Get nervous whenever you bump into your neighbor’s incessantly barking dog? Feel uneasy when you’re at a park and see a dog charging toward your young kids? Are some dogs more aggressive by nature, and should they always be kept on a leash?
It wouldn’t be surprising if you feel uneasy around some dog breeds. Earlier this month, a 4-year-old boy died after being attacked by three pit bulls in Mexico.
Back in 2022, a woman in Florida was attacked and killed by a pack of five “large and vicious” pit bulls, her sister told Newsweek in June. “Hearing her horrific screams, the dog owner and a neighbor tried to help, but could not separate her from the pack,” the sister said.
Dogs bite over 4 million people in the U.S., resulting in the hospitalization of 6,000 to 13,000 people each year, according to a study in the peer-reviewed journal Wilderness & Environmental Medicine.
Data compiled by the nonprofit DogsBite.org shows there were 46 fatal dog attacks (dog bite-related) reported in the U.S. in 2020. From 2005 to 2020, dogs were reported to have killed 568 Americans. Two dog breeds—pit bulls (380 deaths) and rottweilers (51)—contributed to 76 percent of these deaths, while 37 other breeds were involved in the remaining attacks, according to the data.
However, an April 2022 study of more than 18,000 dogs, published in Nature, noted that despite it being “long assumed that a dog’s breed shapes its temperament…breed has much less to do with a dog’s personality than is generally supposed.”
While it may seem like some pooches are more hostile than others, dog trainer Ali Smith from Rebarkable.com, told Newsweek: “Essentially, all dogs can be dangerous.” Regardless of whether you have a pit bull or Chihuahua, leash laws—which vary by state—should always be recognized and followed, Smith said.
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Should All Dogs Be Kept on a Leash?
Veterinarian Dr. Preston Turano is the American Kennel Club’s pet insurance spokesperson. He told Newsweek: “For the safety of your dog, other dogs, and people, it is best to keep your pet on a leash regardless of their breed.”
Smith said it is “down to an individual owner to be responsible about their dog” and understand the risks of not keeping their pet on a leash.
Turano added that leashes make sense for various reasons, such as preventing dogs from being hit by a car, as well as unnecessary attacks on people and dog fights. “There is more disharmony when some dogs are on leash and some off.”
All canines should be kept on a leash whenever they’re outside of their own yard, unless they are in a designated off-leash area, Turano said.
The veterinarian added: “So, even if your dog is well behaved off-leash, the respectful thing to do is to keep them leashed in public, unless it is an off-leash area where other pet parents are expecting dogs to be off-leash.”
It will take time for your dog to get used to being on a leash. “Socializing your pet at an early age and getting them acclimated to a leash is best. If you adopt an older pet who is not leash-trained, consider finding a local trainer,” Turano said.
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Bite Risk—’Dogs Can Become Unpredictable’
Turano said that any dog can pose a biting risk when off-leash. “This is especially true if the dog is aggressive or fearful based on their disposition or events that have occurred during their lifetime.”
Turano added that “dogs can become unpredictable” if they unexpectedly find themselves in a stressful or threatening situation. You can help prevent these situations by keeping your dog on a leash, he said.
Lynda Taylor is a university lecturer on applied canine behavior from the Depend On Dogs website and the author of the book Fear In Dogs: Theories, Protocols and Solutions. She told Newsweek: “A fearful dog, or one that finds it difficult to cope with sudden changes in their environment, may find this situation completely overwhelming.”
Taylor said that, despite the owner’s commitment to training, the dog “may still respond in an aggressive way in order to cope with what’s happening around them.”
Smith said that when it comes to a “potentially dangerous dog,” a muzzle is “way more powerful a tool than a leash.”
Why Are Some Dog Breeds Banned?
Frightening dog attacks, such as the aforementioned incidents in Florida and Mexico, have led to calls to ban certain breeds, such as pit bulls. The American pit bull terrier is one among around a handful of dog breeds that are banned in the U.K.
Smith said the idea behind the ban was that these dogs were “bred to fight.” As large breeds “with serious bite force,” they were essentially deemed “high risk” and consequently banned, she said.
She noted that “whilst we know that aggression has a genetic component, to say that a whole breed is dangerous is a very sweeping statement and doesn’t really reflect all dogs.”
Taylor said: “In the U.K., breed specific legislation has some serious flaws. It assumes that all dogs of a certain breed are dangerous and relies heavily on the ‘nature’ side of the nature vs. nurture argument.”
For example, many pit bulls “have great temperaments and make fabulous family dogs,” Taylor noted. But they’re often misunderstood as aggressive, dangerous pets.
Smith warned it’s also really dangerous to just assume that breeds labelled as “friendly” will never bite, noting that “any dog has the potential to do significant damage.”
Taylor explained that the challenge comes down to breeders and owners. Breeders must ensure that their pups are “carefully assessed for flawless temperaments” prior to breeding and that they’re only homed with responsible families.
She said dog owners must also commit to training their new dog with an accredited trainer and “always being the dog’s advocate” to ensure they’re never placed in a situation whereby they feel the need to bite.
“Sadly, the damage done by a very large dog such as an XL Bully can be devastating compared to a bite with the same intent from a much smaller dog. And because of this, those who choose to have them in their life must take responsibility for both their dog’s safety and that of the general public,” Taylor warned.
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Knowing Your Dog’s Temperament and Other Factors
Smith said that no breed “needs” to be on leash more than any other, adding that it boils down to genetics, which is “different to breed,” as well as how a dog is raised.
A May 2021 study of data from 13,715 dogs published in Scientific Reports found that “several factors increased the probability of aggressive behavior toward people.” These included “older age, being male, fearfulness, small body size, lack of conspecific company [other dogs] and being the owner’s first dog.”
The study’s findings added that “improvements in owner education and breeding practices could alleviate aggressive behavior toward people, while genetic studies could reveal associated hereditary factors.”
Taylor said that it’s a “misconception” that some dog breeds are best kept on a leash. “What’s actually important is the training of an individual dog combined with the owner’s awareness of their dog’s temperament and ability to cope in a particular environment.”
To be allowed to roam off-leash in a public area, a pup must have an “excellent recall” and the ability to listen and respond to their owner. Taylor added: ” We humans are rarely 100 percent reliable in anything that we do, and so it would be unrealistic to expect that from our dogs.”
But this is when understanding a dog’s temperament comes in. The lecturer said that a dog with “a confident and reliable temperament” is likely to be able to cope with “unexpected events.” These events can include another dog running up to them, a child speeding past on a scooter or a large group of noisy people.
Taylor said such dogs may become temporarily distracted, but they’ll be able to “quickly bounce back and respond to their owner.”
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