Do you think socialization of a dog can change the way a dog is around others?

I love all dogs but have a hard time understanding the hate on aggressive breeds. This includes rottweilers, pit bulls, german shepherds, doberman pincher, mastiff, and any others I have forgotten. But what people fail to realize is if you don't bring your aggressive dog around other dogs and people. It's going to have a problem with them and feel threatened b/c they are unaware of who and what they are. And then there are the irresponsible owners who train an agressive dog to be agressive. That is just flat out stupid. I think there should not be bans on breeds but make the owner fully responsible for all actions. And if any of these dogs were terrible as pets then everyone that exists would have done something bad in it's lifetime. In the past and the future. So if they were all bad pets then they should be banned. But if there is just some here and there then that shows that the owner is responsible for all actions.

Certain breeds (while they can be raised by a nice & loving family) are just predisposed genetically to be "agressive". No matter how their raised/trained, they have that in their genes.

You are on the right track with the aggression problems in dogs as most is fear aggression and I'm going to get you before you get me thinking dogs have.. I agree with paj that many dogs are aggressive by nature but in most cases this aggression can be brought under control by a firm leader. Early socialization, even in dogs that have inherited aggression problems can benefit, reducing the aggression and making the aggression more controllable by the owner.

I COULD NOT AGREE MORE!! Its like i was reading my own mind! I live in a town where there is a ban on Pit bulls. I HATE IT! I was a vet tech for 4 years and in all that time i NEVER came across a mean or aggressive pit. I was bit more by chihuahua's! and that is a load of BULL, dogs are NOT predisposed genetically to be aggressive! IT IS ALL THE OWNER! and to show you how close minded people are about this topic, the town i live in has like i said a ban on pits b/c they can "kill", but in this town there has not been one person die from a dog attack in 5 years, and that dog was a ROTTWEILER! before that it has been 20 years since someone died b/c of a dog! THAT IS JUST FLAT OUT RETARTED!! THE OWNERS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL ACTIONS!! (sorry this is just a very touchy subject for me! lol)

I disagree that dogs of any breed are predisposed to aggression. Some dogs are predisposed to guard or hunt or retrieve etc but it is the early socialisation (pre 16 weeks) and how the owner trains/treats the dog that is all important.

paj and some of the others COULDNT BE MORE WRONG! if you teach ANY dog to be respectful of others, then they will, if you teach ANY dog to be mean, then that it will be. just because some dogs were taught to be mean to animals in the 18th cent, doesnt mean that those dogs are still they same way. they are slowly being bred out of that. AND back then when say, pitbulls were taught to bring down bulls and were faught against each other for sport, the owners were SURE to teach the pitbulls loyalty towards humans because they were so agressive towards animals. so if you people look up the personality of a pitbull, it clearly says that they are FAMILY dogs. i have a pitbull, my boyfriend has a pitbull, and my mother has a pitbull, and they are up in their age, and we raised out dogs to respect everything, and we have never had a problem with them being agressive towards humans or animals. so you people dont know what your talking about, you just listent all this hype because most people dont even KNOW what a real american pittbull terrier looks like, so whatever has a big head, must be a pitbull, thats why so many attacks are from so called 'pitbulls' because no one knows how many breeds there are with big heads. so they assume its a pitbull. look at this site and take the quiz, if you people know so much about a pitbull.so to sum it up, their personality is totally on how you raise it from puppy hood. i've even seen a pitbull that was 2 years old and NEVER even been around a dog, turn his ways, now he has actual play dates with other dogs. they can be taught to be loyal, just as some of you were taught to be stupid

The Puppy’s Rule of TwelveMake sure all experiences are safe and positive for the puppy. Each encounter should include treats and lots of praise. Slow down and add distance if your puppy is scared!By the time a puppy is 12 weeks old, it should have:(If your puppy is over 12 weeks start right away with this socialization guide.)Experienced 12 different surfaces: wood, woodchips, carpet, tile, cement, linoleum, grass, wet grass, dirt, mud, puddles, deep pea gravel, grates, uneven surfaces, on a table, on a chair, etc......Played with 12 different objects: fuzzy toys, big & small balls, hard toys, funny sounding toys, wooden items, paper or cardboard items, milk jugs, metal items, car keys, etc.......Experienced 12 different locations: front yard (daily), other people’s homes, school yard, lake, pond, river, boat, basement, elevator, car, moving car, garage, laundry room, kennel, veterinarian hospital (just to say hi & visit, lots of cookies, no vaccinations), grooming salon (just to say hi), etc....Met and played with 12 new people (outside of family): include children, adults (mostly men), elderly adults, people in wheelchairs, walkers, people with canes, crutches, hats, sunglasses, etc….Exposed to 12 different noises (ALWAYS keep positive and watch puppy’s comfort level – we don’t want the puppy scared): garage door opening, doorbell, children playing, babies screaming, big trucks, Harley motorcycles, skateboards, washing machine, shopping carts rolling, power boat, clapping, loud singing, pan dropping, horses neighing, vacuums, lawnmowers, birthday party, etc…Exposed to 12 fast moving objects (don’t allow to chase): skateboards, roller-skates, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, people running, cats running, scooters, vacuums, children running, children playing soccer, squirrels, cats, horses running, cows running, etc… Experienced 12 different challenges: climb on, in, off and around a box, go through a cardboard tunnel, climb up and down steps, climb over obstacles, play hide & seek, go in and out a doorway with a step up or down, exposed to an electric sliding door, umbrella, balloons, walk on a wobbly table (plank of wood with a small rock underneath), jump over a broom, climb over a log, bathtub (and bath) etc....Handled by owner (& family) 12 times a week: hold under arm (like a football), hold to chest, hold on floor near owner, hold in-between owner’s legs, hold head, look in ears, mouth, in-between toes, hold and take temperature (ask veterinarian), hold like a baby, trim toe nails, hold in lap, etc…Eaten from 12 different shaped containers: wobbly bowl, metal, cardboard box, paper, coffee cup, china, pie plate, plastic, frying pan, Kong, Treatball, Bustercube, spoon fed, paper bag, etc...... Eaten in 12 different locations: back yard, front yard, crate, kitchen, basement, laundry room, bathroom, friend’s house, car, school yard, bathtub, up high (on work bench), under umbrella, etc.... Played with 12 different puppies (or safe adult dogs) as much as possible.Left alone safely, away from family & other animals (5-45 minutes) 12 times a week.Experienced a leash and collar 12 different times in 12 different locations.

There is no such thing as breeds that are born aggressive. This is learned. Taught to dogs by people who are just evil. It is taught by beating, starving and other ways of be cruel to the dog. Less than two present of the dog bites in the use are caused by pit bulls. Last year 2000 children were killed by their parents. 3 were killed by pit bulls. Which is the most dangerous. Over 200,000 chidlern are put in the hospital by their parents. 5000 were put there by breeds that are family dogs. People make dogs monsters not nature. Do something about it. Make laws that put the people in jail that do this. in most states its a slap on the wrist. Put these people in jail for years not months. Here are some web sites some of you need to go see. It will show you who are the monsters and what is the victimshttp://youtube.com/watch?v=0dC8BPA0VoI&search=pit%20bullhttp://www.badrap.org/rescue/myths.cfmhttp://www.workingpitbull.com/http://www.realpitbull.com/http://www.pitbullproblem.tk/