Aggressive behavior in dogs is completely preventable: Calgary Humane Society

There's been no controversy surrounding pit bulls — they've been called ferocious, unpredictable, and banned in several countries around the world — but they're not the only breed that gets a bad rap when it comes to aggressive dog behavior. .

The Calgary Humane Society says they are still seeing a lot of surrenders because so many dog ​​owners seem to be in distress.

A Calgary dog ​​owner on Monday was sentenced to pay a fine and was banned from keeping pets for 15 years after an attack that killed an 86-year-old woman.

A woman was gardening in the driveway of her northwest Calgary home when she was attacked by three pit bulls. The Calgary Humane Society tells CityNews the attack was tragic, unfortunate and completely preventable with proper preparation.

Brad Nichols, director of humane society outreach and enforcement, says it's not a one-size-fits-all issue with dog breeds.

“I wouldn't attribute specific behaviors to specific breeds,” he says. “That's right, some animals are stronger than others, and some have stronger bite thresholds.”

“But that said, any animal is capable of aggression.”

The humane society has seen their dog population grow 205 percent in the past two years. The organization says the increase in pet surrenders is due to inadequate training and poor socialization.

Anna-Lee Fitzsimmons, the organization's director of public relations, says: “This group of animals learned mainly through absence and fear.” “We always want to make sure we're teaching our animals positive messages and good manners.”

“We want them to do something because they want to do it, because they're excited about the results.”

She says training should take place within the first 20 weeks of a dog's life, but says it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.

According to Fitzsimons, the humane society usually finds animals with behavioral problems in a foster home with another dog.

“Make sure that whenever they interact with other animals, the experience is positive,” she says. “Because they've learned an otherwise horrible experience.”

The Calgary Humane Society offers pre- and post-adoption support as well as behavior classes for general canine reactivity and fear-based behavior.