Summary: Acculturation – Perceptions of Breed Differences in Behaviour of the Dog

This article came to my attention from various sources all claiming it was brand new and exciting information that would change the breed specific legislation.

It is a well written research article presented by The University of Lincoln, a place known for its research into canine behaviour and dog owners.

The study aims to explore the perception of breed specific behaviour in dogs, their is the assumption that people will a more limited contact with dogs will be more likely to accept breed stereotypes that arise from other experience and media portrayal.

There many reasons why an individual dog may have a certain personality, breeding and socialisation are the main reasons I put forward in an argument. More simply nature and nurture will define how a dog, and how a human behaves. But it has been recognised that there is greater variation within a breed then between breeds.

The questionnaire was handed to people in North London, including those in an amateur football club, residents, vets, rescue centre and students at the University of Lincoln. This was to provide a large variation in the responses to the survey.

The results found that respondents that were knowledgeable disagreed 54.4% of the time that some breeds are more aggressive than others, with only 15.3% of non dog experts saying the same thing. Linked with this, a similar percentage of dog knowledgeable  people also disagreed that breed specific legislation was valid.

Many of the respondents agreed that physical appearance of the dog type provides reliable information concerning its behaviour. These respondents say dogs as having no role or saw them as pets rather than family members.

The sample size was limited, but enough generalisations could be made to have some statistical significance. As the differences in the small sample size how a large effect, if their was a national survey their would be just as much variation, but it more statistical significance to back up the results.

The crux of their argument is the Contact Hypothesis, which proposes that when an individual comes into contact with another, they are able to understand their differences in culture, prejudices and stereotypes, which should reduce discrimination. This led to the idea that instead of dogs being banned, thus removing people from dogs. Instead of removing people from dogs, instead we should be introducing all people to dogs, teaching them about all breeds, as those with more experience of dogs found no use for the legislation. It hopes to reduce the breed specific ideas that are not founded upon evidence.

Visibal characteristics of the dog were found to generate attitudes in people, creating over-generalisation. Those with heavy muscles and short hair were more often assumed to be more dangerous by people without dog knowledge. It is worth mentioning it was not just bull breeds that were chosen to fit this criteria, other breeds can fit the criteria.

Their is an attraction to certain breeds based on their appearance, this part of the attraction to certain status dogs, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy (A prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true) about their behaviour through nature/environment rather than nature/genetic effects.

Would the feature of this breed make you think aggression or danger? For many that have no experience with dogs I am sure the answer is yes, but those with experience with the breed would tell you no. They are huge soft lumps, but can be trained to be more aggressive. Experience is involved in everything humans do, including the perception of canine companions.

Science Daily concluded that Breed Specific Legislation as mentioned in the paper, is not protecting people but lulling them into a false sense of security.

The article can be accessed from the Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, you need membership to read it but the membership is free. There are also other great articles on it. It is a new bulletin, that should prove to be a useful place to keep up to date with research.

Web page : http://www.apa-hai.org/human-animal-interaction/human-animal-interaction-bulletin/

Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131202082414.htm

Banned Dog Breeds In The UK

In the UK there are 4 breeds of dog that are banned from being owned.

It is illegal to own, breed, or sell these breeds within the UK.  The breeds are stated in the Dangerous Dog Act, this legislation controls the breeds which are banned and criteria for which dogs are considered dangerous.

These breeds were banned due to their strength and involvement with fighting and being a danger to the public. They all have incredible PSI pressure in their jaw and can lock them and hold on for hours.

The most well known banned breed is the Pit Bull Terrier, 

This is often used in the UK as fighting dogs due to their power and compact size, they also resemble a Staffordshire Terrier so can pass for a legal breed. They are easily imported from Europe into Ireland and then into the UK, often coming in a Labrador crosses.

As a breed they love people and are incredibly loyal, this means they are often used as weapon dogs for gangs. They can make loving pets but just like any dog they can cause anyone harm.

The Pit Bull Terrier is deemed to be of type,  this means the police to have the power to seize any dog deemed to be “Pit Bull Type”, they can keep this dog and measure it to critera deciding if it is of type. There are three outcomes after this,  it is not of type, it is of type and put to sleep or it is of type and can be registered to DEFRA after the owner has taken the decision to court.

In some cases dogs that have been purchased accidentally or are deemed not to be a threat can be registered with DEFRA where they have to be chipped, tattooed and walked on a short lead and muzzle when in public (This includes inside a car). If  a registered dog is ever thought to be dangerous in any way it can be put down without owner consent, as it can be deemed a threat to the public.

The next dog on the list is the Japanese Tosa,

This dog was banned in the UK for it fighting history in Japan, it like all the other breeds can be owned if in accordance with the Dangerous Dogs Act. They can be great pets but due to their size and wariness of strangers they are hard dogs to own, they need early socialization and lots of constant training to keep in check.

The third on the list is the Dogo Argentino,

This dog was originally bred for hunting game such as wild boar and puma. This means it needed to be powerful and independent, these characteristics are still in the breed today making it a powerful and intelligent dog. It is a pack hunting dog, meaning it works well with other dogs to hunt, but this also means they are very easy to get into a frenzy and can be dangerous when kept by inexperienced owners. They are always white.

The last on the list is the Fila Braziliero, 

This breed of dog is obviously a mastiff type and is known for its aggressiveness and skill in tracking. It makes it a brilliant protection dog, but due to its size and over aggressiveness it can be a dangerous and hard to handle weapon. Anyone who owned this dog would need experience with the breed and always be alert to what the dog was alert to to avoid any accidents. Its size can also be a problem, they are large powerful dogs that can damage any handler.

All these breeds were banned because of the general idea of the breed, often now many dogs are punished because of their breed. Many dogs can be similar to their breed but with the cross breeding and line breeding that goes on these days temperaments are changing as dogs become more pets that working animals. Some people are breeding them as pets where as others are breeding them to increase the natural breed aggression for their own personal gain for fighting, guarding and protection of themselves with no care for how the breed is getting destroyed and type cast.

Images: http://animaltheory.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/american-pitbull-terrier.html

http://www.dog-breeds-expert.com/Japanese-Tosa.html

http://puppydogweb.com/caninebreeds/dogo.htm

http://dogable.net/fila-brasileiro/

Government Information: https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public/banned-dogs

Are “Status” Dogs What People Think?

It has been found that youths are keeping dogs for companionship more than anything.
People often think that bull type dogs such as Staffs or Bull dogs are kept to protect certain items or personal protection, but the young people that are living in a more violet Britain are using them as a companion not as an object. The dogs are more than a weapon, they are a friend who will not judge them or use them for things that do not want to do. A dog does not blame them for things or expect them to do illegal things, they are happy when you are happy and worried when you are sad. I dog is always on your side.

Although these people love their dogs they still abuse them, but this through lack of knowledge and I should imagine frustration at other things in their life. Dogs will probably bare the brunt of some things but they are still loved by their owners.

Its another reason, not to judge a book by its cover.

I personally think that the dogs are a companion to the people who are lost, and its not to lonely being lost with a dog. They are joining gangs young and need something in their life that is truly theirs, and because they can be aggressive to others they know that the dog cannot be taken from them, it is loyal to them. Something which they may not encounter with people. They need these dogs as much as any other person needs their dogs as friends and confidants.

After attending “Dog Law Unleashed” and listening to the author of “Unleashed” talk about the violence and love of the owners of banned breeds, fighting dogs and money breeding, that sometimes the dogs are more than just weapons they are part of the gang. They are their own member having their own status within the gang.

But some are used as weapons as many assume, but not to the extent the media portrays. The dogs are doing what their nature tells them to do, protect their pack. Protect themselves. It is natural for them to attack others as they only know their owners, they do not know they are harming others for profit, scaremongering and to kill.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110616092535.htm

Image: http://www.28mm.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Main.png

Book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Unleashed-Phenomena-Status-Dogs-Weapon/dp/1447300270