I’ve been watching an interesting thread on a dog forum with pro-bull breeds and anti-bull breeds ‘discussing’ whether these dogs make good family pets. This has been my response today…
Its the age-old question of nature v nurture. BOTH should be considered in the temperament of a dog (or any animal). Breeds historically (and currently, tragically) bred for fighting will have had the most 'gamey' specimens used for selected breeding and this will be a factor in their temperament down the line unless those characteristics have been specifically bred out.
However, what most people forget is that it is just as easily achieved to 'breed in' aggression with dogs that were never used for fighting, simply by naive breeders selecting for aesthetics rather than soundness of temperament. I have temperament assessed and worked with many dogs of differing breeds over the years and believe me, there are some breeds and lines of dogs previously known for their docility that are becoming more prone to display aggression, yet it's only the stereotyped breeds that make the headlines...
