Canine Training Solutions

Which Dogs Are Most Dangerous?

Recent highly publicized attacks by family pets have raised the issue of the safety of these animals.
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Daniel Estep, Ph.D. and Suzanne
Hetts, Ph.D. of Animal Behavior and Training Associates show that pit bull terriers (non-AKC
recognized), rottweilers, german shepherds, siberian huskies, alaskan malamutes, bullmastif,
doberman pinscher, chow chow, and wolf hybrids were involved in 129 of the 177 fatal attacks on
people in the U.S. from 1979 to 1994.

The recent Vick dog fighting case is one of hundreds of incidents now coming to light.

We must be mindful that all dogs, regardless of the breed, age, sex, or size, and whether spayed or
neutered will bite. Give them a reason and they will.

Most interesting was the AKC recognized pure bred dog, the Chihuahua, (long coat) and (smooth
coat), came under the watchful eye. The smooth coat Chihuahua was responsible for over 50 biting
incidents causing serious facial or eye injury in the United States during 2006 and 2007.

Does the fact that only AKC pure bred dogs accounted for 73% of the fatalities mean that some
breeds are inherently more dangerous than others?

Not necessarily. 98 % of the dog bite incidents in 2006 were caused by children with the family pet.

Although genetic factors clearly influence aggressiveness, an animal’s tendency to show aggression
is the outcome of complex interactions between genes and the environment. Biological factors other
than genetic temperament such as age, sex, reproductive status (neutered vs. intact) and general
health are known to influence aggressiveness.

How an animal is raised, socialized to other animals and people, trained and supervised also have an
affect. Even the setting of the attack such as whether it is on the animal’s territory or some place
else as well as the behavior of the victim can influence whether or not a dog will bite in a particular
situation. Given the large number of factors that can influence dog aggression, it is an over
simplification to simply blame the animal because of its breed identity.

There are many Rottweilers, pit-bulls, and other named breeds that have been good family pets with
no signs of aggression. Most authorities agree that making breed specific law (BSL) outlawing specific
breeds will not stop the injuries and deaths.

A reduction in dog bites will only come from more responsible pet ownership and education.

Steps to achieve a reduction in dog bites include:

Strengthening laws against dog fighting and irresponsible use of guard and attack dogs;
Eliminating “puppy mills” which produce poorly socialized dogs with inferior genetic

temperaments

Better education of owners and breeders about proper breeding,
Socialization, training and supervision of all pure bred, mixed breed, and rare breed dogs.
Educating the general public, especially children, on how to approach any dog and greet them
and recognize the signs of threat and aggression in dogs and the situations that often lead to
dog bites. It is highly recommended that parents get involved with PTA's and suggest that part
of the child's learning consist animal education.

Developing and enforcing laws which make owners and co-owners ultimately responsible for
the actions of their dogs. Each person that adopts a dog or purchases a dog from a breeder

should be held under a local law to seek the assistance of a trainer.

Don't procrastinate. Get you and your dog trained

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