Dog Pound: What Breed of Dog Has the Most Attacks?

Approximately tens of millions of dog bites occur every year. However, it is hard to get a specific number of dog bites and attacks. It is easier to track dog bite fatalities and hospitalizations. 91% of dog bites only cause minor injuries that don’t require medical attention or don’t cause any injury at all.

You are much more at risk of dying from a number of other incidents, such as being stung by a bee, wasp, or hornet, choking from ingestion of food, and air and space transport incidents. That being said, because dogs are so prevalent in our society, it’s understandable why people fear being bitten by dogs.

There are definitely certain dog breeds that are more responsible for dog bites than others. Are you wondering what breed of dog has the most attacks?

Let’s take a look at what you need to know.

Pit Bull Terriers

When pit bulls come up in conversation, you’ll soon learn that they are actually a pretty controversial topic. Many people are very anti-pitbull because of their reputation as being dangerous and aggressive. Other people who have seen the sweeter side of pit bulls claim that there aren’t bad Pitbulls, just bad owners.

Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of opinions in this debate, the reality is that Pit bulls are the dog breed that is responsible for the most fatal dog attacks.

Out of the 48 dog attack fatalities in the United States in 2019, pit bulls caused 33 of them. For this reason, you will find that there are a lot of counties and cities that have banned pit bulls. If pit bulls were the most popular dog breed, than maybe this could be explained away by sheer numbers, however, they are only less than 6% of the population of dogs in the U.S.

In the years between 2009 and 2018, there were 3,569 incidents in the US and Canada where pit bulls killed or maimed humans. It’s also worth understanding that bites from pit bulls are much more deadly than bites from other dog breeds. One study found that pit bulls tend to inflict:

• Wounds that are more complex
• Bites that were unprovoked
• Bites that occurred off the property

There’s also the reality that pit bull owners typically tend to be more irresponsible, at least according to a number of studies on the topic.

Pit bulls were bred originally in order to protect hunters from bears and to bait bulls. They also have a history of being treated poorly, unfortunately. This is a breed of dog that is commonly bred illegally in order to participate in dog fights.

If you’ve been bitten by a dog in a way that caused serious injury or harm, you might be in the market for a dog attack attorney.

Rottweiler

The dog breed that is second-most responsible for bites is the Rottweiler. These are the fourth most banned dog breeds after pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and german shepherds.

There were 45 deaths from rottweilers between 2005 and 2017. This is in comparison to 284 deaths attributed to pit bull terriers. Pit bulls are responsible for something like 65.6% of fatal attacks, while Rottweilers are responsible for 10.4%.

While this isn’t the biggest breed of dog, Rottweilers are sizable indeed. They are incredibly muscular and can weigh up to 130 pounds.

They were bred to guard and herd which can make them dangerous. However, with proper socialization and training they are not necessarily predisposed to being dangerous.

German Shepherds

German shepherds are considered the third most dangerous dog breed. Along with the pit bull terrier and rottweilers, these dogs are banned in the United Kingdom.

Between 2005 and 2017, there were 20 deaths attributed to the German shepherd. This accounts for 4.6% of dog attack fatalities during that year.

Many German shepherds can be very friendly. They are alert, smart, fearless, and vigilant. They are commonly used in police K-9 units because of these positive qualities.

Many families keep German shepherds as pets without any issue. However, it’s essential that they are property trained and socialized starting at a young age. It is in their nature to be very protective of their home, their family, and their owners.

Other Breeds

While pit bulls, rottweilers, and german shepherds make up more than 80% of fatal dog attacks, there are a number of other dog breeds that have been known to cause injuries. These include:

• Gull Dong
• The Bull Terrier
• Caucasian Ovcharka
• The Husky
• Doberman Pinschers
• Chow chows
• Wolf hybrids
• Boxers
• Akitas
• Great Danes
• The American bulldog
• The Saint Bernard
• Malamute
• The Bullmastiff
• Tosa Inu
• Cocker spaniel
• Labrador

Some of these dogs are only dangerous if they aren’t trained properly and treated well, such as Labradors. Others seem to be more dangerous due to breed characteristics, such as the Tosa Inu which is known to be a fighting dog. Similarly, Gull Dong’s were originally bred as fighting dogs and are known to be very aggressive and difficult to control.

Other dogs have a strong predator instinct, such as the Husky.

Pit Bulls Are the Breed of Dog That Cause the Most Fatalities

Pit bulls are easily considered the most dangerous dog in the U.S. However, most dogs can be dangerous is they are mistreated or aren’t trained properly. If you are deciding to get a dog, it’s important to take into consideration what breed of dog would be best for your activity level as well as your willingness to provide proper training.

Did you find this article about which breed of dog is most dangerous interesting? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more informative and useful content!