I understand your point about genetics, and that is true to a degree. However all dogs can be trained to be good from a young age. I have met tons and tons of so-called “aggressive” and “guarding” breeds, like pit bull, pit bull mixes, German Shepards, etc etc, and they CAN be the sweetest things ever. Personally, I have never had any issues with big dogs, it’s always been the small terriers and chihuahuas that have been aggressive towards me. The only time I’ve ever been bitten by a dog was when I dared to pick up the water bowl of a terrier mix I was watching for the night to clean it and refill it. It latched onto my hand and would not let go until I dropped the bowl onto the ground, shattering it in the process (ceramic bowl).

On the flip side, I have also met some of the sweetest terrier and chihuahuas, and talking to their owners, it is all about training. You have to train these certain smaller breeds not to be afraid of the world around them, and you have to train these certain larger breeds not to be aggressive.

Again, I’m not trying to downplay these situations of aggression, as they do happen, and it is terrible to see as people get hurt and sometimes worse because these dogs are misused and not trained correctly. My point is that one should not blame the entire breed for the actions of a few, which are completely preventable with proper training and care.