German Shepherds Head Australia's Aggressive List
The Age
Sunday August 3, 1997
German shepherds top the list, followed by bull terriers, blue and red heelers, dobermanns, and rottweilers, of Australian dogs most likely to bite.
A survey in today's Medical Journal of Australia has found that almost three in four dog attacks are made by just five of the 160 or so breeds found in this country.
Ranking just outside the "top five" of aggressive dogs are assorted terriers, according to researchers from the University of Adelaide, who conducted the study.
They estimate about 100,000 Australians a year will be injured and require treatment as a result of a dog attack. About 13,000 will go to hospital for treatment.
The researchers found that 50 per cent of 356 victims interviewed feared further attacks - indicating that the community might accept tighter dog controls.
They said one solution would be to limit availability of the top five offending canines.
Alternatively, ownership of such breeds could be restricted to people who agree to attend dog obedience training, dog behavior assessment, and walking the dog on a leash.
Such owners would also be compelled to erect secure fencing around their homes and put up warning signs.
A public health researcher who headed the study, Mr Peter Thompson, said dogs, young children and the elderly did not mix: hospital admission rates were five times higher for the elderly and seven times higher for children aged under 12 than for people aged 13 to 59.
"In view of rising community concern and increasing media reports on dog attacks, owners must also begin to take more responsibility and put in place measures themselves to reduce the incidence of dog attacks," he said.
Animal behaviorist Dr Robert Holmes said dogs needed to be individually assessed for attack risk as every dog was unique.
He said three factors contributed to why a dog attacks: genetic disposition, previous experience, and something in the environment that provokes their aggression.
And, while german shepherds topped the aggression list in the survey, it should be remembered there were probably more german shepherds and german shepherd-mixed breeds than any other breed in Australia, he said.
The size of the dog also needed to be taken into consideration.
NASTY DOGS
Breed Percentage Percentage of
of attacks dog population
German shepherd 25.3 10.2
Bull terrier 13.6 6.6
Blue/red heeler 13.6 7.7
Doberman 11.7 2.5
Rotweiller 9.1 4.2
Assorted terriers 6.5 15.4
Collie (all types) 3.9 7.4
Labrador 3.3 5.5
Source: University of Adelaide research from Queen Elizabeth Hospital data over
three years.
© 1997 The Age
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