Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGrimm
Honestly, seeing a kid who got attacked by a large dog though really nails it home for me that we need to stop humanizing dogs. They are amazing, fun, affectionate and loving but they are still not humans. These Pitbulls didn't pre-plan this attack, they aren't evil or racist against Pomeranians. They are dogs, with dog instincts. Training can help overcome those instincts to a large degree, but situations like this make it painfully evident that there is no 100%. There are risks involved with dogs and NO ONE can ever say they know 100% that their dog would never attack another person or pet.
.
|
I agree with your overall point, but "dog instincts" is even a little vague. Dogs have been selectively bred for thousands of years for specific purposes. Dogs with particular genetic traits were chosen to breed with dogs with similar traits which has created different genetic dispositions and instincts. Some breeds were created for work or companionship, and some for guarding or fighting (like pitbulls). Instincts for different breeds depend on why the breeds were created in the first place (ie. the instictual trigger for defense and aggression is going to be a lot more tuned in a fighting dog than other breeds). Just like dogs that were bred for hunting will often have the urge to chase things, or a dog that was bred for burrowing will have the urge to dig. Removing these traits through training is not always possible. I would even argue that is unfair to put them under the stress. Like you said, they aren't humans that can control their urges with reason.
Training does play a role, but it can never overcome genetics. Some pitbull breeders are trying to only breed the gentler individuals to remove the aggression traits, but it takes a long time to do.
The same thing is true with cats. Siamese cats often display similar character traits to other Siamese cats, same with tabbies, Persian, etc... Humans have changed both species in ways that removed them from nature.