Every dog is capable of biting a person, particularly if it hasn’t been socialized adequately as a young puppy. Some dogs learn early to mistrust and fear people, however, there are some breeds that have been bred over the years to specifically hunt and fight making biting more likely for their personalities. Therefore, they may also be more likely to attack when they feel threatened. Owners of mixed breeds can use a dog DNA test to see if their dog’s lineage is worth paying a bit of extra attention to. Here are a few of the dog breeds that bite more often than the others.
Article Summary
Statistically Speaking, Which Are The More Dangerous Dog Breeds?
When you look at dog bite statistics, the more dangerous dog breeds tend to be as follows:
Pit Bulls
Typically, pit bulls top the list of dogs that bite. While this breed isn’t very popular, there is still a huge number bred each year. Consistently leading all other dog breeds as one of the most dangerous, pit bulls are often bread to fight. It’s important that pit bulls are carefully socialized when they are puppies in order to live safely and comfortably live with humans.
Rottweilers
Coming in second, Rottweilers are the cause of 12% of dog bite-related deaths in this country. Holding the second deadliest record, adult Rottweilers feature a significant amount of strength along with having a potentially aggressive nature. Typically, vets will recommend that Rottweiler owners hire a professional trainer to help train and socialize a Rottweiler puppy.
German Shepherds
Long bred as a working dog, German shepherds were used to keeping livestock safe and are now used as military and police dogs. Their protective instincts, high energy, aggression, and alertness make them great working dogs, but it also makes this breed more likely to bite a human, particularly humans they don’t know.
Doberman Pinschers
This breed is actually more likely to bite another dog than to bite a human. However, Dobermans Pinschers will use their fearlessness, ferocity, and strength to attack humans. They make great guard dogs as well since they are fiercely loyal to their owners, which can turn quickly to aggression when they feel a stranger is approaching for an attack.
Wolf-Dog Hybrids
By nature, a wolf-dog hybrid is less tame or domesticated in comparison to their counterparts that completely dog. But, like many of the mixed breeds, the behavior of a wolf-dog can be hard to predict.
Bull Terriers
Children are most commonly attacked by Bull Terriers in city areas, and most of these attacks are considered unprovoked. Remember that when negligent dog owners let their dogs roam a neighborhood unsupervised, any type of dog is capable of biting. Some breeds are bred explicitly for their aggressive traits, but these dogs can be socialized if they are trained early to lower their unprovoked biting tendencies. Also keep in mind that malnourished, abused, and mistreated dogs are also more likely to bite than a dog that is properly cared for.
“Fad” Breeds
It’s important to note that not all popular dog breeds at any given moment are naturally aggressive like working or hunting dogs. But, some of these breeds have seen a spike in the number of dog bites because that breed has experienced a sudden popularity surge.
We saw this with Dalmatian bites after their popularity rose with the release of the “101 Dalmatians” movies. This working dog is not particularly patient with small children, but many families did not realize that before getting a Dalmatian. That’s why it’s important before you bring any dog into a home with small children that you make sure it has the temperament to suit the needs of your lifestyle and your family.
So, What Is Your Risk Of Getting A Dog Bite?
Even if you have the most well-trained and calm dog, it can still be a bite risk for the general public. Every year, there are hundreds of attacks by dogs that result in serious injuries. Young children are mainly at risk since they are the ones that are most commonly bitten by dogs.
In some cases, dogs have also been responsible for fatal attacks, particularly among children. Unfortunately, certain dog breeds are singled out as dangerous from the bad press they get from popular culture.
Understanding Rates of Dog Bites That Turn Deadly
Depending on the breed, there is a significant difference in the severity and frequency of dog bites. The dog breeds that are typically considered aggressive like a Rottweiler or Pit Bull, were the top two among the breeds at risk of causing injury or death.
According to CDC data:
- Pit bulls are responsible for 66% of dog bites that occur in the United States.
- Rottweilers come in second as the breed most prone to biting humans.
- Next in line is the German Shepherd.
When considering the breeds that caused the most fatalities, these three breeds are still the top three in the same order.
Types of Dog Bites
Resulting in severe brain injury, crushed skulls, crushed eye sockets, broken bones, punctures, crushing wounds, degloving, lacerations, and cuts, dog bites often result in a permanent scar. On your face, a dog will target your cheeks, chin, nose, and lips.
As the number of dog owners increases, so does the number of dog maulings and attacks. Many owners are unaware of how to care for aggressive, larger dogs correctly. Some owners like the stigma that comes with owning a larger, aggressive breed and keep them around as a status symbol.
Typically, biting incidents will happen in places where people have gathered together socially. Plus, 2/3 of the time, a dog attack will happen close to where either the victim or dog lives. And, dog attacks usually involve a dog that is known to the victim.
Since it’s not possible to predict accurately what will provoke an otherwise friendly dog to attack a human, it’s important to consider several factors including if the dog feels threatened, panicked, sick, or in pain. Dog owners and parents should also remember that you should never leave an unattended child with a dog of any size or breed.
To recap, remember that a sporting breed is also more likely to attack in comparison to a hound. Also, new and immature puppies are more likely to attack than adult dogs. Plus, the gangster-type dog that is trained aggressively can be dangerous breeds that are often owned by immature owners that encourage aggressive behavior in their dog.
What types of Dogs are best used as a “Guard Dog”?
A “Guard Dog” is a breed that is aggressively trained to protect both buildings and property. While any dog has the ability to bite a human, some are trained to be aggressive and make a good guard dog like:
- Dobermans
- Huskies
- American Staffordshire Terriers
- German Shepherds
- Rottweilers
- Pit Bulls
- Chows
- Akitas
While the population of larger dog breeds has significantly increased, it’s important to note that the severity of dog bite injuries has as well.
Dog Bite Injury Statistics from the CDC
Dog bites make up 1 1/2 percent of hospital emergency room visits. Typically, kids make up 60 percent of dog bite victims while male victims outnumber female victims by just a little bit. When you look at kids under ten years old, severe injuries were almost exclusive. Face injuries were the most frequent while mail carriers found most of their injuries were in their feet or legs.
Dangerous Zones That You Should Avoid When You Are Around Dogs
When you invade a dog’s “territory,” you threaten his family and territory. This creates a dangerous zone between the dog and yourself. It’s important to avoid this type of situation with a potentially aggressive and vicious dog breed.
Here are a few situations that you should try to avoid:
- When a dog is lying quietly, you should avoid bending over or approaching the dog
- When you enter the dog’s territory, avoid approaching him
- Do not wake or tease a sleeping dog
- Do not play with a dog to the point that he is annoyed or over-excited
Also, avoid doing the following:
- Let your dog go unleashed or roam the streets
- Approach a strange dog without talking first to the owner
- Startle a strange dog
- Tease a strange dog
- Disturb any dog that is caring for her puppies
- Leave an unattended child around any breed of dog
- Ignore any behavior warning signs that are aggressive
- Not keep up with all your dog’s vaccinations
- Hold a dog close to your face
- Eat from your dog’s food dish and try to be funny as your dog is eating
Important Things To Remember About An Attacking Dog:
- Any threatened dog will attack you
- Do not scream or run from a dog
- Do not stare a dog right in his eye since he will take that as a threat
- When you are approached by a strange dog, don’t try to pet him
- If you get knocked over by a large dog, immediately go into the fetal position and remain still
Dog Populations Around the World
Around the world, almost 85% of dogs are free-range dogs, which means that they are feral or strays and do not have homes or owners. The US and China have the highest dog populations. Typically, dogs that are involved in dog bites and attacks are actually family pets, however, some are strays or wild dogs.
Global Dog Bite Statistics
According to WHO, it’s hard to track dog attack and dog bite statistics, but fatalities and hospitalizations are easier to keep track of. WHO approximates that there are tens of millions of dog bites each year, and many of these fatalities and bites happen in middle and low-income countries. Plus, travelers are often the victim of dog bites when they travel to these countries.
Fatalities from Dog Bites
Every year, thousands of people die from dog bites and rabies. WHO reports that annually about 60,000 people will die each year from rabies that results from a dog bite. In areas where rabies vaccines are common in the United States, the number of fatalities that result from rabies is a lot lower. In the past year. the US has only had one out of three rabies cases that result in death, but they were caused by bats and not dogs.
FAQs
What breed of dog bites the most often?
Responsible for the highest percentage of bites reported, pit bulls bite the most often and also tend to cause the most damage per bite. They are followed by Rottweilers and German Shepherds.
What dog bites the most in 2021?
Again, the pit bull has the most bites of any other dog breed. It is followed by the Rottweiler and German Shepherd.
Which dog breed has killed the most humans?
Of all the dog breeds, the pit bull is responsible for killing the most humans in the United States. Over a thirteen-year period, they account for 66% of the total fatalities caused by dog bites.
What breed of dog bites the least?
Both Labrador retrievers and Golden retrievers are the least likely dogs to bite.
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