By REBECCA DEVINE in Rotorua A pitbull which attacked three cars in Rotorua may have been accidentally taught to do so by its owners.
An expert in domestic animal behaviour, Professor Kevin Stafford of Massey University, said dog owners often taught their dogs bad habits without realising it.
The dog may have been encouraged to play with tyres as a puppy and had progressed to attacking cars, he said.
"You get a lot of strange cases up there in Rotorua - it must be the sulphur."
The dog attacked three cars earlier this week, including a vehicle with a terrified woman inside.
The woman's car was shaken with the force of the animal's jaws on its bumper.
Professor Stafford said attacks on cars were not often reported in the city, but farm dogs would often chase cars down rural driveways and sometimes bite at them.
Without knowing more details it was difficult to determine why Boris the pitbull attacked the three cars the way he did.
He said three things influenced behaviour; the genetic makeup of a dog, its experience and the location of the attack.
Professor Stafford said if the attacks were outside the property where the dog lived, it could have been acting in a territorial way. However, there was the possibility it was acting as a predator.
Also, if the dog had attacked cars before, it may have had a bad experience with a car as a puppy.
Animal control staff had said the pitbull was mainly placid to deal with.
Professor Stafford said if the dog was "riled up" during the incident it might move on to biting a person.
He said pitbulls weren't necessarily more aggressive than other forms of dogs, but it was likely to have been taught to be aggressive.
"Pitbulls are very capable of doing serious damage to a car where as your average corgi isn't," he said.
Meanwhile, a Rotorua couple whose dog attacked a meter reader say they have learnt a huge lesson after the incident.
Their pet mastiff jumped from the decking of their house in Rotorua's western suburbs and bit the man on his face.
Speaking to the Daily Post yesterday the dog owner, who did not want to be named, said she had learnt a lot from the attack.
The dog was normally tied up on a chain but had recently had pups which were constantly "on at her".
The owners had let the dog off to give it some relief from her pups.
The owner had texted all her friends and those who visited the house regularly to let them know, but did not let the power company know the dog was off his chain.
"It was a one-off.
"She had puppies and was protecting them."
The four-year-old dog has since been put down.
"Her owner is still too upset about the attack to look at the photos of the meter man's injuries.
"I wouldn't look but my husband said he had two rows of stitches about one inch [2.5cm] long each."
The pair have already started building bigger fences around their property and are likely to put a sign up warning dogs are on the property.
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