Dogs

[dontpanicbobby]

Well trained dogs.

Discuss

 

[MoodyBlues]

Well trained dogs.

Discuss

Well, since you asked...

All of my Great Danes were exceptionally well trained; the best proof I can offer is the fact that one of my last two, Little Freddie, was allowed to come to work with me every day [no one else, except the company's owner, could bring their dogs]. I assure you that had he not been exceptionally well behaved, his 182 pound presence wouldn't have been welcomed.

Each new puppy [or dog] was taken to puppy classes and then, after successfully graduating from that, obedience classes. Puppy classes got them accustomed to being around other dogs and people, and worked on very basic obedience. It was primarily a bonding and exposure experience, teaching them to focus on Mom and Dad despite anything else going on around them.

Obedience classes taught them the oh-so-important rules of good canine citizenship: sitting, staying [ULTRA-important for Great Danes], coming when called [also ultra-important], heeling, etc. Perhaps the single most important thing we taught them was to NEVER jump up at someone unexpectedly.

They were allowed to hug, but only when invited; they'd stand on their hind legs, rest their arms over the person's shoulders, and the person would look up to see their head.

All of my dogs were trained using positive reinforcement only. They were never...ever...hit or yelled at. If you want your dog to LOVE you, and obey you unconditionally, even when there are distractions, you need to show them through kindness that you're a good thing they want to be with.

Here are a few pics of the Fredster, including one with his matching little sister, Joy Noelle:

 

[no one]

Humans, do not deserve dogs. Dogs are easily the best creature on the planet, while humans on the other hand, are indisputably the absolute worst!

 

[Mackey69]

Humans, do not deserve dogs. Dogs are easily the best creature on the planet, while humans on the other hand, are indisputably the absolute worst!

Could not have said it better myself. We are not worthy of the love and devotion that dogs give, IMO...

 

[no one]

I have my moments.

 

[puppykickr]

Humans, do not deserve dogs. Dogs are easily the best creature on the planet, while humans on the other hand, are indisputably the absolute worst!

Dogs kill tens of thousands of people each year, and maim millions more.

They are not even a natural creature, created via inbreeding to satisfy Victorian era ideals.

 

[no one]

Care to share where your "research" comes from?

 

[puppykickr]

Care to share where your "research" comes from?

Sure.
If you really can't do a simple search yourself...

 

[puppykickr]

 

[puppykickr]

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/odds/compare-risk/dog-attack/

 

[puppykickr]

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-animals-that-kill-most-humans.html

 

[puppykickr]

In my experience, animals that bite people and poop everywhere are best kept at the zoo, if they are to be kept at all.

 

[puppykickr]

Not to mention the damage to the environment from these unnatural people eaters...

https://doodycalls.com/blog/epa-says-dog-poop-is-an-environmental-hazard-on-par-with-pesticides/

 

[puppykickr]

 

[MoodyBlues]

The blame for poor behavior from dogs is squarely on the shoulders of people. There are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners.

Bad/cruel owners produce angry/aggressive dogs.

Irresponsible owners produce misbehaving dogs--and don't pick up their poop.

Ignorant/irresponsible owners produce dogs who procreate, roam freely, bite unsuspecting people/pets, potty wherever they want, and spread disease because they aren't vaccinated.

None of my dogs ever did any of the things you're attributing to dogs in general, @puppykickr. Quite the contrary, they were known to be friendly, approachable, and very well behaved. Fiercely loyal and protective--I always knew they would have my back if someone tried something bad--but they were the stereotype of Great Danes' nickname: gentle giants. I've never left a pile of dog shit out for someone else to deal with. No responsible dog owner does.

Instead of making a blanket condemnation of dogs, you should be pointing at the humans responsible for them. They're the bad guys in every scenario you listed--not the dogs.

 

[puppykickr]

The blame for poor behavior from dogs is squarely on the shoulders of people. There are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners.

Bad/cruel owners produce angry/aggressive dogs.

Irresponsible owners produce misbehaving dogs--and don't pick up their poop.

Ignorant/irresponsible owners produce dogs who procreate, roam freely, bite unsuspecting people/pets, potty wherever they want, and spread disease because they aren't vaccinated.

None of my dogs ever did any of the things you're attributing to dogs in general, @puppykickr. Quite the contrary, they were known to be friendly, approachable, and very well behaved. Fiercely loyal and protective--I always knew they would have my back if someone tried something bad--but they were the stereotype of Great Danes' nickname: gentle giants. I've never left a pile of dog shit out for someone else to deal with. No responsible dog owner does.

Instead of making a blanket condemnation of dogs, you should be pointing at the humans responsible for them. They're the bad guys in every scenario you listed--not the dogs.

If the behavior is to be blamed on people, then why are there attacks from unowned dogs?

Dogs kill more people than wild lions, tigers, sharks, crocodiles, alligators, and bears put together- and yet none of those have been misstrained or misstreated by people.

Following your logic, there would be exponentially less dog attacks if no dogs were owned by people.

But this is not the case, as many more deaths are attributed to stray/wild dogs than owned dogs.

So, your arguement of blaming people is not valid-
unless you want to blame the people that created these mutant child munchers.

 

[MoodyBlues]

You're missing the point.

Where did those stray dogs come from? Right! They were dumped, abandoned, bred by backyard breeders who couldn't keep them, allowed to run loose by irresponsible owners, etc.

Wild dogs are just that, wild. There have been wild dogs for millennia, just like there are wild bears, boars, deer, coyotes, cougars, dingos, lions, elephants, etc. Do you advocate the eradication of all of those? Did you know that hippopotamus attacks kill several thousand people every year? Should they be eradicated?

The problem almost always boils down to humans. If humans hadn't encroached on coyotes' habitat--as my Arcadia predecessors did--we wouldn't have a 'coyote problem' now. Not a day goes by that I'm not alerted to a coyote sighting in a neighborhood yard--but they were here first!

I actually feel sad that you've [apparently] never known the unconditional love and bond with a wonderful dog. Mine were like my own children; indeed, we called our last two, Freddie Mercury and Queen, 'the kids.' I loved them both but had a special bond with Little Freddie. When I first looked into his soulful eyes, I was hooked. And he was by my side 24/7 until he died. Well behaved, obedient, friendly, never bit anyone, never ran loose terrorizing the neighborhood, never procreated...adding to the overpopulation problem, never pooped on a sidewalk or someone's yard...

I don't know where you got your very negative, and unrealistic, generalized view of dogs, but it in no way matches my actual experience with them, and with other responsible pet owners. The only time you see a dog running loose here is when one accidentally gets out. There are no packs of vicious wild dogs terrorizing the streets of Arcadia!

You're also overlooking the scientifically proven fact that people who have loving relationships with dogs have less hypertension, feel less lonely, have less depression, and so on. That's why therapy dogs are so popular in hospitals and nursing homes, and why autistic children improve when they have the companionship of a dog in the family.

Just as one should never make blanket condemnations of people by race/ethnicity, so too for dogs.

 

[lunatic59]

Dogs pale in comparison to humans, @puppykickr. Even if I believe the statistic of dogs killing tens of thousands each year (I have not been able to find any reliable source data for that statistic), Humans kill in excess of 500K people each year. That's from shootings, military actions, car accidents, etc. NOT from natural causes like disease, age or natural disasters.

Now, the statistic I was able to find many independent examples for were dog attack fatalities in the U.S. On average for the past 20 years it's been less than 50 annually, which if true begs the question is where are the other 10k+ people being killed by dogs and why? The U.S. represents about 4.25% of the global population of people Which would mean that if that could be extrapolated to a worldwide statistic there should only be approximately 1,200 deaths cause annually by dogs. But wait ... in the U.S. there are approx. 90 million dogs. Global estimates of dogs are at 900 million which means that while we have less than 5% of the people, we have 10% of the dogs -- a much greater dog/person ratio.

 

[puppykickr]

Well argue with me all you want, folks.

Facts are facts, not ideas or theories- because facts don't change.

You are all apparently denying the CDC, all insurance companies, plastic surgeons, emergency room personel, the CPSC, the Postal Service, various other institutes and doctors- all in order to justify dog worship.

 

[puppykickr]

Dogs pale in comparison to humans, @puppykickr. Even if I believe the statistic of dogs killing tens of thousands each year (I have not been able to find any reliable source data for that statistic), Humans kill in excess of 500K people each year. That's from shootings, military actions, car accidents, etc. NOT from natural causes like disease, age or natural disasters.

Now, the statistic I was able to find many independent examples for were dog attack fatalities in the U.S. On average for the past 20 years it's been less than 50 annually, which if true begs the question is where are the other 10k+ people being killed by dogs and why? The U.S. represents about 4.25% of the global population of people Which would mean that if that could be extrapolated to a worldwide statistic there should only be approximately 1,200 deaths cause annually by dogs. But wait ... in the U.S. there are approx. 90 million dogs. Global estimates of dogs are at 900 million which means that while we have less than 5% of the people, we have 10% of the dogs -- a much greater dog/person ratio.

Please read my stats again.
Clearly stated at the bottom of each is where they are from and if it pertains to the USA or globally.

Any disagreement one may have with these stats can and should be brought to the attention of the provider of said stats.

I, for one, am more likely to trust the figures provided by those that provided the stats I posted.

 

[lunatic59]

Dogs kill tens of thousands of people each year, and maim millions more.

I disagree with those statistics.

You are all apparently denying the CDC

Right from the CDC ...

"From 1979 through 1994, attacks by dogs resulted in 279 deaths of humans in the United States (1,2). "

That is the most recent statistic I could find on the CDC's website. That is a 15 year period averaging out to less than 20 fatalities annually. Even if the number are now 10x worse that's still several orders of magnitude less than your "tens of thousands" claim. I'm asking for the source of your information.

I admit to being both a dog lover and dog owner.

insurance companies, plastic surgeons, emergency room personnel, the CPSC, the Postal Service, various other institutes and doctors-

I'm not denying the numbers of dog-related injuries, only fatalities. I would also be interested if any of those cited groups have ever made any statements in favor of prohibiting dog ownership or the reclassification of dogs as dangerous animals or pests.

Finally, let's remember that the OP was asking about well-trained dogs.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Halle Barrie's "John Wick" dogs.

 

[lunatic59]

I know one of John Wick's dogs!!! (The Keanu Reeves character) One of my neighbors' sons raises and trains Doberman Pinschers. One of his dogs was in one of the movies.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

He wasn't Hailles dog though. A set they were.

 

[Unforgiven]

The blame for poor behavior from dogs is squarely on the shoulders of people. There are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners.

I agree with most of what you posted, but there are bad dogs that aren't bad because of nurture, but because of nature. Just like there are bad cops, bad firemen, bad priests, bad moderators, and bad peacocks that were just born bad. But it is an extreme minority for any of these to be inherently bad from birth. (cue George Thorogood's Bad to the Bone).

Bad/cruel owners produce angry/aggressive dogs.

^^^totally agree

Irresponsible owners produce misbehaving dogs--and don't pick up their poop.

^^^totally agree