Any dog can be trained to not be aggressive.

[MoonRiver]

There are numerous cases of dogs in dog fighting rings who were seized, trained and rehomed to wonderful families. Major who comes from much less horrific conditions should be easily “rehabilitated.”

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. The flip side is that any dog can bite at any time.

[lagomorph777]

2. Fetch Cesar Milan!

[Omnipresent]

3. I guess, as long as they can be taught to disregard key word commands...

That might accidentally cause them to be aggressive or attack.
Even an innocent sounding word like “Gingerbread” could cause a dog to fight.

[LisaL]

4. Numerous cases of dogs rehabilitated does not equal "any dog can be

trained not to be aggressive."

[Johnny2X2X]

5. Agree

A lot of fighting dogs can be trained to not be aggressive, but there are some of them that are never OK to be around other dogs after they've been rescued.

This sounds like a dog got protective of his surroundings because he's probably not used to all of the change. not a huge deal.

[BleedsBlue]

12. I agree also...

I was a Letter Carrier for 34 years, and when people would tell me Oh lucky doesn't bite. My response was always, Does he have teeth. I love animals but you have to be careful when approaching an animal. They could be stressed because you're in their territory, they could be ill or hurt. or they could be protecting something or someone. We had a bunch of training about dogs and what to look for and how to react when confronted. Here's a couple tips. NEVER run from a dog. Always keep your front to his and slowly walk back away. Yell at the dog to STOP. Try to keep something between you and the dog, I had a satchel, but a purse or briefcase would do. Your safety tip for today.

[Hortensis]

19. :) Thanks. Sounds like they worked.

[Piasladic]

7. Agree - with sorrow

[Beringia]

6. I think they must have just let the dog be basically untrained

I noticed in a live video, the younger dog went to Jill and not Pres Biden, so I think she was the disciplinarian, and probably only trained the dog to do a few things.

[Hortensis]

20. I sorta doubt that highly. She's an educational professional, you know.

Her professional life is dedicated to the value of training.

He's not exactly a low-functioner either. And neither is too poor to be able to pay for one of the professional trainers or classes available in every affluent community.

And their grandchildren, some of whom live nearby, have always been a big part of their lives.

[Beringia]

22. A "High Functioning" educator may have very poor skills with Dogs

Just guessing, but the dog Major may have been quite confused at the new environment. I'm sure Cesar Millan would have some things to say, but they would probably be taken as criticism, and so I doubt he will weigh in.

[11 Bravo]

35. Get back to us when Dr. Biden wears a sleeveless dress!

THAT would require some serious pontification.

[jcgoldie]

8. Most likely they simply didnt anticipate...

...how radically different the white house environment would be for the dogs. They came from a private home Im guessing with outdoor space and suddenly thrust into a busy environment with a lot of strangers coming and going. Some dogs cant adjust to those sorts of changes overnight so they are nervous and scared. Add to that the people they look to for security are busy leading the free world so they may be being cared for often by basically strangers and its not hard to see why they may have difficulty adjusting.

[piddyprints]

14. That's my vote.

I think it was just too much for him.

[BannonsLiver]

9. It's almost always the human's fault when there's a biting incident

Kids who get too aggressive and scare a dog by getting in it’s face, sudden movements, etc.

[Journeyman]

10. Most aggressive dog breeds ranked . . .

14. you
13. can't
12. rank
11. them
10. because
9. aggression
8. isn't
7. breed
6. specific
5. it's
4. a
3. learned
2. behavior
1. Chihuahuas

[csziggy]

16. How true about #1!

The only dog bite I ever had was from my sister's Chihuahua. This was sixty years ago before people routinely spayed and neutered their pets. Our un-neutered Chihuahua went after a neighbor's un-spayed Doberman with the male Doberman right there. In the melee, while two older kids grabbed the Dobermans I tried to grab the Chihuahua.

The little dog, not knowing what had grabbed him, turned around and bit right through my thumbnail. As soon as he realized it was one of his family holding him, stopped biting but the damage was done. That thumbnail is still deformed and doesn't grow right.

The stupid little dog went after the female Doberman another time, again with the male right there, but I stayed out of the mess. Eventually the neighbor moved away (he was just out of the military staying with his parents while looking for a job) with his dogs.

Another story about that little dog. The mail was originally delivered to our front porch. We had a big dog, half collie and half something else (I don't think anyone knew who the father was). The new mailman was afraid to come up on the porch to put the mail into the box. We all tried to reassure him that the big dog was nothing to worry about, but to watch out for the Chihuahua. He didn't believe us and one day the little dog bit him on the heel. After that, our mail was delivered to a box on the street.

[chowder66]

31. LOL.

[DenaliDemocrat]

33. Aggression is genetic

My German short hair killed a raccoon at nine months old. He is from old German Hege Haus lines bred to hunt boar. He destroyed a 25 lb boar coon in 45 seconds. He is the sweetest animal you will ever see.

[Ms. Toad]

34. Some breeds are more prone to be protective of their owners.

Which may appear to be aggression. (Shelties, for example, are very protective of their owners.)

[LizBeth]

11. Yup, sure they are and would love to see that experience sharing with us because positive. Netflix

has a series with a trainer I am watching and it is an excellent show. I think it would be great for Bidens to share.

[piddyprints]

13. We had a Golden Retriever years ago.

I was walking him in my neighborhood when a man approached, holding out his hand, and saying, "nice doggy." My Golden let out a very low growl and bared his teeth. We crossed the street and kept walking. That was the only time in his 13 year life that he ever did that. Most owners of Goldens never see it even once.

The dog sensed something threatening about that man and he was ready to protect me. It was shocking, but it told me that you can never guarantee a dog will not bite, given the right circumstances. It could just be that Major saw too many things that he thought were threatening in this unfamiliar and busy environment. Stress can make even a "rehabilitated" dog behave in unpredictable ways.

We currently have a 14-year-old Plott Hound. We rescued her from the side of the road when she was 3 months old. If I'd read about Plott Hounds before we decided to keep her, I might have been afraid of her. She's sweet, bouncy, and very loyal. She is not aggressive. I could take food out of her mouth because she is so gentle with me. BUT ... I would not want to be the person trying to hurt me while she's around. She is extremely muscular and agile, especially given her age. I have no doubt she could do damage. I never tell anyone she doesn't bite, even though she never has.


This whole story makes me so sad. I was very happy to see first dogs in the White House again. And sad that Champ has to be banished when he did nothing wrong. It's a tough call.

[LisaL]

15. I don't think Champ and Major were banished.

I believe they will be back when Jill stops traveling.

[piddyprints]

27. OK.

I especially hate the idea that Champ can't be near his dad now.

[MissB]

17. I would never tell anyone that my dog doesn't bite

He’s a lab mix, but he’s mixed with American bulldog, mastiff and Weimaraner. Two of those three are big strong dogs! He’s very powerful looking but then again he also had a lot of lab features so people always go “awww, cute lab!” Cute lab with a bully chest, weighing in at slightly more than 90 lbs.

I’d bet he would bite to protect. I can put my hands in his mouth and take stuff/food away and move him anywhere without any issues. We have trained him to bark once to alert us of any stranger on the property and then go to his bed in the dining room to quietly woof and look out the windows. He takes his (self appointed) guard dog duties seriously and it took some serious one-on-one training to get him to this point. Last week he alerted us to a delivery person and then just walked into the kitchen to drink some water and ignore them rather than continue his woofing. The American bulldog in him pops out now and then in terms of protecting us, and sometimes it seems properly tucked away. Just can’t predict which way it’ll go.

We are working to enclose the entire half acre property to exclude people, mostly because we don’t want to worry as much when we have him outside that we might accidentally let him out of the gate. It’ll keep out delivery folks too, which is a pain but sheesh I don’t want a dog bite situation on my hands. He’s great when we are out walking but the home is his domain.

His little brother will lick everyone to death. He won’t even bark except at the cat. Such different breeds.

[piddyprints]

29. I think most dogs

would bite to protect. After seeing my Golden that day, I'm convinced of it. Thankfully, I never had to test it.

Great idea to enclose a big area for your dogs. It takes the worry out. Ours only get out of their enclosure when their under our control.

Our Plott got curious about one of our cats once when she was still quite young. All she did was stick her head in his face. Fortunately, it was the Maine Coon. He cuffed her pretty hard in the muzzle. Claws were in, but I could hear the slap. She never tried that again. Cats are off limits. When we first got her, she did want to chase the kittehs, so we had to watch her closely. Lesson learned and she totally leaves them alone now.

[Bettie]

21. We had a sweet, mixed breed, very large dog

her name was Buffy.

Buffy loved everyone and just wanted some pets.

Except for two people in her 14 years of life.

On those two occasions, she growled at the person and pulled at her leash (for a reason other than not wanting to go the direction we chose). IN both cases, we learned in short order that those people were awful.

[piddyprints]

26. She knew.

In general I listen to the dog.

Exception: Our neighbor has a little terrier of some type who literally attacks everyone who comes near. The owner is proud of that. He even came to my driveway while I was out getting mail. I jumped up and down and hollered "NO!" at him until the owner came out to get him. He would have taken a bite out of my ankles if I'd stood still. More than a few delivery drivers have told me that they're afraid to go to that house. The owner calls him "protective" but there is a huge difference between "protective" and "aggressive." They're not even close together in the dictionary. That dog is aggressive and I will call animal control if he ever comes after me in my yard again. All bets are off when you pair an aggressive dog with an irresponsible owner.

[MissB]

30. We had a dog once

that hated one of our friends. Would bark at him on sight, would bark at his car, even picked him out in a crowd of people walking down a sidewalk in a large city/different state.

No idea why. We’d had the pup since puppyhood, but something about this friend set of our (then)dog.

Dog has long since crossed the rainbow bridge and our friend is still part of our social circle. To the best of our knowledge, he’s never offed anyone.

Our current big beast of a dog was hanging with a different friend recently. The friend has some ongoing health issues and is somewhat unsteady. Our pup was incredibly gentle and responsive with him- have never seen our dog react that way to anyone.

[shanti]

23. Plotts

I had a boyfriend with a plott hound once. He was from New York City, the boyfriend, and really wasn’t used to taking care of dogs. Plott hounds are outdoor dogs right? They’re big powerful dogs for hunting bear, wild hogs, etc. Well the dog was in my apartment one day, and bit one of my sons in the upper lip and tore off a chunk. he just dropped a piece on the floor after that and sat down. Needless to say, he was not allowed in my house again.

[piddyprints]

24. Well, ours is outdoors.

She and her "brother" (he's a Heinz-57 mix) have never had any interest in being indoors, so they guard the horse. We're not really sure if they consider themselves to be small horses or if the horse thinks she's one of the dogs. But they're a perfect mix together.

Yes, Plotts were brought here for hunting. Your story is the reason I would have been afraid to have one if I'd known. Ours is gentle with us and everyone who comes to see her. I just wouldn't bet the farm on it if someone with nefarious intentions came to call.

[Sneederbunk]

18. Correct, and he can be trained in Delaware.

[Hekate]

25. Any dog can find his social life restricted, too

[SeattleVet]

28. Does your dog bite?

?t=61

[DenaliDemocrat]

32. Absolutely false

You can mask it with training, it is never cured. Dogs that are aggressive must be monitored and handled differently for their life. Owning such an animal is a huge responsibility