OK, here we go! What dogs are the most dangerous?

Question

Now, don't just say "mean ones' or something just as stupid! Give me examples backed up by FACTS! Data should come from a reputable source.

So, I want to hear, what makes a dangerous dog? Why do you think _____________ is dangerous?

There are so many questions here about one breed or another. So I wanted to give an open forum for people to explain their views.

Answer 1

little dogs bite more often. big dogs don't bite AS often, but they kill sometimes, so they get a bad rap.

taken from fataldogattacks.com-but remember, the fatal ones aren't representative of all dog BITES.

"FATAL DOG ATTACKS"
The Stories Behind the Statistics
by Karen Delise

THE STATISTICS - FATAL DOG ATTACKS IN THE U.S. FROM 1965 - 2001 *

The study covers 431 documented human fatalities from a dog attack.

Location of Attack
25% of all fatal attacks were inflicted by chained dogs
25% resulted from dogs loose in their yard
23% occurred inside the home
17% resulted from attacks by dogs roaming off their property
10% involved leashed dogs or miscellaneous circumstances

Number of Dogs
68% of all fatal attacks were inflicted by a single dog
32% was the result of a multiple dog attack

Victim Profile
79% of all fatal attacks were on children under the age of 12
12% of the victims were the elderly, aged 65 - 94
9% of the victims were 13 - 64 years old

The age group with the highest number of fatalities were children under the age of 1 year old; accounting for 19% of the deaths due to dog attack. Over 95% of these fatalities occurred when an infant was left unsupervised with a dog(s).

The age group with the second-highest number of fatalities were 2-year-olds; accounting for 11% of the fatalities due to dog attack. Over 87% of these fatalities occurred when the 2-year-old child was left unsupervised with a dog(s) or the child wandered off to the location of the dog(s).

Boys aged 1 - 12 years old were 2.5 times more likely to be the victim of a fatal dog attack than girls of the same age.


Reproductive Status of Dogs
Overwhelmingly, the dogs involved in fatal dog attacks were unaltered males.
From 2000-2001 there were 41 fatal dog attacks. Of these, 28 were attacks by a single dog and 13 fatalities were caused by multiple dogs.

Of the 28 single dogs responsible for a fatal attack between 2000-2001;
26 were males and 2 were females. Of the 26 males, 21 were found to be intact (the reproductive status of the remaining 5 males dogs could not be determined).

this is from a different site, but once again, only FATALITIES


# registered No. of Fatal Attacks Breed Percentage
240,000 12 Chow Chow .705%
800,000 67 German Shepherds .008375%
960,000 70 Rottweiler .00729%
128,000 18 Great Dane .01416 %
114,000 14 Doberman .012288%
72,000 10 St. Bernard .0139%
5,000,000 60 American Pit Bull .0012%
Only registered dogs were included. In this finding, the number of the breed is expressed
first, then the number of fatal attacks by the breed and the percentage of dogs in that
breed who administered the fatal attack.

Answer 2

What makes a dog aggressive has alot of factors. It goes beyond people and how they are raised. It has to do with alot of things. Training and socialization are big ones. Also, genetics and their place in the "pack" are others. Dogs are naturally pack animals, and we forget that alot.
Here is a website that has dog bite statisitics from 1970's through 1998. It may be a little different now, but I bet it is still pretty close. There is no offense to any of these dog breeds.
All breeds have potential to be aggressive. Also, all breeds have potential to be nice. Dogs of any breed can bite.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds.pdf

PS. just for the record...I have work at emergency clinic for 5 years. I have NEVER seen a pit bull try to bite any staff member, and we probably see an average of about 5-6 pits a week for varius reasons. However, we have seen way too many other dogs attacked by pit bulls.

Here is my list of dog breeds we trust the least based on the combined experience of the 20 technicians we have at our clinic(again, no offense. I am not saying I have only seen mean ones. I have seen alot of very nice dogs of these breeds)
cockers
dachs
chihuahua
terriers (varius types, mostly jack russells)
rotties
akitas
shar pei
min pins

Answer 3

A 'dangerous dog' is not specific to a breed. There is information and statistics to show which dogs bite most often, and which dogs do the most damage. I know labs are at the top of which dogs bite most often, and pits are near the top of which do most damage. I think that all dangerous dogs have to do with the owners. Owners who either train their dog to be agressive, abuse their dog, don't train their dog, or neglect bad behavior, allowing things like growling and biting. My favorite dog breed in the world is a pit bull. I think they are the msot wonderful dogs. They are naturally sweet natured to humans, and easily trained. The just have to be socialized well with other dogs. Of all the dogs i've been bitten by, a golden retriever did the most damage. He attacked me with No warning, and left scars on my face. i have also been bit by a pekenese, and a few beagles. I work in a vet clinic, and i used to volunteer at an animal shelter. And i can tell you that behind an agressive dog is not it's genetics, but it's owner. I have not met an agressive pit bull, and i have met FEW agressive rottweilers. But i have met a lot of agressive beagle, chihuahuas, and little terrier mixes. And i'm not saying anything bad about these breeds in general. I'm just trying to say that any dog can be dangerous, and it has nothing to do with the breed, but who's hands this dog ends up in.

(i have never met a pit or a rott who turned on their owners. i don't know where people get this from.)

Answer 4

A dangerous dog is one that is owned by a stupid person. You can make any dog dangerous. Any dog is capable of dangerous behavior if it is raised to hate. Most dogs just want to be loved and want to serve their master. Rottweilers have a harder bite when they attack humans. Pitbulls have a harder bite when they go after other dogs. The average large dog has a bite radious of 800 pounds psi. Rotts and pits have a bite capability of around 1200 pounds psi. Right now the Lab has the worst reputation for bites. Probably because of inbreeding and over breeding.

http://dogpolitics.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/02/top_10_most_dan.html

Answer 5

Banning some thing has shown to create a rewarding black marketplace contained in the article (or animal)... and to make various shady characters various illicit money. you've in user-friendly words to seem on the US's Prohibition contained in the 1920's which went far to creating the mob or the "conflict on drugs" which have created a spectacular drug cartel in numerous countries to the south of the US. Ban particular breeds contained in the US or ban breeding - and the cost is going up, dogs get a lot less treatment (for worry of a vet turning the owner of the unlawful dogs/domestic dogs in) and that i'll wager domestic dogs will be protected with drug shipments. i do not trust our cultures are so diverse that the united kingdom does no longer have an same subject matters.

Answer 6

I am probably going to piss some people off but this is my theory... I think pits, rotts, dobermans and shepards are the most dangerous because they were initially bred to be aggresive dogs. I have known some very nice dogs of these breeds but I also believe that there is something ingrained in the breeds that can cause unwarrented agression towards people that they know and dont know. The difference in these dog attacks verses small dogs attacking is obvious, you have NEVER heard of someone dying from an attack by a poodle. A pit bull will lock his jaw and not let go, also it is INSTINCT for these dogs to go for the throat, sometimes they aim for the crotch which can be just as deadly. One man, a friend of my husbands had a wonderful pit that he raised from a pup, came home and was attacked without provacation by her and his other pit. He ended up casterated but did shoot the dog before calling 911. This was a family pet for years. This is why I dont think it's all responsible pet ownership, I think it is ingrained in these dogs and when instinct takes over they are the most dangerous.

Answer 7

dogs are like people. is there one race of humans that is more dangerous. no and the same goes for dogs. But there are two factor that come into play that can make any animal or humans are mental illness and how they are raised. so any dog can be dangerous. I own a big breed that most people label as dangerous but he has never been anything but loving for fact he sleeps with either my son or me.

Answer 8

There was a study done a few years ago the proved that Cocker Spaniels are the most likely to bite. A dangerous dog is any dog who had not been properly trained. Dogs can be unpredictable and need consistent training, no matter what the breed is.

Answer 9

Any dog can be dangerous, people just need to treat them better. and raise them right. There are stupid owners out there who just have a dog and dont give it attention or do anything with them. Or the other stupid owners who are irrisponsible. I own pit bulls and get critisized for having them left and right, any dog is dangerous just have a good owner

Answer 10

any dog can be dangerous if the are abused. as far as breeds, obviously pit pulls are very unpredictable which might be a result of too many back yard breaders introducing bad blood lines to the gene pool. also, malimutes (spelling??) if i'm not mistaken have a rather nasty disposition. however, with proper and consistent training most dogs are safe.