[he just likes to have something different to snack on when he's watching TV].....:)
Worry not...she's not as fragile as she looks.
Posted on 04/26/2011 6:45:43 AM PDT by DCBryan1
I think the bone of contention (and yeah, it’s likely beating a dead horse and where we never will agree, but I have to say it) is that the difference between a pit bull and a big cat is that the majority of pit bulls as opposed to the majority of big cats is that they are perfectly safe. It is still a miniscule number of pits that harm anyone. I wish there were stats based on total number of the breed and total number that actually bite someone. Unfortunately (and I have looked for real numbers, I really have) real data does not exist.
But yeah, it’s ok if we disagree.
Good ending to a bad species! Thanks!
I didn’t mean to pun either, with my (no dog in this hunt) comment in that other post. Just wanted to mention that.
Well, it is somewhat trite to say as long as it’s not one of your loved ones or dear friends, and I’m not saying that to rib you. Obviously things do happen and statistics being what they are, people can generally come up with some that will bolster their position.
Yes, each death is it’s own tragedy. And if they could have been prevented, we’re going to ruminate over it. I know that dogs quickly become like family members, and we defend our own naturally.
With any comment comes a reasoned rejoinder. I think dog owners can easily see this differently than I. I’m not bothered by that, as I understand the reason for it.
I believe you referenced a statement of mine to infer that I wanted to eliminate these dogs. I don’t support killing them or taking them away from their masters. If anything, I would support a program to neuter them and let them die of natural causes.
I will say that I am not comfortable enough with my own knowledge of this problem, to push for that though, and if I did state I wanted them killed, I am sorry that I did. I try to be more careful than that.
I don’t remember doing so, but I may have. If so, I take it back. ;^)
When I state that I am not bothered that we disagree, I am simply acknowledging that on some of these issues, people will disagree. I’m not happy that we do, and yet I don’t want you to think that I don’t understand your point of view or think that your points are not reasoned. I do understand and your point of view is reasoned.
As for your big cat comments, to a point I agree. Still, if only five deaths per year took place, couldn’t you just as easily see people saying, “But there are thousands of cats out there, and there are so few deaths. Don’t be so unreasonable!” I could.
Like I said, I don’t see the Pit Bull exactly the same, but enough to raise the issue.
Thank you for the discussion.
[he just likes to have something different to snack on when he's watching TV].....:)
Worry not...she's not as fragile as she looks.
“If they are descendents of dogs bred to kill bulls”
Uh, no they are *not*.
They were bred to grab onto and -hold- the bull as a working function on farms, originally.
The “sport” of bull baiting, made popular in the sexually-repressed and seriously dysfunctional Victorian era involved people betting on whether or not the dog could successfully hold and subdue the bull or whether the bull stomped or gored the dog to death.
A dog whose jaws are strong enough to “subdue” a bull, can do some serious damage to a human arm or leg, right? Like eat it like a drumstick. Again, it is a dangerous animal.
I don’t recall you particularly saying that, it gets sort of mixed up and generalized in these threads (because some people do indeed want them all just eliminated).
Hi.
I’m about to ruin your day....:)
Determining Which Dog Breed Has the Strongest Jaw
National Geographic did several tests of bite force with numerous animals, including dogs and wolves, to see which had the strongest jaws and the worst bite. Not surprisingly, the wolf was the canine with the most powerful bite, measuring 406 pounds of pressure. A wolf can, when it is protecting itself, inflict a bite that carries up to 1,200 pounds of pressure.
The top five domesticated breeds thought to have the strongest jaw are all large dogs known for their bite. They are generally the same breeds attributed with the highest rate of attacks on people, and they are often listed as dangerous dogs.
Pit Bull
The Pitbull has become a breed synonymous with strong jaws, biting and danger. While this dog does not have the highest bite force of the dogs National Geographic tested, it is one of the top four. The Pitbull bite was measured at 235 pounds of pressure. It is the most highly recognized breed for jaw and bite strength.
German Shepherd
Although the German Shepherd was originally bred as a herding dog, it has been used as a guard and police dog with good reason. This is a powerful and intelligent breed. The German Shepherd’s bite measured 238 bite force, just slightly above the Pitbull.
Rottweiler
The Rottweiler, or Rottie as it is often called, has a huge head and large jaws. This breed bit with 328 pounds of pressure. The Rottweiler is considered the second most dangerous breed of dog; the Pitbull is number one.
Doberman
The Doberman is a highly energetic dog that can be very aggressive. The bite force is reputed to be 600 pounds of pressure; however that seems to be largely unsubstantiated.
Mastiff
Many breeders say that the Mastiff has the strongest jaw. Reportedly, the Mastiff has a bite force of 552 pounds. If true, this would make it stronger than any other domesticated dog on record.
Strongest Jaw
To answer the question regarding which dog breed has the strongest jaw is difficult because there are so many variables. Of the dogs that have been scientifically tested and recorded, the Rottweiler appears to have the strongest jaw. Remember, this will vary from bite to bite and animal to animal.
If the rumors are true, however, the Doberman has the strongest jaw of all of the domesticated breeds.
[FYI, I’ve seen my Dobermanns *crack* a Whitetail leg bone, which is *extremely* strong and sturdy like toothpicks]
Bummer, innit?
Myself, I stay with bird dogs, because the bite has been bred out of them. A pointer we owned jumped a low picket fence and caught a leg. I went to help him and as I was trying to free his leg he was biting madly at my hand. Hardly broke the skin. Cockers make good pets for children because they have soft mouths.
Now if you wanr protection, by all means, get a big dog. I like the Shepard. But owning such a dog is like owning a gun.
Cockers have one of the worst reputations as biters in the world.
World’s Meanest Dog: The English Cocker Spaniel?
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
May 22, 2009 — A floppy-eared, innocent-looking breed may be one of the world’s most aggressive dogs, according to a new study that found English cocker spaniels tend to be more hostile than other breeds.
“In our country and according to our database, the English cocker spaniel is the breed that shows more aggression problems,” lead author Marta Amat told Discovery News.
Amat, a researcher in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and her colleagues analyzed 1,040 cases of canine aggression brought to a nearby veterinary teaching hospital from 1998 to 2006. Of those cases, the majority of cases were attributed to English cocker spaniels, Rottweilers, Boxers, Yorkshire terriers and German shepherds.
Probing the data further, Amat and her team discovered that English cocker spaniels were more likely than other dogs to act aggressively toward their owners as well as unfamiliar people. In contrast, dogs with reported behavior problems from other breeds tended to act aggressively toward other dogs. Among the English cocker spaniels, golden varieties and males were found to be the most hostile.
The findings, published in the latest Journal of Veterinary Behavior, confirm an earlier study conducted by a separate Spanish team from the University of Cordoba, which also found males and golden English cocker spaniels were more aggressive than females or those with black and mixed-color coats.
In terms of coat color, Amat explained that the coat pigment melanin shares a common biochemical pathway with dopamine and other brain chemicals involved in the control of aggressive behavior.
I guess if I hated my kids, I’d get them one.
I own Dobermanns ~and~ I own guns.
Neither of them have ever killed or maimed anyone.
Gee...do you suppose *I* might have something to do with that?
“Myself, I stay with bird dogs, because the bite has been bred out of them”
You never met my dad’s Brittany, Duke.
Worthless as a bird dog but he’d have excelled at Schutzhund.
My American cocker never bite, never even nipped anyone in the 14 years we had her. Maybe because we fixed her early enough and kept her a puppy.
You want a dog with a good nose and who will not meat the birds she fetches. One of best bird dogs I ever say was a sorry looking thing who must have been a mixed of sorts. Her only limitation was range: she was prerty lazy. My Dad says that many a time she sniffed out quail that the others did not find. But she needed a partner to keep up the pace.
OMG it’s one o’ them carnivorous Bambis! Attack of the zombie deer!
(I used to get a lawncare mail order catalog where a chemical meant to ward deer away from the garden had an ad depicting them with snarly Cujo teeth. Wish I could find that now, it was pretty funny looking.)
Reference your #129, I coulda swore the Dutch Shepherd came out on top of NG’s jaw strength trials. Maybe the show I caught was a per-body-weight test? Donno, was several years ago.
Yep.....I sleep in the midst of a herd of zombie deer......;)
I wish you had the photo, too....I could use a good laugh.
Dunno about the Shepherds...my point was that there are lots of scarier jaws out there.
If I had a choice of being attacked by Pits or Dobes, I’ll pick the Pits, thanks.
I’ve met tons of wussy cuddle-Pits but every Dobe I’ve had was a one-dog army.
(plus it’s a whole lot easier to grab a smaller dog by the tail and flip it than facing a big dog with NO tail)......;]
I pick neither, but yeah the smaller dog with a handle might be the lesser of 2 evils! :o)
Thing is, I’d rather meet a strange dobie than a strange pit. I assume more discernment bred into the dobie (and I’ve no intentions of provoking either one!), whereas you don’t know what the breeder was aiming for with the bullie.
Lord only knows the parentage of my senior dog, tho she resembles a pit. Sweet & extremely smart, but also a dominant female. I’ve visited a friend whose elderly sheltie was queen of her domain. No overt snapping, they were too closely supervised for that, but obviously the two dogs didn’t like each other at first sniff. Luckily my friend took me at my word that I was wary of the predatory gleam in my dog’s eye (she does kill rodents at every opportunity), and we all survived the weekend with our dogs kept separated.
Sorry for the delay, I missed your post.
Check out the Clifton Report at this link.
http://dogbitelaw.com/dog-bite-statistics/the-breeds-most-likely-to-kill.html
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