BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: The environment in which they live, space, requirements met, or not, education and the knowledge of the owner, are among the factors that influence a dog to react aggressively. Stigmatized and questioned races for attacking people and the responsibility of the masters, among others, are analysed by Alicia Marro, veterinary medical UNR. “Even a Wiener or poorly socialized Cocker are capable of killing a human baby alone. “The way to learn to live with people is to receive an education that takes into account its original form of behavior.” It is wrong to think that only breeds such as Mastiffs and Rottweilers are aggressive: aggression is within the behavioral repertoire of each dog. Aggression is a natural component of each dog; this regulates the relations between members of a flock with other animals. The manifestation of that aggression depends 20% on hereditary factors (race), and 80% on the environment, explains Dr. Alicia Marro, a specialist in the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences. The term “environment” includes the experiences that the animal had, the living conditions and the training received, depend on human factors and, therefore, alien to the animal's breed. “Therefore, when evaluating an attack, rather than race as a default, one must consider the conditions of handling the animal from its earlier age. These concepts are valid for all races, also for mongrels, and have nothing to do with size or appearance of the abuser animal. There are aggressive dogs small size, “said Marro to InfoUniversidades. How dangerous Another issue is the danger: that depends on the size. Mastiffs and Rottweilers, as any dog of similar size, not excluding the Labrador-can cause severe injury, if they come from an inadequate environment. In this sense, the expert explained that historically the dangerous dog is listed as the big races, which is the current trend. it is interesting to establish how many dogs of that breed there are and how many people have been attacked. Do not forget that in our country the German Shepherd was dangerous before, but they were really individual problems within that race, not the race itself. For example, the Argentine Dogo can be an excellent guide dog. Becoming a ‘murderer' or a guide dog is determined, usually by external factors, modifiable and dependent on breeders and owners.” The importance of space The dog's need for exercise and exploration and the contribution of different stimuli suitable for development should be provided by providing a space, since this is a factor in the relationship with others. The issue of space management, particularly when they have social value is an additional circumstance of great weight in a sort of hierarchical social structure. For example, when the dog reaches a certain age, if not brought up properly, you can find not wanting to share your own bed with it a challenge, if it is not used to it from its puppyhood. We would therefore be threatening to enter the bedroom, said the specialist. Place Order Regardless of the breed, dogs have a number of behaviors that are proper, and as they came to live among the same species, the only way to learn to coexist with people is that they receive an education that take into account the original form of behavior. For the dog, as well as for humans, learning a knowledge means accumulating and practicing it. A dog is always learning and the mission of its owner is to influence the content of learning. If the owner refuses to train it, the dog becomes his own master and implements behavioral characteristics of its species, avoiding what is bothers it and repeating what benefits it. “Among the human owner of a dog and the latter is a link that must be initiated: one dominates the other. The dominating party is entitled to claim and to impose order. The other must always respond otherwise conflicts are expected. It is therefore essential to know what role to assume, how and whether we are willing to do so, particularly with large size dogs.” Dogs are not all equal, neither are all of the same breed alike, there are individual factors. But everyone responds to an ancient hierarchical structure, so owners should be aware of both codes to prevent accidents as well as to prevent episodes of discomfort in the animals themselves. What we know When we choose a particular race it is necessary to consider their origin. For example, puppies that come from environments with little human contact, locked, caged, or have been mistreated, or early weaned can be problematic. It is imperative that owners report on socialization and learning needs of dogs, to understand that a dog is a dog and needs to find its place in a hierarchy. If it's destined to be large, consider the space requirements. Big dogs are not recommended for apartment and in any case, we must have time to go out every day (not only on Sundays) so they can exercise. ** Silvana Di Stefano is a professor of veterinary science at the Universidad de Rosario. BM
