Why Dogs Attack People
Dog attacks are not pretty and they are definitely no laughing matter. When dogs attack people it can lead to serious injury or even death. Fatal dog attacks are rare but they do occur and even a simple dog bite can be very painful and cause injury. It is estimated that 2% of the U.S. population are bitten by dogs each year. These dog attacks are often the result of the close proximity of dogs to people in every day life.
So, why do dogs attack people?
There are really only four main reasons why dogs attack humans:
1) Protecting their owners or property – Most dogs will instinctively protect their territory. This is usually done by simply barking, but some dogs will actually attack someone who invades their territory. Any dog, big or small, may attack to protect their territory. However this is most common with certain breeds that have been bred and used as guard dogs or attack dogs for many years.
2) They are not properly socialized – All dogs need to be socialized and learn how to act around humans. Dogs that have had very little or no human contact are much more likely to attack a person that gets close to them.
3) Trained to attack by bad owners – There are lots of crazy people out there who actually train their dogs to attack any and all people. This is different from a properly trained guard dog. These dogs have been raised to be mean and don’t differentiate from a friend or an intruder.
4) Protecting themselves – Dogs can and will protect themselves if they deem it necessary.
People who are uneducated about dogs often blame dog attacks on certain breeds of dogs but the truth is that most dog attacks are due primarily to the actions or inactions of the dogs’ owners. Or they are because the dog was protecting its home, family, or itself.
Dogs are not inherently mean or prone to attacking humans. Some dog breeds are better for protection and guard work but even those breeds aren’t going to attack humans for no reason. There is no such thing as a “mean” or “bad” breed of dog and no dog is born aggressive. Furthermore, no dog breed is more prone to attack people than any other breed.
Most of the time dog attacks are the result of human behaviors, especially by people who are unfamiliar with dogs (often children). Dogs usually don’t respond to these behaviors with aggression but sometimes they will, and certain dogs will do it more than other dogs of the same or different breed.
These human behaviors include:
* Challenging the dog for food – Removing food from a dog or getting between a dog and its food, even when it’s an accident, may trigger aggressive behavior in some dogs.
* Attacking a dog, its family or companions – Dogs will often instinctively defend themselves from an attack or perceived attack. They may also defend those they consider their pack, which can be their human family or dogs and other animals they live with.
They may also be triggered by behaviors that are perceived as an attack. Examples of this would be a sudden and unexpected approach or touch by a stranger, inadvertently stepping on the dog or part of its body, or startling a sleeping dog unexpectedly.
* Invading its territory – Many dogs will fiercely defend their territory, which usually includes their house or yard and other places belonging to their family or areas that the dog thinks of as being theirs. This is especially true for breeds that are typically used as guard dogs.
It should be noted that the territory a dog recognizes as its own may not be the actual property lines that its owner and the legal authorities recognize, such as the neighbor’s yard or a place that the dog visits often.
* Failure to recognize fear – Dogs that are afraid or fearful of something or someone may turn and defend themselves against perceived threat, just as humans do. People who don’t have much experience with dogs will usually not recognize the signs of fear so they approach and trigger an aggressive reaction.
* Getting between a dog fight – A human stepping in between two dogs that are in a fight may be badly bitten. It is not the intent of the dog to attack the person but in the heat of the moment it often happens.
* Showing threatening body language – Staring directly into a dog’s eyes or a person the dog doesn’t know getting very close to their face may be seen as a challenge or threat. Looking directly into a dog’s eyes is most dangerous when on the same visual level as the dog or when the human is a stranger to the dog.
* Prey behaviors – Dogs have many predatory instincts that are imbedded in them, including the chasing of prey. Running away from a dog or behaving in a way that shows weakness can cause a dog to chase you or get overly excited and attack.
* Intruders – A trained guard dog or attack dog will most likely attack or act aggressively towards an intruder without warning.
Remember that any dog can attack unexpectedly given a certain situation. There is no such thing as a certain breed of dog that will attack or not attack humans. Most dogs will never hurt anyone, but it can happen and knowing some reasons why dogs typically attack and warning signs of it can save you from being injured. Hopefully this post has answered your question as to why dogs attack people and will help prevent you or someone you know from being attacked by a dog out of ignorance or neglect.
One final thing I want to stress… Don’t believe all the crap you hear about Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans (or any other dog breed) being vicious or dangerous. It’s NOT true! There is no such thing as a vicious or dangerous breed of dog. It’s all a bunch of media hype and myths.
Categories: Dog Information
April 28th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
I am a lawyer. I need an expert to testify about the reasons dogs attack – as appears in this site. Please call at (number removed) or email.
October 12th, 2009 at 11:53 am
My daughter has a golden lab. He is almost 3 yrs old. He has bitten me and my daughter and her boyfriend in the stretch of 2 months. Two of the cases was because he was not fed at the same spot he usually gets fed. The other was her boy friend went to pet him while he was on my daughters bed and he growled and bit him in the hand. He loves to steal things and thinks they are his. No matter how many times we send him to his crate he keeps doing it. Now he will growl at you when he has some thing he knows is not his. What can we do?
Thank you,
Diana
October 21st, 2009 at 4:52 pm
@Diana:
One thing you and all members of your household need to be sure to do is establish dominance over the dog. That is done by being calm and assertive. Do not show fear even if that is hard to do after being bitten. Don’t approach the dog in a fearful or overly aggressive manner.
And make sure you DO NOT hit the dog or punish him for bad behavior because that won’t help at all and will probably even make it worse. Positive reinforcement for good behavior and calm assertiveness are all that will work.
Remember that 99% of the time any negative behavior displayed by a dog is a result of human error in understanding dogs or training him properly.
November 17th, 2009 at 12:03 am
My fiance’s daughters Blue Heeler attacked one of his daughters friends a couple of days ago. I was not in the room so all I know is what I was told. They were sitting beside eachother on the sofa and the dog wanted to get up there too. She was told no and she attacked. She did some damage to the fore arm and even the woman’s throat. But thank God she is going to be fine physically. No doubt she will have other things besides bites and scars to deal with for a while. The dog is now quarentined for 10 days. She is an older dog and I have been concerned for about a month that she was going to bite me. She has snapped at me often but has never actually bitten me. I have told everyone in that house that its a matter of time before she actually does bite me. I don’t know what will be done with the dog. I don’t know if she can be trained. She doesn’t get enough exercise and from what I’ve read about the breed that is key. Besides the obvious problem I am now too afraid to be in the house alone with the dog. How can I get my confidence back? I love animals and I don’t want her to be put down. She is becoming more agressive and I am frankly very afraid for my safety. She is loved by the family and I totally understand that, but I’m afraid. I’m actually getting married on Saturday and don’t know how I will be able to conquer my fears.
Can anyone offer any advice? I need it badly.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
@Marie:
In almost any situation where a dog attacks a person it is because it was provoked in some way or it has been trained to do so by its owner. That does not seem to be your case but it sounds as if the dog is getting old and possibly confused. Sometimes they get “testy” about even little things much like many elderly people do. They can also form behavioral problems as they get older.
Exercise is definitely important so they can have an outlet for stress and anxiety. If you were cooped up in the house all the time you would probably not be a very nice person to be around. It’s the same for dogs.
You should also try very hard not to be afraid of the dog. Yes, I know that is easier said than done, but they can sense fear and can instinctively go after someone or something that is afraid of them.
Also read the above post and comments carefully as there may be something already mentioned that can help your situation.
November 19th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
* Any dog, treated harshly or trained to attack, may bite a person.
* Any dog can be turned into a dangerous dog. The owner or handler most often is responsible for making a dog into something dangerous and attack prone.
* An irresponsible owner or dog handler might create a situation that places another person in danger by a dog, without the dog itself being dangerous. Example: Leaving an infant alone with a dog.
* Any individual dog may be a good and loving even though its breed is considered to be potentially dangerous. A responsible owner can win the love and respect of a dog, no matter its breed. You cannot look at an individual dog, recognize its breed, and then say whether or not it is going to attack.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Hello, thanks for the info.
I have a question: My brother always teases my Dogo Argentino (he is 2 years old now) he has been teasing him for a year and a half, he gets a kick out of seeing the dog and hearing the dog growl without biting, and when I’m ready to leave and the dog is in the car my brother provokes him to attack but shuts the back door and opens the front door while my dog is trying to get him, then I leave. My brother is the only one who ever teases him, I know he loves dogs but out of our own ignorance he attacked him and tore a big hole in his arm, I got the dog off right away but it was to late to avoid any damage. Now looking back we should have known that it was wrong. I learned that you should never tease a dog especially when it’s warning you. IS THAT RIGHT?? And please help me to understand where we went wrong? Thank you so much.
-Thomas
November 20th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
@Thomas:
You don’t need me to tell you where you went wrong. You already said it in your comment… Teasing a dog to make him growl and come close to attacking because you think it’s fun is just asking for him to actually attack you at some point. Your brother could have been seriously injured and it’s his own fault.
You should NEVER tease any dog for any reason!
First of all, it’s just plain mean to tease them and secondly it’s a good way to become the victim of a dog attack even if you didn’t think the dog would ever actually do it.
A little common sense can go along way in preventing dog attacks!
December 6th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Hey I have a German Shepherd, he turned a year old today. He is a good dog but last night he attacked my little brother who is 11 years old. He has never even growled at anyone in our family. Now he is growling at my little brother whenever he sees him. He has never been teased or beaten, we take care of our dog. What can you tell me about this?
Thanks Jacob