# Dogs walked by men are more aggressive



## Kittilicious (Sep 25, 2011)

Dogs being walked by men are four times more likely to threaten and bite other dogs and dogs on a leash are more likely to act aggressively than dogs off the leash.

Dogs Walked by Men Are More Aggressive : Discovery News

*Interesting article. *


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## southernfiction (Oct 5, 2011)

Loved the article. Thanks.


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## Marnie (Oct 11, 2011)

That's very interesting. I wonder what the percentage of men vs women do the dog walking. If more men walk the family dog while the wife finishes up the housework, that would explain it.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I think it's more likely that men allow dogs to get away with aggressive behavior a bit more than women and also that women are probably more likely to hand off the dog walking of an aggressive dog to their husband.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

I know that my dogs behave more aggressively when my DH walks them because he doesn't think it's such a big deal so he doesn't correct them like I do when they bark at people or growl at other dogs as he walks along with them. He thinks that as long as he has control of them he doesn't have to worry about them behaving menacingly. I, on the other hand, need to get any such ideas out of their mind quick before they start pulling me toward a person or other dog and I loose control of them.


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## crackem (Mar 29, 2006)

I think Jax hit the nail on the head.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I'm with Jax too, there isn't enough control in an experiment such as this one to make the connection that a dog is more likely to be aggressive if it is walked by a man. I'll admit that I let Rooney get away with a lot more than my girlfriend does, but its because I know that I can pull him away if things get out of line, she on the other hand won't be able to break up a scuffle as easily and will not allow him to say hello to "questionable" dogs. This by no means that Rooney is aggressive, its just that I allow him to be himself and a dog more than she does.

The part about the leashes is very cool though. I already kind of had an incling that they prefer to say hello without leashes and feel much more threatened when one is one them.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

martemchik said:


> ...its just that I allow him to be himself and a dog more than she does.


Funny you should say that. My husband allows Shasta to get away with several behaviors that I think could lead to aggressive behavior because he says she should be able to "be a dog." I always counter that I want her to be a well-behaved dog.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

I wonder if breed choice is a factor as well, with men being more inclined to choose breeds that tend to be more naturally aggressive.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I don't know, why it might be, maybe men have harsher voices and are more likely to react forcefully to any sign of aggressiveness which might make a fearful dog, fear-aggressive, and give less warning to their intentions (trained not to), which would back most people off, and perhaps these dogs end up biting more often.

In the past six years since I have been going to training classes with my trainer (I put a LOT of dogs through classes) and spent an average of 1000 dollars per year at $75 per class, puts me at about 13 classes per year x 6 years, which would be 78 classes (usually each of these were six week sessions, and held 6-8 dogs). The owner/handlers were overwhelmingly female. I would say, 7 women to each man would be close. The one time any dog bit the instructor during class, the dog was handled by a man. 

So I am not surprised by the finding, at the same time, a sample of one is really no sample at all.


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## Jack's Dad (Jun 7, 2011)

I can't believe the amount of dumb studies that are funded including this one.

Even if it were accurate, so what. What will it change?

If there is money floating around out there I wish they would use it for something worthwhile.

I believe that I watch what is going on and prepare better than my wife. She will talk on the cell phone while walking but again so what? Neither one of us will do anything different because of some obscure study.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Jack's Dad said:


> I can't believe the amount of dumb studies that are funded including this one.
> 
> Even if it were accurate, so what. What will it change?
> 
> ...


Agreed. And tomorrow there will be another study saying the opposite.
In my experience, the dogs walked by men were/are under better control than the ones walked by women. Not only that but the men were more inclined to attempt socialization with another dog. But that's just me.... far from a good basis for generalization.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Probably a little truth to the more under control, but it also probably depends on how the dog was raised. My pup knows he can get away with more with my girlfriend just because she does less disciplining and I'm the main trainer. Just last night on our walk a girl had her bully breed dog (not sure what kind it is) who is clearly a little dog aggressive out and about. That dog started to pull so hard towards me and my dog that it took her 10 yards to finally get him under control. My dog knows not to try that because I'm not going to budge no matter how hard he pulls. But then again I've seen another guy get dragged clear accross our training area by his GSD with a prong collar on!!! I don't think the sex of the person walking has anything to do with how aggressive the dog is. The dog will do what it wants and what it knows it can get away with depending on who is on the other end of the leash.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

There could be some truth to that, but not by accident. I think a lot of men wouldn't correct the initial first sign of aggression, and may actually feel macho about it.
Ive seen guys glow about their dogs toughness, and aggressiveness.
OTOH, I think many women might feel frightened about handling an aggressive dog, and would more than likely address this aggressiveness early on.

Just my opinion.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Jax08 said:


> ...women are probably more likely to hand off the dog walking of an aggressive dog to their husband.


I bet this is the reason too.


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## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

This takes me back to something my trainer once said, in jest, during one of our CGC classes and even though it was supposed to be funny, I found it very true. She said that in her experience, women are more aware of subtle details and are better at picking up on early cues as to how a dog is going to react. Men on the other hand are more concerned with the bigger picture and how they are going to get their dog to behave how they want them to. Of course this is a generalization and no offense to all you incredible male handlers out there  But this rings very true in my experiences as well. Men may just let the situation get more out of control because they aren't as aware of the small cues their dog is giving off. Just a thought and I can't emphasize enough what a huge generalization this is


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Speaking of generalizations, here's one: Women are more process oriented and men are more result oriented. Women need to make sure that the details in the process are all followed according to 'the rules'. Men just want to get the job done. So, more often, the women get the job done 'right' while the men get the job done sooner. And I will steal the line above. 
'_Just a thought and I can't emphasize enough what a huge generalization this is._'
As far as who is more clued into the cues the dog is giving I think it depends on the person. Some people are just more tuned into their dogs. I know that my wife hardly notices any nuances in my dog's behavior while I am constantly pointing out this or that. Her priorities are elsewhere and she is more tuned into them than I am. It is possible that both genders are 'generally' equally tuned in but that the men just let certain things go uncorrected longer because men are generally more laissez-faire.


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

It could be that aggression prone dogs are not often walked by women, or taken to training by women (for the 100% of male handled dogs that have attacked at training).

Also, as a male myself, there are times that I have pressured my dogs in presence of other dogs. For instance, they get excited and pull a bit, I'll quickly react with a correction in order to keep them in line. They usually get back in line, but I know it's pressure and stress on them. There are other times where I don't care if they pull a bit, and this makes them more relaxed and less reactive. I can see how increased stress on the human (self imposed) and dog (human imposed) can lead to more bites.

Interesting study.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Could be just that men are more likely to walk the family dog if they are more aggressive to begin with, perhaps?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

to me this is totally, duh, i believe it.


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