Post by RealPitBull on Dec 29, 2008 12:25:14 GMT -5
Vicious gene can be bred out of dogs
by Andrew Fraser
The Daily Telegraph
December 22, 2008 12:00am
ROTTWEILERS aren't that different from people after all - at least when it comes to the divide between nature and nurture.
Dutch research has stoked an argument about whether the dogs are born aggressive and if so, whether it can be bred out of them.
A program being implemented in Holland after a rottweiler killed a woman suggests that aggression can be bred out of dogs, a victory for nature.
But local breeders plump for nurture, telling The Australian that training is all-important.
"Show me a nasty rottweiler and I'll show you a nasty owner," said Ian McLean, president of the Queensland Rottweiler Association.
The argument comes just days after Australian celebrity Jodhi Meares' mourned the loss of her pet rottweiler Tenzin, who died of bone cancer, after being a loyal companion for more than eight years.
The Dutch scheme, designed to prevent badly behaved dogs from reproducing, appears to be changing the character of the animals, making them easier-going, giving a boost to the nature side of the debate.
Joanne van der Borg, who researched the program at Wageningen University, said: "The dogs born into this program are much better behaved. There is a strong genetic element to aggression and it is possible that this is being bred out."
Under the scheme, pedigree rottweilers have to pass a "docility" test to measure how fast they turn nasty. Any dogs that fail are refused pedigree certificates and owners are asked not to breed from them.
Ms Borg questioned more than 800 rottweiler owners about their pets' behaviour. The results showed that about 16 per cent of the non-pedigree dogs were aggressive to strangers while just 7per cent of the pedigree group were. Such changes after only eight years imply that it should be possible to reduce aggression further.
Proponents of the system claim it has created two distinct rottweiler populations in Holland, with 7000 dogs that have passed the test and a similar number that have failed.
But Mr McLean said yesterday the biggest influence on a rottweiler's behaviour was its environment. "There's a lot of rubbish spoken about rottweilers, " he said. "They're not born aggressive, but they are stubborn and headstrong.
"If I take my dogs to a park or a beach or anywhere in public, the public is absolutely safe. But it's a different story in my backyard. In most cases when people get bitten, it's more about the dog protecting property than being aggressive."
Mr McLean said that people who took rottweiler puppies and failed to train them often found themselves "ruled by dog", as they tended to assume the alpha male role unless strongly discouraged.
There were nine reported attacks by rottweilers in NSW in the most recent year, but the most aggressive dog was the Staffordshire, a type of dog that attacked 18 people, and the Mastiff cross, a species responsible for 11 attacks.
www.news. com.au/entertain ment/story/ 0,28383,24833008 -5007185, 00.html
by Andrew Fraser
The Daily Telegraph
December 22, 2008 12:00am
ROTTWEILERS aren't that different from people after all - at least when it comes to the divide between nature and nurture.
Dutch research has stoked an argument about whether the dogs are born aggressive and if so, whether it can be bred out of them.
A program being implemented in Holland after a rottweiler killed a woman suggests that aggression can be bred out of dogs, a victory for nature.
But local breeders plump for nurture, telling The Australian that training is all-important.
"Show me a nasty rottweiler and I'll show you a nasty owner," said Ian McLean, president of the Queensland Rottweiler Association.
The argument comes just days after Australian celebrity Jodhi Meares' mourned the loss of her pet rottweiler Tenzin, who died of bone cancer, after being a loyal companion for more than eight years.
The Dutch scheme, designed to prevent badly behaved dogs from reproducing, appears to be changing the character of the animals, making them easier-going, giving a boost to the nature side of the debate.
Joanne van der Borg, who researched the program at Wageningen University, said: "The dogs born into this program are much better behaved. There is a strong genetic element to aggression and it is possible that this is being bred out."
Under the scheme, pedigree rottweilers have to pass a "docility" test to measure how fast they turn nasty. Any dogs that fail are refused pedigree certificates and owners are asked not to breed from them.
Ms Borg questioned more than 800 rottweiler owners about their pets' behaviour. The results showed that about 16 per cent of the non-pedigree dogs were aggressive to strangers while just 7per cent of the pedigree group were. Such changes after only eight years imply that it should be possible to reduce aggression further.
Proponents of the system claim it has created two distinct rottweiler populations in Holland, with 7000 dogs that have passed the test and a similar number that have failed.
But Mr McLean said yesterday the biggest influence on a rottweiler's behaviour was its environment. "There's a lot of rubbish spoken about rottweilers, " he said. "They're not born aggressive, but they are stubborn and headstrong.
"If I take my dogs to a park or a beach or anywhere in public, the public is absolutely safe. But it's a different story in my backyard. In most cases when people get bitten, it's more about the dog protecting property than being aggressive."
Mr McLean said that people who took rottweiler puppies and failed to train them often found themselves "ruled by dog", as they tended to assume the alpha male role unless strongly discouraged.
There were nine reported attacks by rottweilers in NSW in the most recent year, but the most aggressive dog was the Staffordshire, a type of dog that attacked 18 people, and the Mastiff cross, a species responsible for 11 attacks.
www.news. com.au/entertain ment/story/ 0,28383,24833008 -5007185, 00.html
I look forward to learning much here