Update--If sire isn't right in the head, will pups be the same? - Page 1

I'm owed a pup out of a litter that is due to whelp within a week or two. I found out earlier this week that the sire will most likely have to be put down due to a serious unprovoked attack against the owner. This same dog also attacked his previous owner several years ago, so this wasn't just a freak thing. I'm wondering about the pups now. Will they have the potential to do the same? Again, this is a pup that is owed to me, I am not buying it. I was planning to either sell the pup or adopt it out to a good home. What kind of a home will these pups need to go to? I am worried they may turn out to be like the sire.

I am told by people who would know, that it is hereditary.  If it is a male, watch out when full maturity/testosterone hits.

I would not be thinking about the money here.

Good luck and may God bless you with wise decisions.

Michele

It is also possible that the sire is an extremely handler hard dog who never received the right training. Who knows without seeing firsthand?  Evaluate the pups carefully, choose the one who seems the mildest to you, and sell it to someone experienced.

Nature vs nurture....you have to wonder how this dog was raised.....& what the lines are? The tales I have read of B spring immediately to mind. I would say if you are uneasy about this pup, you should probably see if you can have your pup from a different litter. That predjudice against the pup might come through in your handling, & affect the pups' outcome.....can you pick aother litter? jmho. jackie harris

ps..my pups share some of B's ancestry, they are sweet, mild mannered little darlings....& I think he is gorgeous, but I have been well taught not to go in over my head....if you have doubts, pass. (i removed the dog's name, as I have no idea really if he is in any way related to this thread........sorry.

I have always argued that the human aggression trait is predetermined in the womb. If a dog is not wired so, its not that easy to get a canine to actually take hold of a human and go to work. I would venture to say that there is a very good chance the sire you speak of, had a sire with the same traits.

 8yrs ago a rancher out by where I lived had the best bull working catahoula in the Rocky Mtn area. Only problem was the dog would eat up a stranger. I purchased a 6wk old puppy out of him. The pup grew up the same way. About a year ago I bred my Catahoula to my gentle Aussie in order to get some stock dogs. Everyone of the pups are human aggressive. I do know that the trait can be passed down.

Maybe... probably. 
Jackie is right about nature vs nurture, and right about a handler's preconcieved notion unintentionally affecting the way they interact with a dog.
For me? No thank you. I was bitten 200+ times in 5 min, lots of ugly scars and a few patches of scalp missing that hair will never grow on again thanks to such a dog. (Yes, he was euthanized)  I saw two sons from him in Germany. They were both just like him.
Made my skin crawl.
SS

I do know the name of the dog in question but wasn't sure about posting it. He was sired by a well known dog in Germany that was known to be aggressive, or so I am told. Guess I just answered my own question. I have entertained the idea of keeping the pup, but don't want to get in over my head.

JMO, but I see far more dogs who are mishandled than I do dogs who are truly crazy. I always question an "unprovoked" attack. Only the dog knows why he did it; he may have had very good reason. Or not...we don't know.

Do you feel comfortable posting who the sire is? I actually kind of like dogs like that...if you don't want to post it publicly, PM me, please. Thanks.

I can think of one well-known DDR dog who was legendary in this way, and I had the opportunity to save a son of his from certain death by paying to have him flown to a good friend of mine who is working w/him to this day. The dog is not a maneater; he has a temper and he was brought up in the classic tree-hugging, sport mentality to think he is God. This dog is a classic combo of a dog who never should have been put in a pet home, and a dog who never should have been raised in this manner. The dog turns 2 and realizes (due to being told he's God his entire life) that he doesn't have to take anyone's $h!+, so he begins to be aggressive to get his way. The terrified owners give him whatever he wants to make him stop growling, and so on and so on. The cycle continues, and the dog is branded "crazy." All other males from this litter were euthanized. :-(

I agree w/Abhay; temperament is genetic; however, if you raised this dog properly for a dog of that temperament, you may be just fine. It's a combo of genetics vs. how you handle the dog. Raise it like your average Sch. dog (all that play/prey/drive-building crap) and you will most assuredly have problems. Not an impossible task, but a difficult and serious one.

Jenni78, I sent you a PM.