Bad dogs caused by bad training, according to a study reported in Science Daily, 1 May 2009. A group of researchers at University of Córdoba (UCO), Spain have studied 711 dogs (354 males and 357 females), including 594 purebreds and 117 half-breeds, to see what factors were most associated with aggressive behaviour. The animals were a mix of breeds traditionally considered to be aggressive, such as Rottweiler and Bull Terrier, and breeds with reputations for mild temperament such as Dalmatian and Golden Retriever. They found aggressive behaviour was most associated with “first-time dog ownership; failure to subject the dog to basic obedience training; spoiling or pampering the dog; not using physical punishment when it is required; buying a dog as a present, as a guard dog or on impulse; spaying female dogs; leaving the dog with a constant supply of food, or spending very little time with the dog in general and on its walks.” These human factors had a much stronger link with aggression than dog factors. Joaquín Pérez-Guisado, who led the study, commented: “Failure to observe all of these modifiable factors will encourage this type of aggressiveness and would conform to what we would colloquially call ‘giving our dog a bad education'”. It seems “approximately 40% of dominance aggression in dogs is associated with a lack of authority on the part of the owners who have never performed basic obedience training with their pets or who have only carried out the bare minimum of training.” The study did find increased aggression was associated with some breeds, along with “male sex, a small size, or an age of between 5-7 years old” but these factors were less influential than the human factors.
Editorial Comment: In the beginning God gave man dominion over the animals. That meant exercising authority in a wise way over all creatures for the good of both animals and man. God did not create dogs (or any other animals) to be aggressive and violent, but after man rebelled against his Master, the animals rebelled against their God given masters. Here we see the results of failure to exercise proper dominion and how human sin affects the rest of the creation.
Creation Research prediction about animal training:
wherever evolution becomes more widely accepted, animal training will get worse, as evolution removes man’s authority to have Dominion. David Attenborough hit it on the head when he was asked earlier this year by the science journal Nature as to why the teaching of evolution was now more important than ever. Attenborough replied: “Because of the influence of the Bible’s book of Genesis, which says the Lord God said ‘go forth and multiply’ to Adam and Eve and ‘the natural world is there for you to dominate, you have dominion of the animals and plants of the world”. Nature, vol 457, p967, 19 Feb 2009 (Ref. prediction, canines, mammals, domestic animals)
Evidence News, October 2009