmations euthanized spiked the year after that movie was released.

Pit Bulls get a real bad rap, but they are some of the sweetest most loveable hugmuffins I've ever known. (that's right, I said HUGMUFFIN)

Pit Bull owners -- however -- tend to favor the dog because of this bad rap and tend to be the wrong owner of any animal, including dogs.

Pit Bulls do require a firm hand, like any large dog, from time to time, and proper training. But, pit bulls are wonderful animals, and do not deserve the reputation they have.

In this case, the owners are the ones to blame, not the dog.

This doesn't even have anything to do with deliberate biting. A 6 week old puppy still wants to nurse, it sucked the toes off.

Also, greg, I fear Dalmatians FAR MORE than I do pitt bulls.

Dalmatians are terrifying guard dog. The reason they were used in fire stations is because only the dumbest criminal on earth attempts to steal from a location with a dalmatian guard dog.

greglondon said:

same goes for parents who see "101 Dalmations" and then get one for their 6 year old hyperactive kid. Not a good combination. The number of dalmations euthanized spiked the year after that movie was released.

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Actually a hyperactive kid is perfect for a hyperactive dal. They'll keep each other entertained.

badducky said:

Also, greg, I fear Dalmatians FAR MORE than I do pitt bulls.

Dalmatians are terrifying guard dog. The reason they were used in fire stations is because only the dumbest criminal on earth attempts to steal from a location with a dalmatian guard dog.

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Oh, baloney! The reason they are used in fire stations goes back to their original purpose of being carriage dogs, running along side horse drawn carriages. Fire trucks used to be horse drawn. Now they're just kept there for tradition. My dal would lick your face if you tried to break in.

Hm, for hyperactive kids, I'd pick a Boxer first, actually.

Boxers don't have such strong "guard" instincts about their stuff.

Of course, I've yet to meet a Dalmatian that didn't really scare me.

Dalmatians around here are primarily purchased as guard dogs. Because they're big, and they take to the training like water down a drain.

So, when their "bone" is out, everybody better stay at least twenty yards away from their "bone".

This is quite similar to why they were used as carriage dogs. You will stay away from the carriage when the Dal is guarding it.

However, the real point in this, Shadowferret, is that it isn't the dog as much as it is the owner. Good owner=good dog. Bad owner=bad dog.

The fact that you may own the only dalmatian that I would dare approach is due to you raising the dog as a pet.

I have yet to see a mean dalmatian. When we were adopting it, they brought him over and we put some food out for it and my then 4 year old stuck his face right by the bowl and the dog didn't growl, didn't even notice him. You can take his bones, treats or whatever away from him and he has no reaction.

So I don't know what you mean by a guard instinct.

We also babysit for dals. We've never had one that acts as you claim they act.

In fact, I've never seen a dal used for guard purposes. It's usually dobermans, rotts, or German shepherd dogs. Or, as in the case of the story, pitts.

The guard training for a dalmatian involves having one specific item that the trainer uses to "click" the dog into guard dog mode. So, when the owner pulls the "bone" (whether it's a dog toy, or a stick or whatever it is) and places it on the ground, the dalmatian will keep everyone except the owner away from the item, usually about twenty yards around. If you put the "bone" in the middle of the living room, and god save the fellow that tries to teal your TV while you're out.

Here's from dogbreedinfo website:http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/dalmatian.htm

The Dalmatian is trainable to a high degree of obedience. They can be trained for defense and are good watchdogs. Dalmatians often have large litters, sometimes up to 15 pups. Some can be aggressive if not properly raised.

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The breed became popular as a carriage dog in the 1800's. They trotted beside (and even among) the horses and then guarded the carriages and horses while the master was occupied elsewhere.

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Dalmatians are used as "junkyard dogs" down here. The few people i've known who had 'em as family pets, had to deal with this guard dog instinct.

Good owner=good dog. Bad owner=bad dog.

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The owner's training regimen has a lot to do with the dog's behaviour. And some breeds were bred to be aggressive or territorial or similar behaviours to be put to use for certain tasks and these dogs are beyond the training capacity of the average owner with little dog experience.

If you have young children you want a friendly breed that is not sensitive to noises or children pulling their ears. Labs are probably a good breed for this. The breed is not aggressive, like sentry breeds are. Labs are big so small kids can't hurt them as easily. And labs tend to put up with a lot of pulling and pushing and whatnot.

Your results will vary depending on your individual dog (which is one reason to do puppy testing when you get a dog), your training with the dog will affect how they behave and whether they will try to dominate you and the people around you, and socializing your dog with other dogs helps their personalities as well.

There is some nature and some nurture.

Pretty much the "nurture" is the same. Do training. Be consistent. Don't let your dog dominate you. So, if you want the best results, from a statistical point of view, start with a good "nature", a good breed known for its tendancies to not be problematic.

I think we're just going to have to disagree on this. I did a lot of research into them and never came across anything negative or that they have guard dog instincts.

I'm not saying they can't be trained for guard dog duty, just that it isn't inbred as say a dobe.

labs have a lot of energy, though. THey need to be walked a lot. and they can be "puppy like" for up to two years before they slow down. They have a lot of energy, but its generally positive energy.

Dalmations, as a breed, are generally not known to be good with kids. I don't know about the "guard dog" thing, but I do know as a breed, they tend to be sensitive and have a lower pain threshold than some other breeds, which means if a kid pulls a Dalmation's ear, versus a Labrador's ear, the Dalmation will feel more pain and be more likely to bite than the Lab.

Your individual dog may vary. I've worked with pit bulls that were hugamuffins, but I've worked with a lot of dogs and know a little bit about training, so that helps and so does socializing with other dogs. But I wouldn't recommend anyone get a pit bull because statistically they are a far more agressive breed.

Get a Great Pyranees dog. Ours is so layed back, he lets anyone eat out of his dish, lets girl dogs hump him, you name it. He acts all tough when a strange dog runs by - and has even initiated what looks to be fights with other dogs, but he'd probably never bite anyone, for any reason.

Did I mention he weighs about 120 lbs.?

Your individual dog may vary. I've worked with pit bulls that were hugamuffins, but I've worked with a lot of dogs and know a little bit about training, so that helps and so does socializing with other dogs. But I wouldn't recommend anyone get a pit bull because statistically they are a far more agressive breed.

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The only dogs the dog whisperer, Cesar Milan, has had to write off as a lost cause, were a few pit bulls or pit mastiffs. And if he can't do it, nobody can.
(He wanted to rehabilitate the dogs that killed a woman in California - I think they were mastiffs...but the authorities wouldn't let him.)

I usually recommend Labrador mutts instead of labradors, because the breed has become so popular that they've gotten genetically watered-down.

Pit Bulls are no more aggressive than any other bull dog breed. What they are known for, however, is a bite that will not let go. Thus, in a situation where a dog will snap and bite at someone (like the ear-pulling scenario), the pit bull might just bite down hard, and never let go.

However, this is not necessarily true of all pit bulls, and a good owner can handle this fine by raising a dog that doesn't act out aggressively. Since most pits are not actually that aggressive, it doesn't take much to raise them right.

Anyway, pit bulls get a bad rap, but the breeders and owners who look for aggression are to blame.

These so-called standard breeds vary massively over time and geography. In Illinois I cam across a lot of massively aggressive dalmations, in Austalia they were total muppets. Some years ago pits were the perfect babysitting dog (e.g. the Lil Rascals) but now a lot of 'fight' breeding has happened in some areas--I would still be relaxed with small kids arounds Staffy from a known breeder, but not a mix from the shelter.

It isn't a simple thing. I took on an aggressive dog from a shelter partly because as a border collie I might have a small mistake and risk nothing more than a small bite. Breed is part of the equation.

Speaking of dogs acting out... my boxer has decided i'm either going to walk her, or i'm going to have permanent paw marks all over my back.

Labs are angels.

My dogs are schipperkes, which unless you also own tigers, are wonderful little fellas.

Since we have drifted a bit off-topic I though I'd share this with other dog owners. If you have a dog that likes to chase flies (boxers, terriers, etc.) this little toy is like dog crack:

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...ubbles&In=All&previousText=bubbles&N=2#detail

Labs and dachsunds tend not to get the idea. But boxers and terriers are like bubble junkies.