Should we ban specific dog breeds?

[blackbirdbluebottle]

I love dogs but I have always been wary of particular breeds such as pit bulls, staffies and breeds that are banned. It's been in the news about banning certain breeds. Do you think we should be banning certain breeds or should we ban the dog on a dog by dog basis?

“Surely that was what was regulating dogs and their owners?”

It wasn’t regulating them though - it was basically a tax on owning a dog.

My dog would fall under the “banned breeds” legislation for being a “pit bull type”, she’s an American Staffordshire terrier and the softest, dopiest creature alive. But she’s been trained to be that way. She knows she’s bottom of the pecking order and she acts like it. due to her size and strength it was important that she knew everyone else outranks her. Now the cat literally walks all over her and she doesn’t even grumble, Kids can poke and prod her she doesn’t react etc etc.
Training is the answer although how to enforce mandatory training of dogs I don’t know.

Ban fuckwit owners regardless of the breed, the only dogs I've ever seen be aggressive are yappy little terrier types or chihuahuas with owners who just shout pathetically at them to stop with no control whatsoever over their dogs.

I don't care what breed someone has if they're a crap owner, although from experience most crap owners have terriers or rats on leads Chihuahuas (not all obviously though)

I’ve seen a variety of dogs with different behaviours, there are a few aggressive staffies near me and a very angry pug cross breed that jumps up and snarls

I have my Staffie and the one before I lost my boy because they are the most gentle loving dogs and there so wrongly judged because they "look" a certain way

We should ban a particular breed of owner rather than breed. Staffs in particular were known as a nanny breed for their gentleness with children. It's very rarely the dog that is the problem, the treatment received from the owner and lack of training that is the problem.

I would like to regulate pet ownership. We regulate ownership of cars and I'd like to see much more regulation for owning animals. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to keep animals.

I grew up with a Staffie...he might have looked aggressive as they have a lot of power and muscle but he was as soft as a brush. They used to be known as 'nurse dogs' because they're actually naturally very good with children.

Unfortunately any dog in the wrong hands can be dangerous and people who should never have dogs are drawn to Staffies for all the wrong reasons.

I think owners are the problems and not the breed of dog. Lots of dog breeds have been demonised, doberman, rottweilers, alsations, it just happens to be the turn of a different breed right now.

as an owner of livestock for over 30 years I have shot two dogs chasing livestock, one a cocker spaniel owned by a parish councillor who let his dog off a lead in the field full of livestock unable to recall it once it had started chasing the stock , not the first time he had been warned

the second a springer spaniel that was found chasing stock with no sign of owner until after the event again off a lead

I have signs up at the entrances to these fields when they have stock in and the dimwits that move to the countryside and then buy a spaniel ( working breed ) and expect them to be fine with a halfhour walk once a day

Shame I dont think its the dogs fault but I am surrounded by these people that have no clue how much work these dogs need to keep out of trouble , that also includes work on behalf of the owner with training and not just leaving it to the numerous dog walking services in the surrounding villages

You'll never really stop irresponsible owners or twatts wanting status/weapon dogs. Ban one breed they move on to another.

I think just ban any large powerful breeds. No-one needs a big powerful dog like a doberman or a mastiff as a pet.

Yes Jack Russell's, dachunds and chiuwawas(?) can be aggressive little shits, mainly because they are breed for rat hunting and not raised with a firm hand and enough excersise, but they can't really do any damage to an adult, and a parebt can protect their child from one. So they are not as big a risk in the wrong hands.

It's shit owners that should be banned not certain breeds!

I hear alot of negative comments on spaniels on mm in general and loads of stories of aggressive spaniels on this thread.

We were considering getting a show bred cocker. I'm now worried they've got aggression issues. Or is it more working ones being used as pets?

No.
People who train dogs to be aggressive should be banned from having animals

@Wherismymind nobody needs a pet full stop - with the obvious exception for assistance animals.
Smaller breeds are often the worst for being out of control - Yorkshire terrier owners seem to be particularly averse to training their pets and appear to prefer packs of them. Banning larger breeds fixes nothing, tighter regulations on owning and breeding dogs would be far more effective.
The first regulation I would want to see is a waiting period - you express your interest in a dog and then have to wait for 6 months before you can get one. Save all these whim purchases that end up getting rehomed when the cute puppy they saw on fb is peeing everywhere and eating their furniture!

I challenge anyone to spend time with a staff and not fall in love with the breed. They're incredibly loyal, affectionate and loving dogs

But you never hear of a pack or Yorkshire terriers ripping a teenager to pieces because she was eating a sausage roll.

But a pack of Yorkshire terriers could maul a baby's face off...
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2015/06/20/small-terrier-dog-kills-three-week-old-baby-after-biting-him-at-home-5255084/amp/

“But you never hear of a pack or Yorkshire terriers ripping a teenager to pieces because she was eating a sausage roll.”

But would it be ok to keep a Yorkie locked in a cage too small to turn around or lie down in because it was too aggressive to handle or the rest of them confined to the house, not walked and not trained?... and then leave teenagers alone with them?...

Because ok, they might not manage to kill someone, but they could easily inflict life altering injuries in that situation.

I’m assuming you mean the Jade Anderson case, though it was a pie not a sausage roll.

My DB has a staff and he's the most chilled out dog going. He was soft as muck.

There does need to be more policing of dog ownership. I know of a dog owner that isn't supposed to have their akita off its lead but I've seen him off the lead repeatedly. Nothing gets done.

It's not the dog it's the owners. Staffies get a terrible rep due to one of their natural traits which is loyalty. Its the way they have been trained. Evil people will always find a different breed which becomes their favourite to train to be aggressive. It used to be dobermans then German shepherds, followed by mastiffs and now its Staffies who knows it might be pugs next!

I agree that dog owners should be licensed. But alot of it is also bad press, actually the dog which causes the most treatments for dog bites in people is a lab.....

I haven’t owned a Staffie before but they look quite aggressive dogs, do people have them for protection or for their "gentle" nature?
Mine is a real softie. Puts up with eldest cat biting her in a play fight and just sits there licking him. Both cats adore her. She loves people. I've never met a staffie who wasn't adorably soft (though I did meet one who needed a better owner because it would jump 3 feet in the air in excitement and risked knocking you over with affection)

I don't think Staffies should be banned but I think they should be licenced. There are so many in pounds they are overbred, are fairly cheap to get and fall easily into the wrong hands. I've met some beautiful Staffies who have been gentle and dog and people lovers, sadly I've met lots of dog aggressive ones who have missed out on socialisation ,get little to no exersise or stimulation and become fear aggressive.

A dog is a dog and at the mercy of humans. But I do think there are some people who should not have dogs, through their own choice hopefully, but if necessary banned if they are found to be mistreating animals. This doesn't happen as much as it should. A child being injured (or worse) and a dog branded a killer is a failure to communicate.

Breeding from dangerous or aggressive lines is a no brainer, maybe encouragement to neuter might help. I would donate money to an organisation that could help owners with that.

@Wherismymind spaniels aren't naturally aggressive, they have a lot of energy, are very clever and need a lot of walking and mental stimulation. They need to be trained properly and people need to have the time to have them which in many cases they don't.
Spaniels don't like feeling cornered (no dog does tbh) and many people get them as a family pet without understanding the breed and let children loose as they are smaller dogs so seen as fine. Children won't pick up on the warning signals that the dog is giving off and harass it (dogs have at least 10 before a dog bites, adults will only pick up on about 3.)
Unfortunately many people go for what the dog looks like rather than what suits their lifestyle and therefore best for the dog. I have a long dog (she's a greyhound crossed with a saluki) because we both work (husband comes back for lunch) she's calm in the house and loves to sleep runs very fast for about 25 minutes then back to sleeping on the sofa. My tip would be do your research.

How would you decide which breeds to ban? Labradors are responsible for more bites than any other breed. I don't think anyone would suggest banning labradors!