Akita..... dog attacks on Humans....many....read....

[courtnek]

I apologize HF - I wasnt trying to imply that all msall dogs are bad, and you're right, it's usually their owners who make them aggressive by teasing. Chihauhau's however, are somewhat natrually aggressive, which can be controlled, as in any other dog. What I find funny about it is that
they are so tiny, yet they THINK they are SOOOOOO big....

:D

[Horsefeathers!]

Courtnek, my post was in no way aimed at you, nor had anything to do with what you had posted. It was just a general observation based on the experiences I've had when dealing with so many (mostly small) dogs and their owners. I agree that sometimes Chis are in a league all their own. I've often thought Chis should be re-grouped with the terriers (among the rest of my gang, I have a Chi, too). :lol:

[Sanvean]

Great post, HF!

Macy is as calm, gentle and loving a dog as anyone could ever want -- she's 6 pounds of perfection! But she was bred by a top-notch breeder, socialized from the day she was born (with people, dogs and cats) and has lived her whole live in a loving environment.

While we do spoil her to an extent -- the way any loving dog owner would spoil their dog, with comfy beds and lots of toys, etc. -- we DO treat her like a dog. She is expected to walk nicely on a lead, not to bark excessively, not to jump on people. I do NOT think aggressive dogs are "cute," no matter what their size.

Unfortunately, there is a huge demand for toy dogs, and many unscrupulous people breed without regard for temperament, health or conformation. I once saw a frightened, sickly-looking Maltese puppy on Wizard of Claws being sold for $4000 and she had EARS THAT STOOD UP! Ears on a Maltese should never, EVER be erect, and you won't pay more than $2000 (at least in Michigan) for a show-quality Maltese pup.

[Guest Anonymous]

I found the news posts by Your Special Guest interesting to say the least. I've been surrounded all my life by dogs and I love them dearly. However, I guess I am of the "unpopular" opinion that certain breeds...or certain dogs in general are more dangerous...in general. Clear as mud??? :wink:

Just this past week here in a town outside of Atlanta, GA a family in my homeschool group had their 7 year old nephew killed by a pit bull. Why is it Pit Bulls and Akita's have a much higher incidence of attacks then say a Labrador? On any account, I don't think they should all be destroyed! I've seen Rotteweilers that were SO sweet with "her" people/children. But I NEVER would have trusted her with my kids. :-?

But now I'm back in the market for a dog...and do you know my favorite breed in the world??? A MUTT! Yep. I've owned AKC registered poodles, purebread beagle, and I suspect that the Black Lab we rescued was purebred (but I'm by no means an expert). So here we are considering a mutt named Cletus. He's an a cattle dog/lab mix...and really I think his picture is ugly. But I tend to go for the "ugly" ones. The ones that I think no one else will want. Already he's stolen my heart...but are we the right family for him? How can you tell? My last dog was a sweet little AKC minature poodle, that got sick and died before I could get her to the vet...I'm still feeling guilty about that one. But really, we weren't the right family for her. She was a small lap dog who really didn't want children to bother her...I have 4. We got her as a pup and she hardly ever barked, only wanted to play with me (her person). I don't want this for Cletus. Muffy (my poodle) loved me and I loved her. But she would've been happier with my mom, really.

Back to my story, so I'm wanting to adopt Cletus. But I want him to be happy as well. So I was thinking if I got Cletus, I might get him a pet, :D Really, I think most dogs like to have other dog companions, so what do you think? His current foster dad said he thought Cletus would love a doggy companion. Is this crazy? A month ago, when Muffy died, I swore I'd never get another dog...now I'm considering two, lol. I want to go adopt all of the ones about to be put down at the shelter but I know I can't. A part of me says, "so what If you don't have a fence and they get killed on the road...at least they will have lived a happy life before they are killed and they would've gotten euthanized at the pound anyhow". Maybe I'm just mourning Muffy and want my guilt relieved for letting her shots lapse.

I'm rambling...and I apologize!

[Sanvean]

I guess your post isn't quite clear, Shellie...did Muffy die of a disease? If so, you may need to wait a certain amount of time before getting a dog, because many canine disease will lurk in your home and/or yard for quite a long time.

In addition, if you don't feel you can keep a dog safe from cars, you should wait to adopt until you do. While it is hard to hear about dogs being euthanized in shelters, it is certainly a better way to die then being hit by a car and possibly suffering for hours.

[DogPaddle]

Shellies wrote:
[quote]Why is it Pit Bulls and Akitas have a much higher incidence of attacks then say a Labrador? [/quote]

I think this is a matter of perception, sensationalization and press coverage. You don't hear as much about other breed bites because it is not popular or interesting news.

The CDC study involving FATAL dog attacks indicates that, yes, pit bull type dogs (which is a very genralized term and may or may not artificially raise stats) are responsible for more fatal attacks. However, Akitas do not rank very high at all in this study. Additionally this study measures FATAL attacks only and is not corrected for relative population of dogs. So attacks by some breeds may be more deadly but occur more often and the prevelance of pit bulls more artificially inflate the statistics. Additionally other good studies indicate that breed of dog is less a factor in biting incidents than environment and situation. In these studies it is determined that the worst risk of bites is from unnuetered males, abused dog and highest of all - chained dogs. This is not to say that Akitas are easy, safe, "entry-level" dogs. Just that they are not as bad as they are being made out to be and/or their handlers in general are handling the breed well.

[url]http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds.pdf[/url]

What do people say to starting a little survey of our own, and lets try to be as honest as possible so we can see what turns up?
My suggested parameters:
Dog bites that involve broken skin/bleeding.
Unprovoked attacks.
First hand experience or eye witness only.
So unless anyone has any other parameters or an objection . . .
I'll start

Miniture Poodle 1

[bk_blue]

Dachshund 1 (years ago Oscar bit my cousin- it seemed unprovoked but dachshunds are notoriously snappy especially around kids who may not know how to read the signs of a pissed off dog)

[Guest Anonymous]

Everyone is scared of BIG Dogs Rottis, German Shepard, Akitas, etc., but never little one.. Personal I have never delt wiht the Akitas so I cannot judge from experiance but I have 3 dogs. G.Shepard, Rotti, & Bassett hound.. The one you fear in my yard is my small hound dog..Droopy does not like strangers,(except kid)but you deal with it and take responsiblilty..
People come over he goes off the lead or out the house and into my shepards pen who comes out with us..She like most everyone, except my good friend finacie and that has me worried..To be a Dog owner you must know you dog and do to protect him and others..

[courtnek]

I have never been bitten by a dog.

my mom got bit by a pekignese
The kid down the street got mauled by a Golden Retriever
I got snapped at by a dachsund, but not actually bitten

I think the larger dogs get the stats as the most fatal attacks because they are larger.

[courtnek]

I found an intersting site with good info on biting, and aggression in general. It's too long to post, but if you go to the URL

[url]http://drs.yahoo.com/S=2766679/K=dog+biting+statistics/v=2/SID=e/l=WS1/R=6/H=0/*-http://www.samthedogtrainer.com/Articles_Dog%20Bite%20Statistics.htm[/url]

and read the article, then click on the links for aggression, and police,
he has some good general information on dog characterisitics, including pit bulls and such.

[DogPaddle]

So far:

Miniture Poode 1
Dachsund 1
Pekeignese 1
Golden Retriever 1

There was another Dachshund bite but it was a "snapped at" not a bite drawing blood.

[courtnek]

This is a good time to interject his...


I think the only reason I have NOT been bitten by a dog was because of the breeder/trainer I worked for. He taught me dog "signals", what to look for, how to determine if the dog was hostile, or just frightened.
He taught me the signs you need to read... what to do if you come across a truly "hostile" dog, one ready to bite....

and what to do to get out of being bitten...

I personally think these things should be taught to ALL children.. they dont know.....they see a dog, they want to pet it...

[DogPaddle]

Definately Courtnek. I think this would drop the number of bites drastically. Education would help alot as would, nuetering, stopping the chained life for dogs, and stiffer penalties for animal abuse. My own experience with the miniture poodle was due to lack of knowledge, I was 7 or 8 and I often played with the dog in the owners precense but I came by one day and the dog was tethered to do its business, I approached on its property without the alpha there (its owner) and the dog did its job, [b]I just didn't understand its body language[/b] because I thought of it as "just a little dog."

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='courtnek']some dogs, like Akita's require responsible owners who understand the breed. Irresponsible owners, who DONT understand the breed,
cause a lot of these issues. EDUCATION is the key...[/quote]

We have a cockapoo who's cursed with being one of the cutest dogs around. He's fairly large for a cockapoo, but he still looks like a slightly buff teddy bear. Cockapoos are excellent family dogs, bred to be pets, and the sanctioning bodies (NACR and CCA) emphasize temperament above all.

Yesterday I left him tied up at a park bench (as far away from foot traffic as I could) while I used the restroom for about 1 minute. When I came out, two little kids were petting him while I heard their father say "He looks like a perfectly safe dog" or some such.

There is no "perfectly safe dog". I certainly wouldn't claim that our "perfect family pet" is a "perfectly safe dog". Ours happens to be quite possessive, somewhat dominant toward smaller dogs -- and small children -- and uncomfortable in large groups of people. There are parts of his body (particularly his hindquarters and rear legs and paws) where he doesn't like to be touched. These traits tend to be exacerbated when he's confined and in the house. Well, this wasn't inside our house, and he didn't have something that he wanted to possess, but two small children trying to pet him when he's tied up closely to a park bench is still a potential problem (in the event, nothing happened). In fact, his previous owner had to give him up because of his issues with small children (her daughter was about to move in with two small grandchildren).

This dog is not a chaser. He typically shows at most mild interest in other dogs and people when he's out walking, although he sometimes abruptly snaps at other dogs if they invade his space.

We've managed to reduce this. We've exposed him -- in small doses -- to other small children in our extended family, and we've had our youngest nephew give him commands to emphasize that even small children are above him in the hierarchy. We've tried to deny him access to things we know he likes (T-shirts and towels, for example). When walking him, we've tried to make clear to him that there are times when he may run free and times when he must walk at heel. We've found that he's better behaved around other dogs and people when he's off-leash, or at worst on a very loose leash. We give him commands frequently for the sake of giving him commands, and praise him for obeying. We keep him off the bed overnight by tying him up to his bed, next to ours. But he's still bitten both of us when he thinks we're trying to take something away from him, and he still shows signs of trying to dominate when he thinks he can.

The behaviorist we took our dog to (who's used to dealing with really dangerous animals) took one look at our cockapoo and knew exactly what the story was. He commented that the cuter the dog, the worse the problem. And while his suggestions have helped, the combination of a four year old dog, first time owners, and busy owners means that these issues won't be resoled overnight

My own story is interesting. I've been afraid of dogs my entire life, apparently because as an infant I was nipped by a Pekingese. My wife really wanted to get a dog, and as it turns out I'm very happy she insisted; I've learned a lot, have a pet whom I enjoy, and I'm much better with dogs now. But I still understand the fear.

There really needs to be education on all sides. People who own dogs need to understand the responsibility -- maybe it's dog *owners* who need to be licensed (with appropriate testing), not dogs, and maybe people with dogs that have been involved in unprovoked incidents need to have their license to own dogs lifted. People in general need to understand that you don't approach a dog and try to pet it, or feed it, or whatever without the permission of the owner. Facilities (particularly in places where people are likely to have dogs, such as parks) need to be friendlier toward dogs, so that owners of well-behaved dogs can take them with them rather than tying them up outside.

[courtnek]

[quote]There really needs to be education on all sides. People who own dogs need to understand the responsibility -- maybe it's dog *owners* who need to be licensed (with appropriate testing), not dogs, and maybe people with dogs that have been involved in unprovoked incidents need to have their license to own dogs lifted. People in general need to understand that you don't approach a dog and try to pet it, or feed it, or whatever without the permission of the owner. Facilities (particularly in places where people are likely to have dogs, such as parks) need to be friendlier toward dogs, so that owners of well-behaved dogs can take them with them rather than tying them up outside.[/quote]

AMEN. I think you'll find that everyone here agrees with you. We have pushed education from day one. Dogs are ANIMALS....you cant just tell them "that's not nice, you cant do that..."

People need to be responsible for what both their DOGS and Their
KIDS do.....

[Lucky Chaos]

I've been bit by two dogs, both small dogs. One was a yorkie was aggressive to everyone who came through the door. I was about 6 at the time, and we were visiting friends, when their yorkie came yapping and biting my heels I ran to where my mom was standing, obviously this wasn't the best thing to do. he grabbed onto my foot and bit, and it did draw blood.

The second time was when I was biking accross a park and a miniture poodle ran up to my bike. When I stopped the bike, instead of backing off he latched onto my leg. The owner was like "Oh, I'm so sorry he didnt know what he was doing he's always a good dog" I didn't find out till later when I looked that he had broken the skin.

[Lucky Chaos]

Oh yeah,

Miniture Poodle 2
Dachsund 1
Pekingnese 1
Golden Retriever 1
Yorkshire Terrier 1

[imported_Cassie]

[b]Dog bites that involve broken skin/bleeding.[/b]
8 Rottweilers,
2 American Staffordshire terriers,
6 German Shepherds.

As far as attacks I was not witness to but happened in my area.
1 American bulldog
3 Rottweilers. (actually killed a little boy)
1 APBT
1 Chow Chow


I also agree that especially when working with dogs you should know how to read a dogs body language, I have taken courses on dog aggression and behavior ...I also work with dogs daily in a Vet Clinic, boarding facility and grooming facility...some dogs barely show any body language before an attack...mainly Chow's and Akita's...I have seen some Rotties where the only sign they are going to attack is the eye stalk...the head lowers then the attack.
All dogs can bite, but, the degree of the bite and the scars they leave are quite different when it comes to a large breed verses a small breed...I know one man who was biten in the face by a Rottie and is still under going appointments with a plastic surgeon, another lady was biten by a Chow and had to undergo plastic surgery.
I also beleive people should do their research before obtaining a breed learn their behavioral conformation and possible motor patterns...although motor patterns can vary within breeds. Learn what the breed was orginally intended by man to do...for instance most terriers where bred to kill rodents and small game...not just point or retreive, but kill. Dachshunds (standard) were breed to hunt badgers....badgers are mean little creatures. Rottweilers were bred to drove cattle where they actually had to chase and nip at the cows hocks to keep them moving.
Some breeds are more dominant than others and require a dominant owner...a submissive owner can make a horrible situation for all involved.

[DogPaddle]

[quote]Dog bites that involve broken skin/bleeding.
8 Rottweilers,
2 American Staffordshire terriers,
6 German Shepherds. [/quote]

Oh Cassie, did those all happen to you are were you a witness in some - I hope so, that's a lot of bites.

So, if I'm right, that puts us at:

Miniture Poodle 2
Dachsund 1
Pekingnese 1
Golden Retriever 1
Yorkshire Terrier 1
Rottweiler 8
Am Staff 2
GSD 6

For first hand experience or direct eye witnessed bites that drew blood.

[Horsefeathers!]

Oh, if we can include eyewitnessed accounts, I have a few. I've only ever had one bite, myself. It wasn't bad... broke the skin a little, but hurt my pride more than anything. It was a spoiled rotten little Pekingese... a perfect example of one of the spoiled little dogs that the owner thought it was cute that he was so gosh darned mean ("We can't get near him with a brush. He just tries to eat us up!" :evil: ). So that's:

1 Pekingese

I've seen a few bad ones, though. I saw a girl who was mauled pretty badly once by a Springer Spaniel. Someone else I know got it from her OWN Rottie. Another girl I know was nailed by a Husky mix. My sister was bitten badly by a Collie when she was really small (she still has the scar on her lip). She's had Pit Bulls her entire adult life, but is still scared of Collies.

I know there are more, but these are the ones that come immediately to mind. If I think of any more, I'll add them. In addition to the Peke listed above, add:

1 Springer Spaniel
1 Rottie
1 Husky mix
1 Collie

[Guest Anonymous]

Add 1 Pom mix and 1 Lab mix...
The pom actually bit two people... I was standing talking to some friends when the owner (a young girl, maybe 11-12 yrs old) walked it up to us. The dog pulled away from her, ran up behind me, jumped up and grabbed my arm, then turned and bit the person standing beside me. This dog had a prior history of biting too.

The Lab x belongs to the people who used to own Haley, I went to hand him a treat after bringing him in from a walk, he got my finger with it, but rather than let go like most dogs would upon realizing they had "skin", he became aggressive, growling and chomping down on my finger, obviously very pi**ed off that I dared to not give him "his" treat. I was the one who ended up getting him off me, as one of the people there was completely clueless as to how to do so, the other didn't even realize anything was out of the norm... and afterwards tried to say it had been my fault :roll: . I did nothing to evoke this type of reaction, that's just how he was (still IS, that's the scary part). I don't know that you would consider it "unprovoked", as he was reacting to something he thought I was doing, but it was definitely innappropriate. He also displayed aggression on a regular basis... try to make him do anything HE didn't want to do, and you were met with a flurry of growls, if not snapped at.

[bk_blue]

I don't know whether to include this but our mower man got bitten by a [size=6]Rottweiler[/size] while doing someone's lawn. He has admitted he is not a dog person and is terrified of them (not good when you make your living going into strangers' backyards!).
I also got snapped at by a Kelpie when I was younger. I've never been bitten and I think it's probably, like Courtnek, got something to do with being able to read dog body language.

[imported_Cassie]

[b]Quote by Dogpaddle[/b][quote]Oh Cassie, did those all happen to you are were you a witness in some - I hope so, that's a lot of bites[/quote].

No, these attacks did not happen to me...but I was there to witness them. It's pretty scary when some one has been bitten especially by a big breed like a Rottweiler and they are holding their face together. one of the Shepherd attacks actually happened at a local dog show to a judge! :o the judge looked over the dog and started walking away the Shepherd lunged and bit the judge on his bum! I didn't check to see if it was bleeding, we took his word for it. I also watched in one of my obedience classes as the obedience trainer tried to help a women put her Rottie into a down position...the dog attacked the obedience trainer. The APBT, bit a fellow worker at the Vet clinic....it was in for boarding.

[ellieangel]

I have been bitten once at our club by a GSD but I love GSD's so I almost didn't want to say :(
It wasn't her fault though she was a rescue who had been locked in a cage and half starved with almost no human contact whatsoever,and no canine contact ever and the club situation was all too much for her and she panicked :(
I doubt that she will be able to adapt now,I think the damage was done long ago :(

[DogPaddle]

So far I think we are at:

Miniture Poodle 2
Dachsund 1
Pekingnese 2
Golden Retriever 1
Yorkshire Terrier 1
Rottweiler 9
Am Staff 2
GSD 6
Springer Spaniel 1
Husky mix 1
Collie 1
PomX 1
LabX 2