Attack dog

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As attack dogs in the true sense are dogs referred to animal fighting , but also, especially as fighting dogs for fighting. B. bred, trained and used against bulls . The term originally did not refer to a specific breed of dog, but a specific area of ​​application. Later, some clearly separated dog breeds were bred especially for animal fighting, but today the successors of these dogs no longer count in the official breeding lines as one of the breeding goals of the official breeding lines. Dog fights are currently prohibited in many countries, but in some places they still take place in a criminal environment.

Since the end of the 20th century, the term attack dog has been used primarily in connection with attacks by dogs on people or other dogs. The term attack dog is related to the introduction of breed lists and is sometimes used for a special category of dangerous dogs . Dog breeds Staffordshire Bull Terrier , American Staffordshire Terrier , American Pit Bull Terrier and Bull Terrier and crosses of these breeds with each other or with other races were (and still are) referred to as fighting dogs.

War and attack dogs

Armored molossian dog based on a medieval depiction by Alaert du Hamel from 1478–1494

Very large dogs of the mastiff type were already used as war dogs in the cultures of the early days of mankind . Greek and Assyrian armies, for example, sent war dogs ahead of their warriors to draw enemy fire or track down the enemy. Often they carried knives or torches on their necklaces to carry death and confusion into the opposing ranks.

In ancient Rome , dogs were allowed to fight bears , lions and gladiators in the arena . According to illustrations on the Trajan Column , fighting dogs of the Molossus type were used by soldiers of the Roman legions against the enemy.

The advent of soldier armor made the method of war dog warfare meaningless. Instead, they were now used as guardians of large estates or to drive cattle, especially bulls, to the market. From this the bloody sport of so-called bull biting developed , which continued for centuries until it was finally banned at the beginning of the 19th century .

Hunting dog armor from the 17th century, in the armory of the Wartburg
Bull terrier

In the 18th  and 19th century dog fighting had their heyday. In the arenas, all kinds of races fought not only against dogs, but also against other animals such as badgers , wolves , wild boars , bears , lions and bulls . Since the bulldog's fighting style of biting into the opponent quickly and bloodlessly and not letting go, the spectators missed the thrill of a bloody bite, terriers were crossed. From this the so-called "Bull-and-Terriers" developed. The result were physically strong dogs with the temperament and speed of terriers, insensitive to pain in battle, with great endurance, courage and unconditional “bravery”, also known as “fighting spirit” or “fighting will” ( English "gameness"), who sometimes fought doggedly to their own death. When fighting in the arena (English pit , hence the name Pit Bull and American Pit Bull Terrier ), the owner of the winner could easily win a month's earnings or more.

The dogs were not allowed to show any aggression towards people during a dog fight ("reliability"), since in a regular fight there were three people (one referee and two seconds) in the arena and the dogs had to be touched and lifted during the fight.

In the supporting program of dog fights, small terriers were also used, which had to kill as many rats as possible in a given time frame.

The dog fights in Japan are a specialty . The Tosa was bred especially for these fights at the beginning of the 19th century. Here, the dogs did not fight with their teeth and teeth, but it was a matter of wrestling the opponent down with physical effort, as with the sumo wrestlers . Biting and even growling resulted in disqualification.

Dog fighting was banned in England and Wales on September 9, 1835, and in most other industrialized countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries . Since then there has been no legal dog fighting there. The term attack dog for the breeds mentioned therefore generally reflects historical circumstances of the 18th and 19th centuries, which currently only exist in an illegal environment.

In the 19th and 20th centuries , dogs were used more frequently in the war due to the increasingly static warfare (trench warfare). Medical dogs helped locate the injured. Outpost dogs assisted the guards in their work and carried reports back from field posts or patrols . Pull dogs were used to supply the soldiers at the front with ammunition. In the German army, each hunter battalion had 10 to 12 trained war dogs. Such were also used by Austrians , French , Italians , Turks and others.

See also

Portal: Dog  - Overview of Wikipedia content on the subject of dogs

literature

Web links

Wiktionary: Fighting dog  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Andrea Steinfeldt: “Kampfhunde” history, use, problems with keeping “bull races” - a literature study. Dissertation, Hannover 2002 ( PDF file; 6.2 MB ).
  2. ↑ Todd Fenstermacher: American Pit Bull Terrier - Today. Kynos Verlag , ISBN 3-929545-64-0 , section: Rassengeschichte, p. 12 ff.
  3. ↑ On the use of the term in this sense in the period 1994-2004: Karl-Heinz Best: On the use of "Kampfhund" in German. In: Glottotheory Vol. 2, No. 2, 2009, pp. 15-18.
  4. ↑ Andrea Steinfeldt: "Kampfhunde" history, use, problems with keeping "bull races" - a literature study. Dissertation, Hannover 2002, p. 59 ( PDF file; 6.2 MB ).
  5. ↑ Andrea Steinfeldt: "Kampfhunde" history, use, problems with keeping "bull races" - a literature study. Dissertation, Hannover 2002, p. 91 ( PDF file; 6.2 MB ).
  6. ↑ Todd Fenstermacher: American Pit Bull Terrier - Today. Kynos-Verlag, pp. 12, 19, 27 and 28
  7. ↑ Andrea Steinfeldt: "Kampfhunde" history, use, problems with keeping "bull races" - a literature study. Dissertation, Hannover 2002, pp. 120 and 150 ( PDF file; 6.2 MB ).
  8. ↑ Andrea Steinfeldt: "Kampfhunde" history, use, problems with keeping "bull races" - a literature study. Dissertation, Hannover 2002, p. 58 ( PDF file; 6.2 MB ).
  9. ↑ Dr. Dieter Fleig and others: The great attack dog lie. Kynos-Verlag, Mürlenbach 2001, ISBN 3-933228-29-8 . Wanted! The profile: Tosa Inu. P. 41.
  10. ↑ Simon Brooman, Debbie Legge: Law relating to animals . Cavendish, London 1997, ISBN 978-1-85941-238-1 , pp. 44 ( online ).
  11. ↑ Benno Kroll, photos: William Strode: Dog fights: Charly's loyal killer. In: Geo-Magazin . No. 08, August 1979, Gruner & Jahr, Hamburg 1979, pp. 6-26. Informative experience report: "GEO succeeded in reporting from the underground of US society."