Bad dogs?

I'm sick of hearing about German Shepherds gone bad. When you hear about dog attacks in the news, you can almost Guarantee it will mention German Shepherd, Rottweiler or Staffordshire Bull Terrier. People are led to believe that all dogs of these breeds are viscious brutes who can not be trusted around humans.

Newsflash: THEY'RE NOT!!!!

I, myself, own two German Shepherds (one purebred, one part Samoyed), and I know several people who own, or have owned, this breed.

They are immensely loyal, easy to train, protective when they need to be, and make great family pets - IF they are brought up correctly, as is the case with ALL dogs.

My GSD cross, (the bitch) has been with me for over two years. She was 11 weeks old when I had her from a rescue centre. Her training began straight away with puppy classes. After sailing through them, I kept up her obedience training, as well as moving on to teach her tricks and agility. She is a lovely dog who, although a little bit timid around strangers, would never hurt a soul. She loves running around with children, never chasing them, but will happily lie down quietly when she is told to.

On the other hand, my male GSD came to me about a year ago at the age of one. His previous owners had left him to his own devices, locked up all day with nothing to do other than chew the kitchen floor, door frames and whatever else he could find. 

When he came to me, he would not even sit down on command. He was also very frightened of men, owing to the fact that instead of being taught the difference between right and wrong with the proper techniques, he was punished harshly for doing things he was never taught NOT to do. This, of course, led to more bad behaviour, as it seemed to be the only way he could get attention.

Most people would view this as a problem. I saw it as an opportunity to gain some experience for my course.

To make a long story short(ish!), in just over a year, he has learnt basic obedience, several fun tricks, and he loves people coming to the house. Although he still needs some work where men are concerned, he is mostly a happy-go-lucky dog. 

Statistically, more people are bitten by Jack Russells than they are GSD's. However, because of their smaller soze, these attacks go mostly unreported. 

More often than not, you will find that the owners of these aggressive dogs have trained them to be this way, especially Bull Terrier-types, who are often used as status symbols. 

Dog ownership is a privilege, and only those who truly understand the needs of a dog should be allowed to keep them, even if that means bringing back a license. This would help to prevent bad owners from turning such wonderful creatures into the monster's that many (mostly cat owners or petless people) perceive them to be.

All you need is a bit of time and patience. It may surprise you when you see exactly what your dog can do when YOU make the effort.