Do you think certain breeds of dogs are just mean?

I'm the proud owner of a red-nose pit bull. He's a very loving and playful dog. I don't think the breed determines the nature of a dog. It's the owners who make that choice. A dog is not born mean, they are made that way by bad owners!

No. We hear about pitbulls attacking in the media all the time, but that's because our society has prompted a witchhunt of mass proportions against this breed that should have NO proclivity towards biting humans (it was mentioned above, the breed was bred to fight others dog, thus their renowned dog aggressive tendencies.. they WERE not permitted to bite humans). It's nurture. Unfortunately, pitbulls, rottweilers, dobermans and other large breeds often attract people who want a status symbol and nothing more. They aren't interested in socializing the puppy and having a happy, well adjusted dog. They want a killer. Something to show off just how 'bada$$' they really are. It's sick. The only nature that comes into play here is how eager to please and loyal these breeds are to their masters. Any dog that is this eager to do whatever you say, is completely capable of attacking someone if that's what you want him to do. On a sidenote, I find it interesting that Michael J. Bryant, Ontario's Attorney General, and the very person who introduced and passed the bill to prevent pitbulls from living in Ontario can't even identify one correctly! Neither can most of the animal control workers that the media interviewed around the time the bill was passed! Makes me wonder if American Pitbull Terriers are getting a bad rap because of mistaken identity? I'm certain this is the case. I've seen at least 2 stories in the past 2 years about 'pitbull attacks' describing the dog as a '150 lb. pitbull'. APBT's range between 30-65 lbs at most. Hmmm. I prompt anyone that feels sure they could pick out a pitbull to take this test http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html I have a feeling most people will be surprised. You might also be interested to know that according to dog bite statistics breeds such as the Golden Retriever, beagle, dachshund, pomeranian and Jack Russell terrier have dog bite fatalities attributed to their breed. And that Labrador Retrievers are actually the most common breed involved in dog bite incidences but are rarely reported to animal control or to the media because the attack aren't as severe as other attacks. The American Temperament Test Society, Inc. breed statistics as of December 2005 show an 83.5% passing rate for the APBT as compared to an 81.2% overall pass rate for all the different breeds they test, showing that many of these dogs have stable and dependable temperaments.

Almost all breeds can be trained to be friendly and loving, although some do seem more trusting and forgiving. Some are faster to turn on an owner who isn't treating them properly. For instance, a Rottweiler that is beaten is more likely to turn mean than a Lab who is as well. Other than that I think the only other think that really plays in is the parents temperment, at least the mothers. Pups learn a lot from her.

I agree with you - I think it's a mixture of nature and nurture. I've known some dogs that most people associate as being really mean, aggressive type breeds and yet they were just the sweetest things. I've also encountered dogs that most people think are nice sweet family dogs and they were very mean. So I believe it's a even mixture of both. I admit, I'm still afraid of pit bulls and rottweilers. They scare me.

I think some dogs can indeed react a lot more aggressive than other breeds, but I firmly believe humans train dogs to be mean, they aren't born that way. Rottweilers can be the most lovable dogs ever (they've got beautiful eyes), but if they're in the wrong hands they can turn really nasty. Such a shame, really, it makes me very sad.

I aggree, I think that it if a dog has a good upbringing then it will be a good dog. BUT if it is in an abusive household then I wouldn't be surprised if it bit someone.