Terriers, Is aggresiveness bred into them? - Paw Talk

terrylynnn9 · #1 05-01-2006, 02:05 AM

A few years back I took my dog to the vet for an ear infection and was telling the vet how very aggresive my dog can be when things don't happen the way he thinks they should. Won't let me cut his nails or clip the hair away from his butt, sometimes I have to muzzle him to cut his nails. The only thing that affects him as far as punishment goes is shunning, If you yell or move too fast he freaks out and I think hes going to have a heart attack or something. My vet says part of the reason for this is because a long time ago, terriers who competed in some kind of a dog show, had to face off with their opponent and whichever dog backed down did not get to be in the contest, so they bred the aggression into them, Has anyone else heard this explanation?

Vanilla_Rat · #2 05-01-2006, 11:45 PM

Hmmm...I never heard of that before! Not saying that it isn't true, but I never heard of it.Terriers (most anyway) were bred as ratters.The pitbull terrier was bred to fight...different breeds had different purposes.

I know some very sweet terriers and terrier mixes, so I doubt that all have this "aggressive" trait.

stuieboo · #3 05-04-2006, 06:14 AM

Staffordshire Bull Terriers were bred to fight, which is why they can havea temeramental streak, but these days alot of a dogs temperament depends on how it is bought up. The fact that most Terriers were bred to be agressive in some way or another, be it fighting or ratting, means that have retained some of that agression even through selective breeding.

Terriers are renowned for bieng a handful, but in my experience it jsut depends on the owner.

CTChin · #4 05-06-2006, 11:56 AM

Terriers need a fair but FIRM owner. Lessons need to be taught from puppyhood. If the terrier feels he is in control in his house, you will tend to see this behavior more. They are definitely feisty but should never be aggressive. If that were the case, all the groomers for the show terrier dogs would have severely bit up hands LOL

Chinchilla_Girl · #5 05-06-2006, 01:26 PM

Aggression CAN be bred in, but it isn't as simple as some may think. As far as terriers go, certain traits were bred for depending on their duties. For instance Rattiers were bred NOT to be aggressive, but to be stubborn. No matter what, they wouldn't give up going after their prey. Bully breeds were not bred to be aggressive either. They were not originally bred to "fight" as someone else posted. They were bred to be stubborn because their duties were to keep bulls busy so ranchers could tend to the cattle. The stubborness comes in because if the dog were to get tired or stop picking on the bull and distracting him from the rancher, the rancher could be in a world of hurt from a bull protecting his females. Later, due to the stubborness of the breed, pit fighting came out as a sport. The dogs wouldn't give up and therefore made good fighters. That is where the term "pitbull" came from.
Stubborn, but not AGGRESSIVE was the key to a good terrier. The ranchers needed to be able to call off their dogs when their work with the cattle was done. Same thing with the fighters. In both fields, a dog that showed aggression to the owner or tried to attack a human was immediately put down. The owners needed to be able to control the dog in order for it to do the work required. Terriers are stubborn breeds. Many terriers refuse to let you groom or cut nails and do such things and they will make it as difficult as possible because they just won't give up and want YOU to give up first, placing themselves higher in the pack than you are. Like someone else said, with a terrier, YOU have to be in control, and terriers need a FIRM but fair owner. It's not aggression, it's stubborness and a battle of wills. A lot if not all of this behavior can be nipped in the bud as puppies. You just give them no choice and that's all there is to it. If you give a terrier an inch, they'll take the whole golf course!

Vanilla_Rat · #6 05-06-2006, 07:30 PM

Well said Chinchilla_Girl...

My family has a terrier mix,sure what else he has in him, but it is mainly terrier.Fiesty is a good word to use for terriers, but Coco is not fiesty...however he is sometimes stubborn and at 8 yrs old, he is still very active and playful!

GeishaGirl · #7 05-07-2006, 11:26 PM

I LOVE COCO!! He is the smartest, sweetest dog I know!! He can do pretty much ANYTHING!! I want a doggy like him!!

We have a doggie, Kaysie, she is Shitsu(*Spelling)/Terrier mix, she can be stubborn but not aggressive!! But she is now around 7-8 years now I cant remember off hand. She knows a few tricks but not much.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vanilla_Rat


	Well said Chinchilla_Girl... My family has a terrier mix,sure what else he has in him, but it is mainly terrier.Fiesty is a good word to use for terriers, but Coco is not fiesty...however he is sometimes stubborn and at 8 yrs old, he is still very active and playful!

Vanilla_Rat · #8 05-08-2006, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeishaGirl


	I LOVE COCO!! He is the smartest, sweetest dog I know!! He can do pretty much ANYTHING!! I want a doggy like him!! We have a doggie, Kaysie, she is Shitsu(*Spelling)/Terrier mix, she can be stubborn but not aggressive!! But she is now around 7-8 years now I cant remember off hand. She knows a few tricks but not much.

Hehe...Coco actually don't know as much as some dogs...he can do all the basic things, as well as roll-over,shake paw,dance...etc...

There are two beagles here in Beagle Paws who know well over 60 commands and both were clicker trained.One of them is blind, just goes to show you how smart dogs are, even with a disability!