Why Dogs Bite?  

By Captain Haggerty. Originally published in The AKC Gazette June 1988.  

All dogs have the potential to bite, but not all dogs have the potential to become vicious.  The press has made us aware of dog bites, although the stories would have the public believe that only “pit bulls” bite.  All dogs can bite. But WHY do dogs bite?

Some might claim that it is a “predatory behavior”. But that is a simplistic answer to a complex question. “Predatory behavior” sounds good, but what exactly is it?  When children are playing we often see them chasing one another and they will reach out, and grab their playmates. Predatory behavior? No. But dogs have no hands so they grab with their mouths. An argument can be made that this play-acting activity is a puppy’s preparation for going out and” bringing home the bacon” as did his “ancestor”, the ubiquitous wolf.  Yes, we have heard all of the stories about pack behavior, the Alpha wolf, how the wolf learns to hunt, etc.  They make great stories. But no one has proven the dog descended from the wolf.  My educated guess is that the wolf and the dog descended from a common ancestor at least 13,000 generations (also read “years” here) ago.

Not all breeds should have the same temperament. The charm and charisma of each breed is breed-specific temperament which must be preserved.

Personality and temperament should be the primary reasons for selecting a household companion. If dogs are all of the same cookie-cutter temperament the need for different breeds vanishes.

Looking at Aggression

Aggression or attacking other animals is not the same as attacking humans.  It is true that fighting breeds are bolder and the dog that attacks a human is generally a bolder (more aggressive) dog, but that does not mean that all bolder dogs will attack humans.  Interestingly, enough, the domestic dog has a “bite inhibiting factor”  when it comes to humans. For example, I recently ran into a case of Maremma Sheepdog that got into a fight with another dog. The owner stepped in to break up the fight and in the confusion, the Maremma bit the owner on the knee.  Realizing what it had done, the Maremma immediately released his hold and appeared quite contrite, yet Maremmas are certainly “bold” dogs. In other cases, when this has happened, the dog has reacted the same way.  Its expression says, “Oh my God” and it releases its hold. The dog then assumes a submissive posture and will attempt to “apologize”.

If we were to equate attacking animals to attacking humans, Beagles and Coonhounds would be high on the dog bite list.  However, the reverse is true: these breeds are less likely to bite humans. In other words, the dog that attacks other animals is bound to be more aggressive but not necessarily toward humans.  Aggression toward other animals does not translate into aggression toward humans.  

On the other hand, we have to acknowledge where the pit bull comes from and realize that those participating in this barbaric “sport” did produce a dog that is unique physically as well as mentally. Dog fighters required a dog they could handle and manage in both the kennel and the pits so the dog that was aggressive toward people was undesirable and was eliminated. There are a number of other characteristics the pit bull was selected for, such as wrestling ability, audacity, courage, endurance, agility in close areas, tenacity, a punishing bite, boldness, athletic ability, high threshold of pain, gameness, intelligence (al the dum pit bulls died in the pits) combativeness and the drive for combat.

But Why Do Dogs Bite Humans?

They do so because they can. They do so because they have no hands. They do so because they don’t like anyone messing with their food. They do so because they refuse to be corrected. They do so because they are startled in their sleep. They do so because they anticipate someone will hurt or irritate a given area of their bodies. They do so because they are protecting their puppies. They do so because someone is putting their face into the dog’s face and making kissing sounds.  They do so because a child is running.  They do so because someone is on their turf.

As the above list indicates, there are a myriad of reasons for dogs to bite. There are as many different types of biters as there are reasons for dogs to bite.

Aggression is a male characteristic. I know, I know, you had a bitch that was tougher than any male in the kennel.  Was she the exception that proved the rule?  Probably not. The behavior patterns probably have been misinterpreted. The vast majority of police, guard, and military dogs(at least 95% now that’s a majority) are male. Most guide dogs are female. Guide dog trainers do not want a dog that may become too protective of the person that it is leading.  A female dog’s bark is worse than her bite. An interesting aside is that the shyer males are generally bitchy in appearance: to a much lesser extent, the stand-up females will look doggy. 

Not only is aggression a male characteristic but it is controlled by hormones. Dogs in the 75-pound range reach full sexual maturity at around 18 months of age. Smaller breeds, such as the Fox Terrier, reach this plateau at about 10 months to a year, and the true giant breeds reach this level at about two to two and a half years of age.  On a German Shepherd’s 18-month birthday, it does not suddenly become protective. Protectiveness is not a negative factor by the way. Shepherds are supposed to be protective.  The dog becomes increasingly protective until it levels off at 18 months of age. (Yet I have seen male dogs that were protective at four months of age and always predict what that owner will have at maturity..a Tiger! 

Each breed reaches its protective level at a later date, depending on the age of sexual/aggressive maturity. The larger the dog, the later it matures. 

Environment or Heredity?

The battle of eugenics vs. euthenics has been raging these many years but I would answer the question this way. If you bred the pup and sold it, any faulty temperament is caused by the environment; if you bought the puppy from a breeder and raised an unstable pup, it is heredity. Seriously it is a combination of both factors.

There is a third-factor involving aggression…hormones. The amount of male hormones a dog receives is certainly hereditary but doesn’t negate environmental effect. Hormones can be controlled chemically or through castration, but this is not the panacea for the aggression problem. 

Many people want to know what percentage of aggression is the result of the environment and what percentage is the result of heredity. Each dog is an individual with a d different combination, despite similar breeding and environment. We all have seen the late-night movie on television in which one son becomes a criminal and the other becomes a priest.  (James Cagney as Rocky and Pat O’Brien as the priest).

Temperament Characteristics

Certain temperament characteristics are more likely to cause the dog to have a biting propensity.  

Shy dogs make good, if undependable pets. Many owners prefer a dog that they can pamper, and the shy dog is very affectionate and ideally suited for this type of owner. Shy dogs will seldom try to bite and if cornered and under a great deal of stress, they will merely grab a human’s hand to exert a warning pressure rather than really bite. Under extreme pressure, they may bite, however.  So remember, you can’t predict what the shy dog will do. Yet the shy dog is not to be confused with the fear biter.

The Fear Biter label has been incorrectly attributed to more dogs than any other type of temperament classification. Some experts believe that nearly every biting dog is a fear-biter. How do you tell a fear-biter? Any ten-year-old can tell, if he has had 20 years of experience. It’s in the dog’s eyes. It is the way the eyes are rolled and the amount of white that you see.  However, the visibility of the whites of a dog’s eyes doesn’t mean that it is a fear-biter; it is a characteristic look.  A  fear-biter is not predictable and will bark defensively long before a human corners it. The fear biter may make a sortie, charging out to bite. One never can predict what the fear-biter will do, except that it will be unexpected.

The Dog Biting Out of Fear is not automatically a fear-biter. A dog that is caught in a tight area with no means of escape (from the dog’s point of view) frightened because of loud noises, fearful of being hurt or injured may well bite out of fear. Again, it does not make the dog a fear-biter.

Protective Dogs may be area protective., handler-owner protective or self-protective or can be a combination of these types of protectiveness. They are not necessarily bad. 

Area protection is selectively bred for by human wanting their dogs to protect them and their property. Wild dogs will take off rather than protect their area, if they are cornered they may well bite, but flight is better than fight.  The biting is not a sustained aggressive attack but an attempt to escape: they bite as they try to leave the area.  (Wolves will do the same things as the wild dog. Wolf attacks on humans are unheard of).  

Guarding breeds have been developed for the protection of livestock and for use in police, military and guard work. German Shepherd dogs, Dobermans and Akitas in that order are normally area-handler and self-protective.  Under normal circumstances, this type of protectiveness must be controlled.

Aggressive dogs generally also are protective. This is the dog that wants his own way.  He wants to be king of the hill, the leader of the pack, the top dog, the boss, the best of everything. In the business world, he would be chairman of the board. As a dog, he is a liability if the aggression is not controlled.

Let’s take the case of an owner. Dan Dominant who has properly reared his potentially aggressive dog. Dan is the master of the house, family, and puppy.  As “Killer” reaches puberty he starts asserting himself and throws his weight around. The dog is testing Dan Dominant. He growls when members of the dominant household approach his dish when he is eating. A correction is given, just as it is given when Killer jumps up on the bed. Each inappropriate attempt is met with a rebuff, and for added control, the dog is obedience trained so it gets used to taking orders.

On the other hand, Willy Wimp, owning the same dog will not set up the proper relationship with the puppy. Killer will run wild. The first time Killer growls over his food, the Wimp family will fearfully clear out of the kitchen.  If Killer jumps up on the bed and growls when the Wimps want to go to sleep, they will say, “He thinks he is a person!”  The Wimps will then make up the couch and cot. As the pup matures, it will continue to test members of the Wimp family until the dog becomes the top dog and the Wimps become the underdogs. As it matures, it will not hesitate to control the situation through aggressive actions.

The Surly Dog falls into the aggressive dog category. The surly dog simply refuses to do anything that it is told. It is extremely difficult to live with and no one, except a dog trainer, should try to share a household with this type of dog.  It will rebel against doing something that it wants to do simply because the owner wants it done.

The Hyper- Kinetic Dog has a tremendous amount of energy that only can be controlled with a great deal of force. It is not to be confused with a hyperactive dog. Hyper-kinetic dogs can be diagnosed as such when the veterinarian gives the dog a tranquilizer, if it speeds up the dog’s activity, the dog is hyper-kinetic. Tranquilizers would slow down the hyperactive dogs: “S[eed” is the drug that will slow down a hyper-kinetic dog. This excess energy can cause problems if the dog is allowed to control the situation. This situation is almost exclusively seen in male dogs but is not seen too frequently, since this type of dog is completely unsuitable as a pet.

Springer Rage is a problem seen in the Springer Spaniel as well as other breeds. It is a fit-like action wherein the dog flies into a rage and viciously bites.  It lasts a short period of time and at the end of the rage, the dog acts normal and does not seem to be aware of what went before.

Shy-sharp dogs give all the appearance of viscous dogs when in reality they are shy dogs that over a period of time, developed aggressive behavior patterns to frighten people away from them. They are so successful in their “play-acting” that they become what appear to be extremely sharp dogs.  It is difficult to distinguish between the shy-sharp dog and the aggressive or vicious dog, and it serves no useful purpose to do so except for academic reasons.

Vicious Dogs do the most damage should they bite. It is a sustained attack and the victim will not be able to back the dog down.  Very few dogs fall into this category no matter how widely it is used. A vicious dog is the most aggressive of all dogs and the type of dog that many feel is most likely to become involved in a fatality. However, that is probably not true. The average owner of a vicious dog, no matter how irresponsible, must exercise control over the dog. If he didn’t, the courts, civil or criminal would step in before a fatality occurs.  The vicious dog’s behaviors are consistent and predictable and dangerous. Incideinctly, I don’t like the term vicious because it is used too freely. Very few dogs are vicious. This term has a certain legal significance when lawyers talk about “vicious propensity”.  It may make for good legal argot but not good dog jargon.

Fatalities

Why dogs bite is important, but our major concern today is the fatalities caused by dogs., which is the ultimate dog attack. It is not enough to point out that the fatalities are few and far between and that cars kill more people than dogs, and they both do good for society. Or that there are more shark attacks than wolf attacks, and three times more people are killed by lightning than shark attacks. There are those who are in favor of getting rid of all dogs, and a death by dog bites presents a good argument.  The deaths are generally among children under eight years of age which makes the situation that much sadder.  This is a bio-mechanical situation in that the dog must be big enough, in relation to the child, to injure the child fatally and vital organs in a child are closer to the surface than in an adult.  Adult human fatalities are generally caused by more than one dog: the “worrying syndrome” is where a number of dogs gang upon the hopeless victim.  This behavior pattern is seen in other animals, but many dog lovers choose not to recognize it because it is very “un-dog like” behavior in our mind’s eye. Dogs do it and it is apparent in a group of dogs once a fight starts. This ganging-up behavior is also seen in dogs that pursue prey and catch it. It is a sustained combined attack that doesn’t stop until the prey is incapacitated.

Here, then are the reasons dogs bite.  As fanciers-breeders, exhibitors and trainers, it is our responsibility to educate the misinformed that personality and temperament must be the primary concern when selecting a canine. Ignoring an opportunity to share knowledge on temperament is doing society and the fancy a disservice.