[Kosfactor]

How many of you are in a spot of bother with this so called 'Ban' of 23 breeds of dogs?

Here in Karnataka the high court has provided some relief albeit temporarily.

Link for The Hindu news article.

As guard dogs you need some of these at home \ farm etc.

[mugen_pinaki27]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

How many of you are in a spot of bother with this so called 'Ban' of 23 breeds of dogs?

Here in Karnataka the high court has provided some relief albeit temporarily.

Link for The Hindu news article.

As guard dogs you need some of these at home \ farm etc.

While I do agree that cases of dog bites have been on the rise, there was no concrete data given in the notification calling for the banning of "ferocious dogs". No patterns were analyzed. Education, rather than prohibition, would have been more welcome here. The Karnataka Government does seem to be comprised of rational individuals in this matter.

In my colony, there was this notification to prevent littering due to dog shit:

"If your dog wants to poop,
You have to pick up the scoop"

Constant reinforcement led to a noticeable drop in littering.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

How many of you are in a spot of bother with this so called 'Ban' of 23 breeds of dogs?

Having lived and grown-up almost all of my life with Dogs, I can definitely say there is nothing called as ferocious dogs. But all have different traits/personalities and they can be trained and toned/mellowed down with proper professional training and care, even if they have Territorial, Protective, Possessive, Fear, Defensive, Predatory aggression. They mostly become aggressive only by human behavior towards them.

And anyway, this diktat clearly goes against the IPC laws for animals, good the courts turned it down, they should rather think of neutering/spaying, banning illegal breeding to stop the stray menace rather than banning them.

They are truly stress busters, I believe, everyone should have one at home, then only such myths can be busted. And kids growing around animals have empathy "towards animals" engrained in their life and they aren’t scared of them, rather they respect their co-existence.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by NomadSK

Having lived and grown-up almost all of my life with Dogs, I can definitely say there is nothing called as ferocious dogs. But all have different traits/personalities and they can be trained and toned/mellowed down with proper professional training and care...

I agree and I love dogs, I've had dogs for most of my life too.

But there is growing irresponsible dog ownership. All over, people are getting fancy breeds like Huskies that have no business in our weather. And they have no clue how to behave responsibly with them. The dogs aren't socialized, they have separation anxiety and bark the whole day, disturbing the neighbors. They take them out to poop all over and don't bother to pick it up. And a noticeable number of illegal dog breeders are springing up to cater to this requirement for fancy dog breeds. I don't think this kind of dog owner is going to invest in professional dog training.

So, agree that this measure is a typical knee-jerk attempt at regulation, but some form of regulation is certainly required.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by am1m

I agree and I love dogs, I've had dogs for most of my life too.

But there is growing irresponsible dog ownership. All over, people are getting fancy breeds like Huskies that have no business in our weather. And they have no clue how to behave responsibly with them. The dogs aren't socialized, they have separation anxiety and bark the whole day, disturbing the neighbors. They take them out to poop all over and don't bother to pick it up. And a noticeable number of illegal dog breeders are springing up to cater to this requirement for fancy dog breeds. I don't think this kind of dog owner is going to invest in professional dog training.

Very true. There was someone on this thread asking about a specific breed that requires large space/land like a farmhouse; and his counter argument was that the gated complex he lives in has a lot of "space" for the dog.

On top of that, a lot of these folks who keep these foreign breeds, have their maids/staff to take care of the dogs for walks, etc. So it's no wonder the dogs don't end up as the good "household" pet that one thinks of.

I pity those poor dogs; if you ask me, I hope this ban gets re-stated soon. There was some logic / impact I could perceive in it.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

How many of you are in a spot of bother with this so called 'Ban' of 23 breeds of dogs?

The list of dog breeds:
"Pitbull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Central Asian Shepherd Dog, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, South Russian Shepherd Dog, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Japanese Tosa and Akita, Mastiffs, Rottweiler, Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Wolf Dogs, Canario, Akbash, Moscow Guard, Cane Corso, and every dog of the type commonly known as a Ban Dog (or Bandog)."

I have not even heard of some of these breeds! Rotts, Pitbulls, Bulldogs and Mastiffs are all i know from this list.

Pitbulls have quite the bad reputation, but instead of banning maybe have stringent licensing requirement for these dogs?

Not owning these particular breeds such a bad thing?

Just curious.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by am1m

But there is growing irresponsible dog ownership.

Yes, I have seen this inherent issue and the worst is when I see dog owners don't have empathy for other humans.

A simple analogy, we have irresponsible drivers on our roads, do we ban cars or penalize the drivers?

Hence, make a law to penalize the irresponsible pet owner, rather than banning any breed. That’s what I would think.

Anyway, here is Raja Rani and Shehzada, they can’t come inside the house as inside predators (dogs) are ready to pounce on them or chase them out, so they get their cat food and water outside. Although not a cat person, but have slowly started falling towards them.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

I have not even heard of some of these breeds! Rotts, Pitbulls, Bulldogs and Mastiffs are all i know from this list.

Pitbulls have quite the bad reputation, but instead of banning maybe have stringent licensing requirement for these dogs?

Not owning these particular breeds such a bad thing?

Just curious.

See it's like why do we need a BMW when a Mercedes or Audi would do , car forum we are in by the way

You do not need to teach a German Shepherd to be alert, it already knows and it will most likely be around your gate. You don't need to teach a Rottweiler to guard your family, it already knows, if won't leave your sight or sound.

Different characters they are is what I have come to know.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

You do not need to teach a German Shepherd to be alert... You don't need to teach a Rottweiler to guard your family...

I grew up with dogs, but became a cat person as soon as I left home, so I am not really able to talk breed by breed. But yes, surely, different breeds are inclined to different behaviours. In fact, those behaviours may well be the conscious results of selective breeding.

One difference between dogs can be their physical strength and inclination. Some bite with great power; some will not let go.

There is a difference. Some dogs have a lower attack threshold; some dogs will do more damage when they do attack.

All these things combine to say that, yes, some dogs are more dangerous. Some may not be suitable to even be urban/family pets.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Very true. There was someone on this thread asking about a specific breed that requires large space/land like a farmhouse; and his counter argument was that the gated complex he lives in has a lot of "space" for the dog.

On top of that, a lot of these folks who keep these foreign breeds, have their maids/staff to take care of the dogs for walks, etc. So it's no wonder the dogs don't end up as the good "household" pet that one thinks of.

I pity those poor dogs; if you ask me, I hope this ban gets re-stated soon. There was some logic / impact I could perceive in it.

This is so true. Back in 2022 I was visiting someone in a posh locality in Pune and as I was walking towards my car I noticed a big fur-ball moving awkwardly under a tree with almost 20-25 feet long leash held by what looked like a private security guard wearing uniform. Dog was trying to avoid the sun.
I was startled for a moment but as I approached, it was husky with incredible blue grey eyes. Started talking with the person holding the leash and learned that the dog spent 90% of his time in an airconditioned room and that he had other huskies as his friends in the same colony.

But you know what was worse? The poor dog was also wearing "booties" on his paws which was his owners idea to not get germs from the street in his foreign body since he would lick the paws all the time. It was December so still relatively cool but I pitied that dog. Imagine a breed that relishes in snow and needs major running around, living his life in 40 degree c.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

See it's like why do we need a BMW when a Mercedes or Audi would do , car forum we are in by the way

Yep, and that's the reason most of these fancy dog breeds are becoming popular, they have become the new status symbols, like cars. Whether a living creature should be acquired/treated as such is something we need to ask ourselves.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

You don't need to teach a Rottweiler to guard your family, it already knows, if won't leave your sight or sound.

Yep, certain dog breeds were selectively bred for certain functions and they are predisposed towards that. Which is why a breed that was 'designed' to be a fierce guard dog can also be predisposed in temperament to attack the neighbors when cooped up in a small house/flat all day in the city.

I was astonished by how much exercise our Labrador required just to keep him healthy. (I didn't buy the dog, it was a rescue dog who had been passed on across 4 households because the "owners couldn't handle him anymore".) Then I read up and realized that this is a breed meant to run across fields, plunge into icy waters and bring back (retriever) game birds. So no wonder they become morbidly obese and bark all day when restricted in cities. Yet the breed is so popular because they are 'cute'.

If I ever get a dog, again, it'll be a street pup, perfectly suited for our conditions and more than adequate for any 'protection' I'll need in a city.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by am1m

a breed meant to run across fields, plunge into icy waters and bring back (retriever) game birds.

Icy waters might have been an option, but if I remember correctly, Labrador/Retrievers would be more likely to retrieve a bird shot from the air, on dry land.

I'm English. But I was never part of that scene in any way, by social class, wealth or inclination. But my family had two golden retrievers during my childhood. Walking the dogs was not a thing in our family. We had enough space around the house: they were let out and expected to entertain themselves. As was I, as an only child

Part of the bred-in nature of a retriever is that it holds things in its mouth gently. It's no good if the bird is brought back mangled. But as a child playing child/puppy games with them, I can say that my arms and hands were often covered in tooth impressions! No actual harm intended or meant. But if parents are going to get dogs, especially puppies, to live with their children, it is no good being squeamish about this stuff.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Part of the bred-in nature of a retriever is that it holds things in its mouth gently. It's no good if the bird is brought back mangled.

I can imagine. I used to wonder how sensitive the lips of GSD is every time I give him his tablet by hand. He would carefully take the tablet without chewing my fingers.

Here's how a dog's sensitive lips play a role in sensing things like human hands or a bone:

1. Sense of Touch: Dogs have a lot of sensory receptors in their lips, which helps them feel textures and shapes. This sensitivity allows them to distinguish between different objects based on how they feel. For example, a bone may have a rough, bumpy texture compared to the smoothness of a human hand.
2. Temperature and Moisture: Dogs can also detect temperature and moisture variations through their lips. A bone might feel cold and dry, while a human hand would be warmer and perhaps more moist.
3. Pressure and Movement: A dog's lips are capable of sensing pressure and movement. When a dog touches an object with its lips, it can feel if the object is hard, soft, sharp, or moving. This helps them determine what the object is and how to interact with it.
4. Whiskers: Additionally, dogs have whiskers around their muzzle that are connected to nerve endings. These whiskers, known as vibrissae, are extremely sensitive to touch and vibrations. They help dogs navigate in low light, detect nearby objects, and sense changes in their environment.

So, a dog's lips are indeed sensitive enough to differentiate between the feel of a human hand and a bone. They can gather a lot of information about an object just by touching it with their lips and whiskers, helping them decide whether it's something they want to investigate further, play with, chew on, or ignore.

[PradoGdr88]

The actual trouble is not the dogs but Homo Sapiens, every dog is unique as its master. A person who knows how to treat, train and live with a dog will not have any trouble with any breeds. With every pet there is a learning curve to be met for its owner. You need time, patience and commitment to understand and adapt. During Covid times there was a spike in pet ownership largely because people had a lot of time which was mistaken for patience and commitment. Now what you see in news is the after effect of Homo Sapiens going wrong and not the dogs. Can the Government correct it? yes it has to when the trouble gathers noise. But the sad part of bureaucracy is that it lacks practicality.

Introduce mandatory training for owners with dogs more than 15 kgs (random number but you get the ploy – big dogs) introduce pet tax, mandate pet insurance and fine people when the dogs are not on leash. Then you will see people learning a thing or two about commitment. Same has to happen with these black-market breeders. Pet ownership might reduce but so will animal cruelty.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by PradoGdr88

Same has to happen with these black-market breeders. Pet ownership might reduce but so will animal cruelty.

This is a growing problem in Bangalore. You'll see huge dogs, Huskies, St Bernards, Rotties, etc being kept in various localities where there are very modest dwellings and kept in small spaces. Obviously it's a source of income for some people there.

Not only in such cases, upper-middle class people are also resorting to illegal dog breeding as an easy source of income. I know a couple who breed Labbies in my neighborhood and kennel the dogs that bark all day. When I had a Lab, I got a call from a lady who asked me "how much I wanted" to cross my Lab with her's, even after I told her that my Lab had hip dysplasia and that it wouldn't be responsible to propagate that trait. The worst part - my vet gave her my number!

So all those who love to purchase fancy dog breeds- you might love dogs, but you are encouraging animal cruelty. The breeding animals are housed in bad conditions, used as breeding machines and then abandoned after the health complications resulting from frequent litters.

Don't buy but adopt/rescue instead.