#210 Beyond the Bite: Dogs and Fatal Attacks

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Are certain dog breeds inherently more dangerous? It's a question that resurfaces after every tragic dog attack headline, but the answer isn't as straightforward as many believe.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the 5-Minute Dog, the mini-podcast
that delivers practical trainingadvice in less than 5 minutes.
You know, every so often wehear those tragic stories where
a dog attack turns deadly and itmakes you wonder are some

(00:25):
breeds naturally riskier?
Do certain dogs have a tendencyto fight longer or to keep
going once they start?
Think about the RhodesianRidgeback.
Originally they were bred inAfrica to help hold lions at bay
.
That doesn't mean a Ridgebacktoday is destined to fight to

(00:49):
the death, but it does remind usthat breeding history does
leave fingerprints.
And here's where it gets tricky.
Breeding doesn't just create thedog in front of us.
It reflects the priorities ofthe breeder, and some large dog

(01:14):
breeders are still emphasizingstamina and intensity and drive.
You know traits that are usefulfor certain working roles, but
those same traits may not alwaysline up with what makes a safe,
reliable family pet.
Traits may not always line upwith what makes a safe, reliable
family pet, but meanwhile otherbreeders carefully select for
softer, family-friendlytemperaments.
This is why we can't just saythat labs are safe and

(01:37):
Ridgebacks are risky.
A lab bred for thathigh-intensity field trial can
be just as over-the-top as arich back bred for gardening,
and any large dog, regardless ofbreed, has the potential to do
serious harm if something goeswrong.
What we do know from researchis that larger, stronger breeds

(02:04):
are overrepresented in seriousbite statistics, but that
doesn't prove that they're moreaggressive.
It just highlights a simpletruth the bigger the dog, the
bigger the potentialconsequences if something goes
wrong.
So maybe the better questionisn't which breeds fight longer,

(02:27):
but are breeders and ownersmaking choices that set dogs up
to be appropriate household pets?
You know genetics give ustendencies, but environment and
management and training candetermine whether those
tendencies ever become a problem.