Dog bans are becoming ever increasing in different parts of the world. This wasn’t the case some years ago, and if you happen to be living in a country where no such ban is in place, you’d be surprised to know that this ban has been in action for nearly a decade now. This law came to be because of the similar incidents that led to the ban of certain breeds in Germany. As you can expect, these incidents included adults, children, and even other dogs getting attacked by untrained hounds, or worst, these were trained specifically to be aggressive.
Dog Breeds That Are Banned in Norway
Currently, six breeds are banned in Norway, and owning them is illegal. Along with purebreds, keeping crossbreeds of these dogs is also banned. [1]Mattilsynet
1. Pit Bull Terrier: I believe this was obvious to guess, it goes without saying that whenever there is a mention of dangerous breeds, pit bull terriers are bound to be on that list. These misunderstood hounds are what you call as ill-fated, being a terrier, these were derived from crossbred of hard-working hunting dogs and bulldogs. You might be familiar with their past, as it has been advertised and presented on television for decades now. In the 19th century England, when bullfighting (where dogs were pitted against bulls, hence, the name) and bear-baiting (another sickening sport where bears were killed slowly by dogs) became illegal, a new, similar cruel sport was invented. Unscrupulous people wanted a breed that could compete and dominate other dogs in a dogfighting ring, and hence, the pit bull terrier was born, however, a great thing these unethical people did was to ensure that these hounds will have genetics that makes them not to bite humans. This was out of necessity so that handlers could separate two dogs in the ring if needed. This makes them dogs that are gentle with families when trained properly. When the immigrants came to America, they were accompanied by pit bulls, and in the US these dogs found jobs as guard dogs on farms and hunting dogs for large game. Slowly, these were bred to become larger, and today’s pit bull terriers are larger than their English predecessors. These hounds stand at about 20 inches tall and weigh anywhere from 40 to 85 pounds. While their past may make them seem like aggressive dogs, but under the command of a willing and caring owner, these dogs simply become gentle and loving goofballs with a smile that can melt your heart. Yes, these can be aggressive, but only when untrained or in the hands of immoral people, and that is why they are banned in Norway. [2]Dog Time
A cute and happy pitbull
2. American Staffordshire Terrier: Though some people just deny that there is a difference between Pit Bull Terrier and Amstaffs, there certainly is. Similar to Pit Bulls, these have a revolting past, these were used in bullfighting and bear-baiting as well. Crossbreeding between larger bulldogs of the past and terriers resulted in many bull terriers, including the Amstaff, however, while the bulldog genetics are clear, people often dispute over what terrier breed was used to make Amstaff, some state it was the now-extinct White English Terrier, meanwhile, others strongly claim that black-and-tan terrier was used. As you can expect, in the early 1900s, these hounds were on the aggressive side because of the blood sports they were used in, however, modern Amstaffs are much gentle. These are smart and courageous companions, and when trained right they are among the most loyal dogs. Due to their intense past, they require strenuous physical activities as well as mental challenges, and a well-informed owner can easily provide these. They are slightly smaller than the Pit Bull Terriers, as they stand at 19 inches, and weigh, at most 70 pounds. As for their ban, it is because of their high trainability, if taught how to be an attack dog, you can bet your top dollar this hound will attack everyone and everything. [3]American Kennel Club
The confident stance of the Amstaff
3. Fila Brasileiro: Given their name, you can easily guess which country they originated from, yes, it is Brazil, however, the exact origin of this breed is unknown. It is said that this dog came into existence around the 1600s, and it is the result of crossbreeding English Mastiffs, Bulldogs, and Bloodhounds. Filas were used by colonist plantation owners, where they would fend off large predators such as jaguars, and were also capable of tracking down livestock, and sadly, the escaped enslaved people from the field. Despite their large size, they are extremely agile dogs that can run at a whopping 35 miles an hour, and when they are not guarding or rushing, they like to flop down and relax. They are large dogs, standing at 30 inches with a weight of 170 pounds, you won’t be able to lift them. While these are extremely loyal dogs, these are similarly wary of strangers, and despite excessive socializing, they never fully let their guard down around strangers. For this reason, they are under this ban. [4]Dog Time
Fila Brasileiro standing in snow
4. Tosa Inu: Another dog banned because of its fighting past that was intentionally created by humans. During the 14th century, on an island of Japan named Shikoku, dogfighting used to be a popular sport, and this place had a long history of such events. In those times, one breed named after the island known as the Shikoku Inu was unequaled in the ring, or it was until westerners arrived with their fighting Mastiffs, Bulldogs, and Great Danes. To create a dominant breed, that would excel at such blood sport, Shikokus were crossbred with mentioned western breeds in the province of Tosa by indigenous people, and the result was Tosa Inu, also referred to as Japanese Mastiff. According to some records, Saint Bernards and Bull Terriers were also involved in the breeding, but when they were used is unknown. They are on the larger end of the doggy spectrum, while they only stand at about 23 inches, they weigh nearly 200 pounds. Overall, these are calm dogs but can become highly aggressive towards strangers and other dogs when untrained. [5]American Kennel Club
Tosa Inu standing
5. Dogo Argentino: This dog is a result of something that can only be described as experimentation, created by a renowned personality in Cordoba, Argentina, Dr. Antonio Nores Martinez. His passion for dogs led him to make this dog. He used a strong dogfighting breed from Cordoba and methodically crossbred it with numerous other purebreds, he carefully chose those specific breeds and studied them thoroughly as he experimented. After different generations of dogs, he finally created a dog breed that he called Dogo Argentino. As Martinez loved hunting, he took this dog along the trip to see how he’d perform, and to his surprise, this dog excelled at hunting large game. Since then, Dogo Argentino became a large-game hunting dog. As for the measurements, they weigh about 95 pounds and have a height of 27 inches, and due to their hunting past and strength, these are banned in Norway. [6]American Kennel Club
A Doggo Argentino with a butterfly on its snout
6. The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog: Similar to Dogo Argentino, this hound was a product of experimentation as well, but here the approach was slightly different. A biological experiment took place in The Czechoslovak Republic in the year 1955, during this, German Shepherds were crossbred with Carpathian Wolves. This dog was the progeny of mating a male dog to a female wolf, and a male wolf to a female dog, this was done to combine the properties of a wolf and the loyal nature of a dog into one animal. These dogs are resilient to extreme weather and are often used in patroling the armed regions and search-and-rescue missions. While they are loyal and extremely obedient to their owner, they can be overwhelming for unaware owners, especially the ones who opt for a laid-back lifestyle, and that is why they are banned. Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs are medium-sized at 25 inches with a weight of 55 pounds. [7]American Kennel Club
Two Wolfdogs chilling at the shore
As you can tell from these breeds, that these necessarily are not aggressive or dangerous dogs. It entirely depends upon how they were raised and trained by the individual owners. However, we cannot fight the law, and despite them being loyal hounds, the ban is here to stay.
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