When a big dog of any breed bites someone, there is more capacity for damage. When a small dog bites, it is less represented in data since the nature of the bite may not require attention. Biting is a problem of individual dogs with higher levels of reactivity, which can occur in any breed. Aggression and biting occurs across breeds. Warnings also may occur but go unheeded, such as staring, posturing or barking.Īren’t certain breeds inherently more dangerous? No. Often, bites are preceded by lower level communications of stress such as panting, yawning, or being tense and still. It is the dog’s perception of threat that is the important one to interpret.
The targets of the aggression may not realize they are being perceived as a threat. The presented threat might be a scary person approaching the dog or invading its space, a child trying to “play” with a toy or simply a person nearby when something startling occurs. Biting is an endpoint communication meant to stop a threat.
BREED BONUSES FOR CHANGING BREEDS TV
I am often asked about different breeds of dogs and which are more dangerous, and so I thought I would share with you what the scientific community knows about dog bites because it can be somewhat different than what is represented on TV or in the media.