i'll try this again hanta yo (the wind's blowing so hard that it's screwing up the internet), but i was trying to say that it's funny how people have their notions about breeds of animals--ANY kind! i was talking with the guys at work about dogs a few years back and finally, one of the asked me "if you hate all these breeds so much, why do you have 2 dogs?" my reply was that there ARE a few good ones out there, and it's not so much the dog's fault as the owners. like FH says, it takes time, kindness, firmness (but not abuse). and too many people have NO control over their dog, really treat them like babies, and the dog takes advantage. they ARE smart! and the most dangerous animal is a canine, of the guard/protective breeds that have owners that just teach them "sic 'em". and there is nothing worse than a badly bred Rott, and there are a LOT of them around.
a breed's popularity is ALWAYS followed by puppy-mills, bad breeding, "incidents", a fall from popularity and a return to well-bred dogs bred by reputable breeders.
now you have me on my soapbox :!:
i have to go to bed (need my beauty sleep for what it's worth :wink: ), but i was raised with dogs, worked as a vet tech at a small animal clinic, and i could tell some horror stories about "family" type breeds of dogs. my german dogs have NEVER been overly aggressive, merely good protectors, and i have always been notified if someone is around. that's it. notified. as a matter of fact, i have a yellow lab cross right now that, if i didn't know her and pulled onto the property, i wouldn't get out of the rig--she's one of those sneak around behind you and maybe nail you dogs. my doberman would just get in the truck and go with you, never a hackle raised, maybe a bark til he got down to the driveway. but he HATES coyotes and will absolutely go bananas when they get close.
i guess the bottom line is, that with a well-bred dog, raised in a respectful manner (i.e., ME being alpha) any dog can be a good one. it's those, like your drug-dealing neighbor's rotts, which are badly bred, with dumb-a$$ owners, that give a breed a bad name. i better stop, but thanks for listening. i just hope you can appreciate my point of view! lol later