why are german shepherds on the top 10 dangerous dogs list?
It really makes no sense.
It’s ranked #3 and under the picture it says:
“These dogs are intelligent and very alert. They are highly used by local authorities such as the police K-9 unit. German shepherds are known to be fearless and confident dogs.”
here’s the link:
http://www.petsdo.com/blog/top-ten-10-most-dangerous-dog-breeds
I don’t get it. I just got a GSD and he’s great. My mom is begging me to get rid of him cause she’s convinced that he is going to turn on my two year old. He’s wonderful with my kid and they’re inseparable. It’s the cutest thing.
I also forgot to mention.. My German Shepherd is about 4 maybe 5. We’ve had him for about 2 months. His previous owners lost their farm and was forced to sell them or they got shot. He was a pack dog raised with his 4 brothers, Mom, and dad. But he is the SWEETEST thing. I couldn’t even imagine why people would be scared of him. my neighbor, no longer comes over cause she’s scared of german shepherds. cause of all the “hype” on tv.
April 10th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
cause they can be aggressive. lol police dogs are german shepherds and they can kill a man. they are also clossely related to wolfs. They could killl a persom
April 10th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
I agree totally with you they are great dogs. I love how a husky is ranked up there come on they are not mean. I have an akita and he is extremely mean i can’t belive there breed didn’t make the list very aggressive dogs . Any dog can be mean and attack it put in the right situation. Honestly they should rank the ankle biters on that list.
April 10th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Usually these list are made up from the reports that are submitted on dog bites or attacks reported. GSD’s are wonderful dogs: faithful,loyal, protective, and loving. I wouldn’t have any other dog. Your mother needs to stop listening to all the media hype and go by the way the dog is being raised. It’s not the breed that is the problem, it’s the owner who is usually the reason good dogs go bad.
April 10th, 2011 at 6:48 pm
A dog will act how he or she’s been taught to act towards people.
April 10th, 2011 at 7:10 pm
that is an EXTREMELY stereotypical list, if you ask me.
it is full of BS as well. pit bulls do NOT “lock jaws” and are certainly NOT known for human aggression (how exactly do dogfighters break up those fights and train/feed their dogs then, then? hm…..)
rottweilers are also great family dogs and adore kids.
it looks like it was based more on news reports instead of actual fact. go sensationalism!
April 10th, 2011 at 7:19 pm
Because, with training, they can be quite a weapon.
Your mom needs to not take things so literally, and stop thinking that your dog is suddenly some unpredictable animal.
They can be dangerous, which is WHY they’re so useful in the K-9 Unit!
That’s TRAINING, though.
April 10th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Sounds like she is worried over nothing. I have had a german shepherd/australian cattle dog since my preschoolers were newborns. I have never had a problem. It all depends on their personality and their history of abuse they have gone through. There is no such thing as any animal being 100% safe, all of them have a potential to harm.
April 10th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Because a lot of know-nothing fools get these dogs and (1) don’t select a good breeder and (2) don’t raise them right. Then you get the equivalent of a two year old with a loaded pistol.
April 10th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
They’re the most common police dog. Think about how many bites from GSD K9′s there are on a daily basis. Also there are a lot of GSD mixes that have bitten people and I guess that counts too.
That list is silly and biased. Did you check out the pic of the ripped “big bad pit bull?” What stereotypical BS! All of the other dogs are pictured in a serene calm environment and the APBT is shown ripped to the 9′s on a big chain. It’s BS, all of it. Pay no attention.
April 10th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Well bred GSD are high drive, athletic and very, very smart. An average dog owner is not prepared to deal with such a dog, and as such, the dog gets out of control.
This deals with many other breeds as well.
April 10th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
it is all in how you raise your dog.
I own huskies and have done so my whole life and have never once had a problem with them biting or growling. or being of any harm to anyone.
they are in the list also #4 I think. any how I would trust my huskies with any child my two year old has even been caught riding my male and he just lets him. if he is raised right he will be just fine my brother has a pit bull she is 9m years old had her since a puppy and she is the sweetest dog ever he has a 1 year old 3 year old 5 year old and 8 year old and the dog plays with the kids and has never once shown any sign of aggression.
but she was raised right. just don’t allow biting for any reason what so ever even chewing as a puppy is not allowed they should have toy to chew on and if they try chewing on your arm or furniture or tugging on you pants give him the toy. just start now and raise him right it will be fine.
April 10th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
I believe it is “statistics”. Here is a website that I found to share with you and everyone else. It’s well presented in the way they display the site, meaning, anyone can see it. No harm shown.
So much relates to the “breeding” of each and every one. No matter what the breed………..genetics has much to do with the final “outcome”. There are responsible breeders and irresponsible breeders.
There are 3 GSD’s that work at the Airport where I work. They are all wonderful and smart dogs. Two do not welcome being approached to pet, and the other is very very friendly. But, in this aspect of things, they are “working dogs” …..they work for the Airport Sherrifs and go on many commands. It’s understandable that the two who are not as approachable, wouldn’t be due to the fact that they must “work”, and always are “alert”.
Not that that last paragraph has much to do with answering your question, but it does put part of the question into perspective, somewhere.
GSD’s are quite smart, and if you have had or plan to have him into training….obedience, and socializing him well…..he can be a wonderful canine buddy, for life!
http://www.petsdo.com/blog/top-ten-10-most-dangerous-dog-breeds
Enjoy him……….
P
April 10th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
We came close to getting a GSD, and at the time my mother constantly told me that they look ‘evil’. And as I still live at home, that wouldn’t work out. My brother had one and he was an amazing dog, though I don’t remember him much (he died when I was about five or six).
I think that list is based off of bad reputations, and, to a degree, potential. Indeed, some dogs have more bite power than others, but listing a breed as ‘dangerous’ is just plain stupid.
At least they put that little note on the end- “Dogs most often make wonderful pets, however in certain circumstances, any type of dog can be dangerous. Even friendly dogs, can inflict great harm in the wrong circumstance.”
April 10th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Because people are stupid and can’t tell a german shepherd from a collie.
put yourself in their position though…if your being attacked by a dog would you really care to observe the body structure and determine what breed it is?
also, alot of dog attacks aren’t reported unless serious harm has been done.
also, german shepherds have the second strongest bite (they come after rotties).
April 10th, 2011 at 11:33 pm
All dogs can be dangerous. Bad owners make bad dogs. A lot of the time the media hype turns mutts and x’s into purebreds and the ones they can’t identify usually end up as either Shepherds, Rotts, Dobes or Pits. Your dog already loves your child and would give its life to protect it. We have 3 dogs in this category and they are great with, and loved by all the neighbourhoods children except those who have abused them in the past. Children need to be taught how to act appropriately around all dogs, yet when they don’t and the dog feels it needs to defend itself, the dog always gets the blame. You have a great family dog, don’t listen to the hype
April 11th, 2011 at 12:22 am
I agree that they are unfairly misjudged,but they ARE extremely smart dogs and have a high prey drive.They are also often kept by the wrong people – people who encourage them to be aggressive,who want a “watchdog.” They too often end up on the end of a chain or locked in a junkyard and these type of dogs receive no socialization or excessive.There are also poorly bred dogs that have inherently bad temperaments.But as a whole,I think the GSD is one of the nicest breeds.I have had two and several mixes and they have all been very sweet dogs who loved kids and never bit anyone. I love the breed and I,personally,have never met a mean GSD.
“German Shepherds are often thought of as mean or aggressive. This misconception arises from their fierce loyalty. Properly trained and socialized, German Shepherds make wonderful family pets. It is important that you establish yourself from day one as the alpha dog in the relationship, making sure the dog does not usurp your dominant position. The dog’s intelligence and eagerness to please makes him easy to train. Positive training methods must be used. Trying to train a German Shepherd by punishing him when he doesn’t react to your commands results only in the dog becoming stubborn about disobeying you. Once you have established the proper pecking order, the dog will protect you to his death. And he is likely to come out the winner in nearly any battle. His strong scissors bite can produce up to 1200 pounds per square inch of pressure. This is not a dog you want to have angry at you. However, the dog is not naturally aggressive. With “nice” strangers, he may be aloof, but he will not lash out unless he senses danger to his home or family.”
http://doggies.com/German_Shepherd_Dog
April 11th, 2011 at 1:16 am
their just big and they have muscle, anything that a human cannot control they fear. german shepherds if not raised correctly can do a lot of damage. i have 2 germans and yes they are super sweet, but they’re powerful. Also german shepherds i think have like the second strongest bite pressure, meaning yes a bite can seriously harm you.
April 11th, 2011 at 1:39 am
i can understand why german Shepard’s are on the top 10 most dangerous dog list because i too have a shepard who is 6 at the time and i have noticed that over the years he has become more and more aggressive but he is only aggressive with people that come to the door that he dose not know and the dog next door which is a rotti he dose not get along with but with people that he knows like friends of mine and my parents and other family members he will show them where the jewelry box is. hes a complete mush
April 11th, 2011 at 2:33 am
Breed popularity often comes along with horrible breeding/genetics and ignorant and/or inexperienced owners.
People that have never had experience with a German Shepherd Dog purchase one because they are popular and they are easy to acquire. Petstores and BYBs take advantage of the breed’s popularity by supplying puppies to fit the demand of the puppy buyers. The GSD puppies acquired from these stores are irresponsibly bred and suffer from temperamental and developmental flaws. Oftentimes they are fearful, aggressive or simply do not behave as a well bred dog would. As they age they may resort to biting. Poor genetics can lead to a number of problems and GSDs that are irresponsibly bred often WILL and DO have problems.
Another factor associated with GSD bite incidents is ignorance and/or inexperience on the owner’s part. GSDs are not a good choice for first time dog owners. They are intelligent, active, demanding dogs that NEED both a job and extensive soialization. So now these first time puppy buyers purchase a GSD with no prior experience with the breed. They allow it to get away with behaviors that worsen as the dog ages, eventually developing into more problematic behavioral problems such as biting. The owner’s inability to handle their dog properly from a young age leads to the dog being an aggressive and unpredictable adult dog.
The number one dog breed surrendered to my local shelter are GSD mixes. GSDs are a popular breed and as you’ve stated they are ranked the third most popular dog in the U.S.A. It’s ironic that the reason these dogs are so popular is their temperament, adaptability and behaviors and in fact due to this popularity the dogs produced are lacking in ALL of those departments. America fell in love with the well bred German Shepherd Dog and has turned the breed into trash.
Popularity can ruin a breed. Irresponsible breeders and owners buy a GSD puppy and do not have the knowledge needed to raise that puppy to be a well rounded adult dog. Who suffers in the end? The breed!!
Be thankful for the dog that you have. I’m sure that he’s a great companion. There certainly ARE GSDs out there that are great dogs, but media and irresponsibility often overshadow the good points of a breed.