High Risk Dogs

In recent years, certain dog breeds are increasingly negative in the news. Insurance companies refuse insurance policies. Laws are adapted around these dog breeds and heated discussions are going on between enthusiasts, all kinds of experts and governments. The so-called High Risk Dogs. But what are we talking about right now? Is it right that so many dogbreeds come into the news negatively? And why actually?

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In the Netherlands, where I live, the national government has drawn up a list. This overview is published of dog breeds, lookalikes and crosses with a high risk of aggressive behavior.

The following dogs, look-alikes and all crosses with or between these dogs are in any case included in the high-risk dog category:

• Akita
• American Bulldog
• American Pitbull Terrier
• American Staffordshire Terrier
• South African Mastiff (Boerboel)
• Bull Mastiff
• Bull Terrier
• Cane Corso
• Dogo Argentino
• Dogo Canario
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier
• Rottweiler
• Tosa Inu
• Fila Brasileiro
• Anatolian shepherd
• South Russian Owcharka
• Caucasian Owcharka
• Pitbull: all crossings with a pit bull: pocket bully, micro bully, pocket pitbull, extreme pocket bully, Regular bully, Regular Pitbull, xl and xxl pitbull, xl and xxl bully, rednose pitbull, rednose bully
• Bully Kuta
• Alano
• Bandog

Domestic and foreign experts have compiled this list. The list can be extended in the coming years.

Dogs with a pedigree recognized by the Dutch Kennel Club do not fall under the high-risk dog category.

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But what does it actually mean when your dog is on this list and when you live in The Netherlands?

Owner responsible for dog behavior

In the first place the owner is responsible for the behavior of his dog. He must do everything to prevent an incident. For example, a dog can not be let out by someone who does not control the animal. Like a child. The owner must also call in expert help if the dog shows aggressive behavior. For example, a behavioral expert.

National steps to take against high-risk dogs

• From 2018, owners with a high-risk dog must be required to follow a behavioral course for the dog
• The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate is working on a breeding and import ban for high-risk dogs.
• Each Municipality receives a hotline. Here everyone can report dangerous behavior of dogs, and also you can report annoying behavior of dog owners.

A high-risk dog owner should look in each Dutch municipality for a possible imposed leash, muzzle and area ban for specific dogs. Because each municipality can determine how they deal with this, the responsibility lies with the dog owner to follow the rules per municipality. Which also means that if you are arrested because you are in violation, you are always punishable. No warning is required for this.

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But DO these dogs by definition bite earlier as a dog that is not on this list?

A little research on the internet provided me with the information that SMALL dogs would rather use aggression as big dogs! And now let this list consist entirely of medium-sized, large and very large dogs. I do not see a small dog anywhere in this list. And yet ... when I look at the internet and compare research, I see that it is the relatively small JACK RUSSEL TERRIER that has taken the largest percentage of the bite incidents. About 10.4% of all bite incidents are caused by this Jack Russel Terrier. The German Shepherd known to everyone writes 5% of the bite incidents to his name, and the Belgian Shepherds (Malinois/ Tervuerens) write 4.8% on their name. Nevertheless, these varieties are not on the list and even the Malinois has been taken off again. This research shows that American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers or French Bulldogs hardly bite people. These varieties caused about 0.6% of the bite incidents on average. Nevertheless, these breeds, except the French Bulldog, are on the HR Dogs list. In fact, the breeds on this list, mostly known as 'fighting dogs', are often very friendly towards people!

What is the situation that these varieties end up on the list, and others do not?
A high-risk dog is a dog that is capable of inflicting excessively severe bite damage (death to result, loss of muscle and / or organ tissue, loss of function). But ... to be honest, every dog could cause this kind of damage. So why are some breeds on the list, while other breeds, who have proven to bite much sooner, are not on that list.

• Physical appearance:
  The combination of weight, construction (jaw size, muscle strength, ability to simultaneously be bitten and continue to breathe, little grip on the dog by bitten / bystanders) such that powerful biting as well as retaining is possible from relatively large surface area at a bit.

• Style of Biting:
  The style of biting is such that biting is repeated without pauses (other than the time it takes to repeatedly reach the bit with a bite - for example in the case of an intermediate flight attempt of the bit) and / or is held for a long time (whether not with repacking / sliding to get a better grip on the bitten and / or by biting into the throat area, to push this tightly), whether or not in combination with pressing down the area and / or applying shaking / tearing. Bites are often aimed at vulnerable areas such as throat and groin area, head (snout) and / or possibly forelegs.

• Bite intensity:
  Focus on the bitten and biting is intense (dog is bad to interrupt, to get loose from bit and / or focus remains on bit and / or other possible biting people / animals). Dog shows excitement and / or silent focus on the bit prior to biting.

• Hereditary basis:
  The genetic basis of the dog is characterized by the selection of humans on fighting properties towards humans and / or animals. This genetic basis can be mixed with characteristics of other breeds / types such as speed of greyhounds and / or fierceness of terrestials.

Prior to biting, fewer warning signals or less build up of warning signals (aggression ladder) can be shown, so that avoiding the biting moment is more difficult.

But these points are not so much racial, as they can be different for each dog, and that to be able to recognize all warnings, the dog language must be known very well. Just to name a few examples, we humans recognize it when a dog growls, we hear it when a dog barks, but many people do not know at all what it means when a dog has its tail low between its legs, and shows its teeth. Where it also makes a difference whether the dog has put his ears forward, or has placed his ears in the back of his neck.

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Where we immediately touch another problem, because eventually ... however we turn it or turn it, it is THE HUMANS who created all these breeds and qualities in dogs. We humans decide that we want a dog at home, but often do not bother to first have sufficient knowledge. We choose people to bring a dog into the house, and then renounce to properly take up his upbringing. We humans make a dog part of our lives, we choose the dog. The dog is dependent on us in every respect, and we often fail where the dog's upbringing is concerned, and many do not have the knowledge. Dog language is complex. Complete books are written about it.

Usually it is that in case of a bite incidence, the human being has not seen the signals from the dog and the dog has thereby taken action. But the dog gets the blame. The dog is being restrained. In my eyes the question is not which dog is a High Risk Dog, but which HUMAN is a High Risk Human!

So is the High Risk Dogs list justified, or should it be changed to High Risk HUMAN ... and should all these dogs be protected against the biggest threat in this world called "Human"?

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