Dogs often make headlines for causing harm and even death towards humans. Are certain dog breeds innately more dangerous and violent than other dog breeds? Or are the owners of these dogs to blame, improperly socializing and disciplining their dogs? The answer is usually a combination of both when it comes to psychology, but I believe the nurturing and restraining of a dog is more important than their innate nature.

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Animals will be animals, no matter what. Innately, animals will attack and defend humans and other animals when they feel threatened or their owners feel threatened. Even the most disciplined dog may have a moment where it lacks restraint and harms someone.

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This is seen in every civil court case, where the law looks at the behavior of the dog owner. If an owner is negligent in keeping their dog chained up or kept in its fence and it results in the dog harming or killing someone, then that dog owner is held responsible. It is illogical to sue a dog, so the responsibility of the human becomes vital in these kinds of cases.

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However, much like humans, a dog's nature and personality can be properly controlled with appropriate socialization and disciplining.

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Certain dog breeds such as pit bulls get a bad wrap when it comes to violent tendencies. Pit bulls are innately muscular and are guard dogs. They are even completely banned in some cities and parks. If left to their own devices, they are likely to hurt others because of their muscular build and protective nature. A responsible owner teaches discipline and uses teaching techniques like reinforcement and punishment to combat their dog’s possibly aggressive tendencies. Just like a human baby, if they are taught proper managing and coping skills, then the dogs will lead a mostly peaceful and tame life. If a baby isn’t properly taught how to behave, then they are likely to become monsters.

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And also just like humans, individual dogs have varying personalities. This is why generalizing groups of people and breeds is usually a bad idea and often inaccurate. Some dogs are innately nice and passive, some are innately mean and aggressive. Some pit bulls are passive lapdogs that wouldn’t hurt a fly. Some are aggressive guard dogs, these are the ones that often appear on TV news for harming a person or another animal. On average, this is why proper teaching and socializing almost always properly curbs potentially dangerous individual dog personality traits. A dog breed should not be discriminated against because of a few irresponsible dog owners. We don’t discriminate against kids in public areas because they could be potentially dangerous. Some could have the potential to have at risk personality traits and poor socialization from their parents. Yet, we let everyone roam free (as we should).

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It makes sense to not allow pets in certain areas, as people need to be productive without the distraction of an animal. But breeds should not be singled out, as the owner is at fault if they failed to socialize and restrain their pets. The law takes care of the irresponsible owners in civil court case, anyways. I say we don’t stigmatize certain dog breeds, but look at the owners and analyze what they did wrong.