By Lesley Liddle
Lesley Liddle is a certified service and pet dog trainer. First Mate Lulu is a Corgi/Red Heeler with spots like a baby harbor seal; Crewman Leonard is a Chihuahua/Doxie with tall ears like a rabbit. Both dogs have very short legs and were originally found in California shelters. Lesley has average legs and can be found on Orcas Island.
Part Two
(continued from last week)
Due to the serious and sometimes lethal bites caused by a few large breed dogs including Pit Bulls, Rotweillers and German Shepherds, some cities have now banned the ownership of Pit Bulls in Canada, the United States, and England. Many insurance companies won’t insure homes of owners of the most “dangerous” breeds. The real blame for all this of course lies not with the dogs themselves, but with the people who have intentionally or ignorantly – but in any case – irresponsibly bred them to be vicious. Lawsuits ensue from deadly bites because people often own such dogs for all the wrong reasons and either encourage them to be vicious or assume that they are going to be good sensible dogs without a lot of training, socialization, and vigilance. Big dogs all need a a savvy, confident, non-reactive handler and some very serious humane training. Actually, all dogs need this, even the little guys.
Very importantly, if you look at the list of dangerous dogs, you will see that they tend to have a shorter threshold of bite inhibition than say, the Golden Retriever, which is one big reason why the Golden makes such a great Service and Therapy dog. It is considered a mellow, predictable dog with an easy disposition and a “soft” mouth; however, given the right circumstances in which any dog’s restraint threshold is finally reached and then exceeded, any dog may bite. In other words everyone has a limit to what they will put up with. After that limit is reached, something violent may occur. This is tested in shelters with all dogs before adoption and it is called the human “Bite Inhibition” factor. A dog that has no bite inhibition is not adoptable. The most dangerous dogs tend to have short inhibition thresholds combined with big bites.
You may well love one of those “most dangerous” breeds of dog, but if you own one, it is your absolute duty to train it well, socialize the dog at a young age, and know how very responsible and observant you MUST be wherever you go. You must always be mindful of other people and animals, and especially small children who often behave without reserve around strange and even familiar dogs. You must protect them as well as know your dog’s comfort level and your ability to calmly control him no matter where you are. And you should not leave your dog alone confined with very small children.
In my own experience in recent years, I have known some sweet Pit Bull rescue dogs, female as well as male. The females were easier to manage as they were not so large, and two females that I trained came from backyard breeders and had abusive histories. They were fearful and lacked confidence but were ultimately very loving and anxious to learn. I have also worked with several males, Staffordshires included, and I have found the males harder to train, more assertive, partly because of their great muscle mass and weight but also because of their particular energy and the fact that they had no previous training or socializing at critical stages of development. They, like the females, tend to be very capable of love and anxious to learn. As with all dogs, the key is in clear, positive, confident, calm communication.
Lastly, would I own one of these bully breeds? No, not intentionally. It is just not my style. I’m glad that other sane people willingly own them because those that are languishing in shelters desperately need to belong to someone. I have chosen to live on an Island where personal protection is not a major issue. I don’t need a gun or a protective dog, and I know I am very fortunate. That said, unconditional love is where you find it or it finds you. Such love, when it occurs is the greatest gift, not to be denied no matter it’s size, shape or breed. Speaking of which, a certain ten pound Chihuahua has recently moved in on us. I never would have expected or chosen a Chihuahua any more than a Pit Bull, yet Leonard has managed to win our hearts and Lulu has told me life would be unacceptably boring without him. And oh, for heaven’s sake, he is one of those ankle nippers so watch out.
Lesley, thank you for being “spot on” as to where the buck stops when it comes to responsibility for our canine companions of all sizes. I trained Dobermans, and my 105 lb male was a gentleman, brilliant and loving. But when allowing small children to pet him, I had calm control, verbally and with my close presence and hands.. Not because of what he might do, but because of what the children might do to provoke him. (some children are not obedience trained)– Thor had his canine companion obedience certificate…lots of exercise and socialization. Breeds should be carefully chosen to fit the home and ability of the human who will accept responsibility for their part of the contract!
Great column. Keep them coming. And thank you for you thoughtful comments on pits. My husband and I fostered a young red pit for a year before we found the right person to own her. We knew we would not be the best family to put in the time needed to socialize and train her. Her new person was, and still is. Ruby was a joyful dog. We will never forget her.