Which Dogs Attack Their Owners The Most

When asking this question, it is important to bear in mind that any dog can bite. A dog will turn out to be hostile and aggressive or calm and friendly mostly as a result of how it was raised and socialized, irrespective of its breed. A dog can also be trained to fight or be a guard for its owners.

This makes the dog get aggressive and launch at anyone it perceives as a threat. Pit bull and Rottweiler are peculiar breeds that are most often trained to be aggressive.

Which Dogs Attack Their Owners The Most

Study and facts regarding dog attacks, the dogs that are most likely to attack humans are Pit bull, Rottweiler, Bullmastiff, Pit bull mix, Husky, German shepherd, , Wolf hybrid, Boxer, German Shepherd mix, Akita, Chow and Doberman.

Pit bulls are almost always considered as one of the most dangerous breed of dogs. A greater percent of all dog-related deaths over time have been from Pit bull attacks. These fatalities do not happen just because Pit bulls are essentially violent.

As a matter of fact, there is hardly any difference between a Pit bulls’ violent aggression and the potential capacity of any other breed to be violence.

Pit bulls’ attacks, however, result in such a large percentage of fatalities due to the following factors:

• Pit bulls are a sturdy, thick breed of dogs and they have one of the strongest jaws in the dog family.
• From time immemorial, Pit bulls have been trained to be aggressive and to fight. As a result of their strength and stamina, Pit bulls would remain persistent in a fight, even after they have been injured. They keep at it until they have inflicted maximum damage on the other dog.
• This breed of dogs tend to lock their jaw when they bite, and shake vehemently. This act is not likely to leave the other dog or person uninjured or even alive, in extreme cases.

The other dog breeds mentioned above have also caused fatalities from their attacks. Here is a list of these breeds and their fatality rates:

• German shepherds – 3.8 percent fatality
• Husky – 3.1 percent fatality
• American bulldog – 3.6 percent fatality
• Mixed breeds – 3.3 percent fatality
• Rottweiler – 11 percent fatality
• Mastiff/Bullmastiff – 3.1 percent fatality

None of these fatalities is nearly as high as the rate of fatalities caused by the Pit bulls’ attack (66%).

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Reasons A Dog Would Turn On Its Owner

Although we cannot be too sure why a dog would attack its owner, on a general note, there are factors that could be responsible. Here are some of the factors:

1. Fear: If your dog hears a strange sound or sees an object he is not used to, he is more than likely to bark and get aggressive out of fear because he is not yet accustomed to those things. Having children around could also be fearful for your dog as they tend to make sounds and acting in ways that could be frightening to your dog.
2. Protective Instincts: Dogs tend to be aggressive when they perceive or sense a threat. Your dog’s initial reaction to threat is barking. This way, your dog is communicating a warning to the threat, the more the threat approaches, the more threatened he feels and he resorts to aggression.
3. Possessiveness: Your dog might become aggressive when he is trying to stake his claim on his territory. Your dog can feel possessiveness over his bed, plate, play area, and would instinctively be show aggression towards anyone that might invade his territory, even you – his owner.
4. Boredom: Holidays tend to be the worse times for a dog. Your dog might be left unattended to and confused in a house full of guests. Of course, if your dog ever feels ignored, he will most likely get aggressive in a bid to get your attention.
5. Competition: if you happen to own two or more dogs, they may tend to compete for your attention and this can make the dog that feels left out to become aggressive and his anger would most likely be direct at you.
6. Pain: Even if your dog does not an a history of being aggressive, pain could be a trigger. Almost every dog would become aggressive when they are in pain.
7. Medical Condition: A dog with a medical condition, usually brain tumors, can become unpredictably aggressive.

How To Stop A Dog From Attacking You

If you ever find yourself in a situation with a dog that is aggressive and about to attack you, here are a few tips on how to stop the attack from happening:

• Avoid making eye contact with the dog.
• Slowly turn to the side and stand with your arms crossed.
• Stay still for a while and then move away slowly to a place where there can be a barrier between you and the dog, in case it decides to attack you still.
• If this does not work, and the dog is still aggressing towards you, stay completely still.
• Calmly ask someone around to help without raising your voice.
• Resist trying to sweet-talk the dog or get friendly with it as this could further provoke the dog. Instead, completely ignore the dog. The more you ignore it, the less interested it would be in going ahead with the attack.
• In the event that the dog is dangerously launching at you with vicious and fierce aggression, if you are on the ground, slowly reposition yourself to protect your head and neck.
• Whatever you do, resist the urge to hit the dog with a stick as hitting the dog will only heighten its already pumped up adrenaline.
• Try to move to a higher ground as it becomes harder for it to bite from its position below.
• Blocking the dog’s sight for a moment could afford you time to escape, as the will naturally disengage when its vision is blocked.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Breed Of Dog Bites The Most Often?

It might interest you to know that even some breeds that have no history of aggression, like the Labrador Retriever, also make the list of top 10 dogs that are likely to attack humans. Of course, the Pit bull takes first place on the list, followed by the Rottweiler in second place and the German Shepherd in third place.

Do Dogs Attack Without Warning?

Dogs will most often give several warning signs before biting. Some of the signs may include lip licking, crouching and snarling (children might mistake this for a smile).  Dogs never bite without warning; we just did not read the signs nor listen to the warnings.

Dogs, however, show subtle sign sometimes like a small freeze or a moment of tension. Such signs can easily go unnoticed.

Conclusion

Unlike humans who are able to voice our needs and feelings whenever we feel the need to, dogs are not able to communicate their feelings with words and can only rely on their body language and barks to help pass their message across.

As is expected, you are likely not to understand everything your dog is trying to tell you or miss out on the message all together.

Study shows that 76% of dog bites to children were on the head region, because of their heights. Neck bites are particularly dangerous as the child can bleed to death. You must be extra cautious if you have a children around. Mind the kids and watch out for signs that your dog is being aggressive towards the kids.