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Comment by bdcravens | Hacker News Reader

Ditto for German Shepherds and Dachshunds (I have 3 dogs; the one in addition to the 2 pits is a Dachshund, and he's bitten pretty much everyone he's gotten close enough to)

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There is a categorical difference between the two. While dachsunds may have a propensity for violence, it is verging on comical to compare them to a German Shepherd, just because of the comparative physical capability of the dogs. A dachsund could get it in its head to attack me for days and I would never require anything more than a bandaid, while a German Shepherd could seriously injure me even were I trying to defend myself.

As I've said elsewhere on this thread, the first-order consideration for breeds is just the physical capability; temperament and training are second-order considerations that may mitigate some of the capabilities, but rarely will increase the danger of a breed.

> A dachsund could get it in its head to attack me for days and I would never require anything more than a bandaid

Wot?

Here's a quick google result to the contrary: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families...

You might not die, but a Dachshund's bite can require stitches.

They can absolutely kill a small child.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/12/27/dach...

I'm curious- is the Dachshund a rescue or did you raise it from a puppy? And if you raised it from a puppy, when was the first time you first socialized it? Did you begin immediately after weaning at 8 weeks or did a month or two pass before you brought it into the world? Those first couple months after the 8 week mark are critical for to reduce reactivity and encourage proper socialization. So many people I've come across just hear than you can't bring your dog out into the world before all their vaccinations and in doing so, they royally screw over their dog by lack of proper socialization and that's why you see so many poorly behaved dogs.

We raised him from a puppy. I probably am guilty of putting less effort into him than I did our pit-lab (She was also raised from a puppy; I was worried about everything I heard about pits, and fell into the trap of "cute wiener dog" thinking for the little one). To this day (10+ years later) he's still a dominant dog, and the pit-mix is actually super passive, loving on every person, kitten, and dog that's ever come into our home. (though perhaps her lab influence plays a large role in that)

Those crazy Germans!

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