Banning American XL Bully dog breed ‘isn’t the only choice’ says Salisbury trainer
Dan Molland suggests the reintroduction of a dog licence
A dog trainer from Salisbury says the government should consider reintroducing a form of dog licence in the UK.
It follows Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s push for a potential ban on the American XL Bully breed following an attack on three people in Birmingham on 9th September.
An 11-year-old girl and two men were injured in the attack.
But banning the breed isn’t the only option available to the government, according to Salisbury Dog Trainers Client Manager Dan Molland.
“What happened over the weekend is terrible and the stats that these dogs have are not good,” Dan told Greatest Hits Radio, “But to ban them? I don’t know if that’s necessarily the right way to go.”
Dan suggested the reintroduction of a dog licence, something that hasn’t been seen in Britain since 1987.
“I think if the government introduced certain measures when owning breeds, such as the extra large bully that you have to have a certificate for that dog or a licence and you have to go through training with a professional with that dog and certain requirements like that.
“I think that in those respects, maybe banning them isn't isn't necessarily the the only choice here.”
An ‘Amazing breed of dogs to own’
Through working with several dogs of the breed, with his Wife Jenni, Dan told us that the American XL Bully breed generally made a ‘great’ family pet.
The breed was created by crossing Pitbulls with larger bulldog breeds, such as the Old English Bulldog.
While the Pitbull was originally bred as a fighting dog, breeders have been trying to train those traits out of the XL Bully.
Dan says they’re now bred to be good family pets: “They're loyal, they're kind hearted, and in the right hands, they're an amazing breed of dogs to own.”
Making sure we understand our dog
Dan urged the importance of research and understanding the breed of dog, regardless of what dog we have.
“You have to have an understanding of what what those breeds need to be satisfied in life,” he said.
An XL Bully can grow to 60cm tall and weight in the region of 70kg, and Dan stressed the need to make sure a dog fits with the environment we have at home.
“You need to do your research before buying these particular breeds to dog, to make sure that you understand how big they're going to get, how heavy they're going to get and the kind of temperament that your dog has.”