Image Credit: Tanya Kalian, Shutterstock
Last Updated on January 7, 2025 by Dogster Team
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REVIEWED & FACT-CHECKED BY
Dr. Chyrle Bonk
DVM (Veterinarian)
The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.
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Note: This article’s statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website.
The United States is considered to be a relatively dog-friendly country. About 44.6% of American households have at least one pet dog, and many people are used to being around dogs and don’t mind them.1
Even though dogs are wonderful companion animals, it is important to remember that they can be dangerous at times. Improperly trained dogs that lack proper socialization can develop aggressive behaviors, cause injuries to people, and damage property.
The answer to the question of dogs being dangerous is nuanced. Dog attacks and fatal encounters are relatively rare, but they do still happen. Having a well-balanced understanding of dogs and responsible ownership can help you raise a well-behaved dog and prevent avoidable accidents.
(AVMA)
With about 4.5 million people getting bitten by dogs each year, there is no denying that dogs can be a public safety risk. Surveys on dog bites and attacks have seen that children younger than 12 years old are more likely to be involved in a dog-related incident. Men are also more likely than women to get attacked by a dog.
(USPS)
Letter carriers are specifically trained on how to interact with dogs while they are on their mail delivery route. Carriers who have reported dog attacks have stated that many dog bites occur after they’ve been told by the dog’s owner that their dog doesn’t bite. To raise awareness for dog bite prevention, the USPS established National Dog Bite Awareness Week in June. This public service campaign provides statistics and information on how to avoid and prevent dog bites.
(CDC)
Young children are more likely to get bitten or attacked by a dog, and many dog attacks occur when the child and dog aren’t supervised by an adult. While dog attacks are the 8th leading cause of ER visits, they only make up about 3.4% of these visits. The leading cause of ER visits is an unintentional fall, and they make up about 38.6% of visits.
(III)
Dog-related injuries and damages can be expensive because of medical bills and property damage. The number of dog bite insurance claims increased by 8.3% from 2022 to 2023, with California having the highest number of claims in the US. The average cost per claim is $58,545.
(NIH)
The number of deaths caused by dog attacks is extremely low, especially when you compare it to the leading causes of death in the US. In 2022, the leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer, and preventable injuries. The most prevalent preventable injuries included poisoning, fall-related injuries, and motor vehicle accidents.
(NCRC)
A survey on dog bite prevention found that family dogs are less likely to attack people than residential dogs. 70% of dog attacks recorded in this survey involved residential dogs. Residential dogs are defined as dogs who are isolated from positive human interactions. Family dogs are pet dogs that have been well-integrated into their families and have regular positive interactions with people.
(AVMA)
There’s a correlation between dog attacks and unneutered dogs. Unneutered dogs are 80% more likely to display dominance aggression. It’s unknown if unspayed females are also more likely to display dominance aggression. However, they may perpetuate dog-related incidents by attracting unneutered dogs during mating season.
(NCRC)
Dog attacks are widely considered to be preventable. While more research needs to be completed to identify effective dog bite prevention methods, most dog experts agree that obedience training, dog behavior education, and other means of responsible dog ownership can reduce dog attacks. Proper socialization and seeking professional intervention with challenging behaviors can also help reduce dog aggression and the risk of dogs attacking people.
(AAHA)
Breed-specific legislation (BSL) is implemented in several states as a means of reducing dog attacks. BSL enables states and local municipalities to ban certain dog breeds that have been identified as aggressive. Animal rights activists and experts agree that BSL isn’t an effective means of reducing dog-related incidents. In fact, it can perpetuate negative stereotypes and stigmatization of certain dog breeds and pose unnecessary challenges for responsible dog owners of breeds in BSL lists.
(APA)
The majority of pet owners state that they’ve benefited from owning a pet. Research has shown that dogs can have a positive impact on their owners’ mental and emotional well-being. Dog ownership can also improve people’s social lives and reduce isolation.
(HABRI)
Taking care of a dog can also cause dog owners to make healthier choices that improve their physical health. Dogs can encourage people to exercise more through daily walks and being jogging buddies. Dog owners may also choose a healthier lifestyle so that they can take better care of their dogs.
Dogs are excellent communicators, and you can usually tell how a dog is feeling if you have a good understanding of canine body language. Dogs share a common display of aggression that will tell you to stay back and discontinue provoking them. They will look stiff and tense, and their fur on their back will be raised. They’ll also lift their lip and bare their teeth and can also growl or snarl at you. Snapping their teeth at you indicates that they’re ready to bite.
It’s common practice to ask a dog owner if you can pet their dog before interacting with the dog. However, some people, especially young children, may not know to ask first. If your dog is wary of strangers, it can be helpful to get a leash with a “do not pet” flag on it, have your dog wear a harness with a similar phrase stitched to it, or put a bandana with the phrase around their neck.
If someone is approaching your direction, you can make sure to position yourself in front of your dog and between the stranger and your dog. This will create a protective barrier and prevent the other person from touching your dog.
While BSL identifies aggressive dog breeds, more recent research has shown that other factors may have a stronger contribution to a dog’s aggression than their breed. A study completed by the University of Bristol School of Veterinary Sciences found that how a dog was raised can predict aggressive tendencies more precisely than their pedigree. For example, puppies who attended training classes were half as likely to be aggressive toward strangers. Dogs that were trained with punishment and negative reinforcement were twice as likely to be aggressive toward strangers and three times more likely to lunge at family members.
Pit Bulls are widely thought of as aggressive dogs. This negative perception is mostly based on wide media coverage of a limited survey that documented the majority of dog-related deaths involving Pit Bulls. Pit Bulls also have a sad history of being used in dog fights.
Pit Bulls are powerful dogs and often make good police dogs and watchdogs. However, a dog’s breed isn’t as reliable of a predictor as environmental factors that affect how the dog was raised. There’s also no research that proves that Pit Bulls are inherently aggressive dogs, that it likely is more due to their upbringing than their genetic makeup.
It’s important to get professional help involved if your dog starts to show aggressive behaviors. First, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to determine if the aggression is being triggered by an underlying medical condition. If the aggressive behavior isn’t attributed to a health issue, work with a professional dog trainer to prevent the aggression from escalating. A good dog trainer will help you understand your dog better and find what triggers your dog to react with aggression. They’ll also develop a training plan to address the behavior humanely and help you keep track of progress.
Fatal dog-related accidents are quite rare, but it’s still important to understand how dogs can become potentially dangerous. Research and statistics have shown that a dog’s environment and upbringing are often more reliable indicators of developing aggressive behaviors than their breed. Responsible dog ownership can help prevent avoidable accidents and reduce the number of dog attacks.
More research is needed to determine the tangible and practical aspects of responsible dog ownership. With the drawing away from BSL, it’s very possible that responsible dog ownership will be promoted more and become the standard for avoiding and preventing dog-related accidents.
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Featured Image Credit: Tanya Kalian, Shutterstock
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Jessica is a freelance writer who spends bigger part of her day researching and writing while her furry companion Cavapoo, Nora, snoozes beside her. She loves dogs, pets and animals because there’s so much to learn from them, and they do so much for us. As a dog mom, she understands the strong connection that pet parents have with their pets. So, she loves sharing helpful information that pet owners can use to better understand their beloved pets. When she isn’t writing, you may find her walking dogs, tending to her plants, or drinking her nth cup of coffee.
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