Talk to the Animals: Dog attacks - bad breeds or bad owners?

The American pit bull terrier is behind many of the serious attacks in New Zealand. Photo / Peter Meecham

Opinion

Each time a dog attack features in the media there's renewed debate around dog control and whether particular breeds should be banned. Understandably this is a highly emotive topic, especially for those that have been affected and supporters of the breeds in the spotlight. Sadly these attacks are on the rise in New Zealand.

The American pit bull terrier

The American pit bull terrier is over-represented in dog attack stats and behind many of the serious incidents in New Zealand. Statistics from 13 council districts reveals this breed is responsible for 12.5 per cent of all reported dog attacks despite comprising just 2.3 per cent of the dog population.

Admittedly it can be difficult to distinguish a pit bull-cross from a staffy-cross in the heat of the moment, so it's likely the pit bull has a few more black marks against it than strictly deserved.

Supporters of the pit bull breed are adamant it's a great family dog and quite safe around children. This may be the case with some owners but when this dog does attack the results can be horrific.

Selective breeding for a purpose

Few people would dispute the instinctual behavior and abilities of herding dogs like border collies or retrieving dogs like Labradors. Even when not being kept as working animals like their predecessors, they retain the characteristics that careful selective breeding over hundreds of years has produced. We choose beagles for quarantine work due to their inherent scenting ability while German shepherds and rottweilers are used for guarding and security work reflecting the original purpose for which the breeds were created.

The American pit bull has been selectively bred to fight other dogs and remains the dog of choice in illegal fighting rings. With a strong muscular body and powerful jaws it has the build for fighting and combined with the tenacity and endurance not to back down it is a formidable opponent. Pit bulls and other dogs bred specifically for fighting are going to have the potential to react to certain triggers more strongly than a dog that has been bred purely as a companion animal. Along with guarding and hunting dogs, a heightened prey drive is behind this characteristic.

Environment as a factor in dog aggression

One of the most important aspects of a dog's environment is its owner. When that owner provides appropriate care with consistent training, socialisation and exercise it is quite possible that dogs classified as menacing can make good pets. When it comes to interactions with people and other animals it is particularly important that the owner has the knowledge and capability to control their dog fully.

When a dog is kept purely as a status symbol, not contained or actively encouraged to be aggressive shows an owner who has created an environment that will essentially set the animal up to fail.

Banning breeds?

When certain breeds have been banned overseas, we've not seen a decline in attacks. Cross breeds are notoriously hard to identify causing major issues between enforcers of the ban, owners and even animal shelters wanting to re-home suitable dogs.

Were a ban enforced, those individuals keeping aggressive dogs purely to bolster their own status will simply move on to another breed and produce a similar result.

Pit bulls and other dogs bred specifically for fighting are going to have the potential to react to certain triggers more strongly than a dog that has been bred purely as a companion animal. Photo / Thinkstock

What is the answer to preventing dog attacks?

Responsible, careful owners with knowledge of the behavior of the animals in their care are not often in the spotlight when it comes to dog attacks. Dogs are complicated creatures and to care for them properly requires an understanding of their needs - social, physical and behavioral. This becomes even more important when the animal in question is of a breed with a lower threshold for dangerous and aggressive behaviors that can potentially cause harm to others.

Owning a car or a firearm also brings with it the potential to do harm to others so we insist on owner education and a strict licensing process. We accept that a level of competence is needed and an uneducated person in charge of these things is dangerous.

In my opinion there should be a similar process for dog ownership, be it a potentially dangerous breed or not. Compulsory and thorough education for dog owners and a requirement to prove a level of competency before obtaining an animal can only reduce the incidents of dog attacks not to mention dog neglect.

There would of course be opposition to the inevitable cost of such a process, but while we continue to see an increase in horrific dog attacks the cost is so much greater.