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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]A few reasons:

1. Owners don't care about the risk to others or themselves.
2. Owners don't believe the dog would actually do serious damage. 
3. Owners think they control the situation because the bite was provoked by a specific trigger they think is gone or can be managed.
4. Owners are too afraid the dog will be killed if they surrender it.
[/quote]

I think it's some these, but I will give some more credit to some of the owners. I think the shelters and rescues have done an AMAZING job of making people think they need to "adopt, not shop!" and pawn off these aggressive dogs on people who are not really prepared to handle them. [b]I've met some adopters who are really, really TRYING and training, socializing (which often ends with dog on dog violence) and doing everything they should because of this, "it's NOT the dog! It's an owner problem!"[/b] I've had two come to me totally exasperated and near tears with their dogs and just...despondent that [b]they are doing everything "right" and it is just a tremendous amount of effort for a dog that just...has this streak in it. And yeah, sometimes it is a particular trigger or whatever, but it's not good. They'd also be shamed in giving them up because OWNER problem![/b] I have a chill AF Golden Retriever and I have had to explain that I know they're doing everything well (and honestly? putting in like 10x as much work...) but this dog is going to aggressive dog. I'm training behaviors IN, they're training behaviors OUT and that is way more challenging.

I've had many fosters and have dealt with aggression. It's hard to train out. Hence, I don't get aggressive-prone dogs for my longterm homelife. [/quote]

Agree with all this, and I think what people need to keep in mind is that good dog trainers spend YEARS learning about behavior, and really good ones have advanced degrees. It's crazy to think your average dog owner can obtain the same amount of knowledge on canine behavior, psychology, and training. Often it's not an owner problem at all, and they are doing what they have been told, but they just don't have the knowledge or skills. And that's okay, we can't all be dog experts. [/quote]

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