[BrianR]

I am solidly in the "no bad dogs, only bad owners" camp.

Dogs only do what they are trained to do. Or, in the absence of training, what their instincts tell them to do. Some people choose a dog for the wrong reasons and get over their head wrt training/care issues. These are what I call bad owners. They choose a dog for it's looks/temperament/social status and not for it's inherent strengths.

Before I get a dog, I research it's breeding, which tells me a lot about how it is likely to behave. I have a whole pack of different breeds so the dog MUST be a good pack animal. Loner dogs won't do well and will likely fight a lot. It has to be bred as a companion animal. I have two hunting dogs and they are Trouble when they get bored. They were rescues so I broke my own rule with them.

They each have their own personality and each fits well in the pack. We're going through a change of leadership right now. Junior, my longtime pack leader is ten years old now and is slowing down to the point that he cannot maintain control over the bigger pack members. And he knows it. The alpha spot has effectively been taken over by the German Shepherd Dog. And she is not shy about flaunting that to the rest. I expect that to settle as everyone accepts the new leader.

All in all, dog ownership is a joy, but there are some prices to be paid and not everyone is willing to pay them. People use dogs as lawn ornaments, either because they are not willing to train them to be good housepets, don't know how, or only wanted the dog to show off to neighbors. Two of these reasons should disqualify the owners from dog ownership. I have helped some people to learn how to housebreak a dog and train it to b a good pet. Others cannot be trained and they are people that I feel should not have a dog.

I can go on for hours about this so I will cut myself off for now.

To more fully answer the original question, there are a few breeds of dogs that should never have been bred at all but they can be saved by restricting ownership to only trained, responsible people. My favorite breed for this example is the American Pit Bull Terrier. Lots of people hate this breed and many communities have banned the breed entirely. The APBT is really a sweetheart and a great family dog with strong protective instincts. But the owners either do not train the dog properly or allow it to run the house.

Yes, a dog will dominate a human if it is permitted to. The Pit Bull will definitely do this as it is a very strong-willed animal and it takes a stronger person to control it. But it can be done. Most of Michael Vick's dogs have been rehabilitated. Even the smallest dog can be a tyrant if allowed to.

An owner must be willing and able to set limits on the dog and enforce them fairly. And consistently. That is the key. A dog will test you from time to time and you must be able to handle that. If you cannot, you either have chosen the wrong breed for your lifestyle or the wrong pet. You must be willing to devote the time and energy necessary to your family member, and that is exactly what a dog is: a family member. A perpetual five-year-old. Treat the dog well and they will provide you with many years of faithful companionship and love. Treat the dog wrongly and be prepared for a long nightmare.

Prospective dog owners, in my opinion, should have to take a short course on how to be a responsible dog owner. If you cannot demonstrate the skills needed to own a dog, you shouldn't have one. I also believe strongly in spaying/neutering unless one has a permit to breed dogs. There are entirely too many unwanted dogs in the world. Sterilization should be mandatory without a permit as breeding opens a whole new can of worms, which I will not get into now.

*Gets off her soap box*

Wow, I really feel passionately about this subject, don't I?